Literature Names
These names occur primarily in literature. They are not commonly given to real people.
213 names in our directory
Literature
213Eilonwy (pronounced ahy-LON-wee) is a literary name invented by author Lloyd Alexander for his fantasy series The Chronicles of Prydain (1964–1968) and later used in the Disney animated film The Black Cauldron (1985). Al...
Elanor is a fictional name created by J. R. R. Tolkien for his legendarium. It means "star sun" in the constructed Elvish language Sindarin, and is the name of a small, star-shaped yellow flower found in the enchanted fo...
Elmira is a feminine name of literary origin, possibly a shortened form of Edelmira. Its first major appearance is in the play Tartuffe (1664) by Molière, where it is often spelled in the French style as Elmire.Etymology...
Elphaba is a fictional name created by author Gregory Maguire for the central character in his novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West (1995), later adapted into the stage musical Wicked (2003) a...
Elrond is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium, appearing in The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion. The name Elrond means "star dome" in the fictional language Sindarin,...
Enobarbus is a character from William Shakespeare's tragedy Antony and Cleopatra (first performed around 1607). The name is the Latinized form of Ahenobarbus, the Roman cognomen meaning "bronze beard". Shakespeare adopte...
Éowyn is a feminine name created by author J. R. R. Tolkien for his novel The Lord of the Rings (1954–1955). It is derived from Old English elements eoh ("horse") and wynn ("joy"), thus meaning "horse joy." Tolkien used...
Eponine (pronounced EP-ə-neen) is the English form of Éponine, a name coined by the French novelist Victor Hugo which he used in his 1862 epic novel Les Misérables. The character Éponine Thénardier is a complex figure —...
Éponine is a French literary name, best known as the tragic eldest daughter of the Thénardiers in Victor Hugo's 1862 novel Les Misérables. Hugo adopted the name from the historical Gallo-Roman figure Epponina, who was ce...
Esmeralda is a Spanish and Portuguese feminine name meaning "emerald". The name derives directly from the word for the precious green gemstone, esmeralda in both languages (ultimately from Latin smaragdus, Greek σμάραγδο...
Fantine is a literary name created by Victor Hugo for his 1862 novel Les Misérables, where it belongs to the tragic mother of Cosette. According to the novel, the name was given to her by a random passerby who found her...
Faust is a masculine given name derived from the German surname Faust, which originated from the Latin name Faustus. The name is famously associated with the legendary figure Dr. Johann Georg Faust (c. 1480–1540), an eru...
Figaro is a fictional name created by French playwright Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais for the central character in his three plays: The Barber of Seville (1775), The Marriage of Figaro (1784), and The Guilty Moth...
Fingal is a name that first appeared in the 1761 poem Fingal by the Scottish author James Macpherson, who claimed to have based the work on ancient Gaelic legends. The name means "white stranger", derived from the Old Ir...
Finnick is a literary name created by author Suzanne Collins for a character in the second book of The Hunger Games series, published in 2009, and later appearing in the 2013 movie adaptation. The name is most famously a...
Fitzwilliam is a masculine given name of literary origin, derived from an English surname. The surname Fitzwilliam is a patronymic meaning "son of William", formed with the Anglo-Norman French prefix fitz-, which itself...
Florimond is a given name of uncertain etymology, possibly derived from Latin florens meaning "prosperous, flourishing" combined with the Old German element munt meaning "protection". This composite suggests a sense of "...
Florizel is a literary name created by Shakespeare for the prince of Bohemia in his play The Winter's Tale (1610). Derived from the genitive form of Latin flos meaning "flower," the name evokes floral beauty and is borne...
Frodo is a fictional character name created by J. R. R. Tolkien for the protagonist of The Lord of the Rings (1954). The name is derived from the Old English word froda, meaning "wise by experience." In Tolkien's legenda...
