Names from the Arts and Pop Culture
By Pamela Redmond · Updated September 2026
Across 7 pages
of 7
English, diminutive of Edward
"wealthy guardian"
Ned is a gently old-fashioned Nancy Drew-Bobbsey Twins-era short form for Edward that sounds cooler than Ed and is enjoying a small style renaissance. Usage of Ned in literature goes back to a Ben…
Variation of Otho
"wealth, fortune"
Possibly created as an elaboration of Otho or Otto, Othello is almost exclusively associated with Shakespeare's 1603 tragedy of the same name. Borne by a Moorish General who is tricked and…
Greek
"from the sea"
An offbeat possible replacement for the overused Melissa and Marisa, Nerissa was used by Shakespeare for Portia's witty confidante in The Merchant of Venice . Queen Elizabeth has a cousin named…
Latin
"lame; enclosure"
Claudius is one of the most user-friendly of the ancient Roman names – even though it's associated with the villainous character in Shakespeare's Hamlet . But as with feminine form Claudia, the…
English variation of Latin Horatius
"hour, time"
Like Horace, Horatio is a variation on the Latin Horatius, but its Shakespearean and optimistic Horatio Alger pedigree makes it an attractive up-and-comer, especially with its cool final o. A modern…
"loving"
Could Philo be the next Milo? We love the o-ending and sweet meaning of this dynamic and distinctive Greek name, often used in literature, but never particularly popular. The ancient Philo (aka Philo…
"chickpea"
Roman statesman's name with a cool and quirky sound. Marcus Tullius Cicero was a Roman scholar, orator and lawyer who had an immense impact on the Latin language.
Welsh and Galician variation of James and Jacob
Iago, the villain of Shakespeare's Othello , was so treacherously evil that his name has hardly ever been heard offstage. Try the much-more-benign Inigo.
"giant, great one"
This name of the queen of the fairies in A Midsummer Night's Dream has a delicate, lacy charm similar to Tatiana's, but that first syllable could cause embarrassing problems.
"far-famed"
Ancient Athenian statesman whose name was once used in the US mostly for enslaved people, following a trend for names of ancient figures.
"reward, honor"
Kids would be more likely to associate this name with the hyperactive meercat in "The Lion King" than with the ancient Greek philosopher or Shakespearean character, which could cause playground…
Medieval variation of Margaret, Greek
"pearl"
An old royal name in England and Scotland that's also spelled Marjorie. Popular in the Middle Ages and Tudor period, it was revived at the end of the 19th century, peaked in 1921 and dropped off the…
"demi-god"
Despite the possibility of gender confusion, the Hero in Greek myth was a woman. Myleene Klass got that when she chose Hero for her daughter, and Sam Taylor-Wood and Aaron Johnson used it as their…
English elaboration of Lucia or Lucy
"light"
Lace-hankie name with Shakespearean pedigree.
English surname, meaning unknown
Brand new surname option that's equally appealing on girls and boys. In Shakespeare's Richard III , Catesby is a double agent working for Richard III of England. He was based on the real-life Sir…
Celtic
"sun lord or sun hound"
The title of a Shakespeare play based on legends featuring the early Celtic King Cunobelinus, whose name derives from the Gaulish sun god Belenus.
"yellow, blond"
Flavius is an ancient Roman family name associated with a dynasty of emperors. It has an appealingly flavorful first syllable, and is the name of a stylist in the Hunger Games series. Earlier…
Shakespearean invented name, Latin
"flower"
Shakespeare seems to have coined this name for the Prince of Bohemia in his late tragicomedy The Winter's Tale by drawing inspiration from the Latin floris meaning "flower". It's rarely been used as…
Greek mythology name
Twin brother of Cassandra in Greek mythology who also was a celebrated seer. A Trojan prince, he was the son of King Priam and Queen Hecuba.
Greek, female form of Hermes
"cairn, pile of stones, boundary marker"
Though we've gotten used to Hermione via Harry Potter , and even Hermes with its godlike and fashion associations, most people would still have a problem with Hermia (too close to hernia?) and…
