Literary Names for Girls

Known more commonly in Medieval legend as the Lady of the Lake and recorded under numerous names, Nyneve is a key character in Arthurian legends.

Nyneve

Orleanna was the young heroine of Barbara Kingsolver's The Poisonwood Bible, whose name may share the same golden meaning as New Orleans, or be a twist on Orlena and Arlena.

Orleanna

The obscure yet not unappealing name of a legendary heroine of Rome, likely derived from the Roman family name, Cloelius. It is believed to come from the Latin word cluere, meaning "to have renowned fame". 
 
The ancient Clelia escaped an Etruscan invader by swimming across the Tiber River.

Clelia

Pansy is an early floral name that lost credibility when it became a derogatory slang term for gay people. Better these days: Posy or Poppy.

Pansy

Name of the winning young heroine of Toni Morrison's first novel, The Bluest Eye.

Pecola

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 — has its own appealingly distinctive style. Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver named his daughter Petal Blossom Rainbow in 2009.

Petal

This name was used by Shakespeare (who got it from Plutarch) in Antony and Cleopatra for one of the attendants of the Egyptian queen. An interesting possibility, it is heard occasionally in the UK, even less frequently in the US.

Charmian

An admirable quality to impart; Pleasant was used by Charles Dickens in Our Mutual Friend and in modern times is known via American Girl dolls creator Pleasant Rowland.

Pleasant

This Katherine variation, used through Ireland and Scotland, is pronounced like Katrina. The name became popular after the Crusaders brought home stories about the colorful fourth century martyr, Catherine of Alexandria. Its later popularity increased following the success of Robert Louis Stevenson's 1893 Catriona, the sequel to Kidnapped.

Catriona

 are derived from female characters in books from all genres and periods. 

 are particularly popular today, including Alice (in Wonderland) and Eloise (at the Plaza). 

 such as Scarlett and Scout are fashionable.

 include Daisy, Harper, Juliet, Maisie, Harriet, Bella, Arya, and Evangeline. Distinctive female character names with strong ties to their characters include Cosette, Snow Flower, Hermione, and Lolita.

Literary names for girls from books that have become television shows or movies such as 

 or Hunger Games names have also found widespread use, with names such as Aria and Katniss used for non-fictional baby girls.

category, as always, feel free to think about your own personal favorites.

Literary names for girls come from books, female characters, and female authors, with meanings, origins, and popularity (Page 9)