Names from Children's Books

  1. Bedelia
    • Origin:

      Irish
    • Meaning:

      "strength or exalted one"
    • Description:

      This fanciful Irish extension of Bridget is known here through the wacky Amelia Bedelia books for kids -- an association your child may or may not like.
  2. Pollyanna
    • Origin:

      Combination of Polly and Anna
    • Description:

      Has become a byword in English for an overly optimistic person, thanks to the eponymous children's book heroine.
  3. Abdul
    • Origin:

      Arabic
    • Meaning:

      "servant of Allah"
    • Description:

      Widespread choice in the Muslim world, this was the name of both the father of the Prophet Mohammed and one of his sons.
  4. Stellaluna
    • Origin:

      Latin
    • Meaning:

      "Star and moon"
    • Description:

      Stella and Luna are stylish night sky name for girls, from the Latin words for star and moon.
  5. Rowley
    • Origin:

      English
    • Meaning:

      "rough clearing"
    • Description:

      Rough-and-tumble surname with some degree of charm.
  6. Digory
    • Origin:

      English
    • Meaning:

      "lost one"
    • Description:

      Digory is the name of a character in a romantic poem from the Middle Ages as well as from The Chronicles of Narnia, also known as The Professor. There's a Harry Potter character named Diggory.
  7. Pete
    • Origin:

      Diminutive of Peter
    • Meaning:

      "rock"
    • Description:

      Sixties-style short form that sounds cool again -- though the unscrupulous Pete on "Mad Men" is not a character to emulate.
  8. Babar
    • Origin:

      Urdu
    • Meaning:

      "tiger"
    • Description:

      It's most commonly associated with the French elephant, but Babar ironically means "tiger."
  9. Rosmerta
    • Origin:

      Roman
    • Meaning:

      "the great provider"
    • Description:

      Rosmerta is a Gallo-Roman goddess of fertility, abundance, and prosperity, often depicted holding a cornucopia. In the Harry Potter books, Madame Rosmerta is the landlady of the Three Broomsticks pub in the wizarding village of Hogsmeade.
  10. Katy
    • Origin:

      Short form of Katherine
    • Meaning:

      "pure"
    • Description:

      Katy, or more popularly Katie, stood fashionably on their own two feet for several years there, during the Katelyn boom. But now both Katy and Katie are fading in favor of grownup Kate or buttoned-up Katherine.
  11. Narnia
    • Origin:

      Literary place-name
    • Description:

      This Latin-sounding place-name, created by C. S. Lewis for his Chronicles, will undoubtedly be adopted by a few admiring parents.
  12. Tigger
    • Origin:

      Literary animal name
    • Description:

      Tigger is the bouncing not-a-tiger from Winnie the Pooh, a symbol of buoyancy and resilience. As Tigger says in the books, he's "the only one", and it should probably stay that way when it comes to people names, though Tigger would certainly make a cute name for a cat.
  13. Keedie
    • Origin:

      Invented name, Scottish surname, diminutive of Katherine
    • Meaning:

      "of the red earth; pure"
    • Description:

      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.
  14. Caddie
    • Origin:

      Diminutive of Caroline, French
    • Meaning:

      "free man"
    • Description:

      Trapped somewhere in the nether region between Haddie and Catie, with the added confusion of sounding like someone who works on a golf course. Caddie Woodlawn was a TV heroine of the Old West in the 1980s. Caddie had its moment, but we don't see it becoming one of the more popular girl names starting with C.
  15. Kajsa
    • Horton
      • Origin:

        English
      • Meaning:

        "gray settlement"
      • Description:

        Sweet and southern-feeling, maybe thanks to Horton Foote, author of Tender Mercies and The Trip to Bountiful, not to mention the Dr. Seuss connection.
    • Petrova
      • Sal
        • Keladry
          • Origin:

            Literary invented name
          • Description:

            A name created by author Tamora Pierce for a character in her Protector of the Small series, a quartet of young adult fantasy novels. In the novels, Keladry is the first girl in centuries to seek a knighthood and the novels follow her journey towards this goal.
        • Tacy
          • Origin:

            American invented name
          • Description:

            Looks very much like it lost its first initial.