For Book Lovers
Literary Girl Names
338 names, each with its meaning, U.S. popularity, and an audio pronunciation.
Looking for boy names instead? Literary Boy Names →
If your child was named on the strength of a paperback you have re-read four times, you are in excellent company. Literary girl names come pre-loaded with a character to live up to, and the classics still do the heavy lifting: Jane is plain-spoken and quietly immovable, exactly as Brontë intended; Ophelia carries the whole weight of a Shakespearean stage and has been climbing again with parents who like their beauty a little haunted; Sylvia nods to Plath without ever feeling heavy; and Rebecca holds onto the gothic hum of du Maurier’s most famous novel.
The livelier corner of the shelf is where the surprises are. Sawyer and Emerson pull straight from American letters and land as brisk, modern and unmistakably capable. Esme has a Salinger short story behind it and a lovely bit of understatement in front. Colette and Camille bring French literary polish, Francesca and Frances give you one ornate option and one deliciously plain one from the same root, and Lorelai, Heidi and Ariel cover storybook, screen and stage in three quick steps.
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 Girl Names — Page 2
Kiswana#12562 in the U.S.Kiswana is a Swahili-influenced name known chiefly from Gloria Naylor's novel The Women of Brew▶Demelza#12567 in the U.S.From a Cornish place-name (a hamlet near St. Columb Major), reworked as a first name — carried ▶Corin#12735 in the U.S.Corin is the name of the old shepherd in Shakespeare's As You Like It, drawn from pastoral trad▶Chimene#12770 in the U.S.Chimene may derive from Chimène, the noble heroine of Corneille's 1637 tragedy 'Le Cid' — a nam▶Korinna#12798 in the U.S.Korinna is a K-spelling of Corinna, from the Greek 'kore' ('maiden; young woman'), with the dim▶Lamira#12827 in the U.S.A graceful name likely drawn from Spanish La Mira ('the view; the aim; the gaze') or coined for▶Lorinda#12905 in the U.S.A literary elaboration of Lora/Laura ('laurel; victory') with the -inda ending of Belinda and M▶Ouida#12919 in the U.S.Ouida comes from the pen name of Victorian novelist Ouida (Maria Louise Rame), which began as h▶Mirelle#12993 in the U.S.Mirelle is a variant of the French Mireille, from Provencal Mireio — the heroine of Frederic Mi▶Morrison#13006 in the U.S.From the Scottish and English surname Morrison, 'son of Morris' — Morris itself from Maurice, L▶Loucinda#13008 in the U.S.Loucinda is a phonetic variant of Lucinda, a name coined in the Renaissance from Lucia and the ▶Jessamyn#13053 in the U.S.Jessamyn is a variant of Jessamine, which was an older English word for jasmine, the fragrant c▶Ornella#13077 in the U.S.From the Italian ornello, the flowering ash tree (Fraxinus ornus). The name was popularised by ▶Peregrine#13084 in the U.S.From Latin peregrinus, 'foreigner; traveler; pilgrim' — the source of the falcon's name too, si▶Rumer#13163 in the U.S.Rumer is an English surname turned first name, sometimes explained as a Romani-related word for▶Thomasin#13303 in the U.S.Thomasin is the medieval English feminine form of Thomas, from the Aramaic te'oma, 'twin.' It g▶Morgaine#13307 in the U.S.Morgaine is a literary form of Morgan, a name that goes back to the Old Welsh Morcant. The firs▶Trista#13313 in the U.S.Trista is a modern feminine form of Tristan, the hero of the medieval Tristan and Iseult legend▶Vanessia#13332 in the U.S.Vanessia stretches Vanessa with an extra -ia ending. Vanessa was coined by Jonathan Swift in th▶Vala#13353 in the U.S.Vala is an Icelandic girls' name, generally