Girl Names Lists · Names from the Arts and Pop Culture
By Pamela Redmond · Updated September 2026
Across 9 pages
of 9
Greek mythology name
"equal in weight"
Atalanta was a beautiful mythological maiden who refused to marry any man who couldn't beat her in a footrace -- quite a role model. This myth is found in Ovid's Metamorphoses and later in…
French variation of Vivian
"life"
Embroidered lace hankie of a name, used in a Thomas Hardy novel. That literary cred lends some gravitas. An exceedingly rare name -- Viviette was used for no baby girls In the US last year -- it…
Literary name
This lovely name from Spenser's The Faerie Queene is borne by a character who represents married love. A related unusual-yet-usable choice: Amabel.
Invented literary name
A fanciful concoction whipped up by L. Frank Baum for a beautiful and powerful princess in one of his Oz books.
Greek
"quick water; virtue"
This name was invented by the Cretan writer Vikentios Kornaros for the love interest of his 17th-century romantic epic poem, Erotokritos . Considered one of the greatest — if not the greatest – works…
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…
Place-name
The Alhambra, which means "red city," is in Granada, Spain. British writer Ali Smith used it for a character in her novel The Accidental .
"seer, oracle"
Sybylla is another spelling of the elongation of Sybil. This version is the name of the heroine of the 1901 Australian novel by Miles Franklin, the pen name of Stella Maria Sarah Miles Franklin. This…
Finnish variation of Katherine
"pure"
A diminutive form of the Finnish Katariina, used by Tove Jannson in her book The True Deciever .
Feminine form of Christopher, Greek, Latin
"bearer of Christ"
This rare feminization of Christopher blends in the sounds of the popular Josephine and is certainly more unexpected than Christine or Christina. German artist Christophine Reinwald (sister of…
English
"noble and bright"
A feminine form of Ethelbert, which is itself the Middle English variant of Æþelbeorht, which is in turn the Old English version of Albert, Ethelberta could therefore be regarded as an alternative…
Literary
"heart of the glen"
Inspired by Glendora, this name was invented by prolific Victorian novelist, Anthony Trollope for his Palliser novels. It blends the English glen with the Latin cor to make the whimsical meaning…
Literary invented name
Elphaba was invented by Gregory Maguire for the protagonist of his novel Wicked , which became the long-running Broadway play and then a movie. Elphaba is the name of the Wicked Witch of the West,…
Germanic
"soft singing voice"
The original name of Glinda from Gregory Maguire's novel Wicked and the subsequent Broadway musical. She drops the 'a' from her name to honor a goat, who mispronounced her name as a Glinda. As a…
Glinda is famous as the name of the Good Witch in The Wizard of Oz, invented by author L. Frank Baum. but has there ever been a real life, non-fictional Glinda? Not in the US last year. The name may…
Literary invention, combination of Nessa and Rose
"butterfly + rose; gentle + rose; miracle + rose"
A smoosh name used by Gregory Maguire in his book Wicked and the subsequent musical. It blends Rose with Nessa, which can be a short form of Vanessa (or other -nessa names), an anglicized variation…
Feminine form of Nidal, Arabic
"my struggle, strife; my warrior"
Translating literally to "my struggle", Nidali is an Arabic name which is also interpreted as meaning "my warrior" or "my fighter". It is the feminine form of Nidal and was used in the 2008 novel A…
Russian form of Eudocia, Greek
"to be well pleased"
A Russian variant of the Greek Eudocia, Avdotya appears in Dostoevsky's novel, Crime and Punishment in which it is borne by the strong-willed sister of the protagonist. She is often referred to by…
Literature, Italian
"little chief; little headstrong one"
The name of one of warring families in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet , Capulet might appeal to those who enjoy names that are literary and unique. Capulet likely comes from the Italian capo ,…
Armenian literature, meaning unknown
Literary and theatrical, Ruzan has its roots in the 1882 play Ruzan , a historical drama by the Armenian author Muratsan. As a contemporary baby name, it has a lot to stand on: its similarity to…
