Literary Names for Boys

Septimus is one of the more dashing of the birth-order Latin number names that were revived by the Victorians. So even if you don't anticipate son number 7, you might be bold enough to consider this relic, certainly preferable to sixth-son name Sextus.
 Septimus was popularized by the Roman Emperor Septimus Severus, a patron of arts and letters. There was a Septimus in Wilkie Collins's The Moonstone, in Dickens's The Mystery of Edwin Drood, and in Trollope's Barchester novels. Probably it is most familiar to modern readers as one of the principal characters in Virginia Woolf's Mrs. Dalloway, and as Harry Potter wizard, Septimus Weasley. There is also Septimus Heap, a series of bestselling fantasy novels by Angie Sage.

Septimus

A kindly, virtue-adjacent name, it appears in Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet, borne by the peacemaker friend who persuades Romeo to go to the party where he meets Juliet. Alas. A bold choice but with familiar nicknames Ben, Lio, and Bo.

Benvolio

This version of Tristan, known to English Lit students from the novel Tristram Shandy, is rarely used in this country, but, though its similarity to the popular Tristan could prove confusing, still makes an interesting literary choice.

 Baseball legend Tris Speaker was christened Tristram and the protagonist of the Anthony Burgess novel The Wanting Seed is Tristram Foxe.

Tristram

Surname of a character in Henry James' What Maisie Knew.

Beale

 are derived from characters in books from all genres. Some of these

, such as Romeo and Tristan, come from works of fiction written centuries ago, while others, like Harry and Snow, are contemporary.

 include Atticus, Axel, Holden, Magnus, Orlando, Rhett, Samson, and Santiago. Some names for boys remain inextricably tied to their 

, such as Heathcliff, Gogol, Ishmael, and Zooey.

Here, a selection of the most distinctive literary boy names from books.

Literary Names for Boys with meanings, origins, and popularity, including names of male characters from books and names of male authors. (Page 6)