For Book Lovers
Literary Boy Names
208 names, each with its meaning, U.S. popularity, and an audio pronunciation.
Looking for girl names instead? Literary Girl Names →
A name from a book is a small inheritance: you hand him a character, and he spends a lifetime deciding what to do with it. Literary boy names are dominated by the moral heavyweights, and deservedly so. Atticus has become shorthand for quiet decency ever since Harper Lee put him on a courthouse step. Holden keeps a restless, unmistakably American edge. Dante carries a poet who mapped the afterlife, and Tristan reaches back further still, to one of the oldest and most doomed love stories in the Arthurian canon.
The gentler shelf is worth just as much of your afternoon. Caspian arrives by way of Narnia and sounds like adventure without trying too hard, Hugo and Conrad tip a hat to two very different novelists while staying handsomely wearable, and Edgar has been rescued from stuffiness by every parent who ever loved a raven. Finnegan brings Joyce and a ready-made nickname, Lewis and Tobias are the understated ones, and Sawyer, Ellis and Lucian round it out with real momentum on current U.S. charts.
Every name below opens to its full page — a sourced meaning, its U.S. popularity, and a clear audio pronunciation so you can hear it before you fall for it.
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'▶Harlan#617 in the U.S.From an English and German place-name and surname, possibly from Old English hara ('hare') and ▶Westley#619 in the U.S.Variant of Wesley, from a place-name and surname composed of Old English west ('west') and leah▶Arturo#627 in the U.S.Spanish and Italian form of Arthur, from the Celtic roots possibly related to the Proto-Celtic ▶Robin#705 in the U.S.Medieval diminutive of Robert, from Old French Robin, itself from Old High German Hrodebert mea▶Bellamy#721 in the U.S.From the Old French bel ami (beautiful friend or fine friend), from bel (beautiful, fine) and a▶Marcel#731 in the U.S.French form of Marcellus, from the Latin Marcellus, a diminutive of Marcus, from the Roman god ▶Huxley#736 in the U.S.English surname from an Old English place name, possibly from the personal name Hucc or Hugh + ▶Chandler#753 in the U.S.Candle maker or seller; from Old French chandelier (candle merchant), from chandelle (candle)▶Ira#822 in the U.S.From the Hebrew ira, meaning 'watchful', 'awake', or 'full-grown'; a biblical name borne by one▶Aslan#860 in the U.S.From the Turkic aslan meaning 'lion'; a royal title and given name used across Central Asian Tu▶Watson#864 in the U.S.Son of Walter; from the medieval English given name Wat (short form of Walter: ruler of the arm▶Orlando#873 in the U.S.Italian form of Roland, from Old High German Hruodland, composed of hruod (fame, glory) and lan▶Henrik#917 in the U.S.Home ruler; from Germanic Heimirich (heim: home + ric: ruler, power), the Scandinavian form of ▶Arden#943 in the U.S.Eagle valley; from Celtic ard (high) + den (valley); or the Forest of Arden in Warwickshire, En▶Cedric#944 in the U.S.Possibly invented by Sir Walter Scott for Ivanhoe (1819), inspired by the Celtic Cerdic (possib▶Marcellus#948 in the U.S.Young warrior; of Mars; Latin diminutive of Marcellus, from Marcus (of the god Mars)▶Byron#981 in the U.S.From Old English byre meaning cowshed or barn, used as a place name and surname meaning dweller▶Kingsley#984 in the U.S.King's meadow; from Old English cyning (king) + leah (clearing, meadow)▶Langston#1000 in the U.S.From Old English lang meaning long or tall and tun meaning settlement or farm, giving the meani▶Bastian#1001 in the U.S.Venerable; revered; short