What's in a name? A lot, as it happens.
Naming a child can be extremely stressful. It is a great honour for a parent, but there's also a lot riding on it.
Some parents look to their family trees for inspiration, others look to the seasons, nature, colours, or famous faces.
But an age-old and still popular trend is naming a baby after favourite characters from books.
Not only can this naming convention confer meaning on a child, but it can also provide a worthy hero or heroine to look up to throughout their life.
So, here are 18 baby names based on famous books.
18 baby names based on famous books
Obviously there are more common literary names such as Alice from Alice In Wonderland, and Charlotte of Charlotte's Web fame.
But other baby names from children's and young adult books ranking in the US Top 500 include:
- Sawyer, from The Adventures of Tom Sawyer,
- Matilda
- Holden (The Catcher in the Rye)
- Lyra (Northern Lights)
- and Eloise.
Unique literary names from children's books or of young characters gaining popularity include:
- Huckleberry Finn
- Ramona (from the Beverly Cleary books)
- Scout from To Kill A Mockingbird
- Hermione, the heroine from Harry Potter.
Names from history and TV
If you're a bit of a history buff, authors like Shakespeare, Jane Austen or F. Scott Fitzgerald might tickle your fancy and include names such as Juliet, Archer, Scarlett, Emma, and Darcy.
Books adapted in recent years for popular TV shows and movies have had a strong influence, especially from J.K. Rowling and George R. R. Martin.
Names that have been created or popularized by the Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, Hunger Games, and Twilight franchises include:
- Arya
- Khaleesi
- Katniss
- Albus
- and Bella.
Last names as first names
Other baby names from books in the US Top 1000 include Atticus, Harriet, Milo, and Santiago.
Last names of famous literary characters as firsts names are also a popular trend; like Gatsby, Pevensie, Marlowe, and Cullen.
Or maybe you want to be more imaginative with your baby name and choose an invented literary name, like:
- Renesmee (Twilight),
- Tinuviel (Lord of the Rings),
- Lilliet (Queen of the Night),
- Katniss (The Hunger Games).
