Top Ten Characters That I'd Name My Children After

hosted by The Broke and Bookish

Apparently, all my future children will be girls.

I tried to think of characters I both admire and whose names I adore. Like, I had to leave my beloved Hermione off it, because although I would love to honor my bookish bestie by naming my hypothetical kid after her... you just know the other kids will call her Herman/Hermananoid/Hermononucleosis (Starkid reference!).

1. Alanna of Trebond from the Song of the Lioness series by Tamora Pierce



Alanna is the original kick butt, take-no-prisoners, "I forge my own path" lady warrior. Not only do I love the name Alanna, but I love the lessons that girl teaches: to not be ashamed of who you really are, and never be afraid to go after you really want. Also that knowing how to wield a sword is freaking awesome.

2. Jane Eyre from Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte/ Jane Austen



I adore the name Jane, and Jane Eyre is a supremely worthy heroine. She was so self-reliant in a time when woman were hardly ever self-reliant. Jane's like a honey badger. She don't care that you got a big house and lots of money and you super, duper love her. You're a bigamist, so Jane don't give a shit.

“I am no bird; and no net ensnares me: I am a free human being with an independent will.”

“I care for myself. The more solitary, the more friendless, the more unsustained I am, the more I will respect myself.”

Also, the name Jane would honor my fave author ever, Jane Austen. I also really like the name Charlotte. It's official, I'll be having at least seventeen children, because I like too many names.

3. Elizabeth Bennet from Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen



Fun Gillian fact: My middle name is Elizabeth, named after one Elizabeth Bennet. By far the most appealing of all of Austen's very appealing heroines, she's witty, bright, sociable, and though it's often difficult to get her to change her mind, she always does. Plus she can rock an Empire waist like nobody's business.

4. Cassandra Mortmain from I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith

GET IT GURLL

First of all, I think the name Cassandra is gorgeous, and secondly, Cassandra is the awesomest. If you haven't read I Capture the Castle, you totally should. It's basically about a teenage girl in 1930's Britain who lives in a crumbling castle with her impoverished and eccentric family, deals with the hot local rich boys, and learns how to be even more awesome. READ IT. Cassandra is my spirit animal.

5. Lyra Belacqua from His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman




Lyra is not only one half of the MOST TRAGIC LOVE STORY EVARR, but is one of the favorite heroines of my childhood. Hopefully, if I name my daughter Lyra, she will also have a daemon, because that would be the coolest.


6. Anna Oliphant from Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Obviously, I like the name, but Anna is also one of the funniest, friendliest YA narrators I've ever had the pleasure to meet. If my daughter were named Anna, I would totally call her in a British accent just at random moments: Ah-na.

7. Alina Starkov from Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

I really like those A names, don't I? But Alina is a gorgeous name. Russian, feminine, and full of whatever the Russian equivalent of je ne sais quoi is.

8. Arya Stark from A Song of Fire and Ice by George R.R. Martin



Arya is basically the literary descendant of Alanna. They both do the gender-bending thing; they're both tough girls living in a crappy man's world; they're both smaller than the people around them; and they both have a lot to prove. I love me some Arya Stark something fierce. And yes, I realize Alina Starkov and Arya Stark are pretty darn similar, but sue me.


9. Emma Woodhouse from Emma by Jane Austen

 

A lot of people don't like bossy, controlling, and confident Emma. I mean, there's not a lot to sympathize with in someone who is introduced to us as handsome, clever, and rich, but I always got her. I just figured she was super bored, since there wasn't much to do for rich young ladies in Regency England, and that was why she chose to micro-manage the love lives of the people around her. She basically INVENTED reality TV, you guys. How could you not love her?

10. Alice from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll



The last of the A names is probably my favorite. Everybody loves Alice, that curious little girl who's finding out little by little that the world she's in doesn't make a lick of sense. Also I like her headband. See, I always have good reasons for choosing things.


Bonus 11. Luna Lovegood from Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling



Luna is seriously one of the bravest characters in all of Harry Potter, and that is saying something. She's always exactly the oddball person she is and never pretends she isn't. She's incredibly loyal to Harry and the DA. How can you not love the girl who introduced us to Nargles and the Crumple-Horned Snorkack?

ETA Bonus 12. Sara Crewe from A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett



HOW COULD I HAVE FORGOTTEN SARA??? I actually used to pretend this was my name when I was six. I was that in love with the inventive, resilient, magical Sara Crewe. She could turn an empty table into a feast all through the power of her imagination. Love this girl to pieces.

Honorable Mentions: Ella of Frell from Ella Enchanted, Lily Potter from Harry Potter, Clary from The Mortal Instruments, Tessa from The Infernal Devices, Lucy Pevensie from The Chronicles of Narnia, Peter Pevensie from the same, Harry Potter from duh, Fred Weasley from Harry Potter, Nick from The Great Gatsby, Sam Gamgee from The Lord of the Rings, Felicity Merriman from the American Girl books (nostalgia alert), Briony from Atonement, Finny from A Separate Peace, Teddy (aka Jo's nickname for) Laurie from Little Women, Katniss (Kat) from The Hunger Games, andddd many more.