Names from the Arts and Pop Culture
Names Created by Authors
Across 13 pages
of 13
Cedric
Celtic
"bounty; loved"
Soft yet solid, Cedric was invented by Sir Walter Scott for the noble character of the hero's father in Ivanhoe , presumed to be an altered form of the Saxon name Cerdic ("bounty"), or the Brythonic…
Celimene
Literary name
"heavenly strength"
Célimène is a literary name invented by the 17th century French playwright Molière for a character in his 1666 play Le Misanthrope . It may be derived from Latin and Greek elements meaning "heavenly"…
Cersei
Modern invented name
Cersei Lannister is one of the most villainous -- and, in a certain light, glamorous -- characters in HBO's Game of Thrones , played by beautiful actress Lena Headey. Though we can't say for sure how…
Cerulia
Literary invention
One of the Six Snub-nosed Princesses created by L. Frank Baum for his Oz books. Could also be seen as a female version of the color name Cerulean.
Cinderella
French
"little ash-girl"
One familiar name never used for real people, for obvious reasons. Read more about Cinderella and other Disney Princess Names in our featured blog.
Clarinda
Literary elaboration of Clara
"bright, clear"
A poetic name first used in Edmund Spenser's "The Faerie Queene" in 1596, it had a literary vogue in the 18th century, especially favored by Robert Burns. "inda" names--Melinda, Belinda, Linda" are…
Clea
Latinate variation of Cleo, Greek
"glory"
An attractive and unusual name that may be a variation of Cleo, Clea was possibly invented by Lawrence Durrell for a character in his Alexandria Quartet . Actress Clea DuVall is one noted bearer of…
Clia
Invented literary name
Clia could be seen as a variation of Clea (probably another invented literary name), or the creation of L. Frank Baum for a mermaid Princess character in one of his Oz books. Offers a similar choice…
Clorinda
Latin literary name
Clorinda is a romantic name invented by a sixteenth-century poet, but has a synthetic sound today.
Coppelia
Literary name
Coppélia is the name of the life-sized doll created by Doctor Coppélius in the eponymous 1870 ballet, based on short stories by E. T. A. Hoffmann. Coppélius' name may be derived from the Yiddish…
Cordian
Latin
"of the heart"
Kordian was created by Polish playwright Juliusz Słowacki for his eponymous romantic hero, based on Latin cor, cordis "heart". Cordian is the Anglicized form.
Corlys
Literature
A character name in George R. R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire series, featured in the GOT prequel House of the Dragon , where she is played by Eve Best. The character is called "the queen who never…
Cormoran
English invented name
Cormoran first popped up as the name of a Cornish giant in the 18th century fairy tale Jack the Giant Killer , which drew on ancient British folklore. Today, though, it is more familiar as the name…
Cosette
French literary nickname
"little thing"
Cosette is best known as the heroine of Les Miserables . In the Victor Hugo novel, Cosette was the nickname given to the girl named Euphrasie by her mother. Although Hugo invented the name, some…
Crusoe
Literary surname
Crusoe, as in castaway hero Robinson, is a literary invention by author Daniel Defoe. In the novel, the character says his name is an Anglicization of the German Kreutznaer, which may be a place name…
Csilla
Hungarian
"star"
A radiant celestial name given in Hungary, meaning "shining star". It was invented by the Hungarian author András Dugonics for his 1803 novel, 'Jólánka, Etelkának leánya' (who also invented…
Cynri
Welsh
A name from ancient Welsh literature: in the poem The Gododdin , the three leaders of the ill-fated army were Cynon, Cynri and Cynrain. To that end, the name might have been invented for poetic…
Daenerys
Literary name
Daenerys is yet another girls' name invented by "Game of Thrones" author George R. R. Martin that is beginning to gain some traction in real life. Daenerys was used for 67 baby girls in 2013 while…
Dalma
Hungarian, Literature
A literary name, originally created as a male name by the poet Mihály Vörösmarty, that is now in the Hungarian Top 100 for girls.
Dulcinea
Spanish
"sweetness"
Miguel de Cervantes invented this elaborate-sounding name -- which roughly translates as "sweetness" -- for the beautiful maiden Don Quixote is obsessed with in his great novel. Even in the fictional…