Names from the Arts and Pop Culture
By Pamela Redmond · Updated September 2026
Across 11 pages
of 11
Czech diminutive of Susan
"lily"
This sizzling nickname Zuzu is heard every Christmas as the name of Jimmy Stewart's little girl in "It's a Wonderful Life," but we love it all year round as a lively alternative to double names like…
English word name
"clove"
Clove is a spice name that is a tad more piquant than Saffron or Cinnamon. It might get more attention now as a member of The Hunger Games family of names.
Modern invented name
Name of a feminist air pirate with an evil bent, Sala is also the word name for 'room' in Spanish. Salah is a common Arabic name.
Latin and French
"fair Christian"
Though Isabel is a smash hit, Christabel still hasn't been fully embraced. It was originally popularized in England via the Coleridge poem Christabel ("whom her father loves so well") and was given…
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…
Arabic
"pure"
Technically a boy's name, but certainly one that would work in the Western culture for a girl, especially after the release of Black Panther , in which it was the name of Lupita Nyong'o's fiery…
Romani
"I awake"
Django — the D is silent as most everyone now knows — the nickname of the great Belgian-born jazz guitarist Django (originally Jean Baptiste) Reinhardt, makes a dynamic musical choice for…
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 --…
Polish variation of George
"farmer"
Writer Jerzy Kosinski put this foreign variation on the U. S. name map.
Irish variation of Elizabeth
"pledged to God"
Familiar in the US thanks to the lovely movie Brooklyn , based on the Colm Toibin novel of the same name. Popular in medieval times, it is still used in Ireland (properly spelt with a fada: Eilís)…
Hawaiian
"praised"
Kaena is a pleasant sounding unisex Hawaiian place name, the westernmost point of the island of Oahu. In the computer-generated fantasy movie Kaena: The Prophecy , the character of Kaena is voiced by…
Short form of Athena, Greek
"from Athens"
Athena, the name of the Greek goddess of wisdom, warfare, handicrafts, mathematics, and courage, has become one of the most popular mythological namesakes in the contemporary Western world. On the…
Hindi, Sanskrit
"knowledge"
Derived from the Sanskrit word for "knowledge", Vedaa appeared in the title of a 2024 Indian action film about a law student who leans to box so she can protect her family from caste-based violence.…
Korean
"lion"
A brave feeling choice of Korean origin, Saja is an animal name, meaning "lion", though "emissary" and "mercury" are other soundalike options with different Hanja symbols. The name appears in the…
French variation of Amelia
"work"
French favorite gaining notice here thanks to the charming film of that name. Although to the English-speaking ear it sounds more like Emily than Amelia, it derives from the latter which has a…
Italian
"beautiful flower"
An attractive enough name, but for die-hard Star Wars fans only.
Place-name
City name less mellifluous than Paris, London, or even Trenton. It was the name of the character portrayed by Leonardo di Caprio in "Gangs of New York."
Persian
"radiant sun"
Khorshid, also found as Khurshid, is the Persian word for sun and is also the name of a place in Iran. The name is found mostly in Iran, Turkey, and Azerbaijan and can be used for both boys and…
Thai
"pomegranate"
The Persian Golnar is likely a more wearable version of this ruby-colored fruit than this Thai name. Most famously, Tuptim was the servant girl in love with the prince in The King and I.
English surname, probably related to Bartholomew
"son of the furrow"
Bartleby (that's his last name) the Scrivener is a famous Herman Melville character whose surprisingly powerful refrain was, "I would prefer not to." Or, in the immortal words of any two-year-old:…
