Literary Namesake Names

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November is National Novel Writing Month, and seeing as the month is coming to close, it's only fitting that we take a look at literary namesake names today. There are so many wonderful authors that you could look to for naming inspiration. I've only coved a few in this post--mostly writers with distinctive names or ones who are heavily associated with their names. Which ones would you add?

Agatha--Agatha Christie
Alcott--Louisa May Alcott
Anais--Anais Nin
Angelou--Maya Angelou
Astrid--Astrid Lindgren
Austen--Jane Austen
Beatrix--Beatrix Potter
Bronte--the Bronte sisters
Carroll--Lewis Carroll
Eliot--T.S. Eliot
Ernest--Ernest Hemingway
Fitzgerald--F. Scott Fitzgerald
Flannery--Flannery O'Connor
Franz--Franz Kafka
Gertrude--Gertrude Stein
Hawthorne--Nathaniel Hawthorne
Joan--Joan Didion
Jules--Jules Verne
Oscar--Oscar Wilde
Roald--Roald Dahl
Salinger--J.D. Salinger
Sylvia--Sylvia Plath
Tennessee--Tennessee Williams
Truman--Truman Capote
Wharton--Edith Wharton
Wilder--Laura Ingalls Wilder
Woolf--Virginia Woolf
Zora--Zora Neale Hurston

Explorer Names

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Hey guys, happy Columbus Day! I don't get this day off of school anymore (in Chicago we get Pulaski Day off instead). I thought it would be perfect to honor the holiday by talking about names for your little explorer. So, enjoy, and tell me what you think.

Expected:
Destiny- A little out of style (there are a lot of Destinys my age), but not a bad virtuous pick.
Journey- Wouldn't she make a cool middle name for a girl? I would like to see that.

Unique:
Asra- I've talked about Azra before, but I think I like this spelling even more. He's an interesting and quirky choice, but not too out-there.
Beatrix- Her roots suggest that she could mean "traveler," which is perfect for your explorer of a daughter.
Doran- Doran means "wanderer" in Gaelic, and is a great choice for a boy or a girl.

Unheard of:
Ferdinand- Double points for Ferdinand, he means "brave journey" and is the first name of esteemed explorer Magellan.
Peregrine- A little long and grand for a boy, I'm not sure if he's useable. Maybe if he was called Perry?
Saira- Gorgeous alternative to Sarah.

10 B Names You Never Thought of Using: Girls

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Time for the latest installment of this Wednesday series. Today we are looking at B names for girls. The most popular ones are Brooklyn, Bella, Bailey, and Brianna, which I consider overused. There are so many great options out there, so lets take a look.

Beah- She sounds like Leah with a B, and makes a great nickname for Beatrice or Beatrix.

Bergen- Many consider this a boy name, but the Bergen I know is a girl, and she wears it well.

Beryl- I fell in love with Beryl after reading A Taxonomy of Barnacles (I know it doesn't sound like it, but it's a novel). Slightly old-fashioned, but full of charm.

Bijou- One of the best water related names, along with Bay.

Bird- Super fun. Use it as the first name and call her Birdie, or stick it in the middle to make a more popular name spunky.

Blanca- She would make a great sister to Sofia.

Boheme- Girls Gone Child's Rebecca Woolf gave this name to one of her twins. She goes by Bo, which is super cute on a girl.

Bonita- Bonita means pretty in Spanish. She's a great choice if you want a girly name with a tomboyish nickname.

Britta- Bridget feels slightly dated, but Britta would be perfect for a baby.

Bronte- A gorgeous literary name, she would sound wonderful as a first or middle.

Ends with "X"

The latest trendy ending is "X." What's not to love? "X" is a cool letter, and gives off a tough girl/guy vibe. If you love the "X" ending, but want something beyond Max, here are some great names to look at.

Girls:

Expected:
Beatrix- If you want something wilder than Beatrice, or the nickname Trixie.
Margaux- The French spelling of Margot.

Unique:
Bellatrix- The associations with Harry Potter are strong, but she's a nice name.
Bex- Best left as a nickname for Rebecca.

Unheard of:
Leatrix- If Beatrix is too tame for you, try Leatrix.
Lux- Perfect for the middle spot, Lux means light.


Boys:

Expected:
Felix- A lovely name meaning happy.
Hendrix- A la Jimi.
Jax- Very trendy right now, there are more Jax's out there than you think.
Maddox- A great name, if you don't mind the Jolie-Pitt association.
Max- A fun name that many young boys answer to.

Unique:
Dax- Cool, unique, and nicknameless.
Dex- Whether he's short for Dexter or on his own, Dex makes a great name.
Fox- Popular hipster baby name.
Knox- Another Jolie-Pitt baby name.
Pax- And another.
Rex- Still too dog-ish? I think it could work.

Unheard of:
Ajax- Not unless you love bleach.
Bronx- Masculine and unexpected.
Calix- Has the cowboy-ish nickname Cal.
Fairfax- He has a surname-y feel, and he'll be the only one in his class.


Either:

Expected:
Alex- Works on its own or as a nickname.

Unique:
Lennox- This cool name works on either gender.
Lex- Makes a great middle or nickname for Alexander or Alexandra.
Phoenix- Gaining popularity, but still a good choice.

Unheard of:
Onyx- Dark, mysterious, color name.

Full Names for Bee

Bee is a such a sweet nickname. For full names, you can really use any name that starts with B, but here are the names I think work very well.

Beatrice
Beatrix
Beatriz
Beeja
Beverly
Birdie
Delbe
Elizabeth
Phoebe
Selby
Shelby