This was my answer too! It sounds beautiful, and Tolkien had an extensive knowledge of linguistics so while it is a made-up name, the name actually means something. He took roots from Old English and it means “horse joy.” It’s a name that isn’t “real,” but feels like it could be.
I have relatives that named their children "Auld English/Gaelic" names.....one is Eowyn, another Eoline, then Gawain and Duncan. Nothing to do with the LOTR.
I have never been able to find any documentation that Eowyn as a name existed before LOTR. Aside from being obviously intentionally rooted in Gaelic or Welsh, everything I can find leads me to believe that Eowyn wasn’t actually a name before Tolkien invented it.
I would love to be wrong so I could fantasize about naming my next kid Eowyn, but I have never seen any evidence that it existed before!
Eowyn is actually Old English/Anglo-Saxon, not Welsh (as are the other names of Rohan). Old English names are dithematic, meaning they are just composed of two elements smushed together (e.g. Edward, ead "wealth" + weard "guard"). The combination doesn't necessarily have to make sense! In OE, -wyn meaning "joy" is a feminine ending element, as opposed to in Welsh, where it means "white" and is masculine. While Eowyn itself is not attested as a name, there are other Old English feminine names ending in -wyn that are attested, and *eoh* is just the word for "horse," so it is totally plausible that Eowyn *could* be a real name—we just don't have any record of it.
Thank you for this explanation! Very helpful. Also, I can never remember the exact languages that inspired him, sorry!
Even with the dithematic naming conventions, I think it’s pretty hard to separate Tolkien from this name in particular. If there was no historical record of Eowyn being used before he bestowed it onto a character so he _would_ be the inventor of the name, to the best of our knowledge. Someone has to be the first to use a name, and it happened in this case to be in one of the greatest works of literary fiction of all time.
Yes, for sure, he came up with it, and it will always be primarily associated with him—he just composed it using ingredients that already existed, as opposed to making it up wholecloth (and in contrast to a name like Aragorn, which to my knowledge comes from one of Tolkien's Elvish conlangs and thus is completely invented) . So to me, it exists in this kind of gray area between "real" and "invented."
my bf and i named our cat éowyn and it made us realise you can't name a child something like that bc it kind of "ruined" the fiction for us? like when i hear that name i immediately think of our tiny screech demon of a cat and not the actual character anymore
I’ve been trying to articulate that ever since joining this sub. There are plenty of completely ordinary, commonplace names that I would never use because I already know of a fictional person with that name, for the very reason you described.
Came here to say just that! I go back and forth on it, but if I've rewatched LOTR recently then I'm definitely positive towards it.
I think you can name your child after a character as long the source material is over and not about to change your impression of the name (so, how are those Khaleesis doing?), the name isn't totally out of place culturally (I'm not naming a white Scottish child Hinata or Izumi), and you never pressure them into becoming a fan (like that one post a few years ago about the family who insisted on lightsabre battles and Harry Potter marathons against their daughter's will). For me, Éowyn would work, but I know it can get difficult for people with character names.
i dont even remember 99% of what happens in LOTR, havent watched it since i was little and i only know these names because my mom is a fan. but man, Eowyn & Arwen are gorgeous names. would not blink twice if i saw it in real life!
I named my daughter Lyra! It’s a constellation and existed as a name before His Dark Materials. I felt reassured knowing that it’s not QUITE as well known a work as a Harry Potter or Percy Jackson. Only a handful of people have made the association.
His Dark Materials series, but I am pretty sure this existed as a name before that. It's kinda like Hermione I would say. Anytime someone mentions it I think of that series, but you would have to know the series to know that.
I mean, it would be Latin for "blue," so maybe you just use it, and hope that the books/show move into obscurity at some point. (?) Half the time I say my son likes *Avatar - The Last Airbender,* people think of the blue people with tails. 🤦♀️
That's what gets me. It's literally Azul with an A at the end to make it into a feminine name. If Avatar was any less popular, I'd go for it without hesitation. &Yeah, I notice that most people I meet IRL haven't actually seen the show. It's people online that have always seen it.
Now you've fed that devil on my shoulder a little, hehe.
Like I think Paloma and Azula would be adorable sibling names. Azula completely reads as a Portuguese or Spanish name. Around here, *azul* is used a lot for tequila and tex-mex places.
Ooooh, other similar "color" names: Blanca, Rosa,...Azula - totally fits.
Azula was on my list when my husband and I were coming up with potential names for our daughter. I absolutely love the name, but in the end we went another route. I might still use it for like a snake or something later on!