form of Sebastian, from Greek Sebastianos (of Sebastos: venerable, re▶Lev#1040 in the U.S.Heart; from Hebrew lev (heart); or lion, from Russian/Slavic lev (lion)▶Brett#1060 in the U.S.A Breton; from Britain; from Old French Bret (a Breton, a native of Brittany or Britain)▶Ernest#1083 in the U.S.Serious; resolute; from Germanic Ernst (earnest, serious, vigorous battle), from Old High Germa▶Blaise#1105 in the U.S.Lisping; stammering; from Latin Blasius (possibly from blaesus: stammering, lisping)▶Kit#1150 in the U.S.Pure; follower of Christ; English pet form of Christopher (Greek Christophoros: bearer of Chris▶Darien#1247 in the U.S.Gift; he who upholds the good▶Cormac#1254 in the U.S.Son of the chariot; charioteer▶Granger#1255 in the U.S.Farmer, keeper of the granary▶Percy#1257 in the U.S.From the village of Percy in Normandy▶Booker#1286 in the U.S.Bookbinder, one who works with books▶Ulysses#1291 in the U.S.Wrathful, to hate; the wanderer▶Eliot#1369 in the U.S.My God is Yahweh; variant of Elijah▶Finnick#1378 in the U.S.Fair, white, pure; literary name▶Kaladin#1411 in the U.S.Invented literary name with heroic associations▶Milton#1428 in the U.S.Mill settlement; village with a mill▶Seamus#1450 in the U.S.He who supplants, grips the heel▶Fitzgerald#2239 in the U.S.son of Gerald, spear-ruler▶Edmond#2262 in the U.S.wealthy protector▶Bayron#2281 in the U.S.at the barns, brave soldier▶Demian#2340 in the U.S.To tame; subdue; from Greek Damianos (from damao: to tame, to subdue), or a variant of Damian; ▶Derian#2371 in the U.S.Gift; present; from Persian derian (gift) or possibly a variant of Dorian (Greek: from Doris/Do▶Drayden#2421 in the U.S.Dry valley; a variant of Dryden (Old English: dry valley, or the surname of poet John Dryden), ▶Roran#2430 in the U.S.Little red one; possibly from Irish Gaelic Roran (a diminutive form related to ruadh: red) or a▶Rye#2431 in the U.S.The rye grain; island; from Old English ryge (the cereal grain Secale cereale) — also a place n▶Thane#2983 in the U.S.Warrior or military follower of a king; from Old English thegn meaning warrior or retainer, and▶Cyril#2997 in the U.S.Lord; master▶Geoffrey#3056 in the U.S.A Norman French form of the Germanic name Godfrey or Gottfried, from elements meaning God or tr▶Weller#3090 in the U.S.English occupational surname from Old English wella (well, spring) plus the agent suffix -er, m▶Muad#3126 in the U.S.From Arabic mu'adh or mu'ādh, related to the root 'adha meaning 'to protect' or 'to keep safe,'▶Odysseus#3131 in the U.S.From ancient Greek, possibly related to odussomai ('to be wrathful against,' 'to hate') or odys▶Ovidio#3133 in the U.S.Italian and Spanish form of the Latin family name Ovidius, possibly derived from Latin ovis ('s▶Quill#3136 in the U.S.From Middle English quil ('hollow stalk,' 'quill feather'), possibly also a short form of the I▶Walden#3202 in the U.S.Wooded valley; one who dwells near the forested valley▶Horacio#3234 in the U.S.Spanish form of Horatius, the Roman clan name of the poet Horace, sometimes linked to hora, 'ho▶Qais#3251 in the U.S.Firm, steadfast (traditional gloss); an ancient Arabic name borne by the poet Qais, the Majnun ▶Arlow#3267 in the U.S.Variant of Arlo, a name of debated origin — likely from Edmund Spenser's poetic place name Arlo▶Carlisle#3271 in the U.S.From the city of Carlisle, from Brythonic Caer Luel — 'fort of Luguvalos', a name honoring the ▶Marquez#3303 in the U.S.From the Spanish surname Márquez, 'son of Marcos' — Marcus, linked to the war god Mars — adopte▶Aleister#3321 in the U.S.Variant of Alistair, the Scottish Alasdair — Alexander, Greek for 'defender of