connected to Old Norse volva — a seeress or prophet▶Cozetta#13429 in the U.S.Cozetta reads as a respelling and elaboration of Cosette, the French literary name popularized ▶Zulma#13446 in the U.S.Zulma is used in Spanish- and French-speaking countries, generally treated as a variant of Zule▶Afsana#13503 in the U.S.Afsana comes from Persian afsana, 'story; tale; fable', and is widely used as a girls' name in ▶Alayne#13503 in the U.S.Alayne is a variant spelling of Alaine/Elaine, the Old French form of Greek Helene — usually re▶Akela#13518 in the U.S.Two honest routes. In Rudyard Kipling's Jungle Book, Akela is the wolf who leads the pack — a m▶Alhana#13518 in the U.S.Alhana is a modern coinage best known as the name of an elven character in the Dragonlance fant▶Alleria#13525 in the U.S.Alleria is a modern coinage with no traditional root; it is best known as the name of an elven ▶Bennet#13690 in the U.S.Bennet is the medieval English form of Benedict, from the Latin benedictus, 'blessed.' It survi▶Clorinda#13729 in the U.S.Clorinda is a literary name, famous as the warrior heroine of Torquato Tasso's epic Jerusalem D▶Celie#13780 in the U.S.A pet form of Celia or Cecilia, from Latin roots meaning 'heavenly' (caelestis) or from the Rom▶Cersei#13782 in the U.S.An invented name from George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire and the TV series Game of Th▶Christabelle#13791 in the U.S.A -belle spelling of Christabel, joining 'Christian' (a follower of Christ) with the Latin bell▶Cinder#13796 in the U.S.Cinder is the English word for 'ash; a glowing ember,' used as a modern given name. It carries ▶Claudine#13801 in the U.S.A French diminutive of Claude, from the Roman family name Claudius — traditionally explained fr▶Maithili#13802 in the U.S.From the Sanskrit Maithili, 'of Mithila' — an epithet of Sita, princess of the kingdom of Mithi▶Anessia#13836 in the U.S.Anessia is a modern American name close to Anessa and echoing Vanessa. Vanessa itself was a lit▶Charmion#13850 in the U.S.Charmion is a Greek name drawn from charma, 'joy' or 'delight,' the same root behind names like▶Djuna#13879 in the U.S.Djuna is a rare name of uncertain origin, best known from the modernist writer Djuna Barnes. Ex▶Emogene#13949 in the U.S.A variant of Imogen, a name first seen in Shakespeare's 'Cymbeline' and generally thought to be▶Flannery#13993 in the U.S.From the Irish surname O Flannabhra, from flann 'red, ruddy' plus abhra 'eyebrow' — 'red eyebro▶Gricelda#14020 in the U.S.A Spanish spelling of Griselda, from Germanic gris 'gray' plus hild 'battle' — 'gray battle-mai▶Huxleigh#14077 in the U.S.A respelling of Huxley, an English place name and surname from a personal name (Hucc) plus Old ▶Illyria#14093 in the U.S.Illyria was the classical name for a region along the eastern Adriatic, home to the Illyrian pe▶Jadis#14130 in the U.S.Jadis is the French adverb jadis, 'formerly, long ago, of old'. C. S. Lewis gave the name to th▶Julliette#14238 in the U.S.A double-l spelling of Juliette, the French diminutive of Julie — so, 'little Julia,' from the ▶Zuleica#14322 in the U.S.Zuleica is a Spanish spelling of Zuleika, a name of Persian and Arabic tradition usually glosse▶Laily#14408 in the U.S.Most plausibly a spelling of Laili/Leili, the Persian form of Layla, from Arabic layl, 'night'.