Congratulations, It’s a Bookish Baby!

TTT

Top Ten Tuesday is a feature hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week’s theme is: FREEBIE! I am doing “Book Names I Adore”. I would basically name babies these names (or in some cases, maybe want to, but am not brave enough?), and I want to share!

I have been obsessed with baby names since I read Ann M. Martin’s Ten Kids, No Pets which featured (obviously) ten kids named in alphabetical order by a baby name book. At 10, I made my mom buy me a baby book. The cashier asked her when she was due. She wasn’t happy. She was less happy when I proudly announced it was for me. In retrospect, that WaldenBooks cashier probably went home and cried about the pregnant 10 year old.  Onto the names!


27670521. Rue, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins Sure, when I first heard the name while reading, my mind went straight to the late Rue McClanahan of Golden Girls fame. 939a1910b4805770db938dc6c70e2852

Now, of course, I think of sweet Rue from District 11,  and it would make such a lovely name for a little girl, or even a really cute middle name. Because I mean, look at her! rue-hunger-games


115002172. Penryn, Penryn and the End of Days series by Susan Ee This name is weird, and it is certainly one of those that I’d never have the cuts to actually name a human (but maybe a cat or something?) but I love the flow of it. Susan Ee wrote that Penryn is named after an interstate exit, (which she confirms here) and I quite like that it is Interstate 80, since that road can take me to California. And it should.

i-080_eb_exit_112_02
This picture is from http://www.aaroads.com/. I did not drive to California to snap a shot of this sign. I also would not put it past me.

61480283. Finnick Catching Fire Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins I mentioned before (I think in this post?) that I wanted to name my kid Finnick. And that the fact that he ended up being Sam was not entirely coincidental. Though I have always liked the name Sam, too. Finnick was strong and charming, and basically an all around great guy. (And no one plans on naming their son Peeta.)tumblr_n11mkncp4C1r05bkco4_250


112835524. Lena, Delirium series by Lauren Oliver Um, is it cheating if you actually have named a smallIMG_3317 human this name? Wait, it is my list and I will make the rules. Lena stays! Here is my small human named Lena:


209586325. Jack, The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black Yes, I am sure there are dozens of characters named Jack, but this was my most recent adventure. If Lena hadn’t been a she, she’d have been Jack. It never came to fruition because there were all kinds of unfortunate Jack references I couldn’t get out of my head. Such as this one:tumblr_mfdy2vdgU41rujpd6o1_500


9780544340114_p0_v4_s6006.Vivian, Vivian Apple at the End of the World by Katie Coyle I like the name Vivian, though I do prefer the Vivienne spelling (it’s prettier, just saying).


City_of_Bones7. Simon, The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare I wanted to name a kid Simon for a hot minute. Then not. Though maybe it’s for the best, after all:

Simon: “Pretty soon the only people left without a girlfriend will be me and Wendell the school janitor. And he smells like Windex.”


158446448. Ruby, The Darkest Minds series by Alexandra Bracken It’s such a pretty name, very old Hollywood sounding, and it makes me think of Dorothy’s shoes, which I love.

Photo by Everett Collection / Rex Features ( 435946C )Dorothy's ruby slippers,'THE WIZARD OF OZ' FILM STILLS - 1939
Photo by Everett Collection / Rex Features ( 435946C )Dorothy’s ruby slippers,’THE WIZARD OF OZ’ FILM STILLS – 1939

9. Henry, The Cure for Dreaming by Cat Winters This one came really clos17841138e to the top of my actual, legitimate baby name list. It’s just a quality name. If you couldn’t tell, I kind of love old-timey resurgence names. If you picture him as anything other than this, you’re simply wrong:

"Pennyfarthing-1886" by Not given - http://photos.lapl.org/carlweb/jsp/DoSearch?databaseID=968&index=w&terms=00054206. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pennyfarthing-1886.jpg#mediaviewer/File:Pennyfarthing-1886.jpg
“Pennyfarthing-1886” by Not given – http://photos.lapl.org/carlweb/jsp/DoSearch?databaseID=968&index=w&terms=00054206. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons

1606878010. Ash, The Jewel by Amy Ewing Don’t get me wrong, I do not like Ash as a character. But this isn’t a list of favorite characters, and I like the name. It sounds short, and strong, and no one in my family liked it because they said it sounds like “ass”.5c624dbc5bc6cb70e5e3c670862a9e23


So, what would you name your fictional bookish baby?

