Author Names

Cicero

Latin

"chickpea"

Roman statesman's name with a cool and quirky sound. Marcus Tullius Cicero was a Roman scholar, orator and lawyer who had an immense impact on the Latin language.

Irving

Scottish

"green river, sea friend"

It might be surprising to know that this name originated as a Scottish place and surname name, as in Washington Irving. It became a popular choice for first-generation Jewish-American boys, such as…

Marlowe

Variation of Marlow, English

"driftwood"

While Marlowe (and Marlow and Marlo) are surname names that are not intrinsically or traditionally gendered and so in theory work equally well for boys and girls. About 10 percent of the babies named…

Milton

English

"settlement with a mill"

Once an upper-class British surname conjuring up the epic poetry of John Milton, it then descended to the antics of "Uncle Miltie" Berle, and now has left the stage completely.

Raleigh

English

"meadow of roe deer"

Attractive North Carolina place-name and surname of explorer Sir Walter Raleigh. Distinctive, classy-but-approachable choice for either sex.

Tennyson

English

"son of Dennis"

Few people would have considered the surname of this famous Victorian poet as a first name until Russell Crowe chose it for his son in 2006. But, as a rhythmic three-syllable patronymic, Tennyson has…

Whitman

English

"white man"

Whitman, a namesake surname for poet Walt, would be much more suited to a boy, probably because of that "man" part. Whit or Witt makes an uplifting short form which can be used on its own.

Burnett

Burnett is a masculine name of Old French and Germanic origins, derived from the word 'brun' meaning 'brown' or 'dark-haired/complexioned.' It originated as a surname for people with brown hair or…

Poe

English

"peacock"

An evocative unisex one-syllable name, Poe is most distinguished by its literary reference. Edgar Allan Poe was an influential American author and poet, credited with inventing the genres of…

Jules

French form of Julius, Latin

"youthful; soft, downy; sky father"

Though Jules hasn't been on the US popularity list in fifty years, it remains a hit in its native France where it's currently in the Top 10 — and has been in the Top 500 nearly every year since the…

Carroll

Anglicized variation of Irish Cearbhall

"hacking with a weapon"

This name was consistently in the boys' Top 200 until WW2. It's a name with so many dimensions to it: the hyper-masculine meaning, the surname-as-firstname trendiness, and the softer sound and…

Rudyard

English

"red enclosure"

Often thought of as a one-peson name because of Jungle Book writer Kipling, this was actually his middle name. He was middle-named for Rudyard Lake in Staffordshire, the beauty of which inspired his…

Homer

Greek

"security, hostage, pledge"

Homer is a name of two halves, associated with the ancient Greek poet of the epic Odyssey and with the (often) doltish patriarch of The Simpsons . So does that make Homer a classic and scholarly…

Thoreau

French

"strength of a bull"

A dashing French surname name most famously borne by Henry David Thoreau, an American naturalist, writer and philosopher who influenced such notable figures as Leo Tolstoy, Mahatma Gandhi, and Martin…

Clive

English

"lives near a high cliff"

Clive started life as a surname for someone who lived near a cliff, making it a secret outdoorsy name. Its use as a first name began in honor of Robert Clive (aka Clive of India), an…

Roald

Norwegian

"famous ruler"

This intriguing Scandinavian name is associated with Roald Dahl, author of the juvenile classics James and the Giant Peach and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory . You can honor an ancestral Ronald…

Nin

Literary name, meaning unknown

Better hold off and hope for a daughter so you can name her Anais.