Names from the Arts and Pop Culture
By Pamela Redmond · Updated September 2026
Across 23 pages
of 23
Literary
"heart of the glen"
Inspired by Glendora, this name was invented by prolific Victorian novelist, Anthony Trollope for his Palliser novels. It blends the English glen with the Latin cor to make the whimsical meaning…
French
"large dagger or short sword"
Associated with the Baudelaire siblings from Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events and with the poet Charles Baudelaire, this French surname is a bold literary choice, with a touch of…
Greek
"practical"
In mythology, another name for Aphrodite -- but the rare feminine name that sounds better for a boy.
Feminine form of Christopher, Greek, Latin
"bearer of Christ"
This rare feminization of Christopher blends in the sounds of the popular Josephine and is certainly more unexpected than Christine or Christina. German artist Christophine Reinwald (sister of…
Place-name
An interesting Canadian province and city name that has some literary history as the name of a character in Dickens's Bleak House ; could make a distinctive choice for parents with northern roots.
Variation of Silvanus, combination of Sylvester and Anders
"man of the woods"
Also spelled Silvander, this poetic and woodsy name was used in various works of literature throughout the 17th and 18th centuries. Deriving from the Roman and Biblical name Silvanus, Sylvander could…
"sacred name"
A name used in Germany and Holland as a form of Jerome, it's the unlikely moniker of fictional detective Hieronymous "Harry" Bosch.
English place name
No matter how much you love the novels of Papa H., don't saddle your son with this unwieldy appellation.
Literary name
"modest, reverent"
The name of the enslaved girl in Dumas' The Count of Monte Cristo , this literary name sounds a little like a modern invention. However, it is in fact related to another time-honored literary heroine…
Literary and word name
Remarkable Pettibone was a self-important housekeeper in James Fenimore Cooper's The Pioneers . Such names were not uncommon in early America, with such choices as Remember and Experience showing up…
English
"stag"
Most often spelled without the final "e"--unless you're a particular fan of writer Bret.
English surname
A possibility for fans of the mystery writer, but most parents would prefer Dashiell.
Irish
"glutton"
Gulliver is an obscure Gaelic surname known almost solely through its literary Travels until actor Gary Oldman used it for his son, instantly transforming it into a lively option. British actors…
Word name
Toni Morrison, a master of character naming, coined this one for the best friend of hero Milkman Dead in Song of Solomon . Definitely a cool choice, with a twang.
Cool and casual, a la humorist Ring (born Ringgold. ) Lardner.
Norwegian
"famous ruler"
This intriguing Scandinavian name is associated with Roald Dahl, author of the juvenile classics James and the Giant Peach and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory . You can honor an ancestral Ronald…
Russian from Greek
"song of the hero"
Well used in Russia, this is a distinctive and undiscovered choice here. Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov is the fictional protagonist of Crime and Punishment by Feodor Dostoyevsky.
"wedge-shaped object"
Surname from a landscape feature, associated with author Gore Vidal and Bill Clinton's Vice President Al Gore. Its alternative meaning - as in gory - may explain why it's never made it into the…
Latin, Italian variation of Romulus, one of he founders of Rome
Romola is a literary name most notably used by George Eliot for her eponymous 1862 novel set in fifteenth-century Florence. It just may appeal to the parent looking for a name that embodies the ideal…
Scottish place-name
An undiscovered place-name with an appealing o-sound ending.
