Baby Names from Books

Most familiar as the name of the titular character in The Life of Pi, in which it was short for Piscine Molitor Patel.

The original Pip was the main character in Great Expectations (full name Philip Pirrip). Cute for a tike, maybe too cute for an adult.

One of the best known early Nemos was the captain in Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea, while the more familiar modern one is the animated little orange fish in the Disney movie. Unusual name well worth considering. By the way, there is also a Shakespearean Nemo and one in Dickens's Bleak House. An enchanting early comic strip by Winsor McCay was called Little Nemo.

Nemo

The name of the young hero of Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book, who was raised by wolves (really) and becomes a genius hunter and trapper, was chosen as a middle name for their son Bronx (really, again) by rockers Ashlee Simpson and Pete Wentz. Kipling invented the name, whose first syllable rhymes with cow.

Mowgli

Moody would work great as the name of Snow White's lost eighth dwarf friend, but we can't recommend it as a first name IRL. It was the last name of Harry Potter character Mad-Eye Moody, played by Brenden Gleason in the movies; his given name was Alastor. The bond credit rating company Moody's is likewise named for the surname of its founder, John Moody.

Moody

Well used in Russia, this is a distinctive and undiscovered choice here. 
Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov is the fictional protagonist of Crime and Punishment by Feodor Dostoyevsky.

Rodion

Moll is one of those names that is used all the time as a nickname for a nickname, but rarely put on the birth certificate. Moll Flanders is an eponymous 18th century novel by Daniel Defoe, the author of Robinson Crusoe,

Moll

Moby, the nickname of musician Richard Melville Hall, was thanks to his ancestor Herman Melville, creator of the infamous whale.  You can imagine calling a child Moby as a cute nickname in honor of a grandfatherly Richard or Dick, but the ghost of a Dick would always follow the name around.  In Melville's classic book, Moby was an invented word whose meaning has never been firmly established, though the best scholarship calls it a fictional place name that, in the custom of whaling ships of the time, helped identify the whale called Dick.

Moby

In Japan, color names are used to symbolize human qualities, and the green hues of Midori name are said to represent fame. While it is a unisex choice in its native Japan, Midori is predominantly used on girls.
 
Meaning "green" or "beautiful bird" depending on which kanji elements are used, the name has appeared in a number of animes, mangas, and games. Actress Midori Francis, violinist Midori Goto, and figure skater Midori Ito are notable bearers.

Midori

The mixed-race heroine of one of Gertrude Stein's Three Lives searches for knowledge and power.

Melanctha

Scheherazade -- or Sheherazade --is a legendary Persian queen immortalized as the narrator of all one thousand stories in the One Thousand and One Nights. Her story is even more remarkable than the tales she tells.
Each day the king marries a new woman and then beheads her in the morning. Scheherazade volunteers to marry the King. She relates a gripping story and times it so that as dawn approaches, the King is left with a cliffhanger. Eager to hear the end of the story, the King spares her life. The next night, Scheherazade finishes the tale and begins a new one, again ending the night with a cliffhanger. And so on. After 1001 nights (and 1000 stories) Scheherazade tells the King she has no more stories. However, by this time the King has fallen in love with Scheherazade and makes her his Queen.
 Scheherazade is a long and weighty name, but on the right girl or woman it would be an unusual and wonderful choice. Another spelling is Sheherazade.

Scheherazade

This name of the ten-year-old boy in the much loved and acclaimed modern classic To Kill a Mockingbird could find favor along with that of the character's sister, Scout.

Meg, perennially one of the Little Women, is a Margaret short form that manages to be neither quite in nor quite out of style. Meg is sleeker and more sophisticated than Maggie, more contemporary than Peg, more stylish than Megan, and still one of the best diminutives of Margaret. 
Meg Ryan was born Margaret Mary Emily Anne.

If ever there was a one-person name, it's probably Sherlock. But Sherlock Holmes the character has arguably never been hotter: he's been played by Robert Downey Jr., Ian McKellen, Jonny Lee Miller and, most memorably, Benedict Cumberbatch, in various film and TV adaptations over the last few years. So you never know.

Sherlock

Sidda is a name made famous by the heroine of The Ya-Ya Sisterhood; it probably started life as a nickname. 

Sidda

Lorelie is a feminine name variant of Lorelei, which originates from German folklore about a beautiful siren who sat on a rock above the Rhine River and lured sailors to their doom with her enchanting singing. The name carries connotations of haunting beauty and allure. While less common than the Lorelei spelling, this variation maintains the melodious quality and mythological connections. The name gained some recognition in the mid-20th century but remains relatively uncommon. Lorelie offers the friendly nicknames Lori or Lelie, and appeals to parents drawn to names with romantic literary associations and a softly musical sound. Its distinctive spelling gives it a subtle uniqueness while preserving its legendary charm.

Lorelie

This delicate and pretty member of the prolific Lily family is best known as the name of the heroine of Alexander Chee's novel Queen of the Night, Lilliet Berne. A combination of Lillian and Juliet, Lilliet and its near-twin Liliet were given to no baby girls in the US in recent years, but do have some history of use. If you can't decide between Lily and Juliet, this is obviously the name for you.

Lilliet

Lúthien Tinúviel is an elf princess in J. R. R. Tolkien’s legendarium, who falls in love with a mortal
human, Beren, and chooses to become mortal herself rather than to live without him. Tinúviel is a
Sindarin name given to her by Beren, meaning "daughter of twilight" and therefore "nightingale".

Tinuviel

Trilby was used first for a character by French novelist Charles Nodier (1822) and made more famous by writer George du Maurier in an 1894 work.  A Trilby hat, which Du Maurier's character wore, is a short-brimmed fedora of the kind recently revived by hipsters.  Du Maurier's character Trilby fell under the hypnotic power of Svengali: not the best choice for an independent and self-determining daughter. Still, if you want a unisex name that moves far beyond the usual Taylor and Morgan and has energy and feminine verve, Trilby might well be your girl. 

Trilby

Douglas Adams invented this name for a character (aka Tricia) in Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. It has a nice, trilly sound, and is accessible via its kinship with Gillian/Jillian.

Trillian

If you love to read, your favorite characters might inspire the perfect name for your baby. Baby names from books can come from canonical literary classics, such as Daisy and Ulysses, or contemporary works of fiction, such as Lyra and Lisbeth.

Along with Daisy and Lyra, other baby names from books in the US Top 1000 include Alice, Atticus, Emma, Harriet, Holden, Matilda, Milo, and Santiago. You may wish to consider last names as firsts of famous literary characters, such as Gatsby, Pevensie, Marlowe, and Cullen.

. Names invented for literary characters are not all modern inventions: Pamela was invented by Sir Philip Sidney for his eponymous novel in the 16th century, and Shakespeare is believed to have invented Olivia and Jessica.

 that can suit anyone's style. There are more baby names inspired by books than one could ever dream of, but here we've gathered 100+ of the most recognizable that might work in a modern nursery.

Baby names from beloved books, characters, and authors, including girl names from books and boy names from books, with meanings, origins, and popularity. (Page 9)