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

College Names: Part One (A-D)

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This week is my Spring Break, and I am going on college trips to the East Coast. Yesterday I was at Carnegie Mellon, and today I'm at Johns Hopkins. In honor of this, I have compiled a list of colleges with great names that could work for a baby. I'm not sure how I feel about naming your child after your alma mater, but these schools do offer some great inspiration.

Girls:
Agnes
Alice
Alma
Alvernia
Augusta
Augustana
Aurora
Avila
Azusa
Bellin
Berea
Berry
Bethany
Bethel
Beulah
Brescia
Briar
Cairn

Boys:
Adler
Alfred
Allen
Alverno
Anderson
Angelo
Austin
Averett
Barnard
Barry
Barton
Bates
Becker
Bennett
Bennington
Bentley
Bradley
Brandeis
Brevard
Brigham
Bryan
Calvin
Case
Clayton
Davis
Dean
Denison
Dillard
Drake
Drexel
Duke

Either:
Albright
Asbury
Ashland
Auburn
Bay
Baylor
Beacon
Berkeley
Bucknell
Carleton
Carlow
Carroll
Claremont
Clark
Clemson
Colby
Cornell
Drew

Full Names for Charlie

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We recently discussed Full Names for Charley, which got me to thinking, "What are other options if you want to name your son Charlie?" Turns out, while there are less options for the male Charlie, there are still more than enough choices.

Expected:
Carl- He's mostly a dad name nowadays, but the nickname Charlie livens him up.
Carlos- Spanish speakers would normally call him Carlitos as a nickname, but Charlie works too.
Charles- The classic.

Unique:
Carlton- Don't worry about The Fresh Prince of Bel Air references, those will be long gone by the time he's in school.
Carlo- Hipper than Carlos, maybe it's that "O" ending.
Carlson- He sounds a little dowdy, but Charlie is a great nickname to change that.
Charleston- The dance, the city, so many great associations for your little Charlie!

Unheard of:
Carlisle- A little feminine, but if you're planning on calling him Charlie, I say go for it.
Carmichael- The obvious nicknames are Mike, Mikey, Mickey, etc., but Charlie is the freshest of them all.
Carroll- It's too bad he sounds like a middle aged woman, because Carroll would make a really nice choice for a son.
Charlton- Sounds like a butchered version of Carlton.