English: A multi-volume Latin dictionary (Egidio Forcellini: Totius Latinitatis Lexicon, 1858–87) in a table in the main reading room of the University Library of Graz. Picture taken and uploaded on 15 Dec 2005 by Dr. Marcus Gossler. Español: Diccionario de latín (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Want to celebrate your love of books with a baby name?
You can name your baby after a famous literary character – think Emma or Valancy. Or use an author’s surname – Hawthorne or Thoreau or Austen or Ellison. Some work as given names, while others seem better left to the middle spot.
But there’s another option, one that more and more parents are considering in recent years. Name your child after a literary genre, a type of narrative, or a related term.
If you’re a creative book-lover and a daring babynamer, too, here are some literally literary baby names to consider.
Canon – Okay, my first thought when I hear this one is gore and war. But there’s another way to look at this name – the Western canon, all of the most important works written.
Canto – It is an Italian word for song, and also a the division of an epic poem – roughly equivalent to a chapter in a book.
Fable – Blogger Girls Gone Child put this one on the map, a rhyme for the retro Mabel, and an interesting choice for a child.
Legend – This one is a lot to live up to, don’t you think? We all hope our children will achieve extraordinary things, but opting to ink Legend on the birth certificate is extreme. Some parents are confident, though – there were thirteen girls named Legend in 2011, and 215 boys. He’s currently the 924th most popular choice for boys in the US.
Lyric – We think of Lyric as musical – it is derived from the Greek word for the lyre – but it is also a type of poetry. Lyric is one of the easier to wear names on this list, currently ranked #325 for girls in the US. Perhaps because it isn’t often-used in everyday speech, we have an easier time accepting Lyric as a name.
Madrigal – Like Lyric, this one is sometimes musical and sometimes poetic. With nicknames Maddie and Maggie built in, she’s easier to wear than you might think.
Novella – A novel is an original work of fiction; a novella is a shorter version of the same, both derived from the Latin novus – new. Novella’s -ella ending makes it a possibility for a daughter. It could also be understood as an elaboration of Nova.
Poem – If Fable is an option, why not Poem?
Poet – In an era of occupational surnames, Poet isn’t as outlandish as it first sounds. Soleil Moon Frye has a daughter called Poet Rose Sienna, and six girls were given the name in 2011.
Poetry – I almost dropped Poetry from the list, but five girls received the name in 2011. It takes Poet and turns her into a three-syllable, ends-in-y possibility.
Quintain – A quintain is any poem with five lines, including limericks. Quintain makes for an interesting way to get to Quinn, an alternative to Quinlan or Quinton.
Sonnet – Forest Whitaker has kids named Ocean, Autumn, True, and Sonnet. While Sonnet remains rare in actual use, it feels like Lyric – easier to wear than many on this list.
Story – A gender neutral possibility, 78 girls received the name in 2011. Jenna Elfman used it for a boy in 2007. Minnie Driver used Story for her son Henry’s middle name. Story rhymes with Cory and Tori – and so seems more approachable than some on this list.
What do you think of this group of noun names? Are there any that you would consider? Do you think they’re better in the middle spot, or work as first names?
Three I love but I’m not sure are actually usable: Elegy, Verse, and Stanza
One that is totally usable: Kenning
Novella would make such a lovely middle name! Especially for a girl with a single-syllable first.
I think Sestina (its a type of poem) would be a great name and you could use Sestie or Tina as a nickname
I have a Story from 2007. I had never heard it used as a name, then while everyone was out of the room watching her be cleaned up I opened US Weekly and found out Jenna Elfman had just named her son that. I was worried because I went with what I thought was the more feminine sounding Britain for my older daughter (over the more masculine Paris or London) and had already figured out I had missed the boat with that one! There are three other Britains (Britten/Britton) in her class, all boys. I still think Story works better for a girl! My youngest is Keeper. I’ve never seen that one on a list. 🙂
Here’s a case for a literal literary name if I’ve ever heard one! http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/10/19/bookish-baby-boy-born-in-la-area-barnes–noble/3042701/
I like Canon, but for the photography link. Love Fable and Poet! What about Page for a boy? I am so in love with it right now. Zakk Wylde just used it for his son’s middle. I like it more for the Tarot link, but it works for literary too. Oh, would Quill fit too?
Our second daughter became Fable… it took three years, a lot of tears, and a near fatal surgery to conceive her. She arrived the day before my own birthday en route to the hospital… earning her status as a car baby and a child who will have many stories to tell:) The inlaws openly hated the name which broke our hearts… as it just seems to fit her so perfectly. Most people need to “absorb” the name for awhile before they end up really loving it. We just felt she needed a name that had meaning to us, rather than just a popular label. Hope to hear of more Fables out there in the world:)
My son’s name is Fable. A lot of weird looks when you initially tell people. A lot of people didn’t like it at first. But it suits him so well now!!
