Poetic Baby Names

An unusual Arabic name, borne by the British poet and author Imtiaz Dharker.

In literary circles, this name will be immediately recognized as a reference to the poetic stanza; outside such circles, this name may cause confusion for names like Coltrane or Cobain.

Often used in connection with poetry, Imagery has potential as an unusual name. Perhaps you'll get a daydreamer with this one.

Ovid is the English form of the Roman family name Ovidius, which possibly comes from the word for sheep. It is the usual English name for the first-century poet Publius Ovidius Naso.

Randall Jarrell was an important mid-20th century poet; his surname makes a pleasingly soft name for a girl.

The Phillis spelling of this once-popular name lives on thanks to Phillis Wheatley, the first African-American to publish a book of poetry, in the 18th century.

A seventh-century Welsh poet about whom little more than his name is known.

This Indian girl name not only has a gorgeous sound, it has a wonderful meaning as well — poem or poetry.

Sanelma is an invented Finnish name derived from the verb sanella, meaning "to dictate."

Florimel is an English name created by Edward Spencer for his poem, The Faerie Queene.

Caïssa was invented as a goddess of chess by Italian poet Marco Girolamo Vida in 1527. The name is known in the chess community, but not much outside of that.

In Greek mythology, Lykidas was the name of a centaur, however, in its Latin form, it is associated with the 17th century pastoral poem by John Milton who wrote, written in memory of his friend, Edward King. The name combines the name Lykos meaning "wolf" with a patronymic suffix, so it translates to "son of Lykos" or "son of the wolf". It could appeal to those who like a literary or animal reference in a name.

The titular character of a tragic poem by Edgar Allen Poe set in a lonesome October. Ulalume may be representative of death itself, making the name feel gothic and otherwordly. The etymology is uncertain, but Poe may have derived it from the Latin ululare meaning wailing or lumen a light symbolizing sorrow.

While this may seem like a modern spelling, Korinna is actually the Ancient Greek form of Corinna, originating from the word "kore" meaning "maiden". Most notably, Korinna was the name of an ancient Greek lyrical poet from Boetia.