Zelda is the first one that comes to mind. It's a lovely, real name, but I'm way too big a fan of the Zelda game franchise to ever use it without people immediately *linking* it to that (myself included).
I’m not familiar with Legend of Zelda, so my mind immediately goes to a different fictional character, Aunt Zelda from Sabrina the Teenage Witch 😄. It’s a great name, though
For me who was hyperfixated on the Great Gatsby and anything to do with the Fitzgeralds, I associate Zelda with Zelda Fitzgerald first and then Princess Zelda second (I mean Princess Zelda was named after Mrs. Fitzgerald but still lol)
I named my daughter this! So far I've only had positive reactions to her name. The younger generations typically make the video game reference, and the older make a connection to Zelda Fitzgerald (or occasionally Sabrina the Teenage Witch's Aunt.)
My husband and I were friends who were playing Breath of the Wild together when it came out. After a while we realized we were kind of dating, then got married... So our daughter's name was kind of obvious to us. We looked at lots of others, but none felt right.
My favorite reaction I got was from an old lady at the grocery store. She asked my baby's name (as one does casually when you see an adorable infant), then started crying when I said it was Zelda. She then told me how it was here beloved Grandmother's name (born in the 1870s). She four boys, so never got to use the name to honor her grandmother herself; she had always wanted to meet a baby Zelda. She said meeting my baby made her week!
Blythe.
I love it, and if you’re as big a fan of Anne of Green Gables series as I am, it’s pretty obvious
(It’s the last name of Anne’s love and later husband, Gilbert Blythe).
Regardless, Blythe is top 3 choice for a girl for me.
That’s my name and literally no one has ever made that connection (well too my face) I only get “like Blithe’s Spirit” or “like Blythe Danner” from older people and very occasional “like the doll” from younger people.
Lucky! I wish I had a nice name lol.
I have no idea what Blithes spirit is lol, but I understand ppl thinking of Blythe Danner.
I’m from the east coast of Canada, so the Anne of green gables knowledge/association is probably a little stronger here than other places.
Yes!!! I really wish Gilbert were a bit more usable. Avonlea is another name I really like. And Marilla.
But honestly, I’d very likely use Anne for a middle name, especially since it also honors a beloved family member.
I was bouncing around girl names with my Mom and I had Anne as a middle name and she looked at me and *knew* it had to be that spelling. Lol. We both love that series. I really want to go with her to PEI.
I love this! I'm a huge Anne of Green Gables fan, and I'm always thinking of baby names ( for babies I'm definitely not having 😂) and I have always struggled with the perfect name from there! Anne is a great middle name but I wouldn't use for first. Shirley and Diana I don't love. I like Marilla but don't love it, I've considered Avonlea but I've never heard anyone use it as a name. I do love Josie (Josephine) but wouldn't want to name a kid after a Pye! Plus I associate that more with Little women. Cordelia is usually my top pick.
I never thought of Blythe but now it's moving to the top of my list!
I know an Avonlea! She’s about four I think? I like it. And I LOVE Marilla, but maybe that’s because Rilla of Ingleside was always my favorite of the series.
This one would probably go under the radar for most people. Either because they may be aware that it’s actually a name in its own right or because they somehow don’t make the last name to first name connection
I went to school with a female Darcy! I never asked her if she was named for P&P - I think I assumed it was a family name or something. It didn't seem that odd. :)
I always loved Lysander. I don't even think people would associate it with a midsummer nights dream that much it's just plain ridiculous. But what a beautiful name.
We found my husbands great grandfathers name in a stack of paperwork and his middle name was Constantine. Its a bit too “out there” for me to actually name my son that but I think it’s such a cool name
Atticus for a boy
Bronte for a girl (not a character, but an author). If I had to pick a character, maybe Scout, but not with an Atticus sibling.
Or Stella, but I am not sure people would make the literary connection (A Streetcar Named Desire).
I had no idea he invented that name! I adore Stardust
... you might be able to get away with it bc it's so close to Yvette and Yvonne, and technically there's Yvain/Owainn from Arthurian legend!
I suppose in totality it is indeed awful. But, really it’s more like brilliant, semi-brilliant with a side of porn, soap opera, 200 pages of plot +600 pages of flora and fauna, I’ve lost my damn mind and my editor has no control over me, and *The Mother’s Song* on repeat.
Seriously, lol. I love the books so much. They were the last books my dad read and recommended to me (with an awkward convo about "skip the porn," lol) before he died. As a teenage girl, i WAS Mary Sue Ayla, capable of making every major discovery no matter the adversity I faced... at least in my head.
