We love literature. It is one of the few things that stands the test of time. Ancient authors like Socrates are still discussed today because their books have hung around. Books teach us our values, open our minds to the world and allow us to see life from a different perspective. Unsurprisingly, many people who love books want to have literature baby names. To help you on your journey, we have compiled a list of 100 different naming options.
50 Literature Baby Names for Girls
1. Arundhati
This literature baby name comes from the author, Arundhati Roy. In India, it means the goddess of the sky and stars.
2. Clarissa
This name was the heroine of a Virginia Wolf novel.
3. Henrietta
Henrietta was once the name of a book written by Charlotte Lennox. It means ruler in Latin.
4. Louisa
Louisa May Alcott is well-known as the writer of the Little Women books.
5. Rosalind
This is one of the literature names that come from Shakespeare. It as the name of a heroine in As You Like It and means pretty rose.
6. Waverly
This was the name used in the Joy Luck Club, and it has a more modern appeal than many names on this list.
7. Stephanie
This was the name of a heroine and bounty hunter in a series of Janet Evanovich novels.
8. Juliet
Juliet is another name that comes from a Shakespeare play. She was famously one of the lovers in Romeo and Juliet.
9. Gertrude
Gertrude was the name of a character in the Shakespearean play, Hamlet. The name means strength of spear and was once the name of Saint Gertrude the Great.
10. Elizabeth
Elizabeth, or Lizzie, was the name of the heroine in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice.
11. Bella
This name is quite popular recently because of its appearance in the Twilight series.
12. Albertine
This name was the title of a novel by Christian Krohg. It is a variation on Albert and means bright.
13. Beatrice
Beatrice Potter is an other by this name, but it was also the name of the older sister in Beverly Cleary’s book, Beezus and Ramona.
14. Janie
This was the name of a character in Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston.
15. Lyra
This lovely name was a character in His Dark Materials Trilogy.
16. Sylvia
Sylvia Plath was a famous American poet. This name means spirit of the wood.
17. Rue
Rue was one of our favorite characters in the Hunger Games books.
18. Lisbeth
Lisbeth was the name of the main character in the Girl With the Dragon Tattoo books.
19. Emma
This was the name of the main character in Jane Austen’s Emma. In Old Germanic, this name means universal.
20. Cordelia
Cordelia appeared in the Last Lear, and this name means heart.
21. Anne
Anne Frank wrote the Diary of a Young Girl during World War II, and children still read this book in school.
22. Ramona
Ramona is the inquisitive, mischievous character in Ramona the Pest.
23. Jules
This was the name of the famous fiction writer, Jules Verne. Verne famously wrote Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. While it was originally a guys name, we think it would also be a great name for a baby girl.
24. Ellery
This old-fashioned name is well-known as the first name of the mystery writer, Ellery Queen. In English, this name is said to mean island with elder trees.
25. Arya
You may recognize this name from George R. R. Martin’s Game of Thrones series of books and television shows.
26. Harper
Harper Lee was one of the most famous American authors of her generation. This was originally an Old English surname that meant one who plays the harp.
27. Luna
Luna Lovegood was one of the quirkiest, most amusing characters in the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling.
28. Charlotte
Charlotte’s Web was written by E.B. White and remains a childhood classic.
29. Sula
Sula was the lead heroine in a Toni Morrison novel.
30. Kairi
This lovely name comes from Japanese and means sea. It was the name of a female character in a novel based on the Kingdom Hearts video games.
31. Esme
Esme was a character in Twilight, but it also appeared in J.D. Salinger’s For Esme: With Love and Squalor.
32. Brett
Brett could be used for boys or girls. It is the name of a popular character in The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway.
33. Anais
Anais Nin was the writer of the Delta of Venus. This is actually just an exotic variation on the name Anne, and it is said to mean gracious.
34. Edwidge
This is actually a French variation on the German moniker, Hedwig. It means war and appeared in literature because of the well-known writer, Edwidge Danticat.
35. Jhumpa
This unusual name was the name of the India novelist, Jhumpa Lahiri. She wrote The Namesake.
