Names Created by Authors

Coined by Shakespeare for the main antagonist in his comedy Twelfth Night, the unfortunate Malvolio’s name literally means "ill will".
 Incidentally, a peace-loving character in Romeo and Juliet received the opposite name: Benvolio, meaning "good will".

Malvolio

A character name in the Shadow and Bone book series, invented by author Leigh Bardugo. It is intended as a Ravkan form of Malcolm, meaning "disciple of St Columba".

Malyen

Of all the Game of Thrones creations this is surely the most delicate and the most wearable. Margaery, (pronounced like the Scottish name Marjorie) is a beautiful, powerful and intelligent character who becomes queen.

Margaery

Fanciful feminissima name created by L. Frank Baum for a character in The Patchwork Girl of Oz.

Margolette

Mayre is a feminine name that likely developed as a variant spelling of either Mary or Maire (the Irish form of Mary). The name ultimately derives from the Hebrew name Miriam, though its exact original meaning remains debated, with possible interpretations including 'beloved,' 'bitter,' or 'wished-for child.' This particular spelling variation gives the classic name a distinctive touch while maintaining its traditional pronunciation. Mayre combines the familiarity of a timeless name with a unique spelling that sets it apart. While not widely used, it appeals to parents who appreciate traditional names with subtle personalization and may also serve as a connection to Irish heritage.

Mayre

The Estonian writer Mats Tõnisson created Milvi as a nickname for Miranda. It's also connected to the Estonian word miilama, meaning "glow" or "burn slowly".

Milvi

The Finnish writer Mika Waltari invented the name Minea from the Greek Minos for a character in his 1945 novel The Egyptian. It's become a popular Finnish name in the 21st century.

Minea

Moby, the nickname of musician Richard Melville Hall, was thanks to his ancestor Herman Melville, creator of the infamous whale.  You can imagine calling a child Moby as a cute nickname in honor of a grandfatherly Richard or Dick, but the ghost of a Dick would always follow the name around.  In Melville's classic book, Moby was an invented word whose meaning has never been firmly established, though the best scholarship calls it a fictional place name that, in the custom of whaling ships of the time, helped identify the whale called Dick.

Moby

The eponymous character in an Edgar Allan Poe ghost story, gothic Morella was likely based on Latin mors ("death") or Greek mauros ("black").
It’s also a subtle nature name, being an alternative name for the poisonous black nightshade plant.

Morella

The name of the young hero of Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book, who was raised by wolves (really) and becomes a genius hunter and trapper, was chosen as a middle name for their son Bronx (really, again) by rockers Ashlee Simpson and Pete Wentz. Kipling invented the name, whose first syllable rhymes with cow.

Mowgli

A literary name, Musidora first appeared in its masculine form, Musidorus, in a poem by 16th poet Phillip Sidney. Meaning "gift of the Muses", it could relate to the Muses of mythology who presided over the arts, to a person or other personified force that inspires an artist, or to music and songs. 
 
Scottish poet James Thompson borrowed from Sidney and created this feminine form, Musidora, for his 18th century poem, The Seasons. Nearly two centuries later, French actress and film director used Musidora as her stage name.
 
Rarely used as a given name, Musidora could nevertheless fit in with poetic choices like Belphoebe. Alouette, and Isadora.

Musidora

Used as the title for a 1956 novel, by Algerian writer, Kateb Yacine, Nedjma could be a literary creation, inspired by the Egyptian name Nedjemmut, meaning "Mut is sweet", in which case, it might just mean "sweet". 
 
Alternatively, it may have its origins in Arabic, deriving for najm, meaning "star".

Nedjma

Nelida is a feminine name with multiple possible origins. It may be derived from the Greek name Nellie (a diminutive of Helen, meaning 'shining light') or may have Spanish or Latin American roots. In some contexts, it's thought to be a reverse spelling of 'Adilen.' The name has a gentle, melodic sound with its soft consonants and balanced syllables. While not widely used in English-speaking countries, Nelida has some popularity in Spanish-speaking regions. It carries a warm, friendly impression while maintaining an air of uniqueness. The name's international character makes it adaptable across cultures, and its relative rarity gives a child named Nelida a distinctive identity.

Nelida

An intriguing, plausible name--kind of a Nell-Hillary combo--created by L. Frank Baum for a character in his book The Lost Princess of Oz.

Nellary

A smoosh name used by Gregory Maguire in his book Wicked and the subsequent musical. It blends Rose with Nessa, which can be a short form of Vanessa (or other -nessa names), an anglicized variation of Irish Neasa, or a Hebrew name meaning "miracle".

Nessarose

Australian writer Wendy Orr put this name on the map with her hit Nim's Island" series of children's books, about a smart young girl who lives on an island in the South Pacific. Abigail Breslin played Nim in a 2008 film adaptation of the book. Gamers will know Nim as the name of an abstract mathematical game a bit like Mancala, while fans of '80s animated films may associate it with Ratatouille precursor The Secret of Nimh.

Princess Ozma was the leading character of L. Frank Baum's book Ozma of Oz and could provide a fun way to nickname Ozzie for a girl. 
 
Alternatively, it may occasionally be used as a variation of the Arabic Uzma ("supreme, greatest") or Asma ("supreme, higher").

Ozma

Name of the winning young heroine of Toni Morrison's first novel, The Bluest Eye.

Pecola

Author Suzanne Collins created this soft-spoken Peter variation for one of her heroes in her series The Hunger Games.

Peeta

A Shakespearean invention for an abandoned baby in The Winter's Tale, Perdita's sense of loss has always been off-putting to parents. But her image was somewhat resuscitated by its association with the appealing canine character in Disney's One Hundred and One Dalmations.

Perdita

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 11)