Celebrity Names · Names from the Arts and Pop Culture
By Pamela Redmond · Updated September 2026
Across 11 pages
of 11
Short form of Sidney, French
"Saint-Denis"
Sid originated as a nickname for Sidney, but we like it on its own, a la Sara Quin's and Jason Biggs and Jenny Mollen's sons. Sid Vicious, member of the band the Sex Pistols, gives this name a punk…
English and Scottish surname
"strong arms"
Last name occasionally used as a first, can be seen as a Lance Armstrong athlete-hero name.
Scottish
"windy place"
Guthrie, one of the most attractive Scottish names that's also a surname, has a particularly romantic, windswept aura, with a touch of the buckaroo thrown in. Guthrie's folkie quality is tied to the…
Latin
"lord, master"
One of those ultimate cool-girl names, played by Keira Knightley in a movie about a supermodel-turned-bounty hunter, but kids might associate it with the game. High profile British designer India…
Short form of Veronica, Latin
"true image"
More often spelled Nika, this is a well-used diminutive for the Eastern European Veronika, and there's no reason that the same principle can't apply in the West. It makes a venerated saint's name…
French surname
"noble strength"
Loose, lean, and lanky cowboy-sounding names have become a recent trend, but how about the name of a real one--the Singing Cowboy Gene. Autry might be thought of as a masculine spin on the…
Italian surname
Naples-born Enrico Caruso was one of the greatest opera singers of all time. Recordings of his powerful singing voice are still in circulation today, nearly 100 years after his death. Increasingly,…
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…
African place-name, Nigeria
"honor, tribute"
Kanye West propelled his name into the Top 900 in the early 2000s, at the height of his popularity, though now it has dropped off the baby-naming map. In addition to its African derivation, it is a…
Arabic
"seeker of knowledge"
Talib is a North African name with an admirable meaning, associated with rapper Talib Kweli.
"kind and gentle"
Singer-actress Queen Latifah -- born Dana Owens -- makes this North African Muslim name sing.
"my lady"
There's only one. Okay, two.
Diminutive of Jocelyn, German
"member of the Gauts tribe"
Joss is more fashionable than Jocelyn or Josslyn. This is a short form that could be used independently, a la the singer Joss Stone. One of a troupe of adorable boyish nicknames newly fashionable for…
This is the sort of name a four-year-old would make up for himself.
Irish surname
"descendant of Coltarán"
The great sax player John Coltrane could be a cool naming inspiration for a jazz fan. Plus, it gives you stylish nickname Colt, if you didn't love Colton or Colter. From it's Irish roots, it means…
French
"beloved"
For years there was only one Cher, and then along came the charming heroine of the movie "Clueless." The world now officially has enough Chers in it.
Hebrew
"life"
We all know that Chaka really means disco.
Nickname name
Cardi B is the stage name of the rapper born Belcalis Almanzar. The name Cardi originated as a short form of Bacardi, a nickname the musician got because her sister is named Hennessy, after the…
Opera lovers and fans of the great diva might make a more sensitive choice with Maria.
English diminutive of Cabell
Even for lovers of Cab (born, yes, Cabell) Calloway's music, the connection to 'Taxi!' is too strong.
