TV Character Names

With other Cornish names like Elowen and Jago catching people's attention, the mythical sounding Mithian might prove an unexpected and magical feeling choice. Traditionally called Mydhyan, Mithian is a village in Cornwall that sits between St Agnes and Perranporth.

Kizzy was a character in Alex Haley's Roots; this and other Keziah variations were widely used among enslaved people. In Roots the name is explained by the hero Kunta as 'you sit down' or 'you stay put' in the Mandinka language meaning that 'this child would never get sold away'.

Amabella is an elaboration of Amabel, a popular medieval name. Neil Gaiman and Liane Moriarty used Amabella as a character name in their novels, The Graveyard Book and Big Little Lies, respectively.

If Erykah Badu can name her son Seven, why can't you name your daughter (or son) this? Eleven has recently gotten a lot of attention via the character on the TV show Stranger Things.

A Thai name that appeared in the third season of the popular TV series, The White Lotus, Pornchai comes from phon meaning "blessing" or "strength" and chai meaning "victory". While the first element is familiar and well used in a variety of Thai names, it may not work so well in English. Alternative spelling Ponchai might be better in some cases.

Yennefer is the name of one of the protagists of The Witcher series, first books by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski and then a video game and now a Netflix series. Yennefer is a powerful fighter and sorceress. As a name, we don't think Yennefer is any improvement on millennial mom name Jennifer, but nickname Yen has it all over the dated Jen.

A rare and mystical choice, Aithusa may appeal to those looking for alternatives to contemporary favorite, Athena. A name from Greek mythology, Aithusa is the daughter of Poseidon and Alcyone, and a lover of Apollo.

A sweet short form of Esther that was recently seen as the name of the protagonist who leaves her ultra-Orthodox Jewish community in the Netflix series Unorthodox.

A somewhat dark and gloomy feeling name, perhaps because of its connotations or its similarity to the words morbid and murdered. Mordred is adapted from the Welsh Medraut, itself derived from the Latin moderatus. An unusual choice for a baby, but a potentially cool name for a fictional character.

Cookie is most often used as a dog name, and it should stay that way.

Stylized as Vex'ahlia, this name appears in The Legend of Vox Machina, an animated fantasy series based on a Dungeons & Dragons campaign. Created by Laura Bailey, the character often goes by the nickname Vex.

Sazz is a name invented for the nonbinary character played by Jane Lynch in Only Murders in the Building. While no actual babies have received this name yet, they will.

Used for a character in the animated fantasy series, The Owl House, Eberwolf combines two animal related names together.

It may have been made up for a futuristic television show, but this name would not be out of place among such present-day trendies as Kayla and Taylor.

A soft but distinctive Swedish short form of the rugged Ulrik, not to be confused with the Estonian (feminine name) Ülle. It has appeared on characters in the game series The Witcher and in the TV series, The Day of the Jackal.

This adorable name of the young daughter on "Big Love" might be thought of as a variation of Tansy, an obscure flower name whose star may rise on the heels of such current favorites as Lily and Daisy.

Hitchcock is an extremely rare masculine given name derived from an English surname. The surname itself has Anglo-Saxon origins, combining the Old English personal name 'Hicce' with 'cock' (meaning 'little'), possibly originally referring to someone who lived near a ridge. As a first name, Hitchcock is almost unheard of, making it among the most distinctive name choices possible. The surname gained considerable recognition through film director Alfred Hitchcock, lending the name associations with creativity, suspense, and artistic innovation. As a given name, it would certainly stand out, potentially leading to nicknames like Hitch. Its uniqueness would make it memorable in any context.

Cerie -- which may be thought of as a variation of Siri or Cherie or Ceri but in fact is related to none of them -- is the name of Liz Lemon's assistant Cerie Xerox on 30 Rock. The gorgeous Cerie's name is pronounced seh-REE. As baby names go, you could do worse. But you could also do a lot better.

Derived from the Igbo name Ositadimma, Osita comes from the longer phrase Osi-ta-dị-mma-ọdịbalụ-gboo meaning "if it starts to get better today it started early". A powerful meaning with a simple short form, Osita is borne by Nigerian actor Osita Iheme, and is the name of a character in the TV show The Day of the Jackal.

From the Ojibwe word for feather, Miigwan is used by the Indigenous people of the Great Lakes region and the northern plains. It was used for a a character in the 2022 Canadian TV comedy series, Shoresy, played by Keilani Rose