Names from the Arts and Pop Culture
Hunger Games Baby Names
Across 5 pages
of 5
Sid
Short form of Sidney, French
"Saint-Denis"
Sid originated as a nickname for Sidney, but we like it on its own, a la Sara Quin's and Jason Biggs and Jenny Mollen's sons. Sid Vicious, member of the band the Sex Pistols, gives this name a punk…
Snow
English word name
There's definitely a cold front of names for winter babies moving in, with Summer, Spring and Autumn giving way to Winter--plus North, January, Frost--and Snow. This name feels brisk, fresh, pure,…
Tigris
Tigris is a masculine name derived from the famous Tigris River, one of the major rivers of Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq). The river's name itself comes from the Old Persian word "tigra" meaning…
Urban
Latin
"of the city"
Urban was not an uncommon name through the 1930s (rising as high as Number 435), having been attached to several saints and early popes, but it has completely disappeared from the landscape--both…
Vick
Vick is a short, strong masculine name that typically functions as a diminutive of Victor or Vincent, though it has emerged as an independent given name. With Germanic roots relating to 'conqueror'…
Volumnia
Feminization of Volumnius, Latin
"scroll"
Shakespeare used Volumnia as the name of Coriolanus' mother in his tragedy Coriolanus while Dickens used it in Bleak House .
Willamae
Compound name, blending Willa and Mae
"resolute protection + beloved, pearl, may"
A smoosh name with plenty of both vintage and Southern charm. It combines the familiar Mae with up and coming Willa, and might remind people of jazz dancer Willa Mae Ricker.
Lenore
German variation of Leonora, Italian derivative of Eleonora, meaning unknown
A "modernization" of Leonora that has suddenly come back on the radar along with the many other Leo names--both male and female. With literary cred via a famous eponymous poem by Edgar Allan Poe (and…
Androcles
Greek
"glorious man"
Mythological name with a fabulous meaning. Sure it's weighty, but so is Aphrodite; Andy is an easy nickname choice to make this name more wearable in the classroom.
Arachne
Greek
"spider"
In Greek mythology, Arachne was a woman who bested Athena in a weaving competition. She later killed herself from the shame, but Athena reincarnated Arachne as a spider.
Asterid
Variation of Astrid, Scandinavian, Greek, literary invented name
"divinely beautiful; star"
If we tie it to Aster, it's undeniably a nature name. "Aster" comes from the Greek word astēr , meaning "star," and it's the name of a daisy-like flower with star-shaped blooms. On the flip side, it…
Atala
French literary name
Atala is the eponymous heroine of a 19th century novella 'Atala, ou Les Amours de deux sauvages dans le desert' by François-René de Chateaubriand. Given the racist overtones of the novel, probably…
Billy
English, diminutive of William
"resolute protection"
Cute kid with freckles, bouncing a Spalding ball. Cool couple Helena Bonham Carter and Tim Burton put the name Billy Burton on their son's birth certificate. While the classic William, name of the…
Blair
Scottish
"dweller on the plain"
One of the first generation of cool surname names, now largely used for girls in the US, but still popular for boys in its native Scotland. A prominent association for Brits is former prime minister…
Brandy
English from Dutch
"burnt wine"
The alcohol-laced member of the Randy-Candy-Mandy sorority of 1970s to 80s nickname names; now pretty much on the wagon.
Brutus
Latin
"heavy, dull"
Brutus is the quintessential brute--far too close to the word brutal. And any child with this name would spend much of his life hearing "Et tu." Originally an old Roman family name, borne by Marcus…
Burdock
English, plant name
The name of an herbaceous plant in the daisy family. Burdock has never been recorded as a name in the US, but it may provide some woodsy steampunk flair. In Suzanne Collins's Hunger Games prequel —…
Caesar
Latin
"cut"
Caesar, the name of the greatest Roman of them all, is rarely used outside Latino families, where the Cesar spelling is preferred —as in activist Chavez and Dog Whisperer Millan. Its original meaning…
Casca
Ancient Roman
"old"
Casca was a Roman cognomen — a proto-surname — that derived from a word meaning "old." It was seen in Shakespeare's play Julius Caesar , and more recently, in The Hunger Games .
Cashmere
Word name, English from Hindi
"fine, downy wool"
Cashmere is soft, luxurious — and way out of the ordinary. One of the unique names found in The Hunger Games series, you might be surprised to learn that this fabric name has been appearing in the US…