Naming a baby can be a difficult task for any parent. There is enormous pressure to find the perfect baby name with just the right meaning. Whether a parent is searching for a unique or traditional baby name, looking to literature can be the key to finding the right name for a baby boy or girl.
Baby Names From Children’s Literature
Book lovers will certainly have fond memories of the novels they read in their childhood. Books such as Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis, or Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls are replete with strong, precocious, and principled protagonists that would be a good namesake for a baby boy or girl. Consider naming a baby after a favorite character from children’s literature. Here are a few ideas:
Girl Names
- Anne – Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery
- Cassie – Roll of Thunder Hear my Cry by Mildred D. Taylor
- Laura - Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder
- Meg – A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle
- Winnie – Tuck Everylasting by Natalie Babbitt
Boy Names
- Charlie – Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
- Colin – The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
- Omri – The Indian and the Cupboard by Lynne Reid Banks
- Peter – The Adventures of Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie
- Timothy – Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien
Baby Names From Classic Literature
When selecting a name for a character, authors take the same care as a parent. They will research, often consulting name dictionaries and census reports, as well as considering the cultural origin and meaning. Many authors experiment with several different names until they find the perfect name that is memorable, meaningful, and perhaps even symbolic. Parents can use these authors’ hard work to their advantage by naming their baby after a character from classic literature. Consider these ideas:
Girl Names
- Beatrice – The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri
- Clarissa – Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf
- Edna – The Awakening by Kate Chopin
- Portia – The Merchant of Venice by Shakespeare
- Sonya – Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Boy Names
- Christian – The Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan
- Dorian – The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
- Henry – The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane
- Holden – Catcher in the Rye by S.D. Salinger
- Simon – Lord of the Flies by William Golding
Baby Names Inspired by Authors
Some bibliophiles may find it impossible to decide on one favorite character. In this case, parents can consider naming their baby after a favorite author.
Girl Names
- Alice – Alice Walker, author of The Color Purple
- Ayn – Ayn Rand, author of The Fountain Head and Atlas Shrugged
- Charlotte-Charlotte Bronte, author of Jane Eyre
- Jane – Jane Austen, author of Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility
- Willa – Willa Cather, author of My Antonia
Boy Names
- Conrad – Joseph Conrad, author of the Heart of Darkness
- Ernest – Ernest Hemmingway, author of The Sun Also Rises and A Farewell to Arms
- Lawrence – D.H. Lawrence, author of Lady Chatterley’s Lover
- Leo – Leo Tolstoy, author of War and Peace and Anna Karenina
- Nathaniel – Nathaniel Hawthorne, author of The Scarlet Letter
Literary works can serve as a great inspiration for baby names, whether parents are naming their child after a beloved character or a favorite author. So scan the bookshelf or head to the local library because the perfect baby name may just be hidden within the pages of books.
Need more literary inspiration? Check out this list of the 100 Best Novels.
Melanie Simpson - Melanie Simpson is a current literature professor at Armstrong Atlantic State University in Savannah, Georgia. During her time as a high ...
Join the Conversation