Somebody wrote in to my blog last year wondering if she could use the word Ginko as a girl’s name – it’s the Japanese word for a meditative walk taken for the purpose of finding inspiration to write a haiku.
She never got back, so I don’t know if she ever used it, or even if she had a girl or not, but I think this would count as a literary vocabulary name.
My favorite is Poème. I’ve thought it would be fun to have girls Astoria and Odelia (Story and Ode)!
I know a young woman named Passage, which could also be added to a literary list.
That’s a fascinating name. Wonder how it came to be? And yes, I think Passage fits on this list.
How funny – I was just thinking the other day about Sonnet as a possible name for some reason. Weird because “noun names” generally don’t appeal to me, but I do see how that one could become popular, especially as Juliet and Violet become increasingly popular.
I really dislike the sound of Fable, but then I don’t like Faye or Mabel, either. 😉 I think Lyric has become a popular choice among musicians or DJs having kids – the same demographic naming their kids things like Jagger and Hendrix.
I guess Limerick wouldn’t really work, eh?
I think Limerick is pretty cool, actually. Also, it works as a place name and it has the nickname Rick or Ricky.
Limerick might work … though I tend to think of the off-color ones first …
I’ve seen Rhymes (Rimes) in Genealogy records. While it’s usually a surname, it has promise as a given name.
While it’s not common in the US, there’s the Scandinavian name Saga, literally “fairy tale”. Saga is also a goddess of history and poetry in Norse Mythology.
Epic should fit in with Saga and Legend, especially with it’s similarities to Eric and Lyric. A part of me really likes it… but I realize that now days it would be on par with naming your child Awesome or Sweet. Maybe for a goldfish?
Funny, I had Epic on the first draft and struck it for pretty much those reasons. Definitely for a goldfish. For a kid? Well, Legend is catching on … and you couldn’t name Legend’s brother, Fred, right?
Saga should be on this list!
I’m surprised you didn’t include Selah- the Hebrew term for an artistic pause during a psalm to stop and deeply ponder the meaning of the words just sung.
Great addition! That wasn’t on my radar at all, but now that you mention it, it works.
Poet has been a favorite of mine, and Fable is growing on me. I think Paige could have been added to this list too. Author Ridley Pearson has two daughters named Paige and Storey.
Paige never crossed my mind, but I think you’re right – she fits.
Speaking as a novelist who gave her child a “literary” name, I balk at the idea of using something generic like “fable” or “poem”. I think most people who love reading and books are more likely to pick something from a particularly beloved poem or fable. And “novella” just sounds like an award category to me. It’s like naming your kid “documentary.”
Then again, write a beautiful story with a character named Story and maybe I’ll consider it (Lady in the Water DOES NOT COUNT!)
Maybe it’s because I’m not that well versed in music, or maybe it’s because I actually knew a girl named Lyric, but that works for me. Madrigal, too. (Madrigal actually is a character’s name in the excellent Daughter of Smoke and Bone series by Laini Taylor).
Eek! Love this.
Names with literary leanings are a very soft spot for me. And while I am more of a character or author namer some of these are really lovely… I especially like Madrigal, Sonnet, and Fable. Legend is also intriguing. Sonnet is my most likely to use option though. It’s one of my favorite poetic forms, though I’m also quite fond of the Villanelle, which also might make for a lovely name.
When I first saw this post though my mind went straight for Tome (there’s also a Hebrew name Tomer). I quite like it, and it’s possibly my favorite literally literary option for a boy. Then to go with Poem, Poet, and Poetry, there’s Poesie. And I’ve often wondered if Märchen could work as a name, usually coming to the conclusion that it sounds like a weird way of saying Martin.
Great post!
I love Fable and Story a lot. If I were to use one it would be Fable on a girl. Sonnet has been on our list for a middle name for a very long time because I am a huge Shakespeare buff, and my husband proposed with sonnet 18 and we had sonnet 116 read at our wedding. I like the idea of Novella, but I dont know if I would ever use it, it sounds pretty but somehow doesn’t have the whimsy that Fable and Story do.
Story, Fable, Novella & Madrigal are all interesting options.
I love Story and Fable! If we were going to actually use one it would have to be Story, though, because we have two girls with S names already.
I’m intrigued by Novella. It has a pretty sound. My high school choir group was called the Madrigals, so it has a connection for me but I don’t think it quite works as a name. Maybe a middle?
If Lyric and Madrigal are allowed, can I slide in with Psalm? I’ve considered it as a middlename. Husband isn’t impressed with it though, I’m religious but he’s agnostic. I wouldn’t push him on it but it’s at least a guilty pleasure for me.
I like Fable a lot. Sounding so close to Faye and Mabel makes it sound like a first name.
Sonnet and Story are the only other two I like. They’d be easier to wear as middle names though.