Posted January 20, 2015 by Shannon @ It Starts at Midnight in Top Ten Tuesday / 54 Comments

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54 responses to “Congratulations, It’s a Bookish Baby!

  1. Ohhhhh his is so clever! Ugh I was so stu led when choosing my freebie now im smacking myself. I love all of these names too ex let for Henry, don’t knkw why but dont like that one. I think the name Jack will forever paired with Titanic.

  2. Oh my gosh, my poor future children! I love so many literary and bookish names. I love Oscar after Oscar Wilde, and Arthur after King Arthur. I would love to use Emerson as a middle name after Ralph Waldo Emerson, and the ultimate dream is to name my daughter Cleopatra, but I might have to just settle for a cat with that one! When I was younger I was convinced I would name my daughter Deenie after reading Deenie by Judy Blume. My parents are very concerned about me naming my future children and I’m no where near having kids yet! I love the name Penryn from your list.
    Great idea for a post!

    • Ohh I like Oscar! Arthur never quite rolled off the tongue for me. But Oscar I could get on board with for sure. I new a girl named Deenie, it was short for Nadine, which I think is super pretty. Haha I love that your parents are concerned, that is too funny!

  3. I love this post! I laughed out loud so much while reading it. How do you come up with such creative title names?
    I think of Lena from Beautiful Creatures when I think of that name. I do love the name, something about it is just so…pleasing.
    When I saw Ruby on list, I immediately thought of Ruby from Sarah Dessen’s Lock and Key but Ruby from the Darkest Minds is a good inspiration.
    You’re right, the Vivienne spelling of the name is so much prettier.
    Love the quote you had from Simon.
    Last, I agree with the name Ash. Something about it is just so short and succinct.

    • Aww thank you! Honestly? I usually come up with them as I am about to fall asleep! Sometimes I remember the next day… other times not so much 😉 I thought of Lena from Beautiful Creatures too, but I like Lena from Delirium better, plus I read about her first.

  4. Oh my gosh, I love this list, all the little stories are hilarious! I’m a huge fan of Jack, Ash, and Lena(which your daughter is adorable!).

    I’m really big on names, I kind of collect them in a list on my computer for future character names! I think I would totally be the kind of writer that names their kid after their own character therefore I’m going with Cass(for a girl) and I just love the name Jem from Infernal Devices, so that too.

    Seriously, I think you might have won this week for most unique post(not that it’s a competition). 😉

    • I had a list too for future names! I had them typed out in different fonts and stuff hahah. And thanks, I think she’s cute myself 😉 Jem is pretty great, though I do think of the 80s doll Jem 😉 I like Cass too!

      And thank you 😉 Your gif post was pretty unique too!

  5. Oh yes to the name Rue! And I loved Golden Girls so that is even better. 😉 I like Margaret after Margaret Atwood. I love her. But then again, I am not sure my husband would love the name too. Ha.

  6. This post is too cute! 😀
    When the time has come for me to become a father (decades, I’m still a teen), I would love to name them: Rye and Willow, if they’re twins or not. I just love the sound of Rye and the name Willow reminds me of the tree it came from. And they’re the children of Katniss and Peeta, yes. Finnick and Cray came up to the second.

  7. Oh, goodness! Your daughter is too cute! I love the names Rue and Finnick as well. I don’t know if I’d name a child Finnick, but I still like that name. I suppose you could call him Finn, which is kind of cute. Either way, this was a fun post!

  8. I like some of these names! I didn’t even think of Rue McLanaghan when I read that book, but I will now that you’ve mentioned it! I remember seeing Strange Days and noticing that they kept calling Angela Bassett’s character “Macy.” I liked the name as a first name for a girl! I never had children but I thought that would be the name I used–of course, now you see that name a LOT, so it isn’t so unique anymore.

    • Ohh I like the name Macy! I agree though, it got way too popular for my liking- but it actually was on our list for a girl! My husband loved it, but I didn’t like the way it sounded with his last name!

  9. Great idea for this week’s topic! My son is actually named after a character from a book! His name is Seth. I got it from Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr. When I met her and told her I named my son after Seth from her books, she cried and gave me a huge hug. I actually promised Rachel Caine that if I ever had another (boy) I’d name him Shane from her Morganville series. I don’t think I’ll have another though, but I’m sure she’d hold me to it (I’ve known her for years). For a girl’s name, I like Tessa (from the Infernal Devices series). Rue is nice, too.

