Names from the Arts and Pop Culture
Literary Names
Across 23 pages
of 23
Fancy
Diminutive of Frances
"free man"
Old fashioned nickname that some girls just might be able to pull off. You'd just have to be sure your little Fancy was one of them.
Faunia
Latin feminine variation of Faunus
"to befriend"
Faunia is more often rendered as Fauna, who was a Roman goddess of fertility, women and healing. Faunia was the downtrodden yet loving heroine of Philip Roth's Human Stain . Faunia and Fauna have…
Feather
Word name
Feather, though it was used for a character in a Walter Mosley novel, seems too light and fluttery for a real-life girl.
Feyre
Literature, English
"fair, beautiful"
Created by Sarah J. Maas for the heroine of her Court of Thorns and Roses series of YA novels. The name was based on the Old English word for "fair" or "beautiful" and has an ethereal charm.
Fenno
A Finnish tribe and language
If you've heard this name, it's probably from the hero of the acclaimed Julia Glass novel, Three Junes , or else the political scientist Richard Fenno. As well as a Finnish name, it's alos a Frisian…
Fig
Fruit name
Fig was the unlikely name of a beautiful character in Curtis Sittenfeld's Man of My Dreams . It could make a playful middle name or a sparky nickname for the likes of Philippa, Fiona, Felicity, and…
Fitzgerald
Irish and Scottish
"son of Gerald"
Made famous by F. Scott Fitzgerald and John Fitzgerald Kennedy; still works best as a middle name.
Fitzwilliam
English
"son of William"
The Christian name of the dashing Mr. Darcy in Pride and Prejudice — it was his mother's maiden name— is just one of several Fitz names, including Fitzroy, Fitzgerald, Fitzpatrick, that…
Flannery
Irish
"descendant of Flannghal"
Long before the vogue of using Irish surnames for girls, writer Flannery O'Connor gave this one some visibility. It has a warm (flannelly) feel and the currently popular three-syllable ee-ending…
Fleur
French
"flower"
Fleur is a generic, delicate flower name that emigrated into the English-speaking world when John Galsworthy bestowed it on one of the Forsytes in his celebrated saga. More recently, there was Fleur…
Forster
English, variation of Foster
"scissors maker"
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…
Franny
Latin, diminutive of Frances
"from France or free man"
If Frances and Fran are too serious for you, and Fanny too saucy, you might like Franny, still identified by some with J. D. Salinger's Franny and Zooey stories.
Frost
English
"freezing"
Long heard as a last name, as in venerable poet Robert, U.K. talk show host David, British actress Sadie and old Jack Frost, Frost has suddenly entered the scene as a possible first, along with other…
Galway
Place-name
Associated with the poet and novelist Galway Kinnell, this name of an Irish city, county, and bay would make an evocative choice. For further literary cred, writers Liam O'Flaherty and Frank Harris…
Gatsby
German surname and literary name
"from Gaddesby"
Gatsby is one of the most famous literary surnames, borne by the titular character of F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby . The book's Jay Gatsby gussied up his surname from Gatz, whose meaning is…
Gide
French surname
Pronounced GHEED, this surname of Nobel Prizewinning novelist Andre could make a smooth, sleek middle name choice.
Ginevra
Italian variation of Guinevere or Jennifer
"white shadow, white wave"
Arty and elegant, Ginevra is one of the most popular girls' names in Italy at the moment, ranking at #3 in a recent year. Ultimately from the Arthurian Guinevere, it's a relative of Jennifer, meaning…
Glasgow
Scottish place-name
An undiscovered place-name with an appealing o-sound ending.
Gore
English
"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…
Guitar
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.