Names from the Arts and Pop Culture
By Sophie Kihm · Updated September 2026
Across 13 pages
of 13
Latin, meaning unknown
Bearded, fusty name of great old Roman lyric poet; just what the bold vanguard baby namer might be looking for.
Welsh
"beautiful as a poem; crooked women"
A mythological Welsh name with an intriguing sound, Ceridwen appears in several Welsh legends, in which she is an an enchantress and the owner of the cauldron of poetic inspiration. She is also…
English
"maker of breeches"
One of the most distinguished names in literature could become a hero name in a family of poetry-lovers -- or be seen as a trendy new occupational name.
Irish
"shapely"
Attached in Irish mythology to a Cliona who was, among other things, an inspirer of poets. Cliona is well-used in modern Ireland, along with Irish form Cliodhna, though it's largely unknown in the…
English surname
"crane"
This elegant surname has great potential to turn into an unusual first name, especially with its literary associations to both Stephen and Hart Crane. Crane is a surname that originated for a tall…
A name from ancient Welsh literature: in the poem The Gododdin , the three leaders of the ill-fated army were Cynon, Cynri and Cynrain. To that end, the name might have been invented for poetic…
Hungarian, Literature
A literary name, originally created as a male name by the poet Mihály Vörösmarty, that is now in the Hungarian Top 100 for girls.
Greek
A Greek goddess of music and poetry, Danaë has a novel yet familiar sound.
"daughter of the poet"
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.
Anglicized form of Irish Dearbhla or Deirbhile
Tongue twister of a name common in Ireland in both its Gaelic and its Anglicized forms. American or British parents looking for an Irish name that's still largely unknown in the outside world might…
"son of Dick"
Dickinson is a possibility for Richard's boy, though that Dick nickname is problematic no matter how you get to it.
French
"Lost one"
This buoyant name has the same bouncy rhythm as Rafferty and Barnaby, but is virtually unused. It has plenty of literary cred, too: characters in The Chronicles of Narnia, Harry Potter and Thomas…
Color and nature name
"dove, a bird"
Subtle but clear unisex way to signal peace, especially in middle place.
English word name from the Greek Elegeia
"lament"
An elegy is a poem lamenting a deceased person. As a name, it could be used by parents in remembrance of a recently deceased person or as a euphonic and unusual literary name. The original Greek…
The name of a medieval romance poem. The title character, Emaré, was desired for her great beauty.
English word name
"grand, heroic, monumental in scale; a long poem derived from ancient oral tradition"
Literature and poetry lovers might use Epic as a word name — an epic is a long narrative poem, typically the story of a hero. But epic has taken on a contemporary meaning of "impressive," which makes…
Variation of Epic; English word name
"heroic tale or event"
Epik is a new word name used by Princess Love and Ray J for their baby boy. Fifteen baby boys were named Epic, the usual spelling of the word, last year, so maybe Epik is to Epic as Erik is to Eric.…
"spring or hero"
Erinna was an ancient poetess from the island of Telos near Rhodes. Only fragments of her poems remain, which were reproduced in Bergk's Poetae Lyrici Graeci (published in 1900). Her name is of…
Englsh
"wealthy ruler"
Etheridge is a surname derived from the English name Edric. As a first name, it's most commonly associated with American poet and civil rights activist Etheridge Knight.
French form of Eulalia, Greek
"sweetly speaking"
Eulalie hasn't ranked in the US Top 1000 since 1899, but its French roots might make it more appealing to modern ears than its sister Eulalia. "Eulalie" is a poem by Edgar Allan Poe, and the name…
