Writing-Related Names

Legend

• Origin:

  English word name

• Description:

  Legend joins cousins Story, Saga and Fable in the baby name pantheon of narrative words. Unlike Story and Fable, however, Legend comes with additional weight, being used for fame ("living legend") and to denote a person who is fantastic "what a legend"). Who can live up to that?

Teagan

• Origin:

  Irish or Welsh

• Meaning:

  "little poet or fair"

• Description:

  As Meghan/Megan and Reagan/Regan show signs of wilting, along comes Teagan to take up the slack: definitely one to consider. The vast majority of American babies named Teagan are now girls. A variant spelling is Teaghan.

Rune

• Origin:

  German and Swedish

• Meaning:

  "secret"

• Description:

  Name with connotations both mystical and tragic, newly popular in Europe. For English speakers, though, this name might be ruined by its homonym ruin.

Tadhg

• Origin:

  Irish

• Meaning:

  "poet"

• Description:

  The name of several ancient kings and princes of Ireland, Tadhg became so common at one point that it was used to represent a kind of Irish Gaelic everyman, or man in the street, as Paddy and Mick would later. Tadhg has seen a major resurgence in recent years and is also now ranked in England. It is sometimes used as the Irish equivalent of Timothy and is also anglicized as Teague and Thaddeus. Tadleigh and Thad are pet forms.

Quill

• Origin:

  Irish, diminutive of Quillan or Quiller; also English word name

• Description:

  Quill is a unique possibility for the child of writers -- even if they do use computers rather than pens; could also serve as a rhyming tribute to an ancestor named Gil, Phil, or Bill (or Jill).

Ceridwen

• Origin:

  Welsh

• Meaning:

  "beautiful as a poem"

• Description:

  Celtic goddess of poetry, though less-than-poetic name.

Devin

• Origin:

  Irish

• Meaning:

  "poet"

• Description:

  Devilishly handsome, Devin arrived as Kevin was moving out. Not to be confused (though it often is) with the English place-name Devon. While both Devin and Devon are flagging somewhat for boys, the names have dropped out of the Top 1000 for girls, making it more a masculine and less a unisex name these days.

Booker

• Origin:

  English occupational surname

• Meaning:

  "scribe"

• Description:

  Booker would make for a very cool name, for writers, reformers, R & B fans and those wanting to pay tribute to Booker T. Washington.

Hero

• Origin:

  Greek

• Meaning:

  "demi-god"

• Description:

  Despite the possibility of gender confusion, the Hero in Greek myth was a woman. Myleene Klass got that when she chose Hero for her daughter, and Sam Taylor-Wood and Aaron Johnson used it as their daughter's middle--and we wouldn't be surprised to see more girls with this heroic name.

Saga

• Origin:

  Swedish word name

• Meaning:

  "story; seeress"

• Description:

  Apt name for a little drama queen with a long future ahead of her. Saga is a Top 30 girls' name in Sweden.

Lyric

• Origin:

  Greek

• Meaning:

  "lyre"

• Description:

  A musical name that's more popular for girls.

Fable

• Origin:

  Word name

• Description:

  Fable, like Story, is a word name with real potential, combining enchanted tale-telling with a moral edge. And soundwise, it would fit right in with the likes of Abel and Mabel.

Kavya

• Origin:

  Sanskrit

• Meaning:

  "poem"

• Description:

  Looking for a discreet poetic name? Extremely popular Indian actress Kavya Madhavan is a notable bearer of this lovely Indian name.

Lyric

• Origin:

  Greek

• Meaning:

  "lyre"

• Description:

  A musical name with Greek roots, appealing to parents who like such other names as Harmony, Melody, and Cadence.

Sonnet

• Origin:

  English from Italian

• Meaning:

  "little song"

• Description:

  Could there be a more poetic name than Sonnet? Actor Forest Whitaker was inspired to choose it for his daughter.

Riordan

• Origin:

  Irish

• Meaning:

  "bard, royal poet"

• Description:

  Has a legitimate first name history in its native land and an appealing meaning, but pronunciation is far from obvious.

Baird

• Origin:

  Scottish occupational name

• Meaning:

  "minstrel, poet"

• Description:

  Meaning bard, this is an original choice with poetic and melodic undertones. Bard itself has also come into consideration, both names bringing to mind Shakespeare and other literary lights.

  The Scottish surname Baird's most notable bearer was John Logie Baird, the Scottish engineer and inventor of the televisor, the world's first practical television system in 1926, and also the world's first fully electronic color TV tube two years later. Some might also remember puppeteers Bil and Cora Baird.

Fable

• Origin:

  Word name

• Description:

  Inventive name for the child of a writer.

Bard

• Origin:

  Irish variation of Baird, Scottish

• Meaning:

  "minstrel, poet"

• Description:

  Great Irish middle name choice for Shakespeare lovers.

Kavi

• Origin:

  Sanskrit

• Meaning:

  "poet, sage"

• Description:

  A subtle and attractive name for the child of a poet or poetry-enthusiast.

Madrigal

• Origin:

  Latin

• Meaning:

  "song for unaccompanied voices"

• Description:

  Madrigal might be a pretty and highly distinctive choice for a child of a musical family--or for the parent looking for a less conventional path to the nickname Maddie than Madeline or Madison . Definitely more striking than Cadence or even the increasingly popular Aria.

Edda

• Origin:

  Norse

• Meaning:

  "poetry"

• Description:

  This Old Norse girls' name has a lovely meaning but not too appealing a sound when removed from her native habitat. If you're looking for a girl namesake name for Ed, try Edwina instead.

