Names Created by Authors

The kind of potential baby name dads use to tease moms.

A widespread name in Italy and Romania, the lovely Loredana is often claimed to have been invented by French author George Sand for a character in her 1833 novel Mattea. However, it also belonged to a 16th century Italian botanist, Loredana Marcello, known for developing treatments for various ailments. It probably derives from the Venetian surname Loredan, from the place name Loreo "laurel grove".

Invented by Swedish author August Strindberg for a 1909 poem of the same name, this quirky choice is rare even in its native land but would make for an extremely eye-catching choice outside it. It may be based on Vellamo, a Finnish sea goddess.

Author Sarah J. Maas created the name Amren for a High Fae in her acclaimed fantasy romance series A Court of Thorns and Roses. Amren debuted on the US charts in 2023.

A common Basque name first used in French Basque writer Agosti Xaho's 1845 work "The Legend of Aitor."

The Westerosi equivalent of Benjamin -- meaning it's a "Game of Thrones" name, for non-fans -- is most prominently borne in George R.R. Martin's novels by Benjen Stark, younger brother of Eddard Stark and a member of the Night's Watch.

The origins of Lucentio are a bit hazy — it's possible Shakespeare invented the name for his play The Taming of the Shrew, where Lucentio ends up marrying Bianca. However, it may have been an obscure Italian variation of Lucentius, existing before Shakespeare's time.

A knight in the Game of Thrones universe, Arys debuted on the charts for both sexes in 2023.

Invented in 1939 as the name of Marvel Comics character Namor the Sub-Mariner. Bill Everett, the creator, decided on Namor after writing noble, dignified names in reverse—Namor is Roman spelled backwards.

Fantine is a rarely heard French name except as a character in the Victor Hugo novel Les Misérables.

Yennefer is the name of one of the protagists of The Witcher series, first books by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski and then a video game and now a Netflix series. Yennefer is a powerful fighter and sorceress. As a name, we don't think Yennefer is any improvement on millennial mom name Jennifer, but nickname Yen has it all over the dated Jen.

Most of the names George R.R. Martin created for his A Song of Ice and Fire series of books are close variants of existing English names, but this is an exception. Gendry was a minor character in the first few seasons of the show, who became a fan favorite largely on the strength of a meme-worthy photo of his shirtless, muscled torso. He returned to the show for a key plotline in the seventh season.

Clia could be seen as a variation of Clea (probably another invented literary name), or the creation of L. Frank Baum for a mermaid Princess character in one of his Oz books. Offers a similar choice to Cleo vs Clio.

Alerie Hightower is the mother of Margaery Tyrell in the hit book and television series Game of Thrones. Though a minor character, we think this name has potential, fitting in with the modern trends of names starting with A and ending in "ie".

Like a blend of vintage-style Edie and popular Katie, Keedie is either an invented name, a variant of the Scottish surname Keddy, or possibly a short form of Katherine.
In the case of Soprano singer Keedie Babb, her name was a creation of her father's, inspired by his love of pop star, Kiki Dee. As a variation of the Scottish surname, Keedie would ultimately derive from the Gaelic Mac Adaidh, meaning "the son of Adam" or "son of the red earth". As a diminutive of Katherine, Keedie likely draws inspiration from Kitty, Katie, Kadie, or Kiki.

Name of the winning young heroine of Toni Morrison's first novel, The Bluest Eye.

Though it doesn't have historic roots--it was created by L. Frank Baum for a Princess character in his book Ozma of Oz--Evella could fit well into the Eve-Eva-Evelyn group now coming back into favor.

A radiant celestial name given in Hungary, meaning "shining star".

This ancient-looking name is actually a 20th century invention, on the model of Suzanne, Marianne, Yvonne and other similar names. It is the name of a seer in Guy Gavriel Kay’s Fionavar Tapestry trilogy, and notable real-life bearers include musician and food writer Ysanne Spevack, and English actress Ysanne Churchman.