Names from the Arts and Pop Culture
Movie Character Names
Across 11 pages
of 11
Ilsa
German variation of Elizabeth
"pledged to God"
Ilsa is remembered as the radiant but tragic heroine of "Casablanca," and it's having something of a European resurgence.
Jerzy
Polish variation of George
"farmer"
Writer Jerzy Kosinski put this foreign variation on the U. S. name map.
Jinx
Word name
"spell, curse, bringer of bad luck"
Jinx, a James Bond heroine name has an ominous meaning but kinetic energy. In the film "Die Another Day," the actual first name of the character played by Halle Berry is Giacinta. It could therefore…
Huck
Diminutive of Huckleberry, word name
Though forever tied to Huck, short for Huckleberry, Finn, this is an undeniably cute short form that may have some life as part of the hipster taste for names like Duke and Bix.
Juba
African
"born on Monday"
Juba, a strong and resonant unisex name, belonged to an ancient African king, is a city and river name, and is traditionally given to Ashanti (of Ghana) girls born on Monday.
Jules
French form of Julius, Latin
"youthful; soft, downy; sky father"
Though Jules hasn't been on the US popularity list in fifty years, it remains a hit in its native France where it's currently in the Top 10 — and has been in the Top 500 nearly every year since the…
Juno
Latin
"queen of the heavens; young"
Juno is an ancient name that feels as fresh as if it had been minted, well, not yesterday, but in 2007. Since the release of the popular indie film Juno , this lively but strong Roman goddess name…
Justine
French feminine variation of Justin
"fair, righteous"
Justine is a French name that's never reached the popularity we think it deserves. Like its far-more-common brother Justin, Justine is sleek, and sophisticated, but still user-friendly. Justine has…
Bellatrix
Latin
"female warrior"
J.K. Rowling is a modern master of naming who brought a whole constellation of ancient and celestial names to modern parents. Bellatrix, of one of the stars of Orion, combines fashionable names Bella…
Kale
Modern invented name
Whether you think of it as Cale with a K, or a pet form of Kalen or Kaleb, this is just the kind of short, synthetic name finding a lot of favor now, but remember -- it's also the name of a vegetable.
Korben
Spelling variation of Corbin, English and French surname
"crow, raven"
Korben is a spelling that gets some attention since Bruce Willis's character name in The Fifth Element was Korben Dallas.
Kubo
Japanese
"sunken ground"
The lead character of the Oscar-nominated 2016 film "Kubo and the Two Strings" lives in Edo-period Japan, but his name is more often heard as a surname in Japan. Still, fans of the animated movie may…
Hansel
German diminutive of Hans
"God is gracious"
Those "Where's Gretel?" jokes will get old pretty fast.
Lamia
Arabic, Greek
"shining, radiant; throat"
Lamia is a name with two very different images: from its Arabic roots, it is a bright yet gentle choice with a glowing meaning. As a Greek name however, Lamia appears in mythology as a child-eating…
Gru
Gru is an unusual masculine name that gained recognition primarily through the main character in the animated film series 'Despicable Me.' Before this cultural reference, the name had very limited…
Lidda
Modern invented name
Kirsten Dunst played a young woman named Lidda, a synthetic name you may consider as a variation of Biblical place-name Lydda or as a short form of Phyllida.
Liesl
German diminutive of Elizabeth
"pledged to God"
Sweet but sleek, and distinctive, Liesl is an old German nickname-name for Elisabeth. It might have once seemed inextricably tied to to its country of origin, but now, like Elsa, Enzo, Saoirse,…
Llewyn
Variation of Llewellyn
A contraction of Llewellyn, recognizable as the name of the titular character in the movie Inside Llewyn Davis.
Clarice
Medieval form of Clarita, a derivative of Clara
"bright, clear"
If you’re a fan of the annual animated Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, you’ll recognize the name of Rudolph’s beautiful doe sweetheart, pronounced cla-REES—uncomfortably close to the Silence of the…
Green
Color name
Middle name possibility for a nature-loving family -- Uma Thurman and Ethan Hawke used it for their son's middle name.