Shakespeare Names

Lace-hankie name with Shakespearean pedigree.

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.

While the spelling Stefano is more common, Stephano makes a great choice for parents looking to give Stephen/Steven a more romantic feel. Although only given to 8 boys in the US in 2014, Stephano could be a great choice for parents looking for a name with the same flavor as Rafael, Matteo or Emilio. It appears as a character name in Shakespeare's The Tempest.

Stick with the original.

Hortensio was derived from the Ancient Roman cognomen Hortensius, as were the more familiar names Hortensia and Hortense.

Ancient Italian form of Vincent, used by Shakespeare in both The Taming of the Shrew and Measure for Measure.

This Shakespearean name is even more out of step than its male counterpart, but it may possibly be so far out it could make its way back in.

Shakespeare invented the names Salerio, Solanio, and Salarino for his play The Merchant of Venice. The names are puns on salario, the Italian word for "salary," as each character shows great concern with money.

Either an alternative spelling of Jacques (ZHAK), the French form of Jack, or a Shakespearean character from As You Like It, pronounced JAY-kwiss.

Shakespeare used Volumnia as the name of Coriolanus' mother in his tragedy Coriolanus.

Used by Shakespeare in his play Timon of Athens, Phrynia is a Shakespearean that hasn't caught on as Ophelia, Jessica, or Imogen have — possibly because of its unusual sounds, its toady meaning, and the fact Timon of Athens is less well known than the likes of Hamlet. Nevertheless, it is a distinctive name with an animal meaning, originally derived from the Ancient Greek Phryne, which translates more literally to "the brown animal". It likely originated as a nickname for someone with a "snub nose" — reminiscent of a toad — and was borne by a Greek hetaira (or courtesan). It has also been used as the name of a crater on one of Uranus's moons, Titania.