Literary Names

National Book Award-winning novelist Jesmyn Ward brought this uncommon spelling of a lovely name into the public eye. Jasmine is the flower-y version, and Jessamine the genteel British version. Jessamyn West was an American writer in the 20th century.

A solid, brief but not brusque single-syllable surname with a presidential pedigree.

This variation of Jacey was the name of the gorgeous small-town heroine of Larry McMurtry's The Last Picture Show.

Might be carrying things too far -- little little girl? -- though could freshen up this favorite.

Pleasant surname connected to humorist James Thurber, with a sound as happy as a baby's gurgle.

Forster, a variation of Foster or potentially even Forester, is associated with British novelist E.M. Forster, author of A Passage to India, Howard's End, and A Room with a View. But if you choose Forster, you'd always have to force that 'r'.

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 boy names starting with N, or with any letter, for that matter.

Name of the enslaved girl in Dumas' The Count of Monte Cristo sounds more like a modern invention, though it's related to another time-honored literary heroine name: Haidee from Byron's "Don Juan."

A unisex surname familiarized by male actor Dabney Coleman, but with potential to carry over to the girl's side as well. Dabney feels in line with the Irish Darcy and Darby.

Cheever has a nice, cheery sound, literary ties to novelist and short writer John Cheever and also, sideways, to the Edward Arlington Robinson narrative poem "Miniver Cheevy," as well as a subliminal association with the desirable word achiever: all strong pluses.

Friendly-sounding name with big "Sweeney Todd" downside.

Shows some promise via its connection to the growing interest in Ewan.

Is it a real name....or no?

A British surname that was used only for males until Mrs. Norman Mailer, Norris Church (born Barbara), came under the public eye.

Most often spelled without the final "e"--unless you're a particular fan of writer Bret.

Pretty and distinctive choice for poetry lovers.

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.

Plausible literary name to honor upbeat Armenian-American playwright and prose writer William Saroyan.

Cool and casual, a la humorist Ring (born Ringgold. ) Lardner.

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, including Anna, Johanna and Marianne, but it's also a name in its own right, possibly meaning "daring".