Have you ever started a story, yet have no clue what to name your character? Have you ever struggled on picking the right name, or maybe you’ve been indecisive between a few? If any of those situations applied to you, you’ve come to the right place!
But instead of writing a blog solely on character names, I’ll also be giving a few tips about how to choose an actual name that fits your character, or perhaps ironic π…
This will definitely have a part 2 and so on, so if this helped you, stay tuned!
ββββ For girls ββββ
- Literature-inspired
- ATHENA
- Origin: ‘From Athens’; Often associated with owls and olive trees
- Role: Daughter of Zeus and the goddess of wisdom and warfare. Roman counterpart Minerva
- Nickname: Thena/Thea
- MOIRA
- Origin: Greek ‘ΞΞΏαΏΟΞ±’, ‘fate’ or ‘destiny’; Irish, variation of Mary, ‘bitter; beloved; drop of sea’
- Role: In Greek mythology, the Moirai (also called the Fates, or the Parcae as its Roman counterpart) determined the destiny of every living being. Also associated with the Irish connection, remembered by older generations as the ballerina from the film The Red Shoes, Moira Shearer
- Nickname: Moiri/Riri
- HERMIONE
- Origin: Greek, the feminine version of Hermes; ‘messenger, earthly’
- Role: In Greek mythology, she is the daughter of Spartan King Menelaus and his wife Helen. This name has also appeared in Shakespeare’s and Walter Scott’s novels, and is also famous from the character Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter series
- Nickname: Mione
- PHOEBE
- Origin: Greek; ‘radiant, shining one’
- Role: In Greek mythology, she is a Titaness associated with the moon, prophecy, and light, Roman counterpart to Latona/Luna (in some contexts). This name has also appeared in Shakespeare’s, Hawthorne’s, and Holden Caulfield’s novels
- Nickname: Pheebs/Bee/Moonie
- THIEA
- Origin: Greek; ‘goddess, godly’; also known as Thea
- Role: In Greek mythology, she is the Titan of sight and shining light, spouse of Hyperion, and mother of Helios, Selene, and Eos (the sun, moon, and dawn)
- Nickname: Thee
- DIANA
- Origin: Derived from the Latin Diviana (from Divus); ‘divine’ or ‘heavenly’
- Role: In Greek mythology, she is the Roman goddess of moon, hunting, wild animals, and purity. Also associated with the tragic British princess, Princess Diana, and appears in various novels like Jane Eyre and Anne of Green Gables. However, it is sometimes ironically used for rebellious or mischievous characters
- Nickname: Dee/Ann/Ann/Anna
- AURORA
- Origin: Latin; ‘dawn’
- Role: In Greek mythology, she is the Roman goddess of dawn, opening the gates of heaven each morning for the sun to rise, with her Greek counterpart being Eos. Also associated with Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) and the name of the Disney princess from Sleeping Beauty
- Nickname: Rora/Rory
- ATHENA
- Nature-inspired
- WILLOW
- Origin: English tree name; ‘willow tree’
- Role: Unisex name (more commonly used for girls), named after the willow tree
- Nickname: Wills
- SAGE
- Origin: Latin Herb name; ‘wise and knowing’
- Role: Unisex name, often associated with wisdom or linked to the herb
- Nickname: Sagey (honestly… I don’t know)
- WREN
- Origin: English; ‘small bird’
- Role: Unisex name. Perceived in Ireland as the ‘magician of the birds’, and often associated with early fables
- Nickname: Wrenny/Wrennie/Little Wren
- DAHLIA
- Origin: Flower name, from Swedish surname; ‘Dahl’s flower’
- Role: Named after the large, layered, often brightly colored blooms, also used in various stories
- Nickname: Dahli/Lia
- CLOVER
- Origin: Flower name, from Old English; ‘key’, or a small green plant associated with luck
- Role: Associated with good luck through the four-leaf clover and national symbol of Ireland
- Nickname: Clov
- WILLOW
- Other
- SIENNA
- Origin: Italian color name; ‘orange red’
- Role: Comes from the iron-rich clay in Italy, brownish yellow when raw and reddish brown when burnt. It also has connections to the historic Tuscan city, spelled Siena
- Nickname: Enna/Sisi
- PENELOPE/PENNY
- Origin: Greek; ‘weaver’
- Role: In Greek mythology, she was the wife of Odysseus in Homer’s Odyssey, with two possible origin stories, either derived from the actual Greek name or penelops, a type of duck. Several British authors have this name, and it’s also the name of one of the characters of Harry Potter, Penelope ‘Penny’ Clearwater
- Nickname: Penny/Nellie/Pen
- CORDELIA
- Origin: Latin, Celtic; ‘heart, daughter of the sea’
- Role: Often used in various stories as a classic, elegant name, slightly tragic yet noble because of its Shakespearean use in King Lear
- Nickname: Cora/Cory/Cordy/Lia
- SIENNA
ββββ For boys ββββ
- Literature-inspired
- THEODORE
- Origin: Greek; ‘gift of God’
- Role: A derivative of the Latin Theodorus, a variation of the Greek name TheodΕros. Used in various novels like Little Women and a popular name throughout history, from president (Theodore Roosevelt) to novelist, and from poet to painter. It is also a widely known name for celebrities
- Nickname: Teddy/Ted/Theo
- COSMO
- Origin: Italian, English, Greek; ‘order, beauty, universe’
- Role: Short form for Cosmopolitan (magazine and cocktail), first introduced to Britain in 18th century. Used by many celebrities and for various novels like Sir Walter Scott’s Waverley
- Nickname: Cos
- LEANDER
- Origin: Greek; ‘lion-man’
- Role: Name related to an animal. In Greek mythology, he is best known for his tragic love story with Hero, where he drowned one stormy night
- Nickname: Lee/Leo/Lean (pronounced ‘Lee-an’)/Lion
- WILLIAM
- Origin: German; ‘resolute perfection’
- Role: Very classic, derived from the German name Wilhelm. Has many namesakes in history, such as William Shakespeare
- Nickname: Will
- THEODORE
- Nature-inspired
- EWAN
- Origin: Scottish form of Gaelic Eoghan; ‘born of the yew tree’
- Role: With connections to various names (such as Owen and Evan), with many other spellings like ‘Ewen’ ‘Eoin’. Name used in My Mortal Enemy by Willa Carther
- Nickname: Wan
- ROBIN
- Origin: Bird name, or a diminutive of Robert; ‘bright fame’
- Role: Unisex name, and has been used for various boy namesakes like Robin Hood.