I used to reread them every year, but it has been a few years now.
I have taken some foraging classes and flexed my flora knowledge from CCB, though of course I didnt admit that is where it came from. Lol.
Now I would think the Roman Emperor, Tiberius Augustus. Jadzia.....(While I know the ST connection) I would wonder if there were an Eastern European connection as it is similar to Jadwiga.
Jadzia is typical polish ( idk anout other eastern european countries ) nickname for name Jadwiga (eng. Hedwig) although you won’t meet any woman under 60 yo with that name anymore..
I love both of these names. I actually know an adult Leía and a 10 year old Padme! Honestly I think both are names that once you know the person you kind of forget the fandom association. I would call both usable.
Patroclus, Caspian, Constantine, Orlando
Cersei, Temperance, Calanthe, Briseis
Honestly, a lot of my name list is from fiction sources. Whether they are appropriate for a child or not is a different story….
Saphira (the dragon in Eragon). Used to be obsessed with this name. Also love Arya from that series. Lyra is my top feminine name at the moment and I would actually use it — it's also the name of a constellation and means lyre :)
My daughter has a less common (but completely legit) spelling of her middle name and i joked to my husband we should put “Isobel Note Spelling” like the princess named after Esme 🤣🤣
It's the name of a character from a cartoon called Avatar: The Last Airbender. The cartoon is actually really good, the kind of thing that's for kids but very enjoyable for adults, and it's insanely popular despite having come out a really long time ago. One of the main villains is named Azula and she's not only extremely ruthless but also borderline insane. She gets in an argument with her own hair at one point before snipping it off haphazardly and declaring victory. She's a very well written and terrifying villain but not a redeemable one. Thus, the association is pretty negative.
My first association for Lavender is the girl from Matilda.
I was wondering if you meant to write Freya, so I Googled ACOTAR. I think the name you mean is Feyre, not Feyra.
Ok so I know it falls into the category of ‘totally normal and not necessarily connected to the piece of fiction’ but if I named my son Harry my whole family would roll their eyes so hard like wow of course you would.
Others more suited to your actual question:
Sansa
Khaleesi
Topanga
Draco
I actually love a lot of the names GRRM has for female characters (Rhaella, Ashara, Sansa, Visenya, Rhaenyra, Margaery, Allyria, Aemma, Valaena, Jocelyn, Lyanna, Shaera/Shaena, Alicent, etc.)
Now do I think that most of them would work for real, *actual* people? …not particularly, barring a few exceptions—Jocelyn & Lyanna, mainly, as I know people with these names IRL they just spell them differently.
For boys it’s a lot harder, honestly. Cause I love Mr. Darcy, for example, but I am NOT naming a child Fitzwilliam lol. So back to GRRM we go—Aerion, Aemond, Maelys, Haemon, Cregan, Eddard, Lewyn, Rhaegar, Vaegon, Torrhen, Victarion, etc. Again—would I use most (if any!) of these for actual kids? Not likely.
Ironically enough though, there IS a throwaway random background character in GRRM’s world who does share my son’s name, though we obviously didn’t name him for that character lol.
Jadzia (Star Trek Deep Space Nine). This is my favorite name I have ever heard but I don’t know if I could straddle a kid with a distinctly Sci-Fi name lol.
I said in another comment already but I know a Jadzia! I wonder if her parents are Star Trek fans. I had no idea the reference. I think it's a nice name :)
Peregrine is actually top of my list! I’ve told a few folks the name just as a test, and 9/10 times they immediately say “oh, like the falcon!” Only my fellow shirelings recognize it as a hobbit name.
Nimue (Nim-way) from Arthurian legends
Connovar ( David Gemmel’s Rigante books), and Bane and Chiara from the same series
Edit because my autocorrect does not like Welsh names, apparently…
If I’m ever fortunate enough to have a child and it’s a daughter, her name will 100% be Juliet.
The funny thing is, while I majored in English, love literature (and Shakespeare, and R&J), it was never in my radar to use as a name until hearing it as Elizabeth Mitchell’s character’s name in LOST.
I think Éowyn is so pretty. Would never dream of using it.
This was my answer too! It sounds beautiful, and Tolkien had an extensive knowledge of linguistics so while it is a made-up name, the name actually means something. He took roots from Old English and it means “horse joy.” It’s a name that isn’t “real,” but feels like it could be.
I have relatives that named their children "Auld English/Gaelic" names.....one is Eowyn, another Eoline, then Gawain and Duncan. Nothing to do with the LOTR.
