Literary Baby Names
Some times an author just can't think of the right name for one of their characters.....so they make one up.
Here are some names which were invented for the sake of art. Some have caught on and become popular for naming children. For example Miranda, Stella and Vanessa are still popular to this day, while other name's popularity have waxed and waned with the vagaries of fashion.
Related: Joined Names - names made by joining two names together
- Amorette - Invented by Edmund Spenser for his poem 'The Faerie Queen'
- Arwen - The elf princess in J.R.R. Tolkein's 'The Lord of the Rings'
- Cedric is a name invented by Walter Scott in the 1819 novel Ivanhoe. The invented name is based on Cerdic, the name of a 6th-century Anglo-Saxon king.
- Clea - Used by Lawrence Durrell in the Alexandria Quartet.
- Clorinda - Created by Italian poet Tasso in the poem 'Jerusalem Delivered'
- Caspian - Prince in C.S. Lewis' Narnia books, probably named after the Caspian Sea in Russia.
- Evangeline - Created by Longfellow for his poem of the same name.
- Fiona - Invented by Scottish novelist William Sharp as his pen-name for a series of books on Celtic myths and legends.
- Lorna - Invented by R.D. Blackmore for his novel 'Lorna Doone', possibly one of the most boring books ever written.
- Miranda - Thought to have been invented by Shakespeare for the character in 'The Tempest'
- Perdita - Shakespeare again, this time given to an abandoned baby in 'A Winter's Tale'
- Pamela - Invented by Sir Phillip Sidney for his poem 'Arcadia' in 1590.
- Stella - Pet name of a friend of Jonathan Swift
- Thelma - Created by Marie Corelli for her novel 'Thelma: A Norwegian Princess'.
- Una - Another name invented by Edmund Spenser for his poem 'The Faerie Queen'
- Vanessa - Another pet name of a friend of Jonathan Swift.
- Wendy - Created by J.M. Barrie for the book 'Peter Pan'
Related: The Ultimate New Baby Shopping List - Plus the 5 things you should NEVER buy for your baby
So, a few ideas there if you want to give your child a name with a bit of literary class. Well if it's a girl. Obviously making up names for male characters is not that popular!
Related: Freebies for Expecting Mums
Recent Posts
Here's what's new on eParenting