Names from the Arts and Pop Culture
Movie Character Names
Across 11 pages
of 11
Neo
Latin or Tswana
"new or gift"
This nouveau name of Keanu Reeves's character in The Matrix has not enjoyed the same burst of popularity as its female counterpart, Trinity, but it definitely sounds, well, newer. Neo Rauch is an…
Newt
English
"a small salamander"
Rarely used on its own and irrevocably tied to former House Speaker Gingrich -- who was christened Newton.
Nim
Modern invented name
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…
Niobe
Greek mythology name
The mythological queen whose perpetual weeping for her slain children turned her into a stone has always cast a pall over this name. Still, when other names with less-than-savory associations --…
Oberon
Variation of Auberon
"elf king; noble bear"
The Shakespearean character Oberon in A Midsummer Night's Dream is King of the Fairies, but the name, with its bold 'O' beginning has plenty of strength alongside its magical qualities. Oberon was…
Ororo
Literary name
Ororo Munroe is the civilian name of African-American comic book heroine Storm, from the X-Men series.
Pelagia
Greek
"the sea"
The name of several early saints, including one, Pelagia the Penitent, a beautiful and licentious dancing girl who repented, then, disguised as a man, spent the rest of her life living alone in a…
Peppy
Word name or short form of Pepper, English and Latin from Sanskrit
"the pepper plant"
Peppy is undeniably cute, but we bet that after a while the jokes aren't.
Petal
English from Greek
"leaf"
Petal is the soft and sweet-smelling name of a character in the novel and film, The Shipping News . With the rise of such flower names as Poppy and Posy, we believe Petal — down-to-earth yet romantic…
Petunia
English
"trumpet-shaped flower"
Literary heritage: the "Loony Tunes" girlfriend of Porky Pig. But with the increasing popularity of all kinds of unusual botanical names, Petunia may be a name we start to hear more of.…
Philomena
Greek
"lover of strength"
Philomena is an earthy Greek name now used in various Latin countries. While it has felt simply clunky for many years, it's starting -- along with such sister names as Wilhelmina and Frederica -- to…
Pluto
Greek
"rich"
The Roman god of the underworld, the former ninth planet, a cartoon dog...but not a baby.
Po
Italian river name
A river (in Italy), a writer (Bronson), a Teletubby: the Bo of the new millennium.
Polexia
Meaning unknown
Polexia Aphrodesia was the futuristic sounding name of the Anna Paquin character in the movie "Almost Famous."
Ralphie
Diminutive of Ralph
"wolf-counsel"
Ralphie is one of those short forms that have been out of style for so long it just might have a chance of coming back in, if you can get past seeing it as a desperate attempt to cute-ify a stodgy…
Red
Color name
Fiery but slight middle name choice; much more apt to be a redhead's nickname.
Ree
Ree is a concise, feminine name with multiple cultural origins. It can be a short form of names like Marie, Irene, or Rihanna, but also stands beautifully on its own. In Korean, 'Ree' or 'Ri' relates…
Rheya
Greek mythology name
"flowing stream"
It's a futuristic name in Solaris , but it is also related to Rhea, the name of Zeus's mother and wife of Cronus.
Riggan
Invented name
Riggan found fame as the first name of the hero of the Oscar-winning film Birdman, played by Michael Keaton. Riggan has the two-syllable n-ending surname feel so trendy for boys' names today. It may…
Roux
French from Latin
"russet"
Roux is the name of the dashing Johnny Depp character in Chocolat . Roux is French from a Latin word meaning russet or brownish red; it's also a cooking term for a mixture of flour and butter that…