Names from the Arts and Pop Culture
By Pamela Redmond · Updated September 2026
Across 23 pages
of 23
Latin
"the seventh son"
Septimus is one of the more dashing of the birth-order Latin number names that were revived by the Victorians. So even if you don't anticipate son number 7, you might be bold enough to consider this…
Latin for of Lykidas, Ancient Greek
"son of Lykos, son of the wolf"
In Greek mythology, Lykidas was the name of a centaur, however, in its Latin form, it is associated with the 17th century pastoral poem by John Milton who wrote, written in memory of his friend,…
Diminutive of Elizabeth or Liberty
"pledged to god; freedom"
A concise and zippy short form of Elizabeth, Liberty or similar, used for the main character in the novel and film adaptation of Emma Donoghue's The Wonder about a nurse sent to observe a girl who is…
Diminutive of Bozhidar, Bosley, Boaz, or others, Slavic, English, Hebrew
"divine; Bosa's field; swiftness"
A multicultural nickname with a number of origins and multiple meanings, particular to the bearer. It can be a short form of Bozhidar, or any other name with the Slavic element "božĭjĭ", meaning…
Feminine form of Nidal, Arabic
"my struggle, strife; my warrior"
Translating literally to "my struggle", Nidali is an Arabic name which is also interpreted as meaning "my warrior" or "my fighter". It is the feminine form of Nidal and was used in the 2008 novel A…
Scottish
"son of Ewan"
Shows some promise via its connection to the growing interest in Ewan.
Literary name
The mixed-race heroine of one of Gertrude Stein's Three Lives searches for knowledge and power.
Dutch from Hebrew
"city of the king; king of light"
The least used of the Three Wise Men's names, but a strong option for bold namers to consider. The exact origins of Melchior are unknown, but it is speculated that it derived from either the Hebrew…
Old English
"glory, fame, peace and happiness"
Derived from the Old English elements hroð and friþ , Rosfrith is a poetical yet rugged sounding choice, meaning "glory, fame, peace, and happiness". It has been used since at least the 7th century,…
English word name
"romance; love story; a medieval story of chivalry"
Romance may initially strike you as too ardent and whimsical of a name for a baby, but given that the likes of Love and Dream have been a fast-rising name in recent years — not to mention soundalike…
English literary name
Pretty and distinctive choice for poetry lovers.
Literary, meaning unknown
An obscure literary choice, Belisent is an alternative name for the character of Morgause from Arthurian legend, featured in the 13th-century Middle English verse romance "Of Arthour and of Merlin".…
Scottish, variation of Menzies
"tenants of a manor"
Supermodel Helena Christensen named her son in honor of jazz great Charles Mingus, opening up a whole category of jazzy possibilities: Kenton, Calloway, Ellington, Gillespie, Mulligan, Tatum, and…
Literary creation
Used by Gregory Maguire in his novel Wicked along with the Broadway musical adaptation of the same name, Frexspar could be inspired by the word feckless meaning "irresponsible, lacking strength of…
Literary invention, combination of Nessa and Rose
"butterfly + rose; gentle + rose; miracle + rose"
A smoosh name used by Gregory Maguire in his book Wicked and the subsequent musical. It blends Rose with Nessa, which can be a short form of Vanessa (or other -nessa names), an anglicized variation…
"mouth of the river Ro"
Takes Monroe out of the Dead Presidents category and gives it new life.
Greek
"daffodil"
This Greek flower and mythological choice doesn't make it into the pantheon of possibilities because of its association with narcissism. But narcissa is December's flower of the month, so Narcissa…
Literary name and Scandinavian
"daring"
Nenna is the name of the heroine of Penelope Fitzgerald's novel Offshore , but it's also sparingly used in Scandinavia as a variant of the name Nanna. Nanna is a diminutive of various names,…
Invented literary name or Latin
"strong, vigorous"
A character name that makes an appearance in Shakespeare's King Lear , Nerilla has hardly been heard in modern times. Fewer than five baby girls received the name in the US last year, which places it…
Literary name, Czech
"bad-tempered"
Evocative of the great Nobel Prize winning poet Pablo Neruda, real last name Basoalito, who took on the surname Neruda to honor a Czech poet of that name. One of the most poetic and arty boy names…
