Names of poets and writers
These names belonged to the people who gave language its sharpest edges and softest corners: Emily, Neruda, Sylvia, Rumi. Choosing one is a quiet bet that a child will grow up to notice the world closely, and maybe say something true about it.
Maya illusion (Sanskrit māyā); famously borne by Maya Angelou, poet and memoirist, who adopted it permanently as a childhood nickname for Marguerite
Langston long stone, from a place name for a tall standing stone; famously borne by Langston Hughes, leading poet of the Harlem Renaissance
Pablo small, humble (form of Paul); famously borne by Pablo Neruda, Nobel laureate Chilean poet
Gabriela God is my strength (feminine of Gabriel); famously borne by Gabriela Mistral, the first Latin American writer to win the Nobel Prize in Literature
Rumi literally 'from Rūm' (Roman Anatolia), the epithet by which the beloved Sufi poet Jalal ad-Din Muhammad is known; now also used as a modern given name in its own right
Hafez guardian, one who has memorized the Quran; Hafez of Shiraz, one of Persian literature's most beloved lyric poets
Emily rival, eager; famously borne by both poet Emily Dickinson and novelist Emily Brontë
Sylvia of the forest, woods; famously borne by Sylvia Plath, the Pulitzer Prize-winning poet
Walt ruler of the army (short form of Walter); famously borne by Walt Whitman, poet of Leaves of Grass
Oscar possibly 'spear of the gods,' or Gaelic 'deer-friend'; famously borne by Oscar Wilde, playwright, poet, and wit
Zora origin debated, often linked to 'dawn'; famously borne by Zora Neale Hurston, novelist and folklorist of the Harlem Renaissance
Toni a short form of Antonia and Anthony, from the Roman name Antonius, of uncertain Etruscan origin; famously borne by novelist and Nobel laureate Toni Morrison, born Chloe Wofford
Jorge farmer, earth-worker; famously borne by Jorge Luis Borges, Argentine writer of labyrinthine short fiction
Isabel God is my oath; famously borne by Isabel Allende, bestselling Chilean-American novelist
Haruki clear, sunny spring (kanji-dependent); famously borne by Haruki Murakami, internationally bestselling novelist
Yukio meaning kanji-dependent, commonly glossed 'snow boy' or 'man of good fortune'; famously borne by Yukio Mishima, novelist and playwright
Wislawa famous glory; Wisława Szymborska, Nobel laureate poet
Virginia maidenly, virginal; famously borne by Virginia Woolf, modernist novelist and essayist
Harper harp player, occupational; famously borne by Harper Lee, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of To Kill a Mockingbird
Flannery meaning debated, often glossed 'red eyebrow' (from Ó Flannabhra); famously borne by Flannery O'Connor, celebrated Southern Gothic writer
Octavia eighth (traditionally for an eighth-born child); famously borne by Octavia Butler, groundbreaking science-fiction writer
Ursula little she-bear; famously borne by Ursula K. Le Guin, celebrated speculative-fiction writer
Federico peaceful ruler; famously borne by Federico García Lorca, Spanish poet and playwright
Derek ruler of the people (form of Theodoric); famously borne by Derek Walcott, Nobel laureate poet from Saint Lucia
Chinua short form of Chinualumogu, 'may God fight on my behalf'; famously borne by Chinua Achebe, author of Things Fall Apart
Wole short form of a longer name meaning roughly 'the brave one comes into the house'; famously borne by Wole Soyinka, Nobel laureate playwright
Naguib noble descent, of noble origin; famously borne by Naguib Mahfouz, Nobel laureate Egyptian novelist
Anton a form of Anthony, from the Roman name Antonius, of uncertain Etruscan origin; famously borne by Anton Chekhov, Russian playwright and short-story master
Leo lion; famously borne by Leo Tolstoy, Russian novelist and author of War and Peace
Fyodor gift of God (Russian form of Theodore); famously borne by Fyodor Dostoevsky, Russian novelist and author of Crime and Punishment
Anna grace, favor; famously borne by Anna Akhmatova, one of Russia's greatest poets
Marina of the sea; famously borne by Marina Tsvetaeva, Russian poet
Rainer counsel army (regin 'counsel' + heri 'army'); famously borne by Rainer Maria Rilke, Austrian-Bohemian poet
Johann God is gracious (German form of John); famously borne by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, towering German poet, playwright, and novelist
Miguel who is like God (form of Michael); famously borne by Miguel de Cervantes, author of Don Quixote
Giovanni God is gracious (form of John); famously borne by Giovanni Boccaccio, author of The Decameron
Khalil friend, companion; famously borne by Khalil Gibran, Lebanese-American poet and author of The Prophet
Nizar meaning linked to scarcity and preciousness ('small quantity'); famously borne by Nizar Qabbani, celebrated Syrian poet
Mahmoud praised, commendable; famously borne by Mahmoud Darwish, the Palestinian national poet
Seamus supplanter (Irish form of James); famously borne by Seamus Heaney, Nobel laureate Irish poet
Rupi beauty; famously borne by Rupi Kaur, contemporary poet known for Milk and Honey
Claudia lame (from the Roman clan name Claudius); famously borne by Claudia Rankine, contemporary poet known for Citizen: An American Lyric
Ocean literal nature word; the name Ocean Vuong's mother gave him, inspired by the Pacific Ocean separating Vietnam and America
Sandra defender of men (short form of Alexandra); famously borne by Sandra Cisneros, author of The House on Mango Street
Julia youthful, downy-haired; famously borne by Julia de Burgos, celebrated Puerto Rican poet
Audre noble strength (respelling of Audrey); famously borne by poet and essayist Audre Lorde, who chose this spelling, liking the symmetry with 'Lorde'
Nikki victory of the people (short form of Nicole); famously borne by Nikki Giovanni, poet of the Black Arts Movement
Charlotte French feminine diminutive of Charles (Germanic karl, 'man'); famously borne by Charlotte Brontë, author of Jane Eyre
Alice noble, truthful; famously borne by Alice Walker, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Color Purple
Maxine greatest (feminine of Max); famously borne by Maxine Hong Kingston, Chinese-American memoirist known for The Woman Warrior
Amy beloved; famously borne by Amy Tan, author of The Joy Luck Club
Zadie origin uncertain, possibly a modern pet form linked to Sadie/Sarah; famously borne by Zadie Smith, British novelist known for White Teeth
Salman safe, secure (from salaam); famously borne by Salman Rushdie, novelist known for Midnight's Children
Arundhati name of a revered star and sage's wife in Hindu tradition, associated with steadfastness; famously borne by Arundhati Roy, author of The God of Small Things
Jhumpa a family pet-name Jhumpa Lahiri uses publicly in place of her formal name Nilanjana; Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Interpreter of Maladies
Which of these fits YOUR family? →