Favourite Literary Names

[Eternal Lobster]

Inspired by Dodger's favourite words thread! What are some of your favourite literary names? What names would be (or are or were) in the running for your child/cat/make-believe friend's name? I am convinced that English scholars are a queer breed because a former professor named her son Tennyson while another named his Ezra.

[Olive]

PIXEL. I am getting a little orange kitten and naming it Pixel.
Not exactly part of the "English Literature" cannon, but... still brings me joy.

And if, big giant IF, I ever have a kid/kids, specifically a son (though I'm really hoping I don't), Dante.

[Lizzie]

Not strictly literature, but I really love the name Margot, which was a main character's name in John Green's book Paper Towns. Margot Roth Spiegelman, what a fantastic name.

[cyanea]

I really don't know where I first read the name, but I love Rosalyn as a character's name. I've used it a few times in various short stories and what not, and the character always ended up being smart and witty, so that's what that name conjures up for me now.

[sophi]

Though I can think of characters or author who match most of the names on my ongoing list of baby names that I keep despite not wanting children any time soon, the only two that are explicitly literary (as in that's where I got the inspiration from) are Harper and Holden (as in Lee and Caulfield, respectively). I knew a lady who named her son Atticus, which I thought was too cute for words.

Also, Olive, I think Pixel is a fantastic name for a cat. I have an orange kitty named Percy... yes, I had to name him after a Weasley. I couldn't help it!

[Olive]

Jun 1, 2011 13:01:00 GMT -5 sophi said:

Though I can think of characters or author who match most of the names on my ongoing list of baby names that I keep despite not wanting children any time soon, the only two that are explicitly literary (as in that's where I got the inspiration from) are Harper and Holden (as in Lee and Caulfield, respectively). I knew a lady who named her son Atticus, which I thought was too cute for words.

Also, Olive, I think Pixel is a fantastic name for a cat. I have an orange kitty named Percy... yes, I had to name him after a Weasley. I couldn't help it!

But do you get the reference? That's the big question :-D

Also, my boss recently shortened my nickname to Percy. I understand why, but now librarians think that it's relating to Harry Potter, which it does not at all. But I realize that Persephone is a mouthful :-P

[embonpoint]

I don't know if I'd name my children after literary characters, but my siblings and I all have names from literature (that's not necessarily why our names were chosen, but it played its part).

Although, I do love the name Fitzwilliam Darcy. I know people object to him as a character (and I understand why), but I love him and that name.

[Silva]

Well, I didn't exactly name it after a character, but I already named my laptop Oscar after Oscar Wilde...

[embonpoint]

I've just remembered my pet-name plans. I want an Irish wolfhound, which I'll call Merlin, and I'm definitely getting two rabbits and calling them Peter and Benjamin.

[Dodger Thirteen]

Jun 1, 2011 12:24:53 GMT -5 Eternal Lobster said:

I am convinced that English scholars are a queer breed because a former professor named her son Tennyson while another named his Ezra.

*starts giggling like mad* I know who~


My favourite literary name? Why, you already should know it! The Artful Dodger. *bows* Which is funny since I despise Dickens and everything about him.

[Dodger Thirteen]

Jun 1, 2011 12:45:42 GMT -5 cyanea said:

I really don't know where I first read the name, but I love Rosalyn as a character's name.

Shakespeare's As You Like It?

[callmeishmael]

Jun 1, 2011 12:32:36 GMT -5 Lizzie said:

Not strictly literature, but I really love the name Margot, which was a main character's name in John Green's book Paper Towns. Margot Roth Spiegelman, what a fantastic name.

I support this post. Margot is such a great name when built on inspiration from that character.

I'm personally not a fan of specific character names besides Faustus, but I love author's names. I feel like I will never be successful as an author since my last name is no where close to being something exciting such as a Fitzgerald, Steinbeck, Shakespeare, or Faulkner.

It's one syllable, four letters long, and consists of only 3 letters total.

[cmthecla]

The only literary name on my list (at this moment) for future children is Calliope (which I actually encountered first by reading Middlesex, only later finding out that it is also part of Greek mythology).

This doesn't really count, but I accidentally named my daughter after Edgar Allan Poe's poem "Annabel Lee" (although we decided on Annabelle Leigh as the spelling).

[Marina]

I really like the name Constance from the Three Musketeers, but damn it to hell, it sound so stupid in English. I prefer the Russian and French pronunciations because it's just so beautiful.

I also like Annabel Lee, it's so pretty.

[krista]

Jun 1, 2011 19:37:58 GMT -5 cmthecla said:

The only literary name on my list (at this moment) for future children is Calliope (which I actually encountered first by reading Middlesex, only later finding out that it is also part of Greek mythology).

This doesn't really count, but I accidentally named my daughter after Edgar Allan Poe's poem "Annabel Lee" (although we decided on Annabelle Leigh as the spelling).

Annabel Lee is also a favorite of mine!

I always loved the name Ophelia (oh, Shakespeare) but if I have a daughter I'm not sure that would be the best name she could have. As a Harry Potter geek, I absolutely love the name Luna. It rolls off the tongue so delicately and sounds so cute with possible baby nicknames: Baby Luna, Baby LuLu, Nanzipoo, etc.

Maybe I've over-thought this just a bit...