Galadriel is a fictional character from J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, first appearing in The Lord of the Rings and later elaborated in The Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales. Her name, pronounced [ɡaˈladri.ɛl], means "m...
Gandalf is a modern literary name derived from the Old Norse name Gandálfr, meaning "wand elf" or "magic elf/fairy," from the elements gandr "wand, staff; magic; monster" and alfr "elf." In Norse mythology, Gandálfr appe...
Geralt is a variant of Gerald used by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski for the main character of The Witcher book series (starting 1990). The series, which blends Slavic mythology with dark fantasy, was adapted into popul...
Gimli is a masculine given name derived from Old Norse mythology, famously adopted by author J. R. R. Tolkien for a dwarf character in his epic fantasy trilogy The Lord of the Rings (1954). The name originates from Gimlé...
Glinda is a female name created by author L. Frank Baum for his character Glinda the Good Witch, a kind sorceress in his Oz series of books beginning in 1900. The exact inspiration for the name is uncertain, though it ma...
Goku is a Japanese name and fictional character, best known as the main protagonist of the Dragon Ball manga series created by Akira Toriyama. The name is a Japanese calque of Wukong, referring to the Monkey King from th...
Gollum is the name of a villainous creature in J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy works, first appearing in The Hobbit (1937) and later becoming a central character in The Lord of the Rings (1954). The name derives from the dist...
Goneril is a name known primarily from William Shakespeare's tragedy King Lear (1605–1606), where it belongs to the eldest of King Lear's three daughters, a villainous character obsessed with power. The name originates f...
Gonorilla is a feminine name from literature, recorded as the original Latin form used by the 12th-century chronicler Geoffrey of Monmouth in his Historia Regum Britanniae. The name is essentially a variant spelling of G...
Gretel is a German diminutive of Grete, which itself is a short form of Margaret. Ultimately derived from the Greek word margarites meaning "pearl," the name spread across Europe through the veneration of several saints...
Griselda, also spelled Grizelda, is a feminine given name of Germanic origins that is used in English, Spanish, Italian, and other languages. The name is likely derived from the Proto-Germanic elements *grīsaz, meaning "...
Haidee is a literary name created by Lord Byron for a character in his 1819 poem Don Juan, originally written as Haidée. The name is perhaps intended to derive from the Greek αἰδοῖος (aidoios), meaning "modest" or "rever...
Hamlet is a masculine given name of literary and Scandinavian origin, famously borne by the protagonist of William Shakespeare's tragedy Hamlet (c. 1600). The name derives from the Latinized form Amlethus of the Old Nors...
Hansel is an Anglicized form of the German Hänsel, a diminutive of Hans, which itself is a short form of Johannes (English John). The name is best known from the German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm and publ...
Hermia is a literary name invented by William Shakespeare for his comedy A Midsummer Night's Dream (1595). It is the feminine form of Hermes, the name of the Greek god associated with travel, communication, and luck. The...
Huck is an English diminutive, primarily known as a short form of Huckleberry. It gained widespread recognition through Mark Twain's iconic character Huckleberry 'Huck' Finn, the adventurous and free-spirited protagonist...
Huckleberry is a masculine first name taken directly from the common name of a variety of shrubs in the genus Vaccinium and Gaylussacia, as well as the edible berries they produce. The word "huckleberry" itself derives f...
Idril is a female name from the fictional Sindarin language created by J. R. R. Tolkien. The name means "sparkle brilliance", derived from the Sindarin roots Id- (associated with brilliance) and -ril (meaning "glitter" o...
Jadis is the proper name of the White Witch, the primary antagonist in C. S. Lewis's series The Chronicles of Narnia, first appearing in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (1950). The origin of the name is debated: Lew...
Jaques is a variant spelling of the French name Jacques, famously adopted by William Shakespeare for a character in his pastoral comedy As You Like It (1599). The name Jaques itself is a literary invention, distinguished...
Jorah is a masculine given name with Biblical Hebrew origins, famously brought into modern popular culture by George R. R. Martin for a character in his fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire and the television adaptation...
