Category: childrens’ book character names
Literature has been a source of inspiration for many parents over the years. Thousands of babies have been named after favorite characters, authors, and literary places. This has led to many well-named, book-loving children running around. Chances are that these children will eventually read the book their name was inspired by: for those whose names were inspired by children’s books, that day will come even sooner.
There are hundreds of well-named characters in children’s literature, and many books that have been loved for generations have proper names right in the title. Here are some prime examples.
One prevalent thread in children’s literature is main characters with short, sweet, nicknames ending in the -ie sound. Examples include Elsie (from Elsie Dinsmore), Pippi (from Pippi Longstocking), Winnie (from Winnie the Pooh, of course), Harry (from the Harry Potter series), and Charlie (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory). These names would easily fit right in with currently popular names. Other names in this vein include Betsy (from Betsy–Tacy), Caddie (from Caddie Woodlawn), Julie (from Julie of the Wolves), Nancy (from Fancy Nancy and the Nancy Drew mysteries), and Lilly (Lilly‘s Purple Plastic Purse).
On the other hand, longer names are found in children’s books as well. Everyone knows of Pollyanna, Stellaluna (which was used as Stella Luna by actress Ellen Pompeo), Matilda, and Angelina Ballerina. Similar long names include Coraline (from the book of the same singular name), Esperanza (from Esperanza Rising), and Ramona (from the Ramona books by Beverly Cleary). The boys’ side brings long monikers like Alexander (from Alexander and the Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day), Ferdinand (from The Story of Ferdinand), and Sylvester (from Sylvester and the Magic Pebble).
Children’s literature also brings a bevy of traditional names. Many classic children’s books were written long ago, so this would be expected, but more recent books utilize traditional names as well. Names for girls in this category include Alice (from Alice‘s Adventures in Wonderland), Amelia (from Amelia Bedelia), Charlotte (from Charlotte‘s Web), and Madeline. These names are timeless and will always fit in. Other girl names in this category include Catherine (from Catherine, Called Birdy), Ella (from Ella Enchanted), Olivia (from the Olivia series), Rebecca (from Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm), and Sarah (from Sarah, Plain and Tall). These names are always sure to be pronounced and spelled properly!
Classic names on the boys’ side are all very handsome choices: Edward (from The Miraculous Journey of Edward Toulane), George (from Curious George), James (from James and the Giant Peach), and Peter (from Peter Pan). Any boy would be lucky to receive such a strong name.
Many names from children’s lit are due for a revival. These may not be currently super popular, but they still have rich histories and are wonderful names. Examples for girls are Anne (from Anne of Green Gables), Eloise, Harriet (from Harriet the Spy), Heidi, and Martha (from George and Martha). Girls with these names would have a beautiful and solid first name, and yet would would likely be the only one in their class.
There are a similar number of boy names in this category, possibly still considered fusty and old-fashioned by some, but the right little boy could make them oh-so-handsome. Amos (from A Sick Day for Amos McGee), Hugo (from The Invention of Hugo Cabret), Ivan (from The One and Only Ivan), and Lyle (from Lyle, Lyle Crocodile) would all fit in easily with trendy names. Names in this category that are due for a dusting-off include Clifford (from Clifford the Big Red Dog), Harold (from Harold and the Purple Crayon), Richard (from the Richard Scarry books), and Stuart (from Stuart Little).
Finally, we have names that are more trendy and modern. Our parents or grandparents likely wouldn’t have used these names, but the current “anything goes” mantra of the baby-naming world right now makes them usable. These include Bentley (from Snowflake Bentley), Caspian (from Prince Caspian), and Shiloh (from the Shiloh trilogy). One can also look to last names of characters; if Tom and Huckleberry aren’t your style, Sawyer and Finn might be.
Beatrix Potter was an early conservationist, and her stories of Peter Rabbit and friends reflect her great love of the British countryside and nature. Her animal characters (with the exception of the American animals appearing in The Tale of Timmy Tiptoes) were drawn from life, revealing Beatrix Potter‘s eye for realism as well as whimsy.
Apparent in her stories is a Victorian delicacy of understatement and wit in describing unavoidable unpleasantries, such as death: “Your father had an accident there; he was put in a pie by Mrs. McGregor.” In addition, the Victorian expectation of children to master vocabulary can be found in Beatrix Potter‘s use of the occasional “soporific” and “improvident” sprinkled among the more childish bobbitties and scrumplies in her books.
While many of Beatrix Potter‘s anthropomorphic characters bear whimsical names, such as the beloved hedgehog laundress known as Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle, there nevertheless can also be found a number of baby-worthy names among her characters. These names will mainly appeal to those with classic naming tastes, representing names (and nicknames) that also appealed to the people of the British Isles living in the Victorian and Edwardian eras: