Movie Character Names

Longfellow is the first name of the eponymous hero of the classic 1936 film Mr. Deeds Goes to Town, later remade with Adam Sandler. But it's hard to imagine a modern parent using it except as a middle name to honor the poet.

A rising surname name for girls — it's overwhelmingly feminine, despite the association with Kenny Chesney.

Polexia Aphrodesia was the futuristic sounding name of the Anna Paquin character in the movie "Almost Famous."

Disney turned Maleficent into a name in 1959, when it was used for the "Mistress of All Evil" in the film Sleeping Beauty. Prior to that, maleficent was a word meaning "causing harm," the antonym of beneficent. Its similarities to the familiar name Millicent made it an apt choice for the iconic Disney villain.

Ororo Munroe is the civilian name of African-American comic book heroine Storm, from the X-Men series.

Cookie is most often used as a dog name, and it should stay that way.

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.

Juba, a strong and resonant unisex name, belonged to an ancient African king, is a city and river name, and is traditionally given to Ashanti (of Ghana) girls born on Monday.

Spicy but insubstantial nickname name.

This spelling of Electra makes this vibrant name less electric and more kinetic.

Elphaba was invented by Gregory Maguire for the protagonist of his novel Wicked, which became the long-running Broadway play. Elphaba is the name of the Wicked Witch of the West, unnamed in the Oz books, and is drawn from the initials of Oz creator L. Frank Baum.

Superfans of auteur Wes Anderson may now consider Zissou as a baby name option, ever since Kieran Culkin and Jazz Charton used it for their daughter (birth name Kinsey Sioux). It's a clear homage to Anderson's film The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, chronicling the journey of a Jacques Cousteau-like oceanographer avenging his partner's death-by-jaguar-shark.

Attractive Spanish name heard in the movie Spanglish. Roll that final r. Or say it the French way: Fleur.

Riggan found fame as the first name of the hero of the Oscar-winning film Birdman, played by Michael Keaton. Riggan has the two-syllable n-ending surname feel so trendy for boys' names today. It may be a variation of Reagan or Regan or it may be a play on the word rigging. Whatever its origin, we bet this is one fictional name that will find wider use in real life.

The lead character of the Oscar-nominated 2016 film "Kubo and the Two Strings" lives in Edo-period Japan, but his name is more often heard as a surname in Japan. Still, fans of the animated movie may want to consider it.

This unusual name belonged to a character played by Kirsten Dunst in an early film.

Ethel is one of.those vintage names that will always will be out...or will it? A generation ago we might have said the same for now-fashionable names like Florence and Ida. Even if Ethel rises, Etheline might sound too much like a chemical compound.

The Dutch name is usually spelled Myrthe or Mirthe and pronounced meer-ta. But most English speakers will say it mer-tha and confuse the name with Martha, Bertha, or Myrtle.

Only if it's a family name, and even then, better in the middle.