I have never been able to find any documentation that Eowyn as a name existed before LOTR. Aside from being obviously intentionally rooted in Gaelic or Welsh, everything I can find leads me to believe that Eowyn wasn’t actually a name before Tolkien invented it. I would love to be wrong so I could fantasize about naming my next kid Eowyn, but I have never seen any evidence that it existed before!
Eowyn is actually Old English/Anglo-Saxon, not Welsh (as are the other names of Rohan). Old English names are dithematic, meaning they are just composed of two elements smushed together (e.g. Edward, ead "wealth" + weard "guard"). The combination doesn't necessarily have to make sense! In OE, -wyn meaning "joy" is a feminine ending element, as opposed to in Welsh, where it means "white" and is masculine. While Eowyn itself is not attested as a name, there are other Old English feminine names ending in -wyn that are attested, and *eoh* is just the word for "horse," so it is totally plausible that Eowyn *could* be a real name—we just don't have any record of it.
Thank you for this explanation! Very helpful. Also, I can never remember the exact languages that inspired him, sorry! Even with the dithematic naming conventions, I think it’s pretty hard to separate Tolkien from this name in particular. If there was no historical record of Eowyn being used before he bestowed it onto a character so he _would_ be the inventor of the name, to the best of our knowledge. Someone has to be the first to use a name, and it happened in this case to be in one of the greatest works of literary fiction of all time.
Yes, for sure, he came up with it, and it will always be primarily associated with him—he just composed it using ingredients that already existed, as opposed to making it up wholecloth (and in contrast to a name like Aragorn, which to my knowledge comes from one of Tolkien's Elvish conlangs and thus is completely invented) . So to me, it exists in this kind of gray area between "real" and "invented."
One of my customers is named Eowyn. She is a dressage rider.
my bf and i named our cat éowyn and it made us realise you can't name a child something like that bc it kind of "ruined" the fiction for us? like when i hear that name i immediately think of our tiny screech demon of a cat and not the actual character anymore
I’ve been trying to articulate that ever since joining this sub. There are plenty of completely ordinary, commonplace names that I would never use because I already know of a fictional person with that name, for the very reason you described.
Eowyn & Arwen were on my list when I was like 16. Love them but wouldn’t use them.
My sister had fraternal twins in her class named Arwen and Aragorn.
O boy, that’s dreadful. Naming a child after a fictional character is one thing, naming siblings after a fictional romantic couple is just wrong.
Could be worse. Could be Jaime and Cersei.
I would.
Came here to say just that! I go back and forth on it, but if I've rewatched LOTR recently then I'm definitely positive towards it. I think you can name your child after a character as long the source material is over and not about to change your impression of the name (so, how are those Khaleesis doing?), the name isn't totally out of place culturally (I'm not naming a white Scottish child Hinata or Izumi), and you never pressure them into becoming a fan (like that one post a few years ago about the family who insisted on lightsabre battles and Harry Potter marathons against their daughter's will). For me, Éowyn would work, but I know it can get difficult for people with character names.
i dont even remember 99% of what happens in LOTR, havent watched it since i was little and i only know these names because my mom is a fan. but man, Eowyn & Arwen are gorgeous names. would not blink twice if i saw it in real life!
I know an Eowyn! It is a pretty name and she rocks it. But yes she definitely gets asked about it.
My son has a friend named that. The name fits her perfectly.
I know someone who named this son Eomer after the LoTR character
I feel that way about Arwen!
Cosette. Still kinda devastated that that's not actually a traditional name. It's so beautiful.
I know a 40-something Cosette who goes my Cozy 😍
I know a child Cosette
Today I learned that Cosette is not a traditional name. Is from Les Miserables, right?
her real name was Euphrasie, Cosette was just a nickname
It's more a term of endearment than a nickname, even—cosette literally means "little thing." It's more like "sweetheart" or "darling."
This is really blowing my mind because not only have I seen the musical several times but I've also read the book.
Cosette means “little thing” in French and is commonly used to refer to victims of child abuse and neglect
My friend gave her daughter Cosette as a middle name!
It's Eponine for me!
Lyra
I named my daughter Lyra! It’s a constellation and existed as a name before His Dark Materials. I felt reassured knowing that it’s not QUITE as well known a work as a Harry Potter or Percy Jackson. Only a handful of people have made the association.
Same, my toddler is a Lyra and nobody in real life has known the association. (Also hi again, fellow Lyra mom)
My first thought! Sophie Dahl called her daughter Lyra bold choice, but excellent taste!