    Michelle @ Michelle’s Minions

    • Ohh I love the name Seth! VERY nice choice! I LOVE that Rachel would hold you to it- that is just too funny! I adore Tessa, that is a lovely choice. (I confess, sometimes I think I want to have more kids just to name them- and snuggle babies 😉 )

  10. You should have kept driving and come visit me in Cali 😉 But that’s so cool that she’s named for that exit!

    I would totally name my kid Finnick, even though Peeta is my favorite from the series. Although… Finnick… Oh god now I’m having feelings again. THANKS SHANNON.

    • Hahha it wasn’t me!! But, I would really love to come to California. Very much. I was there once, but it wasn’t “real” California, it was like, 30 miles over the Nevada border, just to say I’d been there 😉

      Sorry 🙁 Finnick makes me sad on the regular. Peeta is my favorite too, but his name isn’t great.

  11. I love your top ten! Penryn is weird yet it fits and I can so picture her crazy mom calling her that. I like the name Sam better than Finnick, plus he’d probably be teased later in life. I can imagine lots of Katniss’ in the future. lol I love the name Lena! And she’s a very cute small human. Was she named after Delirium or just a good coincidence? Jack I always think of Pirates of the Caribbean now. haha I had an ex boyfriend named Simon who was British. I like the old classic names too. Nice list!

    I’m terrible at coming up with names, so I don’t really know.

    • Right? Her mom WOULD do that! I like Sam better than Finnick too, it was more of a guilty pleasure situation 😉 And thank you! I like her quite a bit myself 🙂 It was a complete coincidence, she was born before I read the book! Maybe your ex was Evan’s cousin! He’s pretty young though, I think? I mean, I do not know this dude at all. He is blonde, I think? Definitely British.

  12. I love this post! Rue, Vivian, and Ruby are my favorite bookish names from this list, and I could honestly imagine naming a child after any one of these. And although I haven’t read The Jewel, I really like the name Ash. I don’t know why, but Rue especially just seems to roll right off my tongue. I just find it a beautiful title. Aside I love the book names Hermoine from HP and Lillia from Burn for Burn. Thanks for sharing:)

  13. HAHAHAH PREGNANT 10 YEAR OLD SHANNON. Did you name your kids off of that SAME book Shannon? Gah I love the name Rue, I could totally see myself naming my kid that. But for now, I’m dead set on naming my child (girl) Madeline. It’s not from a book or anything, I just like the name. But I want a second child so I’ll figure something out then (like 15 years from now HA). SHANNON NAME YOUR NEXT CHILD VALERIE. Go go go

    • Nope! The book was kind of crappy too, but I LOVED that book. I do still have it, if you were wondering, but that is because I am a borderline hoarder.

      Madeline is VERY pretty! I love. Also, I do love Valerie! My uncle’s ex wife is named Valerie though, so I tried for Mallory. In the end, she was Lena 😉

  14. I admit, I keep a list of names that I like for when I have to name something (like a potential kid or pet) and Finnick is on there and I might have to add Rue too because I think that name is awesome and different. Love this topic!

  15. What a fun and original topic for a tens list! I like the name Rue and that girl who plays her in the movie definitely looks like a Rue. I had to laugh when I read that penryn was named after an interstate, lol, haven’t read the book. I think it’s a weird name, but it would suit a pet. And Finnick is a fun name as well. I have read a few books with a Jack, the one that first comes to mind is a character in Kelley Armstrong her Nadia Stafford series.

  16. What a fun list! Jack used to be the name I would name a little boy if I ever had one (mainly because of my eternal love for Jack Skellington) but after meeting a Jack it’s kind of ruined. The Jack I know is lovely, but I find it hard to dissociate names from people I know with them.

    Penryn is a lovely name, and your Lena is beautiful. 🙂

    • Oh, I had the opposite, I met a Jack that I LOVED and wanted the name even more. The name was more or less ruined by a VERY immature friend who made quite an unsavory reference every time we mentioned it. Hence why Sam is NOT Jack. And thank you so much 🙂

  17. I DID THE SAME TOPIC!! 😀 <3 Well, sort of…pretty much. I'll link it below, in case you want to check it out. 🙂 I've always loved names too…I have several baby name books…all purchased from op shops. We both have Henry on our list. 🙂 All the names on your list are lovely, but not names I'd use just because I like others better, haha. I especially love Finnick, Lena, Jack and Ruby. I actually kind of know a 13 year old called Rue. She's in my brother's year level. No idea where here parents got her name from…she was born in China, and obviously this was before the THG explosion…I'd love to ask them about it. 🙂 Awesome topic this week, Shannon.

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