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British Literature Names

  1. Bill

    • Origin:

      English, diminutive of William

    • Meaning:

      "resolute protection"

    • Description:

      Most Bills today are dads...or grandpas. The younger Williams are usually nicknamed Will, or called by their full names.
  2. Benny

    • Description:

      Benny is traditionally a masculine name that originated as a diminutive form of Benjamin, which comes from Hebrew and means "son of the right hand" or "son of the south." Benny can also serve as a nickname for other names like Benedict, Bennett, or Bentley. Throughout the 20th century, Benny gained recognition through notable figures like bandleader Benny Goodman and comedian Benny Hill. The name has a friendly, approachable quality that has maintained modest popularity over the decades. While some parents choose Benny as a given name, it more commonly serves as an affectionate nickname that conveys warmth and familiarity.

  3. Narcissa

    • Origin:

      Greek

    • Meaning:

      "daffodil"

    • Description:

      This Greek flower and mythological choice doesn't make it into the pantheon of possibilities because of its association with narcissism. But narcissa is December's flower of the month, so Narcissa and Daffodil theoretically make perfect names for December babies.
  4. Madge

    • Origin:

      Diminutive of Margery or Margaret

    • Meaning:

      "pearl"

    • Description:

      A super diminutive nickname name, and sometime Madonna nickname – it was how the British tabloids referred to her when she moved to London in the 1990s, which she found annoying until then husband Guy Ritchie said it stood for 'Your Majesty'. Madge Undersee is Katniss's best friend in The Hunger Games books.
  5. Guido

    • Origin:

      Italian

    • Meaning:

      "guide, leader"

    • Description:

      Guido was very popular in Renaissance Italy, with many namesakes including painter Fra Angelico (born Guido di Pietro) and mathematician Guido Fubini. Guy Fawkes, of gunpowder plot fame, sometimes used this version. Nowadays it's unfairly overlooked, but in the current trend for snappy international names ending in -o, this cultured gem deserves more use.
  6. Jim

    • Origin:

      English, diminutive of James

    • Meaning:

      "supplanter"

    • Description:

      Peaked in the 1940s, but still an amiable classic, a la Joe and Tom -- though rarely used on its own.
  7. Allan

    • Origin:

      Spelling variation of Alan

    • Meaning:

      "handsome, cheerful"

    • Description:

      This extra-L variation of Alan isn't quite as popular in the US as the original. Both spellings remain popular in Ireland and England.
  8. Dougal

    • Origin:

      Scottish

    • Meaning:

      "dark stranger"

    • Description:

      Heard in the Scottish highlands, and much more in tune with the present times than the dated Douglas — for which it could make a perfect tribute name.
Dougal was the Scottish nickname for invading dark-haired Danish Vikings, just as Fingal was given to the blonder Norwegians.
  9. Eustace

    • Origin:

      English from Greek

    • Meaning:

      "stable"

    • Description:

      Eustace was originally popularized by St. Eustace, who was born a Norman nobleman and is said to have been converted to Christianity by seeing a crucifix between the antlers of the deer he was hunting. It was introduced to England by the Normans, and can be found in medieval legend. In literature the name appears in the person of Eustace Clarence Scrubb in C. S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia.
      The image of Eustace today is as sedate and stuffy as the monocled Eustace Tilly character on The New Yorker magazine covers. Its diminutive Stacy became a unisex hit.
  10. Griselda

    • Origin:

      German

    • Meaning:

      "grey battle"

    • Description:

      Griselda is a famous folklore figure, noted for her patience and obedience. Her story has been told by Petrarch, Chaucer, Boccaccio and set to music by Scarlatti, Vivaldi and Massenet.
  11. Ramsay

    • Origin:

      English

    • Meaning:

      "low-lying land"

    • Description:

      A surname occasionally used as a first, as in former attorney general Ramsey Clark. This spelling is now closely associated with the psychopathic Game of Thrones villain Ramsay Snow (later Ramsay Bolton), and so is probably best avoided as long as the show and books are popular.
  12. Celestina

    • Origin:

      Italian and Spanish variation of Celeste

    • Meaning:

      "heavenly"

    • Description:

      We are hearing more of such heavenly names as Celeste and Celia, which opens the door to the range of lovely variations rarely heard before. Celestina is one of them, though given the more accessible options, it may be gilding the lily.
  13. Patty

    • Origin:

      Diminutive of Patricia

    • Meaning:

      "patrician"

    • Description:

      Replaced Patsy as the midcentury's popular, peppy babysitter.
  14. Carver

    • Origin:

      English

    • Meaning:

      "wood carver"

    • Description:

      Carver is an occupational name with an artistic bent, associated with wood carving predominantly, though it could also be linked to those who carve from stone, marble, ice, and pumpkins. More familiar that the equally arty Painter, but fresher than the 90s style Carter, Carver has received more interest in recent years.
  15. Christabel

    • Origin:

      Latin and French

    • Meaning:

      "fair Christian"

    • Description:

      Though Isabel is a smash hit, Christabel still hasn't been fully embraced. It was originally popularized in England via the Coleridge poem Christabel ("whom her father loves so well") and was given to the poet's granddaughter. Christabel Pankhurst was a famous U.K. suffragist.
  16. Lizzie

    • Origin:

      Diminutive of Elizabeth, Hebrew

    • Meaning:

      "pledged to God"

    • Description:

      Lizzie was commonly used as an independent name in the last half of the nineteenth century. Today Lizzie is still one of the most stylish short forms of Elizabeth, but few U.S. parents put it on the birth certificate.
  17. Charley

    • Origin:

      Short form of Charles, French

    • Meaning:

      "free man"

    • Description:

      Charley is, at this point, an old-fashioned spelling for the most popular short form of Charles, better known these days as Charlie. But Charley is a classic and relates more directly to Charles.
  18. Sukey

    • Origin:

      Diminutive of Susan, Hebrew

    • Meaning:

      "lily"

    • Description:

      Eighteenth-century nickname that still appears occasionally as an alternative to Suzy. Suki Waterhouse is a lovely English actress.
  19. Patience

    • Origin:

      Latin virtue name

    • Meaning:

      "ability to accept or tolerate inconveniences, and suffering without anxiety or anger"

    • Description:

      Patience is a passive virtue turned engaging name, fresher than Hope, Faith, or even Charity. Its resemblance to the trendy Payton may be one reason that it returned to the US charts back in the 90's and 2000s, having been absent for a century.
  20. Darrell

    • Origin:

      English from Norman French

    • Meaning:

      "dear one, beloved"

    • Description:

      Beach boy name of the 1960s, Darrell is still a presence on the charts and may graduate into a stately surname name.