Names Created by Authors

Unusual and unfashionable name found in Toni Morrison's novel Tar Baby.

Jadine

A name created for Jellia Jamb, a sweet and beautiful servant in the Royal Palace in the Emerald City of Oz, who appears in several books in the series.

Jellia

Ginger-homonym created by L. Frank Baum for a General character in his Oz books.

Jinjur

Jolanka is a feminine name with Eastern European origins, particularly Hungarian. It likely developed as a diminutive or variation of Yolanda, which derives from the medieval French 'Violante,' meaning 'violet flower.' The Hungarian influence gives Jolanka its distinctive sound and structure. While uncommon in English-speaking countries, it has historical usage in Hungary and surrounding regions. The name carries a delicate yet exotic quality, blending floral associations with Eastern European charm. Jolanka offers a unique alternative for parents seeking a name with international roots that remains pronounceable in English. Its rarity makes it distinctive, while its connection to the more familiar Yolanda provides some contextual grounding.

Jolanka

Kal-El is Superman's Kryptonian name, invented by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster in 1938 as the birth name of the superhero. Some theorize that it relates to Hebrew characters with the meaning "voice of God", while others give the meaning as "son" or "Earth one". 

At least one Earthling baby has received the name: the son of actor Nicolas Cage.

Kal-el

Like a blend of vintage-style Edie and popular Katie, Keedie is either an invented name, a variant of the Scottish surname Keddy, or possibly a short form of Katherine. 
 
In the case of Soprano singer Keedie Babb, her name was a creation of her father's, inspired by his love of pop star, Kiki Dee. As a variation of the Scottish surname, Keedie would ultimately derive from the Gaelic Mac Adaidh, meaning "the son of Adam" or "son of the red earth". As a diminutive of Katherine, Keedie likely draws inspiration from Kitty, Katie, Kadie, or Kiki.
 
The name has been used by writer Elle McNicoll in her novel A Kind of Spark and the character Keedie features in both the television adaptation, and in the follow up novel, Keedie.

Keedie

A name created by author Tamora Pierce for a character in her Protector of the Small series, a quartet of young adult fantasy novels. In the novels, Keladry is the first girl in centuries to seek a knighthood and the novels follow her journey towards this goal. 

Looking at the origins of the other names used in the series, Keladry's name could be linked to the Irish Kelly, the Norse Kelda, the French Landry, or Estonian and Turkish name Kadri — a variant of Katherine — or, it may be entirely made up .

Keladry

Kincső was invented in the 19th century by the Hungarian author Mór Jókai for his book A jövő század regénye, "The Novel of the Next Century." It's still a Top 100 choice in Hungary, where it peaked in 2007.

Kincső

Created by the Polish playwright Juliusz Słowacki in 1833 for his eponymous romantic hero, Kordian has been in rare use in Poland since. 

Słowacki based the name on the Latin cor or cordis, meaning "heart", making this an excellent rare choice for a baby born around Valentine's Day.

Kordian

Lancel Lannister is a minor character in Game of Thrones (the son of Kevan Lannister and first cousin to Cersei, Jaime and Tyrion) who plays a key part at several dramatic junctions in the series.

Lancel

Laudine is a name from Arthurian legend, created in the 12th century by poet Chrétien de Troyes for his romance titled Yvain. Laudine, known as the Lady of the Fountain, marries the protagonist, Yvain, after he slays her husband.
 
The exact origins of her name are unknown, but common consensus is that Laudine is derived from the place name Lothian, a region of the Scottish Lowlands.

Laudine

This name, created by Italo Calvino, has been spotted as a name in England.

Laudomia

Derived from J. R.R. Tolkien's fictional language of Sindarin, Legolas is a nature name and a literary creation, borne by an elf in The Lord of the Rings. A member of the Fellowship and an excellent bowman, his name hasn't caught on in the same way Arwen, Eowyn, Peregrin, Theoden, amd Elanor have. 
 
Nevertheless, it has ranked in the US stats three times, in 2003, 2015, and 2018 and has been received by at least 18 babies.

Legolas

Ethereal, yet with the familiarity of Lily about it, Lilliandil is a name created by Douglas Gresham for the movie adaptation of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, based of C.S Lewis's Narnia novels. An unnamed character in the novel, inspired by Luthien and Arwen from Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, Gresham chose the name Lilliandil inspired by the sea of lilies, also known as the Silver Sea, that appears in the book.
 
While Lilliandil as a name doesn't appear in the classic 'canon' of Narnia, it is lent substance by the fact Douglas Gresham is the stepson of C.S. Lewis.

Lilliandil

This delicate and pretty member of the prolific Lily family is best known as the name of the heroine of Alexander Chee's novel Queen of the Night, Lilliet Berne. A combination of Lillian and Juliet, Lilliet and its near-twin Liliet were given to no baby girls in the US in recent years, but do have some history of use. If you can't decide between Lily and Juliet, this is obviously the name for you.

Lilliet

A widespread name in Italy and Romania, the lovely Loredana is often claimed to have been invented by French author George Sand for a character in her 1833 novel Mattea. However, it also belonged to a 16th century Italian botanist, Loredana Marcello, known for developing treatments for various ailments. It probably derives from the Venetian surname Loredan, from the place name Loreo "laurel grove".

Loredana

Lucasta was invented by seventeenth century poet Richard Lovelace for a collection of poems dedicated to a lover named Lucy, and is familiar through the Eugene O'Neill play and film Anna Lucasta. Lucasta is a distinctive, rarely used choice and a logical extension of the Luke/Luc/Luca names.

Lucasta

The origins of Lucentio are a bit hazy — it's possible Shakespeare invented the name for his play The Taming of the Shrew, where Lucentio ends up marrying Bianca. However, it may have been an obscure Italian variation of Lucentius, existing before Shakespeare's time.

Lucentio

A literary name, likely invented by Czech author Julius Zeyer for his 1898 play, Radúz and Mahulena, Mahulena is an intriguing yet familiar sounding choice, probably inspired by Magdalena. The play uses elements of classic fairy tales, Slovak mythology, and Indian dramas to tell the story of Radúz and Mahulena, lovers from feuding kingdoms. 
 
Possibly borrowing from the German diminutive Maleen (appearing in Grimms' Fairy Tales), Mahulena could mean "from the high tower", if it is related to Magdalena. It is recognized as a name in the Czech Republic where it has its own name day (November 17) and is borne by actress Mahulena Bočanová.
 
Mahuliena is the Slovakian form, celebrated on July 22, and pronounced mah-huw-LI-yeh-na.

Mahulena

An invention of the eighteenth-century romantic poet James Macpherson, in his epic cycle about Ossian, a legendary Celtic hero. In Poland, where it was popular at the start of the 20th century, the spelling is Malwina, and it's also had some use in other Eastern European countries.

 Fun fact: the Spanish name for the Faulkland Islands is Las Malvinas, but this derives from the French port town of St Malo, rather than from Gaelic.

Malvina

Names created by authors include newly conceived options like Rhaenyra and Katniss, as well as names that are so assimilated, you probably didn't even realize they were invented — Jessica, anyone?

In addition to Jessica, mainstream names including Miranda (

) were coined by writers and now have taken on lives outside of the book pages.

 were invented by J. R. R. Tolkien, such as Theoden, Tauriel, and Frodo.

, including Geraldine, Vanessa, Fiona, Stella, and Amanda.

Literary names invented by authors, writers, and poets, including Fiona, Mowgli, and Renesmee, with meaning, origin, and popularity (Page 10)