Names from the Arts and Pop Culture
Baby Names from Books
Across 10 pages
of 10
Zhivago
Russian literary name
"life"
For lovers of Pasternak's great doctor, a lively middle name choice, one made by actress Nia Long.
Zooey
Literary name
The original Zooey, hero of J.D. Salinger's Franny & Zooey , was male, but nowadays the name is more closely associated with actress/singer Zooey Deschanel. With Zoe at number 31 for girls and Zoey…
Zorro
Spanish
"fox"
The swashbuckling, clever literary hero Zorro — appropriately, "fox" in Spanish — was created in 1919 by American writer Johnston McCulley. Known for defending villagers and Indigenous Californians,…
Aibileen
Invented Name
Variation of Abilene.
Rasselas
Literary name
"prince portrait"
Samuel Johnson invented the name Rasselas for the title character of his novel, Rasselas, Prince of Abyssinia. Rasselas is actually the son of the prince. TV auteur Sally Wainwright recently used the…
Featherleigh
American literary name
Featherleigh Dale is the femme fatale of a certain age in American writer Elin Hilderbrand's novel The Perfect Couple , adapted as a television series by Netflix. The book also features characters…
Amren
Literary name
Author Sarah J. Maas created the name Amren for a High Fae in her acclaimed fantasy romance series A Court of Thorns and Roses . The author has confirmed she is an Old Testament Angel, and as such,…
Rhysand
Literary name
Created by Sarah J. Maas for the handsome High Lord of her Court of Thorns and Roses series of fantasy romance novels. Rhysand is based on the Welsh name Rhys, meaning "ardor".
Aemon
Literary name
Created by George R. R. Martin for his series A Song of Ice and Fire . Aemon Targaryen is the great-uncle of Daenerys.
Arys
Literary name, or variation of Ares
A knight in the Game of Thrones universe, Arys debuted on the charts for both sexes in 2023, possibly owing to the pop culture connection, but also thanks to the popularity of Ares, a Greek mythology…
Ollivander
Literary name, compound of Oliver and Alexander, Latin and Greek
"olive tree and defending men"
A rare twist on modern favorites like Oliver and Alexander, this elaborate option is nevertheless familiar to most people as the surname of the eminent wandmaker Garrick Ollivander, from the Harry…
Antonia
Latin
"from Antium"
Antonia is stronger than most feminized boys’ names , reflecting the pioneer spirit of Willa Cather's classic novel My Antonia . Antonia is hovering near the bottom of the US popularity list, which…
Augie
Short form of August and variations
Augie is an adorable and, at this point, fresher sounding short form than Gus of the rising August and all its variations, from Augustine to Augustus. The Adventures of Augie March is a 1953 novel by…
Aureliano
Italian
"gold"
Italian variation of Aurelius.
Baela
Invented literary name
A character name in George R. R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire series, featured in the GOT prequel House of the Dragon .In the series, the name is a feminine form of Baelon, the character's paternal…
Bathsheba
Hebrew
"daughter of an oath"
Popular with the Puritans, this name of the shrewd and beautiful wife of King David and mother of King Solomon could be a bit of a load for a modern girl to carry. Bathsheba is the name of the…
Bennet
Variation of Bennett, English form of Benedict, Latin
"blessed"
This spelling of Bennett is typically seen as a surname, but gets moderate use as a first name for baby boys and girls.
Bernard
German
"strong, brave as a bear"
Bernard is obviously a saint's name, but how did it get to the big, benevolent dog? The eleventh century monk, patron saint of mountain climbers, who lived in the Alps, was famed for setting up safe…
Bigger
Word Name
The name of the protagonist in Richard Wright's 1940 novel Native Son .
Bond
English
"peasant farmer"
For 007 fans, a great middle name choice -- or even a first.