mankind'▶Peregrine#3365 in the U.S.Traveler, pilgrim, foreigner; from Latin peregrinus — the name of saints, a hobbit, and the wor▶Breece#3392 in the U.S.Surname variant in the Brice/Breese family — Brice being a Gaulish-Latin saint's name of debate▶Connell#3393 in the U.S.From Irish Conall — traditionally 'strong as a wolf' (con, 'wolf/hound', plus a strength elemen▶Hal#3471 in the U.S.Medieval pet form of Henry ('home ruler') or Harold ('army ruler'); a crisp one-syllable name▶Gibran#3536 in the U.S.From the Arabic surname of poet Khalil Gibran; linked to a root meaning 'to set/mend (a bone), ▶Strider#3669 in the U.S.From the English word strider, 'one who strides/walks far'; famously the byname of Aragorn in T▶Lowell#3735 in the U.S.From the Norman surname Lovel — Old French lou, 'wolf', plus a diminutive — 'little wolf'▶Oberon#3744 in the U.S.From Auberon/Alberich — Germanic 'elf ruler' (or 'noble bear' readings) — Shakespeare's fairy k▶Perrin#3747 in the U.S.Medieval French diminutive of Pierre/Peter — 'little rock' — Wheel of Time-famous▶Bilbo#3750 in the U.S.Bilbo is today known above all as Tolkien's hobbit Bilbo Baggins. As a real name it is a rare E▶Theon#3762 in the U.S.From Greek theos, 'god' — an ancient mathematician's name, Thrones-revived▶Yadriel#3772 in the U.S.Modern Latino name blending Yadiel ('God knows') with the -riel of Gabriel; construction inform▶Darcy#3805 in the U.S.From Norman d'Arcy, 'from Arcy', or Irish Ó Dorchaidhe, 'dark one' — Pride and Prejudice's lead▶Tennyson#3872 in the U.S.Patronymic 'son of Dennis' (Dionysius lines) — Alfred, Lord Tennyson's poetic estate▶Kais#3918 in the U.S.From Arabic Qays, 'firm, measuring' — the poet-lover Qays of Layla-Majnun fame▶Ollivander#3946 in the U.S.From Harry Potter's wandmaker Ollivander — Rowling coinage, 'he who owns the olive wand' by her▶Renly#3950 in the U.S.From Game of Thrones' Renly Baratheon — Martin coinage with Ren-/ley texture; informal▶Stryder#3959 in the U.S.Y-styled Strider — Aragorn's ranger byname, 'one who strides' — trail-tuned▶Reuel#4037 in the U.S.From Hebrew Re'u'el, 'friend of God' — a biblical name (and Tolkien's own middle name)▶Beren#4072 in the U.S.From Tolkien's hero Beren (a coined Sindarin name); also a Turkish name, 'strong, smart'; route▶Hawthorne#4103 in the U.S.From an English surname — 'dweller by the hawthorn tree/hedge' (Old English haguthorn)▶Whitman#4174 in the U.S.From an English surname — Old English hwit, 'white, fair', plus man — 'white/fair man'▶Homero#4459 in the U.S.Spanish form of Homer — from Greek Homeros, possibly 'hostage, pledge' or 'blind'; etymology de▶Omoro#4720 in the U.S.Omoro is best known in the United States as the name of Omoro Kinte, the Mandinka father of Kun▶Samwise#5006 in the U.S.From Old English Samwis, 'half-wise; simple, plain' — the loyal hobbit Samwise Gamgee in The Lo▶Othello#5813 in the U.S.A literary name (Shakespeare's tragic Moorish general) — likely an Italian diminutive of Otho/O▶Dartagnan#5952 in the U.S.From the French d'Artagnan, 'of Artagnan' — a place in Gascony; the name of Dumas's heroic musk▶Attikus#6194 in the U.S.A spelling of Atticus — from Latin/Greek, 'from Attica; a man of Athens' (Attica, the region ar▶Adric#6224 in the U.S.Adric is a modern coined name with no documented etymology. It is best known as the name of a c▶Aragorn#6241 in the U.S.Aragorn is a name invented by J.R.R. Tolkien for The Lord of the Rings, borne by the ranger Str▶Jacaerys#6590 in the U.S.A coined character name from George R. R. Martin's world (Jacaerys Velaryon of House of the Dra▶Adolin#7741 in the U.S.A modern name, variously a literary name (Adolin