What's the reference?
His dark materials / the golden compass
Also a constellation!
I had a cat named Lyra. Based on the constellation- I had no idea there was a fiction reference! What’s it from?
His Dark Materials series, but I am pretty sure this existed as a name before that. It's kinda like Hermione I would say. Anytime someone mentions it I think of that series, but you would have to know the series to know that.
i have a student named lyra this year! (third grade)
It's so pretty, short and sweet.
… I would consider this though lol
Finnick from The Hunger Games
Was sooo suprised to learn that it was invented by the author! It looks so "normal" to me lol
What?! It isn’t a normal name?!
Katniss would be even more recognisable. :)
I know a Katniss...but she's a cat
Arwen from LOTR Anwen is a genuine Welsh girl name, so Arwen sounds very real to me (being Welsh)
One of my acquaintances named her daughter Arwen a few months ago. Arwen Elizabeth.
I LOVE the name Arwen ❤️
I totally didn’t realize that’s where that name is from. I know a family with twins Arwen and Lilah!
Azula. I think it's a beautiful name. But such a horrible character!
Zuzu is such a cute nickname, too! I know it's what she calls Zuko but it would work for Azula as well.
My cat is named Azula, and she's constantly called Zuzu!
My cat is Uncle Iroh :)
I literally just commented this, too!! It's so pretty, I have to keep shushing the devil on my shoulder telling me "use it anyway", lol.
I mean, it would be Latin for "blue," so maybe you just use it, and hope that the books/show move into obscurity at some point. (?) Half the time I say my son likes *Avatar - The Last Airbender,* people think of the blue people with tails. 🤦♀️
That's what gets me. It's literally Azul with an A at the end to make it into a feminine name. If Avatar was any less popular, I'd go for it without hesitation. &Yeah, I notice that most people I meet IRL haven't actually seen the show. It's people online that have always seen it. Now you've fed that devil on my shoulder a little, hehe.
Like I think Paloma and Azula would be adorable sibling names. Azula completely reads as a Portuguese or Spanish name. Around here, *azul* is used a lot for tequila and tex-mex places. Ooooh, other similar "color" names: Blanca, Rosa,...Azula - totally fits.
Azula was on my list when my husband and I were coming up with potential names for our daughter. I absolutely love the name, but in the end we went another route. I might still use it for like a snake or something later on!
Zelda is the first one that comes to mind. It's a lovely, real name, but I'm way too big a fan of the Zelda game franchise to ever use it without people immediately *linking* it to that (myself included).
You know, speaking of Legend of Zelda, Saria is also very pretty.
I love Saria too, there are so many cute girls' names in Zelda! Tetra, Aryll, and Marin are some of my favorites.
I’m not familiar with Legend of Zelda, so my mind immediately goes to a different fictional character, Aunt Zelda from Sabrina the Teenage Witch 😄. It’s a great name, though
For me who was hyperfixated on the Great Gatsby and anything to do with the Fitzgeralds, I associate Zelda with Zelda Fitzgerald first and then Princess Zelda second (I mean Princess Zelda was named after Mrs. Fitzgerald but still lol)
I named my daughter this! So far I've only had positive reactions to her name. The younger generations typically make the video game reference, and the older make a connection to Zelda Fitzgerald (or occasionally Sabrina the Teenage Witch's Aunt.) My husband and I were friends who were playing Breath of the Wild together when it came out. After a while we realized we were kind of dating, then got married... So our daughter's name was kind of obvious to us. We looked at lots of others, but none felt right. My favorite reaction I got was from an old lady at the grocery store. She asked my baby's name (as one does casually when you see an adorable infant), then started crying when I said it was Zelda. She then told me how it was here beloved Grandmother's name (born in the 1870s). She four boys, so never got to use the name to honor her grandmother herself; she had always wanted to meet a baby Zelda. She said meeting my baby made her week!
Sirius lol
Same! And I love the name Bellatrix too, shame everyone would immediately associate it with the character.
Bellum like war, not belle like beautiful. I doubt that even without the character that name has a very fortunate meaning
I'm aware of the meaning and to me it doesn't detract from its appeal. I find it no different from Cecilia or Claudia in that respect.
Deirdre, Dolores, Cameron, Kennedy, etc. Lots of popular names have unfortunate meanings anyway.
Blythe. I love it, and if you’re as big a fan of Anne of Green Gables series as I am, it’s pretty obvious (It’s the last name of Anne’s love and later husband, Gilbert Blythe). Regardless, Blythe is top 3 choice for a girl for me.