36. Olivia
Countess Olivia showed up in Shakespeare’s play, Twelfth Night. The name means olive tree.
37. Tacy
This adorable baby name appeared in Maud Hart Lovelace’s Betsy-Tacy series.
38. Pamela
This lovely literature baby name was the name of the main character in Samuel Richardson’s book, Pamela. It was also a popular name choice during the pastoral poetry of the 16th century.
39. Katniss
This baby name is more popular in recent years because of the Hunger Games. It was the name of the archer who served as the heroine of the book trilogy.
40. Hazel
Hazel is a beautiful name that was the main character in The Fault in Our Stars. It also happens to be the name chosen by Julia Roberts for one of her daughters.
41. Eloise
This name became popular following the publication of Eloise at the Plaza.
42. Bronte
You will recognize this name from the amazing Bronte sisters. Charlotte, Anne and Emily Bronte were all excellent writers. In Greek, the name means thunder.
43. Arrietty
This unusual sounding name comes from the Mary Norton novel, The Borrowers. The story revolves around a family of tiny people who live within the walls of a normal-sized house.
44. Alice
Alice first became famous after Alice in Wonderland, but it has appeared in other works of literature as well.
45. Austen
Austen was originally the last name of the legendary writer, Jane Austen. We think it would be a hip baby name for a little girl.
46. Daisy
Daisy Buchanan was a character in the Great Gatsby, and the name certainly has a charming, old-fashioned sound to it.
47. Ethel
This was the name of a character in the novel, the Newcomers by William Makepeace Thackeray.
48. Jo
Jo was the nickname for Josephine March. She was a character in the Little Women series.
49. Matilda
Matilda was the main character in Ronald Dahl’s book, Matilda.
50. Savannah
Savannah is a cute name that appeared in Dear John by Nicholas Sparks. It is also a reference to the southern city of Savannah in Georgia.
50 Literature Baby Names for Boys
1. Auden
This adorable baby name was the last name of the 20th century poet, W.H. Auden.
2. David
David Beckham may be a famous football (American soccer) player, but David Copperfield was the famous character in a Charles Dickens novel. Before either of these uses, David was also the protagonist in the Biblical story of David and Goliath.
3. Huckleberry
Huckleberry was the main character in Mark Twain’s novel, the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. He liked this name because it resisted cultivation and was a humble berry.
4. Winnie
Winnie is the name of a character in Tuck Everlasting. This adorable name is said to mean gentle friend or holy peacemaking.
5. Albus
You may recognize this name from Albus Dumbledore. He was the headmaster of Hogwarts in the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling. The name means white.
6. Max
Children will love this name after they have read the Maurice Sendak children’s book, Where the Wild Things Are.
7. George
George was the name of the slower main character and friend of Lennie in the book, Of Mice and Men.
8. Ernest
Ernest was the name of the main character in the Oscar Wilde work, Importance of Being Earnest. It is a variation on a German name that means vigor.
9. Buck
Buck was the name of a dog in the Jack London book, Call of the Wild. Before this was the name, it was actually a slang term for an attractive, fashionable young man.
10. Amory
Armory was a character in This Side of Paradise by Fitzgerald. It is said to mean industrious.
11. Byron
Byron was the surname of the famous poet, Lord Byron.
12. Flannery
Flannery was the first name of the American writer, Flannery O’Connor. This name means red-haired in Irish.
13. Keats
This was the name of a famous English Romantic poet. It actually is said to mean kite.
14. Stuart
Stuart was the name of the main character in Stuart Little by E.B. White. The name actually means steward.
15. Ovid
Ovid was a famous Roman poet. Despite the centuries, he remains widely read in English and literature classes. This would be an unusual, creative name to choose from literary history.
16. Hester
Hester was the name of the main character in the American novel, the Scarlett Letter. While it was originally a girls name, we think it would make for a great boys name as well.
17. Elwyn
Elwyn was actually the first name of the children’s author, E.B. White.
