Girl Names Lists · Names from the Arts and Pop Culture
By Pamela Redmond · Updated September 2026
Across 9 pages
of 9
English
"path to a triangular piece of land"
While Carraway brings to mind Nick Carraway, the narrator of F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby , there is no reason why this cool surname-name wouldn't work on a girl. Modern and stylish, with a…
Modern invented name
Unusual and unfashionable name found in Toni Morrison's novel Tar Baby .
Literary name
"modest, reverent"
The name of the enslaved girl in Dumas' The Count of Monte Cristo , this literary name sounds a little like a modern invention. However, it is in fact related to another time-honored literary heroine…
Literature, English
"modest, reverant"
While Haidee may sound like a variant of Heidi or Hailey, it's actually a separate name with a literary history. First appearing in Byron's epic poem Don Juan (1819), it was likely inspired by the…
Literary invented name
A name created by author Tamora Pierce for a character in her Protector of the Small series, a quartet of young adult fantasy novels. In the novels, Keladry is the first girl in centuries to seek a…
Fruit name
Fig was the unlikely name of a beautiful character in Curtis Sittenfeld's Man of My Dreams . It could make a playful middle name or a sparky nickname for the likes of Philippa, Fiona, Felicity, and…
English, diminutive of Katherine
"pure"
This endearing nickname name is one Katherine pet form that predates all the Kathys and Katies, having been fairly common in the eighteenth century. With the current mini-craze for animal-related…
Word name
Feather, though it was used for a character in a Walter Mosley novel, seems too light and fluttery for a real-life girl.
Greek
"to chatter"
An interesting name despite the pronunciation challenge. It has literary roots, both in the classical poetry of Horace, and as a character in John Fowles' The French Lieutenant's Woman . Appealing…
Latin feminine variation of Faunus
"to befriend"
Faunia is more often rendered as Fauna, who was a Roman goddess of fertility, women and healing. Faunia was the downtrodden yet loving heroine of Philip Roth's Human Stain . Faunia and Fauna have…
Hungarian
"little father"
This Hungarian name was created by the author András Dugonics for the central character of his 1788 novel of the same name. It is likely an elaboration on Etele, a Hungarian feminine form of Atilla.…
Place-name
An archipelago near the center of the Mediterranean, the name derives from the Greek word for honey. Malta has been heard as a girl’s name in the past and was used as a character name by both Dickens…
Arthurian legend, meaning unknown
A minor but intriguing name from Arthurian legend: in the Welsh 14th century work The Birth of Arthur, Dioneta is the name used for the character better known as Morgan le Fay. It's an attractive…
"ill-starred"
Desdemona is as Shakespearean as a name can be, but because the beautiful and innocent wife of Othello came to such a tragic end, her name has been avoided for centuries. But at this point in time,…
English surname
"from Aubigny"
A unisex surname familiarized by male actor Dabney Coleman, but with potential to carry over to the girl's side as well. Dabney feels in line with the Irish Darcy and Darby.
The mixed-race heroine of one of Gertrude Stein's Three Lives searches for knowledge and power.
"daffodil"
This Greek flower and mythological choice doesn't make it into the pantheon of possibilities because of its association with narcissism. But narcissa is December's flower of the month, so Narcissa…
Literary name and Scandinavian
"daring"
Nenna is the name of the heroine of Penelope Fitzgerald's novel Offshore , but it's also sparingly used in Scandinavia as a variant of the name Nanna. Nanna is a diminutive of various names,…
Botanical name and feminine variation of Nicander, Greek
"man of victory"
Nicandra is the name of a plant known as apple-of-peru and also shoo-fly plant. It's also the feminine form of Nicander, an ancient Greek poet, physician, and grammarian. Nicandra is the name of the…
Italian and Spanish diminutive of Nina
"little girl"
Might be carrying things too far -- little little girl? -- though could freshen up this favorite.
