For Book Lovers

Literary Baby Names

Each name with its meaning, U.S. popularity, and an audio pronunciation on every page.

For anyone who fell in love with a character before they ever fell in love with a name. Literary baby names come with a whole story attached — a heroine you admired, a novel you reread, a line you underlined at seventeen. They are personal in a way trend lists can never be.

Literary Girl Names

Ophelia, Jane and Sylvia are rich with association, while Esme, Camille, Colette and Lorelai feel romantic and a little bookish in the loveliest way.

Literary Boy Names

Atticus and Holden are the icons, joined by Dante, Tobias and Caspian. For quieter literary nods, Hugo, Lucian, Conrad and Edgar.

A Name With a Bookshelf Behind It

The best literary names work even for people who never read the book — Sawyer and Ellis simply sound good. But you will always know the story underneath, and one day so will your child.

Every name below links to its own page with a sourced meaning, U.S. popularity, famous bearers, and a clear audio pronunciation — so you can hear it before you choose.

Literary Girl Names

Emerson#122 in the U.S.Son of Emery; Emery derives from Germanic Amalric meaning 'work-power' or 'brave power'▶Jane#221 in the U.S.God is gracious▶Camille#240 in the U.S.Attendant at religious ceremonies; helper of the priest▶Ophelia#264 in the U.S.Help, aid; one who offers assistance▶Sawyer#291 in the U.S.One who saws wood; a woodcutter or sawyer by trade▶Esme#298 in the U.S.Beloved, esteemed; highly regarded▶Sylvia#300 in the U.S.From the forest; spirit of the woods▶Elaine#305 in the U.S.Bright, shining light — Old French form of Helen▶Francesca#307 in the U.S.Free; free person — Italian feminine of Franciscus▶Colette#316 in the U.S.French feminine diminutive of Nicolas, itself from the Greek Nikolaos, composed of 'nike' (vict▶Frances#318 in the U.S.Feminine form of Francis, from the Latin Franciscus, meaning 'Frenchman' or 'free one', ultimat▶Sabrina#321 in the U.S.Latinized form of the Celtic name of the River Severn in Britain. The precise Celtic meaning is▶Lorelai#333 in the U.S.Variant spelling of Lorelei, from German, combining 'lore' (murmuring) and 'ley' (rock), referr▶Heidi#340 in the U.S.Swiss German diminutive of Adelheid (Adelaide), from the Old German 'adal' (noble) and 'heid' (▶Rebecca#350 in the U.S.From the Hebrew Rivkah, possibly from 'ribqah' (to bind or tie) or related to a root meaning 'c▶Ariel#356 in the U.S.From Hebrew Ariel, composed of 'ari' (lion) and 'El' (God), meaning 'lion of God'. In the Bible▶Matilda#365 in the U.S.From Old German Mahthildis, composed of 'maht' (might, strength) and 'hild' (battle) — meaning ▶Mallory#372 in the U.S.From the Old French 'malheure' or Norman 'malorie', meaning 'unlucky' or 'ill-omened' — an unus▶Esmeralda#373 in the U.S.From Spanish and Portuguese 'esmeralda', meaning emerald — the precious green gemstone, from th▶Anya#375 in the U.S.Russian and Eastern European diminutive of Anna, from Hebrew Hannah, meaning 'grace', 'favor', ▶Vanessa#377 in the U.S.Invented by Jonathan Swift as a pet name for Esther Vanhomrigh, later adopted as a butterfly ge▶

See all 338 literary girl names →

Literary Boy Names

Sawyer#122 in the U.S.One who saws wood; from Middle English saghiere (sawyer), occupational surname for a lumber wor▶Ellis#243 in the U.S.My God is the Lord; Jehovah is my God▶Emerson#254 in the U.S.Son of Emery; descendant of the powerful ruler▶Atticus#281 in the U.S.From Attica; a man of Athens or Attica▶Tobias#283 in the U.S.God is good; Yahweh is good▶Holden#297 in the U.S.Deep valley; hollow valley▶Dante#308 in the U.S.Enduring, steadfast; a short form of Durante▶Tristan#309 in the U.S.Tumult, noise; possibly 'sad' — from Celtic via medieval French romance▶Hugo#378 in the U.S.From the Germanic element hug meaning mind, intellect, or spirit▶Conrad#417 in the U.S.From Old High German Konrad, combining kuoni meaning bold, brave or experienced and rat meaning▶Lewis#433 in the U.S.English and Welsh form of Louis, from Old High German Hludwig meaning renowned warrior, combini▶Lucian#462 in the U.S.From Latin 'Lucianus,' a Roman family name derived from 'Lucius' and ultimately 'lux/lucis' mea▶Edgar#486 in the U.S.From Old English 'Eadgar,' composed of 'ead' (rich, fortune, prosperity) and 'gar' (spear), mea▶Caspian#491 in the U.S.From the Latin Caspius/Greek Kaspios, referring to the Caspian Sea region; possibly from the an▶Damon#501 in the U.S.From Greek Damon, related to the verb damao meaning 'to tame' or 'to subdue'; associated with t▶Finnegan#526 in the U.S.Anglicisation of Irish Ó Fionnagáin, meaning 'descendant of Fionnagán,' a diminutive of Fionn m▶Dorian#539 in the U.S.From Latin Dorianus, derived from Greek Dorios meaning 'of the Dorians,' an ancient Greek peopl▶Cassius#583 in the U.S.From the Roman family name Cassius, possibly derived from Latin cassus meaning 'hollow,' 'empty▶Alden#598 in the U.S.From Old English Ealdwine or Aldwine, composed of eald/ald ('old') and wine ('friend'), meaning▶Abdiel#607 in the U.S.From Hebrew Avdi'el, composed of eved ('servant') and El ('God'), meaning 'servant of God' or '▶Roland#608 in the U.S.From Old High German Hrodland, composed of hrod ('fame,' 'glory') and land ('land,' 'territory'▶

See all 208 literary boy names →

Explore More Themes

Uncertain Modern Rare Coinage English Vintage Hebrew American Surname-name Arabic All Themes →← All Baby Names

Frequently Asked

What are popular literary baby names?

Popular literary names include Atticus, Ophelia, Holden, Sylvia and Caspian.

What are literary names for a girl?

Ophelia, Jane, Esme, Colette and Lorelai all carry strong literary associations while remaining easy to wear.

Are literary names too unusual?

Many are surprisingly mainstream now — Sawyer, Ellis and Tobias all appear in current U.S. charts. Each page shows where the name ranks.

How many literary baby names are on More4Kids?

More4Kids lists 546 literary baby names, each with a sourced meaning, U.S. popularity, and an audio pronunciation.