Muse

• Origin:

  Greek mythology name

• Description:

  Remember, the Muse is passive: someone else's inspiration.

Mystery

• Origin:

  Word name

• Description:

  Pretty sound, provocative meaning, but a little over-the-top.

Runo

• Origin:

  Finnish

• Meaning:

  "poem"

• Description:

  The pronunciation is not intuitive to English speakers, who aren't used to Os said as As.

Kyrie

• Origin:

  Short form of Kyra or Greek

• Meaning:

  "Lord"

• Description:

  Kyrie elieson is one of the oldest religious refrains, meaning Lord, have mercy. As a first name, though, Kyrie is less a name of God and more a nickname-name that might be short for Kyra or a diminutive that stands on its own, a la Kylie. The best-known Kyrie is the male basketball player Kyrie Irving, who pronounces the first syllable to rhyme with my rather than fear. He has inspired more than 1000 baby boys to be given this name one recent year in the US, while it was given to 178 baby girls. Impressive numbers.

Story

• Origin:

  Word name

• Description:

  A new unisex word name with a lot of charm, especially appropriate for the child of writers. Soleil Moon Frye named her second baby boy Story and Jenna Elfman called her son Story Elias.

Aristeia

• Origin:

  Literary term from Greek

• Meaning:

  "the best"

• Description:

  In epic poetry, the term aristeia is used to denote the climactic point where the hero/heroine has their finest hour. Aristeia feels at home with other big Greek names like Atalanta, Cassiopeia and Galatea. We think this name has potential for parents who think Poem, Saga and Rhapsody are too obvious.

Dearbhla

• Origin:

  Irish

• Meaning:

  "daughter of the poet"

• Description:

  Dearbhla along with its Anglicized form Dervla are both well-used in modern Ireland. There was a medieval Saint Dearbhla. The spelling Deirbhile is also used.

Canon

• Origin:

  English

• Meaning:

  "clergyman, law, oeuvre"

• Description:

  A variant of the surname Cannon, or an English word name with several possible meanings. A canon is a clergyman, as well as a rule or law – especially within religious doctrine. In the arts, canon is also the name of the whole oeuvre or work of a particular writer or creator.

Haiku

• Origin:

  Japanese poetic form

• Description:

  Short and sweet, just like the form of poetry - this name has serious potential as an interesting and plucky international choice.

Paradox

• Origin:

  English word name

• Description:

  A paradox is a statement that while seeming true contradicts itself. With the less-than-pleasant "Doxy" as an obvious nickname, Paradox is perhaps a better name for a cat than a baby.

Rhythm

• Origin:

  Word name

• Description:

  A musical name that is undeniably cool and, well, rhythmic. Its biggest challenge may be the spelling. Well, maybe not the biggest challenge. Save this one for a middle name.

Poetry

• Origin:

  Word name

• Description:

  A lyrical choice.

Ode

• Origin:

  Word name or medieval English form of Otto

• Description:

  Ode could be part of the extended Otto/Otis family, or it might be a literary term, referring to an elaborate lyric poem.

Philosophy

• Origin:

  Word name

• Description:

  Far-fetched, but friends can always call him Phil.

Reader

• Origin:

  English word name

• Description:

  Booker and Author are being used as names (the former is best known care of Booker T Washington), so why not Reader? Reader certainly fits in with both these and other "doing" names like Ryder, Brewer, Fifer, Miller and Cooper.

Poet

• Origin:

  Word name

• Description:

  Poet is a new entry in both the trendy word and occupational categories as well as a member of the growing group of gender neutral names. A handful of baby boys received the name in the US last year. A perfect choice, especially in the middle, for the child of writers or those with a poetic bent. And Po is an adorable nickname for either gender.

Theory

• Origin:

  English word name from Greek

• Meaning:

  "idea, speculation"

• Description:

  Could be an unconventional route to Theo.

Fantasy

Novella

Poem

• Origin:

  Word name

• Description:

  A handful of baby girls were named Poem in the US in the most recent year, along with Poet and Poetry. But of course, these word names can work for boys too.

Diamante

Poesy

• Origin:

  Word name

• Meaning:

  "poetry"

• Description:

  This old-fashioned word for poetry has some antiquated charm but doesn't exactly roll off the tongue.

Triolet

• Origin:

  French

• Meaning:

  "short verse poem"

Bolan

• Origin:

  Irish

• Meaning:

  "little poet"

• Description:

  An Irish surname name with a combination of boldness and élan. Some might connect it to the founder of the group T. Rex -- Marc Bolan.

Epic

• Origin:

  English word name

• Description:

  Epic feels like it could be the boys' version of Saga. Epic poetry tells some of our most celebrated stories - from Beowulf and the Odyssey, to the Divine Comedy and Paradise Lost. Despite being short, Epic is a lot of name, so it might be a choice for an adventurous middle name.

History

• Origin:

  Word name

• Description:

  As a personal name, it may not have much history, but it certainly suggests the subject.

Quiller

• Origin:

  English

• Meaning:

  "scribe"

• Description:

  Heard in a sixties spy movie, The Quiller Memorandum, this uncommon occupational name has an offbeat charm.

Limerick

• Origin:

  Irish place name; poetic form

• Description:

  A limerick is an often humorous form of poetry with five lines (the last of which is the punchline). Limerick could be a fun choice for families with Irish heritage or a good sense of humor.