▶Langston#14420 in the U.S.From an English place name and surname, usually explained as 'long stone' or 'the tall man's to▶Laurelin#14431 in the U.S.In J.R.R. Tolkien's invented Quenya, Laurelin is one of the Two Trees of Valinor — the golden t▶Layli#14440 in the U.S.The Persian form of Layla, from Arabic layl, 'night'. Layli is the beloved of Majnun in the gre▶Ligia#14461 in the U.S.The Spanish, Portuguese and Romanian form of Lygia, a Greek name usually connected to ligys, 'c▶Madora#14478 in the U.S.Madora is a variant of Medora, a name made famous by Lord Byron's 1814 poem The Corsair, where ▶Candida#14481 in the U.S.Candida is a Latin name meaning 'white; pure; bright' (from candidus). It was borne by early Ch▶Lorien#14487 in the U.S.Lorien is drawn from the writings of J.R.R. Tolkien, where Lothlorien ('dreamflower') is the go▶Porchia#14559 in the U.S.Porchia is a phonetic spelling of Portia, from the Roman family name Porcius (linked to porcus,▶Mireia#14592 in the U.S.A Catalan name from Frederic Mistral's poem Mireio (1859); its heroine's name is linked to the ▶Miriel#14593 in the U.S.A literary invention: Tolkien gave the name Miriel to more than one character, including Miriel▶Malvina#14660 in the U.S.Malvina is a genuine literary invention, coined by the Scottish poet James Macpherson in the ei▶Meg#14712 in the U.S.Meg is a classic short form of Margaret, from the Greek margarites, 'pearl'. Warm and enduring,▶Poe#14736 in the U.S.A surname best known from writer Edgar Allan Poe; the name may trace to 'peacock' (a nickname s▶Nerissa#14738 in the U.S.From Greek Nereis, 'sea-nymph' (a Nereid). Shakespeare gave the name to Portia's clever, warm-h▶Porcha#14760 in the U.S.Porcha is a phonetic respelling of Portia, the Roman family name Porcia (from the gens Porcia, ▶Anitra#14767 in the U.S.A literary coinage: Anitra is the dancing girl in Henrik Ibsen's 1867 play 'Peer Gynt,' set to ▶Ondine#14789 in the U.S.The French form of Undine, from the Latin unda, 'wave' — so 'little wave; water-spirit'. Undine▶Rosalyne#14886 in the U.S.A spelling of Rosaline/Rosalyn, from the Rosalind family. Rosalind's oldest root is Germanic, b▶Ronia#14949 in the U.S.Best known as Ronia, the spirited heroine of Astrid Lindgren's Ronia the Robber's Daughter (Swe▶Deirdra#14957 in the U.S.Deirdra is an Americanized -a ending of Deirdre, the tragic heroine of Irish legend. The name's▶Sheccid#14968 in the U.S.A Mexican given name whose currency comes from the novels of Carlos Cuauhtemoc Sanchez, where S▶Shireen#14972 in the U.S.From Persian shirin, 'sweet; pleasant; charming'. Shirin is the heroine of the classic Persian ▶Sihaya#14976 in the U.S.From Frank Herbert's novel Dune, where sihaya is a Fremen word glossed 'desert spring' and used▶Sylphrena#15012 in the U.S.A literary invention: Sylphrena ('Syl') is a sylph-like spirit in Brandon Sanderson's Stormligh▶Telma#15033 in the U.S.A form of Thelma, a name popularised (and likely coined) by novelist Marie Corelli in her 1887 ▶Venessa#15080 in the U.S.Venessa is a respelling of Vanessa, a name invented by Jonathan Swift around 1713 for his frien▶Narya#15123 in the U.S.In Tolkien's legendarium, Narya is one of the Three Rings of the Elves — the Ring of Fire, worn▶Vannessa#15160 in the U.S.Vannessa is a double-n spelling of Vanessa, a name invented by the writer Jonathan Swift in the▶Haide#15175 in the U.S.Haide reads as a form of Haidee or Heidi. Haidee, used by Byron in his poem Don Juan, is often ▶Wende#15193 in the U.S.Wende is a variant of Wendy, a name popularized by J. M. Barrie for the girl in Peter Pan; Barr▶Aibileen#15304 in the U.S.A modern literary coinage, best known as Aibileen Clark, a central character in Kathryn Stocket▶Aliena#15353 in the U.S.Aliena reads most naturally as a variant of Aliana or Aleena, melodic modern girls' names in th▶Wyndi#15411 in the U.S.Wyndi is a stylized spelling of Wendy, and a near cousin of Windy. Wendy was popularized by