Names from the Arts and Pop Culture
By Pamela Redmond · Updated September 2026
Across 4 pages
of 4
Latinized Greek variation of Hebrew Eleazar
"God is my helper"
Lazarus is a name that looks as if it could possibly be raised from the dead, just like its biblical bearer. Look for it in the next wave of Old Testament revivals that transcend their long-bearded…
Diminutive of Briana or Gabriella
"hill, high; God is my strong man"
Sweet and sparky but maybe a little bit stuck in the 90s for some, Bria is a nickname-y style choice with various origins. Unheard of until the 1970s, Bria only started to see substantial use in the…
French word name
"large claw of a bird of prey"
Rough and rugged, Talon is often associated with birds of prey, though more generally, it refers to any large claw, whether that's physical, metaphorical, or fantastical. The name has appeared in the…
English occupational name
"senior member of the church"
Occupation names and spiritual names are in style, so it's hardly surprising that Bishop has been making appearances in the Top 1000. Popular back in the late 19th and early 20th century, it…
Animal name
Fox is one animal name backed by a longish tradition, and then popularized via the lead character Fox Mulder on X Files . Fox is simple, sleek, and a little bit wild, and could make an interesting…
Invented name
"harmful spirits"
Neil Gaiman invented this name for a character in his comic book Sandman . It can now be seen on the TV show Lucifer . The name was inspired by the Hebrew term Mazzikin , which refers to sinister…
German and Swedish
"secret"
Name with connotations both mystical and tragic, newly popular in Europe. For English speakers, though, this name might be ruined by its homonym ruin.
Spelling variation of Terrell, English
"to pull, stubborn; land"
Tyrell is kind of part Tyrone and Tyler, part Terrell, though it has never made the US Top 1000. As a form of Terrell it means "to pull", from the French tirel and from here, it gets the additional…
Word name
The girls have dibs on Spring, Summer, and Autumn, leaving this name evocative of snowy landscapes as the one possible seasonal choice for boys. And naturally, it's one of the most obvious names for…
English
"male deer or rabbit"
Comedian Roseanne Barr chose this macho nature name for her son. In the 18th century it was used to describe a dashing, fashionable dressed man. Buck fits in well alongside names like Beck, Jack and…
English variation of Diana, Latin, feminization of Dean
"divine; church official"
Though still being used, Deanna peaked many decades ago.
Japanese
"water lily, lotus"
In Japan the lotus is the Buddhist symbol of purity and perfection. In the US, Ren can also be short for Lauren or Renee, but it could be misspelt as the more popular Wren.
Hebrew
"doe, gazelle"
This animal-themed name is among the most popular for girls in contemporary Israel. Parents who want to move beyond the mega-popular Aliyah and sisters might want to consider Ayala. The male form is…
"relating or belonging to The Netherlands"
If Holland works for a girl, why not Dutch for a boy? Well, one reason is that Holland is a place name and Dutch is used to describe someone or something from The Netherlands, but we digress. Dutch…
Turkish variation of Salim, Arabic
"safe"
Spelling variation of Corbin, English and French surname
"crow, raven"
Korben is a spelling that gets some attention since Bruce Willis's character name in The Fifth Element was Korben Dallas.
Scottish
"clan chieftain"
This early Scottish title -- known to us via Shakespeare's Macbeth -- has recently surfaced as a baby name possibility, familiar sounding through its similarity to names like Zane and Wayne.
Arabic, Kurdish, Persian
"existence, being, essence; king, leader; universe, cosmos"
Approachable and grounded, Keyan is a name with several powerful meanings. From its Arabic roots, it is a Quranic name, meaning "essence, entity" or "existence", while from its Kurdish and Persian…
Latin
"to rejoice"
Stately Gaius (pronounced GUY-us) was in the name of many ancient Romans, including Julius Caesar. Little-used before the year 2000, it now feels like a fresh possibility in the revival of Latin…
Greek
"calm, healer"
Many will associate this name with Galen of Pergamon, the second-century physician considered to be the founding father of medicine. A more recent reference is Star Wars character Galen Erso. The…
