Names from the Arts and Pop Culture
By Pamela Redmond · Updated September 2026
Across 23 pages
of 23
Italian and Spanish diminutive of Nina
"little girl"
Might be carrying things too far -- little little girl? -- though could freshen up this favorite.
French
"northerner"
A British surname that was used only for males until Mrs. Norman Mailer, Norris Church (born Barbara), came under the public eye.
Unknown origin
Known more commonly in Medieval legend as the Lady of the Lake and recorded under numerous names, Nyneve is a key character in Arthurian legends.
Irish surname
To modernize and add some oomph to the dated CASEY, add an O'-and also honor the great Irish playwright Sean.
Literary creation
"furious"
Created by Gregory Maguire for his book, Wicked (and featured in the subsequent Broadway musical), Fiyero derives from the word "furious".
Literary name
"gold"
Orleanna was the young heroine of Barbara Kingsolver's The Poisonwood Bible , whose name may share the same golden meaning as New Orleans, or be a twist on Orlena and Arlena.
Is it a real name....or no?
Literary invention
A minor (female) character in the Wicked book and musical, who is gender swapped for the 2024 movie.
"people's protection; dill protection"
A character in the Wicked novels and musicals, Dr. Dillamond is a Goat, mentor, and professor. It could blend the Old English element mund meaning "protection" with Dil , a Germanic diminutive…
English flower name from French
"thought"
Pansy is an early floral name that lost credibility when it became a derogatory slang term for gay people. Better these days: Posy or Poppy.
Glinda is famous as the name of the Good Witch in The Wizard of Oz, invented by author L. Frank Baum. but has there ever been a real life, non-fictional Glinda? Not in the US last year. The name may…
Name of the winning young heroine of Toni Morrison's first novel, The Bluest Eye .
English from Greek
"leaf"
Petal is the soft and sweet-smelling name of a character in the novel and film, The Shipping News . With the rise of such flower names as Poppy and Posy, we believe Petal — down-to-earth yet romantic…
Germanic
"soft singing voice"
The original name of Glinda from Gregory Maguire's novel Wicked and the subsequent Broadway musical. She drops the 'a' from her name to honor a goat, who mispronounced her name as a Glinda. As a…
Literary invented name
Elphaba was invented by Gregory Maguire for the protagonist of his novel Wicked , which became the long-running Broadway play and then a movie. Elphaba is the name of the Wicked Witch of the West,…
English
"noble and bright"
A feminine form of Ethelbert, which is itself the Middle English variant of Æþelbeorht, which is in turn the Old English version of Albert, Ethelberta could therefore be regarded as an alternative…
English, diminutive of Philip
"lover of horses"
The original Pip was the main character in Great Expectations (full name Philip Pirrip). Cute for a tike, maybe too cute for an adult.
Norse variation of Philippa
Pippi may be cute but isn't very practical. In addition to being forever Pippi Longstocking, there is that variant pee-pee spelling to consider. Try Pippa instead.
Greek
"broad-shouldered"
The name of one of the greatest Western philosophers is often used as a first name in its land of origin, Greece, and would make a really interesting, thought-provoking choice here. It is remembered…
Word name
An admirable quality to impart; Pleasant was used by Charles Dickens in Our Mutual Friend and in modern times is known via American Girl dolls creator Pleasant Rowland.