- Nickname: Rob/Robs
- ORSON
- Origin: Latin and English; ‘bear cub’
- Role: Unusual name. Has various namesakes, such as comic actor Orson Bean, and a literary connection is to Charlotte Bonte’s novel Villette, where the narrator gets called Ourson as one of her many nicknames
- Nickname: Ors
- WOLF
- Origin: Animal name or diminutive of Wolfgang; ‘travelling wolf’
- Role: Unisex name
- Nickname: Wolfie
- EWAN
- Other
- REN
- Origin: Japanese, Latin; ‘water lily, lotus, romantic love, move forward, reborn’
- Role: Unisex name, very popular in Japan and rising in England and United States. Can be a shortened form for many names such as Lawrence or Lorenzo
- Nickname: R/Rennie
- LUAN
- Origin: Portuguese, Albanian, Vietnamese, Irish, French; ‘moon, lion, ethics, warrior, light’
- Role: Unusual name with lots of different origins
- Nickname: L/Lu
- EDEN
- Origin: Hebrew; ‘place of pleasure, delight’
- Role: Unisex name
- Nickname: Ed/Eddie
- NOAH
- Origin: Hebrew; ‘rest, repose’
- Role: Derived from the Hebrew name Noach, with two opposite meanings ‘rest’ ‘motion’. In the Bible, Noah was considered the only ‘decent man’ of his time, known for his famous ark where God chose him to survive the awful flood sent to punish the world. Very popular and commonly used by celebrities, also used (pretty uncommonly) for girls
- Nickname: N/Noh
- JASPER
- Origin: Persian; ‘bringer of treasure’
- Role: An ancient boys’ name, now more commonly used for girls
- Nickname: Jas/Jasper
- KYAN
- Origin: Modern invented name; ‘God is gracious’
- Role: 21st century name, a twist on the standard Ryan
- Nickname: Ky/Kyle
- ZAVIER
- Origin: Arabic, spelling variation of Xavier; ‘new house’
- Role: Occasionally used, removes confusion about whether the ‘X’ is pronounced or not
- Nickname: Zav
- REN
ββββ Tips ββββ
Honestly, there isn’t a specific tip I could give for choosing the ‘right’ name. However, for me, I think that having a ring to it is very important, and it must match my character in some way. whether it ‘sounds’ like my character’s personality, the meaning fits her/his birth season or eye color, or even ironically (explained in the story).
But keep in mind: this is different for everyone. What I, or others think, might not work for you.
For example, for cute, fiery, and sweet characters, I would prefer using short (normally three or four lettered/one or two syllabled) names, such as Bea or Melly. For rebellious characters, I would prefer to look at a name’s meaning or common associations instead; for example, Drusilla (Latin; ‘strong, sour, sorrowful’) could be the name for a typical Disney villain, Melantha (Greek; ‘dark-flower) and Seren (Welsh; ‘star’) could both be names for a mysterious, villainous (maybe rather quiet) girl. Or maybe the alternative could be switched for an ironic, ‘hidden/masked’ villain.
(Note: I don’t mean any offense to these names, of course. If you find it that way, I’m sincerely sorry, but it’s just an example.)
Anyway, that’s it!
Thank you for reading till the end, and I hope you got something useful out of this blog!
Have a nice day/night~
11/3/25 β‘
Sources:
Works Cited
βBaby Names 2025.β nameberry, https://nameberry.com/. Accessed 2 November 2025.
WNG (Publishing) Corporation. Listophile – NOUN: A PERSON WHO LOVES LISTS, https://listophile.com/. Accessed 2 November 2025.
Mythopedia Staff. βTHE WORLD – Encyclopedia OF Mythology.β MYTHOPEDIA, https://mythopedia.com/. Accessed 3 November 2025.