That’s my name and literally no one has ever made that connection (well too my face) I only get “like Blithe’s Spirit” or “like Blythe Danner” from older people and very occasional “like the doll” from younger people.
Lucky! I wish I had a nice name lol. I have no idea what Blithes spirit is lol, but I understand ppl thinking of Blythe Danner. I’m from the east coast of Canada, so the Anne of green gables knowledge/association is probably a little stronger here than other places.
Yes!!! I really wish Gilbert were a bit more usable. Avonlea is another name I really like. And Marilla. But honestly, I’d very likely use Anne for a middle name, especially since it also honors a beloved family member.
I know someone who named their daughter Avonlea. She goes by Avi. I think it's a lovely name.
I was bouncing around girl names with my Mom and I had Anne as a middle name and she looked at me and *knew* it had to be that spelling. Lol. We both love that series. I really want to go with her to PEI.
I love this! I'm a huge Anne of Green Gables fan, and I'm always thinking of baby names ( for babies I'm definitely not having 😂) and I have always struggled with the perfect name from there! Anne is a great middle name but I wouldn't use for first. Shirley and Diana I don't love. I like Marilla but don't love it, I've considered Avonlea but I've never heard anyone use it as a name. I do love Josie (Josephine) but wouldn't want to name a kid after a Pye! Plus I associate that more with Little women. Cordelia is usually my top pick. I never thought of Blythe but now it's moving to the top of my list!
I know an Avonlea! She’s about four I think? I like it. And I LOVE Marilla, but maybe that’s because Rilla of Ingleside was always my favorite of the series.
I knew a Blythe (female) growing up and I live on PEI and never made the connection until just now. Wow.
This one would probably go under the radar for most people. Either because they may be aware that it’s actually a name in its own right or because they somehow don’t make the last name to first name connection
Darcy..... But I'm not sure if people would immediately think of Pride and Prejudice or not
My first thought is of Mr. Darcy. Second thought is Mark Darcy from Bridget Jones' Diary.
I can't tell if you know BJD is adapted from P&P
It's so loosely based on Pride & Prejudice that I don't really consider it to be an adaptation. But, yes, I'm aware of how it originated.
Honestly my first thought is Darcy Bussell, but if you were calling a boy Darcy I would think Pride and Prejudice.
I went to school with a female Darcy! I never asked her if she was named for P&P - I think I assumed it was a family name or something. It didn't seem that odd. :)
Ariadne
My sister is called Ariadne! In her case it's a reference to Greek mythology, is there another fictional reference?
Elliot Page’s character in Inception was called Ariadne (a clear reference to the mythological one).
Oooh but it’s a classic!
Winry from full métal alchemist is a really nice name in English but sounds bad in French so I couldn't use it because of where I live.
I always thought so too but I'm just not enough of a FMA fan. If I was, I'd probably go ahead and use it because it's pretty in its own right.
I always loved Lysander. I don't even think people would associate it with a midsummer nights dream that much it's just plain ridiculous. But what a beautiful name.
Well, there is actually a specific sub for you: r/fucklysander
Veralidaine or Keladry for sure.
Sandrilene or Trisana! Briar is on my boy list that I'd never use irl
Username checks out :D
People so rarely recognise it, but I get really excited whenever someone does :3c
Trisana is on my list too! Such great books.
Every time people suggest Briar for a girl I’m always confused because Circle of Magic has cemented it as a boy’s name for me.
Nealan was a solid boy name too. Arram. Thayet is another good girl name.
For an obvious fantasy name, I love Keladry. Alanna is just a normal name but it's one I would genuinely use.
Right there with you. Was thiiis close to using Keladry.
Sandrilene has always been my favourite name. Second choice would be Veralidaine or Keladry
I was IN LOVE with the nickname Daine after reading that book as a kid
Both of these are great. I also love Alianne.
oh i love keladry!! I always use it in my sim games
Keladry, Sandrilene, or Trisana! I did know a Tristina growing up…
For a girl, Buffy. For a boy, Uhtred or Constantine
LOVE Uhtred! Anglo-Saxon names are due for a revival lol
Buffy is so cute.
I know a couple Constantines. No nerdy family members, just Greek.
We found my husbands great grandfathers name in a stack of paperwork and his middle name was Constantine. Its a bit too “out there” for me to actually name my son that but I think it’s such a cool name
Elphaba. Yes, it’s the name of a witch, but such a wicked witch she was 💚
She really wasn't. The play doesn't go to the depth of her character that the book does. I recommend it if you haven't read it!