Kholin from The Stormlight Archive) and an Ado▶Dorien#7872 in the U.S.A spelling of Dorian — from the Greek, 'of the Dorians' (an ancient Greek people); made known b▶Eldar#7881 in the U.S.From the Turkic/Azerbaijani, 'a leader of the people; a ruler of the nation' (el, 'people/natio▶Enea#7894 in the U.S.An Italian form of Aeneas — from the Greek, 'praise; worthy of praise' (the Trojan hero of Virg▶Priam#8146 in the U.S.From the Greek Priamos, variously 'ransomed; redeemed' — the king of Troy in Homer's Iliad; we ▶Rustam#8175 in the U.S.From the Persian, 'strong; brave; a great warrior' — the legendary hero of Ferdowsi's Shahnameh▶Sedrick#8194 in the U.S.A spelling of Cedric — a literary name coined by Sir Walter Scott (in Ivanhoe), variously linke▶Dracarys#8466 in the U.S.A coined word from Game of Thrones — the High Valyrian dracarys, 'dragonfire' (the command to a▶Lestat#8677 in the U.S.A coined literary name — the vampire Lestat de Lioncourt of Anne Rice's novels; of invented/Fre▶Rudeus#8801 in the U.S.A coined literary name — Rudeus Greyrat, the protagonist of the anime/light novel Mushoku Tense▶Saiyan#8815 in the U.S.A coined anime word — the Saiyan, a warrior race in Dragon Ball; from the Japanese pun on yasai▶Ovid#8887 in the U.S.Ovid takes its name from the great Roman poet Ovid — Publius Ovidius Naso — author of the 'Meta▶Cedrik#9102 in the U.S.A spelling of Cedric — a name coined by Sir Walter Scott (possibly from the Old English Cerdic/▶Elend#9206 in the U.S.A modern name, best known as a literary character name (from the Mistborn novels); its meaning ▶Odyssey#9507 in the U.S.The English word for a long, eventful journey, taken from the title of Homer's epic the Odyssey▶Tirso#9651 in the U.S.A Spanish name from the Greek Thyrsos (Thyrsus), the ivy-wound staff carried in rites of Dionys▶Antar#9706 in the U.S.Antar (or Antarah) is an esteemed Arabic name carried by Antarah ibn Shaddad, a famed pre-Islam▶Akela#9899 in the U.S.Variously a Hawaiian form of Adela ('noble', Germanic) and the name of the wolf-pack leader in ▶Amadis#9921 in the U.S.From the Latin — variously 'love of God; beloved of God' (ama, 'love', + Deus, 'God'); the hero▶Beorn#10004 in the U.S.From the Old English/Norse beorn, 'a warrior; a hero; a man' (originally 'a bear'); also a shap▶Caspien#10039 in the U.S.A spelling of Caspian — from the Caspian Sea (named for the ancient Caspi people); also linked ▶Corin#10067 in the U.S.From the Latin Quirinus, variously 'a spear' (from the Sabine curis) and 'of Quirinus (a Roman ▶Gatsby#10192 in the U.S.From the Old Norse/English, 'from Gaddr's farm/settlement' (a personal name + by, 'a farmstead'▶Itachi#10262 in the U.S.From the Japanese itachi, 'weasel'; popularized as a name by the character Itachi Uchiha in the▶Kahlan#10342 in the U.S.A modern given name popularized by the heroine Kahlan Amnell in the Sword of Truth novels; of n▶Kakashi#10353 in the U.S.From the Japanese kakashi, 'scarecrow'; popularized as a name by the character Kakashi Hatake i▶Lancelot#10452 in the U.S.From the French Lancelot, the greatest knight of King Arthur's Round Table; variously linked to▶Raistlin#10535 in the U.S.Raistlin is an invented name from the Dragonlance fantasy series by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hic▶Oberyn#10589 in the U.S.A literary name popularized by Oberyn Martell in Game of Thrones — likely echoing Oberon (the f▶Sedric#10613 in the U.S.Sedric is a respelling of Cedric, a name Sir Walter Scott coined for a character in his 1819 no▶Ulyses#10716 in the U.S.A one-s spelling of Ulysses, the Latin form of the Greek Odysseus — the wandering hero of