Names from the Arts and Pop Culture
Poetic Baby Names
Across 13 pages
of 13
Esmerée
Literary name, French
"to love, respect"
A poetic choice that may appeal to those who like Esmé but also the likes of Guinevere, Isolde, and Eluned, Esmerée is the name of a beautiful princess of Wales in Arthurian legend. The character…
Adda
Welsh form of Adam
Adda is the name of the first man in the Welsh Bible, but it is rarely used in its homeland nowadays. Once you know how to pronounce it, it's a soft-sounding name that would make an interesting…
Esmeree
Literary name, French
"to love, respect"
The name of a beautiful princess of Wales in Arthurian legend, Esmeree appears the French romance poem Le Bel Inconnu (The Fair Unknown) written by Renaut de Bâgé in the 12th-century. In the poem,…
Afanasy
Russian
"immortal"
Russian form of the Greek name Athanasius, borne by renowned 19th century Russian poet Afanasy Fet.
Morven
Scottish, poetic place-name
"the big gap"
In the Ossianic poems written by James Macpherson in the 1760s, Morven is the name of the Fingal's kingdom, Fingal being the hero, likely inspired by Fionn mac Cumhaill of early Gaelic legend. It…
Aino
Finnish
"the only one"
What a lovely name for the much-longed for daughter - no wonder Aino is in the Top 5 in Finland, whence the name originates. Like other popular Finnish names, Aino is short and avoids the ubiquitous…
Aisling
Irish
"dream, vision"
Aisling is currently a very popular Irish name for girls . Pronounced variously as ASH-ling, ASH-lin or ash-LEEN, it was part of the revival of authentic Irish names in the twentieth century, and is…
Akam
Tamil
"love"
Despite its attractive meaning, this name is very rare in the States: it has only appeared twice in the US charts, in 2006 and 2020. Akam is a genre of Classical Tamil poetry, and the ring name of…
Aleem
Hindi
"knowledgeable"
Surname of a noted modern Urdu poet.
Aneirin
Welsh
"very golden or noble"
Aneirin is the original form of the more common Aneurin (which was a mistaken spelling used after the 17th Century). Aneirin was one of the first great Welsh poets who flourished in the 6th Century.…
Angelou
Literary name, Greek
"angel"
If you want to move beyond Maya, you might consider this distinctive last name of poet Maya Angelou. Born Marguerite Annie Johnson, Angelou was given the nickname Maya by her brother and adopted…
Annabel
Scottish variation of Amabel
"loving"
Annabel is a spirited name that embodies quirky British gentility. Appearing in Scotland as early as the twelfth century, where it was a royal name, it also recalls the romantic Edgar Allan Poe poem…
Apollinaire
French
"of Apollo"
Unique baby name and poetic Gallic choice. Guillaume Apollinaire was a French poet and novelist active in the early 20th century arts community, who is said to have coined the terms cubism and…
Araminta
Literature, compound of Arabella and Aminta, Greek
"loveable; unyielding + defender; unfading"
Araminta is a poetic and enchanting eighteenth-century invention with plenty of elegance and a touch of old-fashioned clunkiness. It first appeared in William Congreve's 17th century comedy The Old…
Arion
Greek
"moon creature on high"
The name of a divine immortal talking horse in Greek mythology – son of the gods Poseidon and Demeter. The name Arion was also borne by a Greek singer and poet, inventor of the dithyramb. Arion is…
Aristeia
Literary term from Greek
"the best"
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…
Arna
Diminutive of Arnaud, French
"ruler; strong as an eagle"
The male usage of Arna comes from Arnaud, the French translation of Arnold. Arnaud and Arna were historically used in Creole-speaking Louisiana. Harlem Renaissance poet Arna Bontemps was born in…
Arofan
Welsh, meaning unknown
A seventh-century Welsh poet about whom little more than his name is known.
Assia
Arabic
"protect"
Assia is a Muslim name, best known in the Western world via tragic poet Assia Wevill, who was married to British poet Ted Hughes after Sylvia Plath and also committed suicide. Assia is a Top 100 name…
Astrophel
Literary name
"star lover"
Invented by 16th-century English poet Sir Philip Sidney for the hero of his sonnet sequence Astrophel and Stella , this name is derived from the Greek elements aster "star" and philos "lover".…