Kaguya is a Japanese name of literary origin, best known from the classic folktale The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter. The name is composed of the kanji characters 赫 and 映, meaning respectively "bright" and "reflect", so th...
Katniss is a name inspired by the English word for a variety of aquatic plants in the genus Sagittaria, commonly known as arrowhead, duck potato, or swamp potato. The plant is native to the Americas, Asia, Europe, and Af...
EtymologyKhaleesi is a feminine given name derived from a fictional title in George R. R. Martin's epic fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire (first published 1996) and its acclaimed television adaptation Game of Thrones...
Lalage is a rare female given name of literary origin, derived from Ancient Greek λαλαγέω (lalageō), meaning "to babble, to prattle" or "chatter." The name was first used by the Roman poet Horace in one of his odes (Odes...
Lalla is a feminine given name with a literary origin, also known as a historical masculine name in Indian astronomy. The name is derived from Persian لاله (lāleh) meaning "tulip", a flower symbolizing love and perfect b...
Lassie is a feminine given name drawn from a diminutive of the northern English word lass, meaning "young girl". The word lass itself is believed to have Norse origins, reflecting the linguistic influence of Scandinavian...
Launce is a short form of Launcelot, a variant of Lancelot. The name is most famously associated with a clownish character in William Shakespeare's play The Two Gentlemen of Verona (1594), where Launce serves as a comic...
Lear is a surname and given name that gained its greatest prominence through the title character of William Shakespeare's tragic play King Lear (1606). Shakespeare drew the story from earlier legendary accounts, primaril...
Legolas is a fictional character and masculine name from J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, created for The Lord of the Rings (1954–1955). The name is Sindarin, one of Tolkien's constructed Elvish languages, and means "gree...
Leir is the name of a legendary early king of the Britons, best known as the basis for Lear, the title character of Shakespeare's tragedy King Lear (1606). The earliest known account of Leir appears in the 12th-century H...
Leontes is a literary name invented by William Shakespeare for his play The Winter's Tale (1610). It is a variant of the Greek name Leontios, itself derived from λέων (leon), meaning "lion".Shakespeare's CharacterIn The...
Lestat is a given name created by author Anne Rice for the protagonist of her Vampire Chronicles series, first introduced in the 1976 novel Interview with the Vampire. The character, Lestat de Lioncourt, is a French vamp...
Lorelei is a feminine given name drawn from German legend and landscape, best known as the name of a mythical siren who lures sailors to their doom on the Rhine River. The name originates from the Lorelei rock, a 132-met...
Lucasta is a feminine name of literary origin, first used by the English Cavalier poet Richard Lovelace. It appears in his 1649 poetry collection Lucasta, dedicated to his beloved Lucy Sacheverel. Lovelace coined the nam...
Lucinda is a feminine given name of Latin origin, meaning light. It originated as an elaboration of Lucia, itself derived from the Roman name Lucius, which carries the same luminous meaning. Lucinda was first created by...
Lyanna is a female given name created by author George R. R. Martin for his epic fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire, first published in 1996, and its television adaptation Game of Thrones (2011–2019). In the narrative...
Mab is a female name best known as the name of the queen of the fairies in William Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet (1596), where she is described as a mischievous, dream-bringing figure. The name's origin is uncertai...
Madicken is a Swedish name created by the author Astrid Lindgren for the heroine of her series of children's books of the same name, first published in 1960. The name is a diminutive of Margareta, but its actual inspirat...
Madita is a German equivalent of Madicken, created for the German translation of Astrid Lindgren's beloved children's books. The name Madicken itself was coined by Lindgren for the heroine of her series of books of the s...
Malvina is a feminine given name invented by the Scottish poet James Macpherson in the 18th century for a character in his Ossian poems. He probably intended it to mean "smooth brow", from Scottish Gaelic mala "brow" and...