Homer▶Balin#10939 in the U.S.Balin is a name from literature: Sir Balin the Savage is a tragic knight in Arthurian romance, ▶Burns#10952 in the U.S.Burns is a Scottish and northern English surname from 'burn', a word for a small stream, denoti▶Albus#10956 in the U.S.The Latin word albus, 'white; bright.' Best known today as the given name of Albus Dumbledore i▶Detric#11109 in the U.S.Detric is a variant of Detrick, itself often linked to Cedric, a name Sir Walter Scott coined f▶Campion#11130 in the U.S.From an English surname tied to the Latin campio, 'champion' (a fighter in single combat); also▶Dryden#11191 in the U.S.From the English surname Dryden, 'dry valley' (Old English dryge + denu), carried into first-na▶Ector#11242 in the U.S.Ector is a medieval form of Hector, from the Greek Hektor, 'holding fast' or 'steadfast'. In Ar▶Dorion#11246 in the U.S.A form of Dorian, 'of the Dorians' — one of the ancient Greek peoples — or 'of Doris,' a region▶Fitzwilliam#11327 in the U.S.Fitzwilliam is an English surname meaning 'son of William' (Norman-French fitz, 'son of' + Will▶Harker#11383 in the U.S.From the English surname Harker, generally taken as 'listener, one who harks' (from 'hark,' to ▶Holmes#11404 in the U.S.From the English surname Holmes, from Old Norse holmr ('small island; water-meadow, low land by▶Iago#11412 in the U.S.A Spanish, Galician, and Welsh form of James/Jacob, from Hebrew Yaakov ('supplanter; may God pr▶Kipling#11692 in the U.S.From the English surname Kipling, a habitational name from places tied to Old English elements ▶Montague#11846 in the U.S.From the Norman-French place name and surname Montague, 'pointed/steep hill' (mont + aigu). Bes▶Ozymandias#11926 in the U.S.The Greek rendering of a throne name of the pharaoh Ramesses II, immortalized in Shelley's 1818▶Osric#11929 in the U.S.From Old English os ('god') plus ric ('ruler, power') — 'god-ruler'. Borne by early Anglo-Saxon▶Ramin#11976 in the U.S.From Persian, the name of Ramin, the romantic hero of the classic tale 'Vis and Ramin'; it is a▶Hiawatha#12015 in the U.S.Hiawatha was the name of a real sixteenth-century Onondaga or Mohawk leader who, with the Great▶Sheridan#12021 in the U.S.From the Irish surname O Sirideain, anglicised as Sheridan; the root personal name Sirideain is▶Sabriel#12043 in the U.S.Sabriel reads as a Hebrew-styled angelic name built on the '-el' ('God') ending, in the pattern▶Samwell#12057 in the U.S.Samwell is a spelling of Samuel, from the Hebrew Shmuel, 'God has heard' (or 'name of God'). It▶Albion#12384 in the U.S.Albion is the oldest recorded name for the island of Britain, likely from Latin albus ('white')▶Cid#12395 in the U.S.From El Cid, the title of the medieval Castilian hero Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar; the word comes fro▶Almanzo#12398 in the U.S.Almanzo is best known as the name of Almanzo Wilder, husband of author Laura Ingalls Wilder. Fa▶Amyas#12418 in the U.S.Amyas is an old English name, usually derived from Latin amatus ('loved; beloved') or linked to▶Athos#12477 in the U.S.Athos is best known as one of the Three Musketeers in Alexandre Dumas' novel and as the name of▶Atrayus#12479 in the U.S.Atrayus reads as a respelling of Atreyu, the young warrior hero of Michael Ende's The NeverEndi▶Atreides#12480 in the U.S.Atreides is the name of the noble house in Frank Herbert's Dune, drawn from the ancient Greek p▶Augusten#12486 in the U.S.Augusten is a variant of Augustine or Augustus, from the Latin augustus ('venerable; majestic')▶Beowulf#12537 in the U.S.Beowulf is the hero of the Old English epic poem of the same name. The name is often read as 