Names from the Arts and Pop Culture
Names Created by Authors
Across 13 pages
of 13
The names
Malvina
Scottish
"smooth-browed one"
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…
Legolas
Literary creation, Sindarin
"green leaves"
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…
Namor
Literary invented name
Invented in 1939 as the name of Marvel Comics character Namor the Sub-Mariner. Bill Everett, the creator, decided on Namor after writing noble, dignified names in reverse—Namor is Roman spelled…
Laudomia
Literary creation
This name, created by Italo Calvino, has been spotted as a name in England.
Laudine
French
"woman from Lothian"
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,…
Lancel
Literary name
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.
Jadis
French or Persian
"long ago or magic, witch"
Queen Jadis, also known as The White Witch, is the main villain in The Chronicles of Narnia . She is the force responsible for freezing Narnia and creating the Hundred Year Winter. Author C.S. Lewis…
Heathcliff
English
"cliff near a heath"
Heathcliff is the name of the original passionate macho hero of Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights , and also of the cartoon cat. It was chosen by fashionista Lucy Sykes for her son, and inspired the…
Kordian
Polish from Latin, literary name
"of the heart"
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…
Moby
Literary and nickname name
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…
Kincső
Hungarian
"treasure"
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…
Jadine
Modern invented name
Unusual and unfashionable name found in Toni Morrison's novel Tar Baby .
Morella
Literary name
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…
Morticia
Fictional invented name
"mortician"
Charles Addams invented the name Morticia for the mother in his cartoon series "The Addams Family." The name comes from the word mortician—very appropriate for this macabre mom.
Mowgli
Literary name
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,…
Musidora
Literature
"gift of the Muses"
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…
Minea
Finnish feminization of Minos, Greek
"king"
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.
Myrcella
Variant of Marcella
One of the many faux-Medieval names invented by George R.R. Martin for his A Song of Ice and Fire series of books, the source of HBO's Game of Thrones . Princess Myrcella Baratheon is the daughter of…
Milvi
Estonian diminutive of Miranda, Latin
"marvelous"
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".
Menna
Welsh, meaning unknown
Menna is used regularly in Wales in modern times. Its origins are uncertain: perhaps created by a poet, or possibly connected with the Menai Strait that separates the island of Anglesey from mainland…
