Thursday, July 12, 2012

What's In A Name

I love names, it is one of those things that seems to have infinite variety.  Names can shape a person or the person can shape the name.  To me names are especially important in literature, they shape your immediate perception of a person, they can help shape the flavor of the world, and they can convey many meanings.  I also have several friends and relatives (yay for a new niece or nephew!!!) expecting little bundles of future readers.  So I have compiled a list of just a few of my favorite literary names for them to choose from.  This is in no way a complete list, I am sure there a ton I love that I am missing and will probably show up on a later post and it is broken up in ways only my little weird brain can fathom.  I have chosen names that I would actually name a kid and/or characters I just really really really like.  I have divided the names into the genders that are used in the book they came from and in some instances I have use their surnames or nicknames if I liked those better.  I realize that many of these names can be found in several books, but I have used the books that inspired me.
Shakespeare
Girl Names                                            
Imogene (Cymbeline)                   
Ariel (The Tempest)                           
Viola (12th Night)                        
Beatrice (Much Ado About Nothing)   
Titania (A Midsummers Night Dream)
 Boy Names
Demetrius ( A Midsummers Night Dream)
Sebastion (The Tempest)
Antonio (The Merchant of Venice)
Othello (Othello)
Mercutio (Romeo and Juliet)
Jane Austin
Girl Names
Elizabeth (Pride and Prejudice)
Georgianna (Pride and Prejudice)
Caroline (Pride and Prejudice)
Emma (Emma)
Marianne (Sense and Sensibility)
Boy Names
Darcy (Pride and Prejudice)
Bennet (Pride and Prejudice)
Knightly (Emma)
Elliot (Persuasion)
Fredrick (Persuasion)
CS Lewis
Girl Names
Lucy (The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe)
Susan (The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe)
Alambil (Prince Caspian)
Aravis (The Horse and His Boy)
Helen (The Magicians Nephew)
Boy Names
Edmond (The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe)
Peter (The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe)
Caspian (Prince Caspian)
Tarva (Prince Caspian)
Kirke (The Magicians Nephew)
JK Rowling
Girl Names
Hermione (Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone)
Rowena (Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone)
Padma (Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone)
Arabella (Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone)
Bellatrix (Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix)
Boy Names
Firenze (Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone)
Lucius (Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone)
Reabus (Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone)
Sirius (Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban)
Kingsley (Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix)
Classics
Girl Names
Eowyn (The Two Towers)
Eponine (Les Miserables)
Diana (Anne of Green Gables)
Tiger Lily (Peter Pan)
Mina (Dracula)
Gwendolen (The Importance of Being Ernest)
Scout (To Kill A Mockingbird)
Mercedes (The Count of Monte Cristo)
Jo (Little Women)
Alice (Alice in Wonderland)
Boy Names
Atticus (To Kill A Mockingbird)
D'Artagnon (The Three Musketeers)
Harker (Dracula)
Nemo (20,000 Leagues Under The Sea)
Oliver (Oliver Twist)
Eomer (The Two Towers)
Starbuck (Moby Dick)
Dorian (The Portrait of Dorian Grey)
Heathcliff (Wuthering Heights)
James (Peter Pan)
A Bit More Contemporary
Girl Names
Keladry (Page)
Menolly (Dragonsong)
Nasuadua (Eragon)
Katsa (Graceling)
Aviendha (Wheel of Time)
Yvaine (Stardust)
Brienne (A Clash of Kings)
Resa (Inkheart)
Killashandra (Crystal Singer)
Rue (The Hunger Games)
Boy Names
Jace (City of Bones)
Howl (Howl's Moving Castle)
Benjen (A Game of Thrones)
Sebell (Dragonsinger)
Archer (Fire)
Briar (Briars Book)
Tristan (Stardust)
Alessan (Moreta: Dragonlady of Pern)
Roran (Eragon)
Lan (Wheel of Time)
Whew there it is my partial, incomplete, all over the place list of some of my favorite literary names.

Is there any names on this list that you would actually use to name your own children?  What are some of your favorite names from books?  Do any of you have any kids/dogs/parakeets named after characters from a book?  Would it be really crazy if I bought a ton goldfish so I could use all of these great names?

2 comments:

  1. Where is Dobby under JK Rowling???

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    1. Um...yeah...I'm sure Dobby is a great name for a kid...maybe...probably not though :-)

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