18. Aureliano
We absolutely love the sound of this literature baby name. It was the name of the character of Colonel Aureliano, who appeared in the book, One Hundred Years of Solitude.
19. Ambrose
Ambrose Bierce is known as a journalist, satirist and short story author. In Latin, the name is said to mean immortal one.
20. Barrett
Barrett was the middle name of the Victorian poet, Elizabeth Barrett Browning. We think that it wold be a lovely, poetic name for a little baby boy.
21. Gatsby
After the release of the Great Gatsby film in 2013, names like Gatsby have become increasingly popular among modern parents.
22. Scout
Scout was the name of the spunky character in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird.
23. Huxley
This was the surname of the writer of Brave New World.
24. Dorian
Dorian was the name of a handsome and dissolute gentleman in Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray. While the name sounds pretty and unique, it might not be an auspicious name choice for your child’s future.
25. Caulfield
Caulfield is a name that appeared in Catcher in the Rye.
26. Athos
Athos was one of the Three Musketeers. While it is an unusual name choice for a baby, we think that it has a strong sound to it.
27. Sawyer
Sawyer was one of the most popular characters Mark Twain ever wrote about.
28. Fielding
Fielding was the last name of the English author, Henry Fielding. While the name sounds cool, it actually means someone living or working in a field.
29. Heathcliff
This was the name of the male protagonist and romantic interest in Emily Bronte’s famous novel, Wuthering Heights.
30. Darcy
Darcy was famously the male love interest in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice.
31. Tom
Tom Sawyer was the main character in Mark Twain’s classic book, the Adventures of Tom Sawyer. With a name like this, your son can prepare for a lifetime of exploration and adventures.
32. Noah
We think that this is a strong, lovely name for a little boy. It was the name of a character in Nicholas Sparks’ the Notebook. If you haven’t read the book, there is also a movie out by the same name.
33. Homer
Homer was one of the most famous poets of ancient Greece. He was the one who wrote the Odyssey and the Iliad.
34. Don
In Spanish, Don is a title similar to lord, so it is generally reserved for nobility. In English, you can use it for any child.
35. Benvolio
Romeo may have got the girls, but his cousin Benvolio had the coolest name. This Italian name means ‘well wisher’.
36. Augustus
Augusts was a character in the Ronald Dahl’s book, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. It was also the name of a male character in the John Green book, The Fault in Our Stars. This name is said to mean majestic.
37. Ashley
In Scarlett O’Hara’s Gone With the Wind, Ashley Wiles is a chivalrous love interest.
38. Colin
Colin was the name of a main character in the famous novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Secret Garden.
39. Harry
You will probably recognize this as the name of the main character in the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling.
40. Landon
Landon was the name of a male character in A Walk to Remember by Nicholas Sparks.
41. William
This was the first name of the famous playwright and poet, William Shakespeare. In its original German form, the name means resolute protector. It has also been a popular royal name for centuries.
42. Jude
This was the name of a character in a Thomas Hardy novel called Jude the Obscure.
43. Fitzgerald
F. Scott Fitzgerald was well known as the writer of classic books like The Great Gatsby. Fitzgerald can also be turned into shorter, hipper nicknames like Fitz.
44. Charlie
Charlie was famously the main character in the book and movie, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
45. Atticus
Atticus was the strong, moral character in the Harper Lee book, To Kill a Mockingbird. The name is actually Greek in origin.
46. Alcott
Alcott is the last name of the Little Women writer, Louisa May Alcott, and it certainly is a more masculine way to pay tribute to her than the name Louisa.
47. Beckett
While he may have written other things in his life, Samuel Beckett was best known for his play, Waiting for Godot.
48. Edward
Edward was the name of a character in the Twilight Saga, which may be why this name has grown in popularity recently.
49. Henry
Henry is the name of the main character in the Red Badge of Courage. His character was the one who started to questions his courage, life and meaning of it all during the Civil War.
50. Rhett
This is a popular name that comes from the book, Gone With the Wind, which was written by Margaret Mitchell. In Welsh, this old name means advice.