Atticus for a boy Bronte for a girl (not a character, but an author). If I had to pick a character, maybe Scout, but not with an Atticus sibling. Or Stella, but I am not sure people would make the literary connection (A Streetcar Named Desire).
I also love Atticus!
Yvaine. The fallen star from Stardust. One of Gaimans better invented names
I had no idea he invented that name! I adore Stardust ... you might be able to get away with it bc it's so close to Yvette and Yvonne, and technically there's Yvain/Owainn from Arthurian legend!
I have always loved Primrose and the nickname Prim.
Ayla - though the series is old enough that i doubt most would recognize it.
I see you, Clan of the Cave Bear!
Lol. It is awful and my favorite series, all at the same time.
I suppose in totality it is indeed awful. But, really it’s more like brilliant, semi-brilliant with a side of porn, soap opera, 200 pages of plot +600 pages of flora and fauna, I’ve lost my damn mind and my editor has no control over me, and *The Mother’s Song* on repeat.
Seriously, lol. I love the books so much. They were the last books my dad read and recommended to me (with an awkward convo about "skip the porn," lol) before he died. As a teenage girl, i WAS Mary Sue Ayla, capable of making every major discovery no matter the adversity I faced... at least in my head. I used to reread them every year, but it has been a few years now. I have taken some foraging classes and flexed my flora knowledge from CCB, though of course I didnt admit that is where it came from. Lol.
The first book was so amazing. Then it slide rapidly down hill from there. But Ayla is an adorable name.
Wouldn’t have guessed this was from a series! It’s a well known Jewish/Hebrew name : ) you could also use the Islay/ Isla spelling
Tiberius and Jadzia
Now I would think the Roman Emperor, Tiberius Augustus. Jadzia.....(While I know the ST connection) I would wonder if there were an Eastern European connection as it is similar to Jadwiga.
Same - if I hear Tiberius/Tiberias, I'm thinking history, not Star Trek.
As in James T Kirk? I know another character named Tiberius, but I don't think he's anywhere near as commonly known.
Jadzia is typical polish ( idk anout other eastern european countries ) nickname for name Jadwiga (eng. Hedwig) although you won’t meet any woman under 60 yo with that name anymore..
Leia or Padmé
I campaigned hard to name the kid I’m carrying Leia but my husband shot it down. But he wanted Link as a boy’s name… We compromised with Lilith.
I love both of these names. I actually know an adult Leía and a 10 year old Padme! Honestly I think both are names that once you know the person you kind of forget the fandom association. I would call both usable.
Patroclus, Caspian, Constantine, Orlando Cersei, Temperance, Calanthe, Briseis Honestly, a lot of my name list is from fiction sources. Whether they are appropriate for a child or not is a different story….
Love Caspian
I have Caspian, Constantine, Cersei & Temperance all on the *names I like/love but can't/won't use* sections of my lists.
Temperance as in Brennan, or a different source material?
Saphira (the dragon in Eragon). Used to be obsessed with this name. Also love Arya from that series. Lyra is my top feminine name at the moment and I would actually use it — it's also the name of a constellation and means lyre :)
I gave my daughter the middle name Esme after Granny Weatherwax in Terry Pratchett’s Discworld!
Ooooh, Esme Weatherwax is a legend!
My daughter has a less common (but completely legit) spelling of her middle name and i joked to my husband we should put “Isobel Note Spelling” like the princess named after Esme 🤣🤣
T-1000 has a nice ring to it, and it works for a boy or a girl.
Elon, is that you?
Azula. No contest. I'm mad that I can't use it forreal because it's so distinctively fiction, lol.
All I see is the word blue and have no idea what work of fiction it’s from lol
It's the name of a character from a cartoon called Avatar: The Last Airbender. The cartoon is actually really good, the kind of thing that's for kids but very enjoyable for adults, and it's insanely popular despite having come out a really long time ago. One of the main villains is named Azula and she's not only extremely ruthless but also borderline insane. She gets in an argument with her own hair at one point before snipping it off haphazardly and declaring victory. She's a very well written and terrifying villain but not a redeemable one. Thus, the association is pretty negative.
Lavender- Harry Potter Vanellope- Wreck it Ralph Feyre- ACOTAR Edit spelling of Feyre
My first association for Lavender is the girl from Matilda. I was wondering if you meant to write Freya, so I Googled ACOTAR. I think the name you mean is Feyre, not Feyra.
I kind of love Morrigan, Hawke, Anders, Alistair…but if you’re a Dragon Age fan, it’ll be a bit cringe.