'b▶Cederick#12603 in the U.S.Cederick is a respelled form of Cedric, a name coined by Sir Walter Scott for Ivanhoe. Scott se▶Cesario#12614 in the U.S.Cesario is an Italian name derived from Caesar/Cesare (the Roman name/title for 'emperor'). It ▶Alger#12621 in the U.S.Alger is an English surname descended from Old English personal names such as Aelfgar, 'elf spe▶Daschel#12694 in the U.S.A spelling of Dashiell, an anglicized French surname (possibly from 'de Chiel' or a Huguenot na▶Fable#12809 in the U.S.Fable is the English word used as a given name. It comes from Latin fabula, 'story; tale', from▶Galahad#12877 in the U.S.Galahad is the name of the noblest knight of King Arthur's Round Table, the achiever of the Hol▶Elessar#12881 in the U.S.A literary invention by J.R.R. Tolkien: Elessar, 'Elfstone,' is the royal name taken by Aragorn▶Hamlet#12917 in the U.S.Best known as the tragic Danish prince of Shakespeare's play, drawn from the older Scandinavian▶Heathcliff#12938 in the U.S.An English name joining 'heath' (open moorland) and 'cliff,' giving 'heath by a cliff.' It is b▶Hemingway#12939 in the U.S.Hemingway is an English surname, likely from a place name, carried into first-name use chiefly ▶Herrick#12943 in the U.S.From the English surname Herrick, traced to the Old Norse personal name Eirikr, 'ever-ruler' (f▶Hobbes#12951 in the U.S.From the English surname Hobbes, a patronymic meaning 'son of Robert' (Hob was a medieval pet f▶Garion#12976 in the U.S.Garion reads as a modern name, best known as the hero of David Eddings' Belgariad fantasy serie▶Jaehaerys#13010 in the U.S.Jaehaerys is an invented name from George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire and the HBO ser▶Kaveh#13229 in the U.S.A Persian name best known from the Shahnameh, where Kaveh the blacksmith raises his leather apr▶Kedric#13247 in the U.S.A K- spelling of Cedric, a name invented by Sir Walter Scott for Ivanhoe (1819) — probably a mi▶Lorien#13409 in the U.S.Lorien comes from J.R.R. Tolkien's invented Elvish: Lorien is the shortened name of Lothlorien,▶Lyzander#13421 in the U.S.Lyzander respells Lysander, from Greek lysis, 'a loosing, releasing', and aner/andros, 'man' — ▶Lisander#13488 in the U.S.A form of Lysander, Greek Lysandros, from lysis ('a loosing, release') plus andros ('man') — us▶Novel#13625 in the U.S.The English word novel, from Latin novellus ('new, young, fresh'). It carries both senses: the ▶Poe#13694 in the U.S.From the English surname Poe, generally traced to Middle English po, 'peacock,' used as a nickn▶Rilian#13714 in the U.S.A literary-flavored coinage best known as Prince Rilian in C. S. Lewis's Narnia. It has no sing▶Reynard#13758 in the U.S.Reynard comes from the Germanic Reginhard — ragin ('counsel; advice') plus hard ('brave; strong▶Rodrik#13788 in the U.S.Rodrik is a spelling of Roderick, from the Germanic Hroderich — hrod ('fame') plus ric ('ruler;▶Roo#13797 in the U.S.Roo is a one-syllable pet name rather than a name with an ancient meaning. Most families know i▶Sohrab#13893 in the U.S.Sohrab is a Persian name borne by the tragic hero of the Shahnameh, Ferdowsi's great epic: Sohr▶Sonnet#13913 in the U.S.The English word sonnet — a fourteen-line poem — from Italian sonetto, 'little song', a diminut▶Tarzan#13965 in the U.S.A name invented by Edgar Rice Burroughs for his 1912 novel Tarzan of the Apes, glossed within t▶
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Frequently Asked
What are good literary boy names?
Atticus, Holden, Caspian and Dante are the standouts — each is tied to a character strong enough that most people will recognise the reference immediately.