Names Created by Authors

An invention of the eighteenth-century romantic poet James Macpherson, in his epic cycle about Ossian, a legendary Celtic hero. In Poland, where it was popular at the start of the 20th century, the spelling is Malwina, and it's also had some use in other Eastern European countries.

Crusoe, as in castaway hero Robinson, is a literary invention by author Daniel Defoe. The character says his name is an Anglicization of the German Kreutznaer, which may be a place name or mean a crossing of the river Nahe. Short form Cru was given to nearly 50 boys in a recent year.

Samuel Beckett, inspired by the French surname Godeau, created the name Godot for his play, Waiting for Godot.

Americans tend to pronounce Godot with the emphasis on the second syllable, but Beckett has said this is incorrect. The correct pronunciation is GOD-oh, with the first syllable stressed.

The name of the wise and beautiful elfin princess in J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings novels, best known through Cate Blanchett's immortal representation in the film series. This ethereal name has a gorgeous meaning and a lot of weight.

One familiar name never used for real people, for obvious reasons. Read more about Cinderella and other Disney Princess Names in our featured blog.

Capitola owes its position on the US Top 1000 to the 1859 novel The Hidden Hand, also known as Capitola the Madcap. It was written by E. D. E. N. Southworth — the initials stand for Eliza Dorothy Emma Nevitte — and serialized first in the 1860s, then in 1883, and was published as a book in 1888.

Rhaegar Targaryen is one of the most glamorous, noble characters in George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series... even though he's been dead over a decade when the books begin. The reader first learns about him through Robert and Ned, both enemies, who paint a distorted picture of this striking man.

This delicate and pretty member of the prolific Lily family is best known as the name of the heroine of Alexander Chee's novel Queen of the Night, Lilliet Berne. A combination of Lillian and Juliet, Lilliet and its near-twin Liliet were given to no baby girls in the US in recent years, but do have some history of use. If you can't decide between Lily and Juliet, this is obviously the name for you.

A character name in George R. R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire series, a dragonrider played by Emma D'Arcy in the GOT prequel House of the Dragon.

Created by English poet Alexander Pope for a melancholy sprite in the 1712 poem The Rape of the Lock. He likely took the Latin word umbra "shadow". A moon of Uranus is named after the character.

A combination-type name invented by L. Frank Baum for a Princess character who first appears in his book Ozma of Oz.

Cersei Lannister is one of the most villainous -- and, in a certain light, glamorous -- characters in HBO's Game of Thrones, played by beautiful actress Lena Headey.Though we can't say for sure how author George R.R. Martin came up with the character's name, it is a near-homophone with Circe, a seductive witch in Greek mythology.

Tied to the hero of the classic Spanish novel Don Quixote, likely to produce a quixotic daydreamer.

Cormoran first popped up as the name of a Cornish giant in the 18th century fairy tale Jack the Giant Killer, which drew on ancient British folklore. Today, though, it is more familiar as the name of the protagonist of J.K. Rowling's detective novel The Cuckoo's Calling, published under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith. Its proximity to Cormorant, a family of seagoing birds, gives it extra appeal to nature lovers.

The Estonian writer Mats Tõnisson created Milvi as a nickname for Miranda. It's also connected to the Estonian word miilama, meaning "glow" or "burn slowly".

A character name in George R. R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire series, featured in the GOT prequel House of the Dragon. A modern spin on Bella, so you might consider the meaning to be beauty or beautiful.

Created by the Polish playwright Juliusz Słowacki in 1833 for his eponymous romantic hero, Kordian has been in rare use in Poland since. Słowacki based the name on the Latin cor or cordis, meaning "heart", making this an excellent rare choice for a baby born around Valentine's Day.

Glinda is famous as the name of the Good Witch in The Wizard of Oz, invented by author L. Frank Baum. but has there ever been a real life, non-fictional Glinda? Not in the US last year.

Sounds like a variant of Heidi or Hailey, but Haidee is actually a separate name with a literary history, used in Byron's epic poem Don Juan.

This attractive name was created by JRR Tolkien for his The Lord Of The Rings trilogy. It was given to Aragorn by Galadriel and later adopted by him as King of Gondor.