Names Created by Authors

Stella

Latin

"star"

Stella is a name with star quality and sparkle, that manages to sound both ethereal and earthy. Celestial but not otherworldly, it lands somewhere between the popular Ella and bold Seraphina. The…

Cora

Greek

"maiden"

Cora is a lovely, old-fashioned girls' that has been recently rejuvenated by its contemporary-feeling simplicity. In fact, Cora seemed headed straight for the top of the popularity list when the…

Ophelia

Greek

"help"

Floral, elegant, and bold, Ophelia re-entered the US Top 1000 in 2015 after more than 50 years off the charts. It has risen more than 700 spots since then and shows no signs of slowing down. Now in…

Vanessa

Literary invention; also a species of butterfly

Vanessa was invented by writer Jonathan Swift for a lover named Esther Vanhomrigh—he combined the first syllable of her last name with the initial syllable of her first. Swift used it in the poem…

Fiona

Scottish

"white, fair"

Fiona entered the American consciousness with the opening of the 1954 Broadway musical Brigadoon , but didn't come onto the U.S. popularity list until 1990. Fiona is the best known of a group of…

Amanda

Latin

"she must be loved"

Amanda may no longer be the most popular girls' name in her class, but it still holds appeal with its pleasing meaning and solid yet romantic sound. Its heyday however was back in the eighties when…

Miranda

Latin

"marvellous, admirable"

Miranda, a shimmeringly lovely, poetic name that was invented by Shakespeare for the beautiful and admirable young heroine of his play, The Tempest , is still a recommended choice even though its…

Briana

Feminine variation of Brian

"strong, virtuous, honorable"

Spelled this way, Briana was coined by Edmund Spenser for his great literary work, The Faerie Queene , which gives the now-overexposed name a far classier pedigree than it's usually credited with.…

Myra

Greek

"sweet-smelling oil"

As with many grandmother-y names, this choice may be coming back into style. Myra was invented in the seventeenth century by a poet called Fulke Greville as a short form of Miranda--or perhaps an…

Jessica

Hebrew

"behold or wealthy"

When Jennifer finally gave up her Number 1 place on the girls' popularity list, her crown was passed to Jessica, who reigned for not one but two decades. Jessica was the Number 1 name in both the…

Coraline

Variation of Coralie, French from Latin

"coral"

Coraline may not be original to Neil Gaiman's wonderful book of the same name, but it might as well be. Gaiman's young heroine Coraline Jones is constantly called Caroline but as a name Coraline is…

Khaleesi

Literature

"warlord"

Khaleesi is an invented name introduced to the world by inventive and prolific author George R. R. Martin for his wildly popular Game of Thrones series—it's Dothraki for "queen" and is one of the…

Wendy

English, Celtic, Welsh

"friend or white"

It is popularly claimed that the name Wendy was invented by Sir James Barrie in 1904 for the big sister character in his play Peter Pan , which was followed by the classic novel in 1911. Barrie…

Arwen

Literature, Sindarin, Welsh

"noble maiden; fair, blessed"

Best known as the princess of the Elves in Tolkien's Lord of the Rings , Arwen is a fantasy-inspired choice that feels perfectly down to earth. In 2022, it entered the UK Top 400, making it one of…

Eowyn

Literary name

"horse lover"

A literary name created by J. R. R. Tolkien for a Lord of the Rings noblewoman of Rohan. Properly spelled with an accent over the first E – Éowyn – it would make an interesting choice for literature…