J. ▶Arline#15441 in the U.S.Origin uncertain. Arline is best known as the heroine of the 1843 opera 'The Bohemian Girl'; th▶Jessyca#15467 in the U.S.Jessyca is a variant spelling of Jessica, a name Shakespeare popularized in The Merchant of Ven▶Armida#15522 in the U.S.Armida is a literary name coined by the Italian poet Torquato Tasso for the beautiful sorceress▶Azita#15529 in the U.S.A Persian name carried by a figure in the tradition around the Shahnameh, Ferdowsi's great elev▶Tris#15532 in the U.S.Tris is a short form, historically clipped from Beatrice (Latin, 'she who brings happiness') or▶Vannesa#15550 in the U.S.Vannesa is a spelling variant of Vanessa, the name the satirist Jonathan Swift invented for his▶Amarantha#15584 in the U.S.From the Greek amarantos, 'unfading,' by way of the amaranth flower that was said never to wilt▶Nedra#15680 in the U.S.Nedra owes its use to the 1905 best-selling novel Nedra by George Barr McCutcheon. Its origin i▶Catriona#15695 in the U.S.Catriona is the Scottish Gaelic form of Katherine, the classic name traditionally read as 'pure▶Coralyne#15697 in the U.S.Coralyne reads as a spelling of Coraline or Coralie, names tied to 'coral' (the sea gem) and to▶Dierdre#15773 in the U.S.Dierdre is a common misspelling-turned-variant of Deirdre, the Irish name of the tragic heroine▶Mirinda#15782 in the U.S.Mirinda is a spelling variant of Miranda, a name coined by Shakespeare for The Tempest from the▶Wenonah#15794 in the U.S.Wenonah is a variant of Winona, from the Dakota Sioux Wenonah, a traditional name given to a fi▶Christabella#15805 in the U.S.Christabella is an elaboration of Christabel, a literary name blending the element Christ with ▶Eustacia#15820 in the U.S.Eustacia is the feminine of Eustace, from the Greek Eustachys, 'fruitful' or 'rich in grain,' o▶Dorian#15868 in the U.S.From Greek Dorieus, 'of the Dorians' - one of the major ancient Greek peoples, who gave their n▶Elaena#15901 in the U.S.A modern spelling of Elena, itself the Italian, Spanish and Russian form of Helen, from Greek H▶Eneida#15977 in the U.S.Eneida is the Spanish and Portuguese name of Virgil's Latin epic the Aeneid (about the hero Aen▶Irulan#15977 in the U.S.Irulan is a literary name taken from Princess Irulan, a character in Frank Herbert's science-fi▶Gwyndolin#16015 in the U.S.A modern spelling of Gwendolen, from Welsh gwen ('white, fair, blessed') with dolen ('ring, lin▶Hester#16067 in the U.S.A form of Esther, from the Persian for 'star' (linked to the goddess Ishtar); famous as Hester ▶Haidee#16091 in the U.S.Haidee is a literary name coined by Lord Byron for a character in his poem Don Juan, published ▶Zenda#16141 in the U.S.Zenda is best read as a literary place-name from Anthony Hope's 1894 novel The Prisoner of Zend▶Jessika#16288 in the U.S.A respelling of Jessica, which first appears in Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice as the nam▶Lucetta#16661 in the U.S.An Italian diminutive of Lucia (from Latin lux, 'light'), meaning 'little light.' Lucetta is al▶Marianela#16753 in the U.S.A Spanish compound joining Maria - the Latin form of Hebrew Miriam - with Nela, a short form of▶Medora#16775 in the U.S.The name of the heroine of Lord Byron's narrative poem The Corsair, apparently coined or adapte▶Malynda#16798 in the U.S.A modern respelling of Melinda, a name coined in eighteenth-century English literature, usually▶Arminda#16833 in the U.S.Arminda is a vintage name with roots in pastoral literature, appearing in Spanish and Italian p▶Trilby#16835 in the U.S.Trilby is a literary coinage, the name of the artists'-model heroine of George du Maurier's hug▶Kieu#16854 