Names from the Arts and Pop Culture
Literary Names
Across 23 pages
of 23
Hindley
English
"deer meadow; doe in the clearing"
Slightly rugged and windswept, Hindley notably appears in Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights , borne by the elder son of the Earnshaw family. The name of two English towns, it combines the Old English…
Criseida
Form of Chryseis, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, "gold"
"gold"
A variation of Chryseis, this form was created by the 14th-century Italian poet Giovanni Boccaccio in work Il Filostrato , in which she is the faithless lover of the Trojan Troilus. While some…
Salme
Estonian, Finnish, Prussian, Arabic
"poem, verse; peace; safe"
Gentle and warm, Salme is a multicultural name with several different roots. As a Prussian, Estonian, and Finnish name, it is used as a contracted form of the Biblical Salome, lending it the lovely…
Liliwin
Literature, Welsh
"white lily, blessed lily"
Possibly inspired by the Welsh feminine name, Liliwen, Liliwin is a masculine name, notably appearing in the seventh novel of the The Cadfael Chronicles by Ellis Peters. In the 1983 book The…
Belisent
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".…
Lanyon
English, Cornish, Bretton
"enclosure of Lon; Parish of Huon"
A surname style choice that likely originated from a place in Cornwall, the exact etymology of the name is unknown, though "enclosure of Lon" or "farmstead of Lon" have been suggested, Lon referring…
Sybylla
Greek
"seer, oracle"
Sybylla is another spelling of the elongation of Sybil. This version is the name of the heroine of the 1901 Australian novel by Miles Franklin, the pen name of Stella Maria Sarah Miles Franklin. This…
Beren
Literary name
"brave, bold, daring"
Beren is a Noldorin name created by J. R. R. Tolkien for his fantasy universe. A great hero in the books, Beren is notable for his love story with Luthien — so notable that Beren and Luthien are the…
Clelia
Italian, Latin
"famous"
The obscure yet not unappealing name of a legendary heroine of Rome, likely derived from the Roman family name, Cloelius. It is believed to come from the Latin word cluere , meaning "to have renowned…
Cleon
Greek
"glorious, renowned"
Rare and distinctive name with intimations of antiquity, also a Shakespearean character.
Radley
English
"red meadow"
Radical Bradley. Radley is also the surname of one of the heroes of To Kill a Mockingbird . Boo Radley is a reclusive and mentally challenged neighbor who saves the Finch children.
Radley
English
"red meadow"
An emerging unisex surname name. Radley is more common for boys — it could be seen as an updated version of Bradley — but for girls, it's a rare alternative to Hadley and Adley. Radley is also a…
Perrin
Variation of Perry or Peter, English or Greek
"dweller near the pear tree or rock, stone"
Perrin has been in long use as a surname, derived from Peter, and is now used quietly as a first name. It may rise higher now that it's a character name in the popular TV adaptation of Robert…
Crusoe
Literary surname
Crusoe, as in castaway hero Robinson, is a literary invention by author Daniel Defoe. In the novel, the character says his name is an Anglicization of the German Kreutznaer, which may be a place name…
Cedric
Celtic
"bounty; loved"
Soft yet solid, Cedric was invented by Sir Walter Scott for the noble character of the hero's father in Ivanhoe , presumed to be an altered form of the Saxon name Cerdic ("bounty"), or the Brythonic…
Teleri
Welsh
"your mayfly"
The name of a maiden of King Arthur's court in some accounts. It is a contraction of Welsh "ty" (thy) + Eleri. The Teleri were also a race of High Elves in Tolkien's work.
Celestial
English word name from Latin
"of the heavens, planets or stars"
A pretty and almost unique word name to add to the galaxy of astral appellations. More distinctive than the better-known Celeste, it was given fewer than ten baby girls in the US last year. While…
Kaladin
Literary name
An archetypal fantasy name with a cool Cal/Kal sound and short form, Kaladin is a character in The Stormlight Archive by Utah resident Brandon Sanderson. Westerners are early adopters: of the 97 baby…
Amren
Literary name
Author Sarah J. Maas created the name Amren for a High Fae in her acclaimed fantasy romance series A Court of Thorns and Roses . The author has confirmed she is an Old Testament Angel, and as such,…
Corin
Latin
"spear"
Corin was used by Shakespeare in As You Like It , an unusual name that could make a more distinctive alternative to Corey or Colin. It is a name used in the illustrious Redgrave family of actors.