Names from the Arts and Pop Culture
By Pamela Redmond · Updated September 2026
Across 11 pages
of 11
Dutch
"myrtle"
The Dutch name is usually spelled Myrthe or Mirthe and pronounced meer-ta. But most English speakers will say it mer-tha and confuse the name with Martha, Bertha, or Myrtle.
Fictional invented name, variation of Moony
"moon, moon-like"
A name invented for the 2017 movie The Florida Project , recently chosen by influencers and content creators Ellie and Ella for their daughter in 2026.
Greek mythology name, god of sleep and dreams
Though you may pray to the god of sleep for your baby to slumber through the night, a drowsy image is not the greatest one to inflict on your little boy.
Literary name
The name of the young hero of Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book , who was raised by wolves (really) and becomes a genius hunter and trapper, was chosen as a middle name for their son Bronx (really,…
Word name or short form of Ignacio
Not unless you want your son to grow up to be just like a wacky Jack Black character.
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…
Ororo Munroe is the civilian name of African-American comic book heroine Storm, from the X-Men series.
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…
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.
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…
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.…
Italian river name
A river (in Italy), a writer (Bronson), a Teletubby: the Bo of the new millennium.
Meaning unknown
Polexia Aphrodesia was the futuristic sounding name of the Anna Paquin character in the movie "Almost Famous."
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…
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…
French
"smooth, shiny"
Satine, the name of the Nicole Kidman character in Moulin Rouge, , is, by definition satiny smooth. Jacinda Barrett named her daughter Satine Anais.
"unexpected good fortune"
A unique virtue name with a sound as happy and lively as its meaning.
She looked like a model but she was really an evil many-tentacled monster in Men in Black : your child will never forgive you if you choose this name. And neither will we.
Popular culture
"sand skin"
The name of the glamorous mean girl in "High School Musical", Sharpay is a spin on the dog breed Shar Pei, which means "sand skin" in Chinese. As such, it's a brilliant name joke skewering the…
Hebrew, short variation of Bathsheba
"daughter of an oath"
This biblical place-name for the region now known as Yemen started to feel fresh again as the name of the heroine of Zoe Heller's Notes on a Scandal , played on screen by Cate Blanchett. Sheba is…