in the U.S.Kieu is a Vietnamese girl's name carrying the sense of grace, beauty, and delicate charm. It is▶Wendie#16884 in the U.S.Wendie is a spelling of Wendy, a name popularized (and effectively coined as a first name) by J▶Genevra#16992 in the U.S.Genevra is a variant of the Italian Ginevra, itself a form of Guinevere, and overlaps in use wi▶Porsha#17015 in the U.S.A modern respelling of Portia, a Latin name (from the Roman clan Porcius) borne by the clever h▶Rhegan#17111 in the U.S.A modern respelling of Regan, from the Irish surname O Riagain, generally linked to ri, 'king' ▶Irasema#17249 in the U.S.Irasema descends from Iracema, the heroine of José de Alencar's 1865 Brazilian novel; the autho▶Sigourney#17285 in the U.S.A rare surname-style name lifted from a minor character in F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gats▶Banessa#17289 in the U.S.Banessa is a B-for-V spelling of Vanessa, a name invented by the writer Jonathan Swift in the e▶Primm#17403 in the U.S.A short name echoing the English 'prim' ('neat; proper') and Primrose ('Prim'), the beloved you▶Hayde#17439 in the U.S.Hayde is generally a trimmed form of Haydee, a name Lord Byron gave a beloved heroine in Don Ju▶Vianne#17476 in the U.S.Vianne reads as a French-styled blend — the Vi- of Vivianne or Viviane joined to Anne — and is ▶Zaphira#17546 in the U.S.A form of Zafira, the Arabic feminine of Zafir, 'victorious; successful'; the spelling also rec▶Yanessa#17548 in the U.S.Yanessa reads as a Y-initial variant of Vanessa, a name invented by Jonathan Swift in the early▶Yvaine#17580 in the U.S.Yvaine is best known as the name of the fallen star in Neil Gaiman's novel Stardust and the fil▶Vinessa#17584 in the U.S.Vinessa is a variant spelling of Vanessa, a name invented in the early eighteenth century by Jo▶Clarinda#17719 in the U.S.Clarinda extends Clara/Clarissa (from Latin clarus, 'bright, clear') with a decorative -inda en▶Sidonie#18090 in the U.S.A French name meaning 'of Sidon,' the ancient Phoenician port; a feminine form of Sidonius. The▶Venetia#18276 in the U.S.Venetia is the Latin name for Venice and its surrounding Veneto region, ultimately from the anc▶Vaness#18295 in the U.S.Vaness is a shortened form of Vanessa, the name the writer Jonathan Swift invented for his frie▶Vanissa#18297 in the U.S.Vanissa is a respelling of Vanessa, a name invented in the early eighteenth century by Jonathan▶Morganna#18303 in the U.S.Morganna is a doubled-n variant of Morgana, the feminine, Latinate form of Morgan used in Arthu▶Glinda#18483 in the U.S.Glinda was coined by author L. Frank Baum as the name of the Good Witch of the South in his Oz ▶Jesseka#18582 in the U.S.Jesseka is a phonetic respelling of Jessica, a name Shakespeare coined for The Merchant of Veni▶Mirranda#19119 in the U.S.Mirranda is a variant spelling of Miranda, coined by Shakespeare for the heroine of The Tempest▶Vennessa#20401 in the U.S.Vennessa is a respelling of Vanessa, one of the few names known to be a literary invention. Jon▶IdgieA short, spirited nickname-name best known from Idgie Threadgoode, the free-spirited heroine of▶MoiraineMoiraine is a fictional name coined by Robert Jordan for Moiraine Damodred, an Aes Sedai in The▶ValinorFrom J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-earth: Valinor is the land of the Valar, the 'Undying Lands' acros▶
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Frequently Asked
What are the best literary girl names?
The most enduring picks are the ones tied to characters readers still argue about — Jane, Ophelia, Sylvia and Rebecca. Each one comes with a strong personality already attached.