Names from the Arts and Pop Culture
Writing-Related Names
Across 5 pages
of 5
Quiller
English
"scribe"
Heard in a sixties spy movie, The Quiller Memorandum , this uncommon occupational name has an offbeat charm.
Quintain
Quintain is a rare masculine name with medieval origins. Historically, a quintain was a training device used by knights for jousting practice, consisting of a post with a rotating crosspiece. The…
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Reader
English word name
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,…
Rhymer
English word name
Creative alternative to names like Riley, Ryder, and Ryker, of which you'll find many in a Kindergarten classroom. As a poetry-related baby name, Rhymer feels more unexpected than Sonnet or Poet.
Rhythm
Word name
"repeated sound pattern"
A musical name that is undeniably cool, Rhythm may appeal to fans of Anthem, Lyric, Cadence, and Poem. First appearing in the US stats for girls in 2003 (having debuted for boys three years prior),…
Riordan
Irish
"bard, royal poet"
Has a legitimate first name history in its native land and an appealing meaning, but pronunciation is far from obvious.
Romance
English word name
"romance; love story; a medieval story of chivalry"
Romance may initially strike you as too ardent of a name for a baby, but given that Love has been a fast-rising name in recent years — not to mention soundalikes Roman and Romy — Romance is…
Rondeau
French
"verse form"
A fixed form of verse based on two rhyme sounds, three stanzas and 13 lines.
Rune
German and Swedish
"secret"
Name with connotations both mystical and tragic, newly popular in Europe. For English speakers, though, this name might be ruined by its homonym ruin.
Runo
Finnish
"poem"
An appealing Finnish name, with a touch of literary magic and whimsy, Runo means "poem" in its native language. Traditionally said with a slightly rolled R and a softer 'oh' sound at the end (more…
Saga
Swedish word name
"story; seeress"
Apt name for a little drama queen with a long future ahead of her. Saga is a Top 30 girls' name in Sweden. Saga was the Norse goddess of poetry, storytelling, and history. She was a prophetess — able…
Sanelma
Finnish
"story, poem"
Sanelma is an invented Finnish name derived from the verb sanella , meaning "to dictate."
Sestina
Form of poetry
The sestina is a type of poetry dating back to the medieval troubadours of Spain and France. As its name suggests, the sestina has six stanzas, each with six lines. Perfect for a sixth daughter or…
Sonnet
English from Italian
"little song"
Could there be a more poetic name than Sonnet? Actor Forest Whitaker was inspired to choose it for his daughter. The word sonnet derives from the Italian sonetto , meaning 'little song.' And although…
Stanza
Italian
"poetic verse"
Story
English word name
"an account of incidents or events"
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.
Tadhg
Irish
"poet"
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…
Theory
English word name from Greek
"idea, speculation"
An unconventional route to Theo, perhaps, Theory is a bold word name which has been given to more than 200 babies since the 2000s. While it leans slightly feminine statistically, it's so rare that it…
Triolet
French
"short verse poem"