river.buchanon's list "Literary Girls Names" of 5 great name ideas: Leisel - Therese!

Literary Girls Names

Girls names inspired by acclaimed Literary books and plays from all time periods and genres.

Leisel

Has become a byword in English for an overly optimistic person, thanks to the eponymous children's book heroine. Polly is an antiquated short form of Mary.

Pollyanna

Skeeter

Cosy and warm but with plenty of substance and strength, Tess is a literary diminutive that works perfectly well as a stand-alone name. Stylish in the Netherlands, it currently sits outside the Top 1000 in the US, where Tessa and Teresa are currently preferred. 
 Perhaps the most iconic and memorable Tess is the heroine of Thomas Hardy's Tess of the D'Urbervilles, the moral center of the tragic novel. Typically derived from Theresa, the name is associated with harvest time, though it may also be used as a nickname sunny Welsh Tesni, aristocratic Contessa, and rare Otessa. 
 
The name ranked in the US and UK charts back in the 2000s and 2010s, but has since been displaced by longer form Tessa, but we could easily see it returning to the charts in coming years. Chosen by fashion writer Plum Sykes in 2010 and by actor Luke Macfarlane in 2023, other notable bearers include writer Tess Gerritsen and presenter Tess Daly. 
 
International alternatives include Swedish Tessan and Dutch Tessel.

Tess

A form of Theresa with a touch of European flair along with its saintly connotations, Therese is particularly familiar in Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, and the UK. While it has declined in use in recent years, it remains a solid choice with nicknames ranging from Reese to Tessie, Thea to Tessan, Terri to Tracey. 