Names from the Arts and Pop Culture
By Pamela Redmond · Updated September 2026
Across 10 pages
of 10
French
"wood, forest"
Doesn't everything sound better with a French accent? Sylvain, the French variation of the Roman wood god's name, sounds somehow cooler and more sophisticated than Sylvan.
Hungarian
"sultan"
Though a common name in Hungary, with the spelling Zoltán, the relatively rare Z sound is striking to English speakers. Penn Gillette used the Zolten spelling for his son; it was also the name of…
Japanese
"mist"
Common name for Japanese video game and manga characters, but rarely heard in the US.
Etna is a feminine name derived from Mount Etna, the famous active volcano on the east coast of Sicily, Italy. The name carries strong associations with natural power and intensity. In Greek…
Sanskrit
"tribe"
There are a number of towns and villages named Kula across the world, most of them in Eastern Europe and Pacific Islands. Kula is also a name of tribes in Thailand and Cambodia, Australia, and…
Ding is a masculine name with multiple cultural origins. In Chinese culture, it's a surname and given name meaning 'strong' or 'steady' (丁), representing the fourth Heavenly Stem in Chinese…
Video game name
Kazooie is the bird to Banjo's bear in the Banjo-Kazooie video game series. It's hard for us to imagine Kazooie as a baby name, but Banjo is occasionally used, notably for actress Rachel Griffiths'…
Swedish, Norwegian
"careful island; island defender; good luck"
Traditionally a feminine name in Scandinavian culture, where these days it's mostly considered a grandmother name. Americans may associate it with Eivor Varinsdottir, a character from Assassain's…
Invented name
Character from the Mortal Kombat video games. Could be an interesting way to get to the nickname Mac.
English diminutive of Katherine, Greek
"pure"
We're hearing Kat more and more being used by Katherines who are tired of Kathy, Kate and Katie. Katti or Kattie is another possibility.
Italian
"falcon"
Italian surname most Americans will associate with actress Edie Falco, of Sopranos fame.
Upbeat Japanese name. Video game fans may recognize Genji as the name of a character from Overwatch .
Samuel Beckett, inspired by the French surname Godeau, created the name Godot for his play, Waiting for Godot . Americans tend to pronounce Godot with the emphasis on the second syllable, but Beckett…
Goemon is a masculine Japanese name with significant historical and cultural importance in Japan. It is most famously associated with Ishikawa Goemon, a legendary ninja and folk hero from the 16th…
Japanese; variation of Gorou
"fifth son"
Variation of Gorou.
Jaheira is an unusual feminine name with possible origins in fantasy fiction, most notably recognized from the 'Baldur's Gate' video game series where it belongs to a strong half-elven druid…
Ico is a compact masculine name with multiple possible origins. In Japanese, it can mean 'first-born son' or relate to various kanji combinations with different meanings. It also appears in some…
Imoen is the name of a character from the video game series Baldur's Gate , although in real life it's apt to be mistaken as a typo for Imogen.
Literary name
Istredd is the name of sorceress Yennefer's former lover in The Witcher series, created by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski. Some sources theorize that the name is related to the Scandinavian royal…
Cornish variation of Jacob or James
"supplanter"
A dashing alternative to the popular James and Jacob, Jago is the jaunty Cornish form of the Biblical names. Occasionally (or historically) appearing as Jagoe, Jego, and Jaego, it may have been…