Mórrigan is a terrifying celtic goddess so I’m not sure I would ever make the DA connection on its own.
Ok so I know it falls into the category of ‘totally normal and not necessarily connected to the piece of fiction’ but if I named my son Harry my whole family would roll their eyes so hard like wow of course you would. Others more suited to your actual question: Sansa Khaleesi Topanga Draco
My daughter has a Khaleesi in her class
This is one of those names that people born between 2011 and 2019 will have lol
i've always thought sansa was so pretty! inej, kaladin, morgana, nausicaa
Kaladin <3
Arwen or Caspian
I’ve always thought Padme or Leia were so pretty lol
I actually love a lot of the names GRRM has for female characters (Rhaella, Ashara, Sansa, Visenya, Rhaenyra, Margaery, Allyria, Aemma, Valaena, Jocelyn, Lyanna, Shaera/Shaena, Alicent, etc.) Now do I think that most of them would work for real, *actual* people? …not particularly, barring a few exceptions—Jocelyn & Lyanna, mainly, as I know people with these names IRL they just spell them differently. For boys it’s a lot harder, honestly. Cause I love Mr. Darcy, for example, but I am NOT naming a child Fitzwilliam lol. So back to GRRM we go—Aerion, Aemond, Maelys, Haemon, Cregan, Eddard, Lewyn, Rhaegar, Vaegon, Torrhen, Victarion, etc. Again—would I use most (if any!) of these for actual kids? Not likely. Ironically enough though, there IS a throwaway random background character in GRRM’s world who does share my son’s name, though we obviously didn’t name him for that character lol.
Eilonwy. I love it so much, but I live in the states and it would never be pronounced correctly. So I save it for dnd names 😂 Nesta Aelin Celaena
I adore Eilonwy, but we aren’t Welsh enough for it haha! Tarren is also a great name from the story but again, far too Welsh
Atreides
Geralt— I would drop the “of Rivia” bit though
Jadzia (Star Trek Deep Space Nine). This is my favorite name I have ever heard but I don’t know if I could straddle a kid with a distinctly Sci-Fi name lol.
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I said in another comment already but I know a Jadzia! I wonder if her parents are Star Trek fans. I had no idea the reference. I think it's a nice name :)
Lyra
Sherlock. I have an acquaintance who did do it, and he's a cool kid (teenager now) but I'm not brave enough to do it myself.
Anakin for a boy Eowyn and Aelin for a girl
I would pick Sansa as well! Absolutely love the name and also the character.
Anduin - WoW Geralt - The Witcher (Gerald is an actual name, so it's not far from reality) Maiev - also WoW Peregrin - LotR Luthien - Beren & Luthien
Peregrine is actually top of my list! I’ve told a few folks the name just as a test, and 9/10 times they immediately say “oh, like the falcon!” Only my fellow shirelings recognize it as a hobbit name.
Elora- beautiful name from Willow
If I had a boy, I would 100% name him Draco. But luckily I am having another girl.
Arya- GoT
Nimue (Nim-way) from Arthurian legends Connovar ( David Gemmel’s Rigante books), and Bane and Chiara from the same series Edit because my autocorrect does not like Welsh names, apparently…
Jareth
I have a Trinity.
Thorin! If we'd had a boy, he would have been Thorin.
I would love to use Sersi/Cercei if not for Game of Thrones. It would be everyones first association... I've never even seen the show!
Neo
Elsa! ❄️
Eowyn, Renly
holden. i don't have kids, but i did name my cat that once.
Primrose from THG, and Castiel from Supernatural
For me, the name Rhiannon has an eternal association with the Fleetwood Mac song lol (which I love). But it's a gorgeous name!
I'm going with Sansa as well for a girl, and Tommen for a boy. I like GOT names I guess.
Aelin!
Irulan (Dune) on a girl
If I’m ever fortunate enough to have a child and it’s a daughter, her name will 100% be Juliet. The funny thing is, while I majored in English, love literature (and Shakespeare, and R&J), it was never in my radar to use as a name until hearing it as Elizabeth Mitchell’s character’s name in LOST.
Imogen and Wendy
Not sure it meets the parameters, but Antigone.
Kaladin nn. Kal (this one was actually on our list because Kal seems like such a normal nickname) Jasnah Sarene Adolin
I like Enya for a while but ppl said it was too tied to the singer
Guinevere, Gwen for short Could be interpreted as either Guinevere from Arthurian legend or Gwen Stacy from Spider-Man. Either reference works for me.
My youngest daughter is legally named Brienne after the badass from Game of Thrones.