Not favorite character, favorite character name.
There are countless great characters in literature. Which of them have the best names?
Ishmael? Humbert Humbert? Bilbo Baggins? Or, heck, take your pick from the incredible character names in the Harry Potter universe. Severus Snape? Dolores Umbrage?
For me personally, I’m going with Severus Snape. What about you?
James Scott Bell says
Uriah Heep.
Bane of Anubis says
Puddleglum the Marshwiggle.
JasonTudor says
Endeavour Morse.
Monica Marier says
"Thursday Next," followed by "Ludovic Speed"
Ramona Dark says
Mr. Wednesday
Amanda C. Davis says
I liked the name of the protagonist in du Maurier's Rebecca.
Jen says
I was going to go with Snape, but then I read the comments. I have to second Uriah Heap!
And then Monica reminded me of Thursday Next. In the Thursday Next books, Uriah Hope got caught by a misspelling virus and was transformed into Uriah Heap.
Anonymous says
Yossarian, Rabo Karabekian and Holden Caulfield.
Stephanie Garber says
Atticus Finch!
Sara says
Oh, I love the Thursday Next series! I always think of Dickens' characters because their names usually matched their personalities — Edmund Sparkler, Miss Flite, Guppy.
Munk says
Scout
Jennifer Cary Diers says
Jemima Puddleduck is good, as is Rosto the Piper. Or else Jayne Cobb, if I'm allowed to choose a television character.
Elaine AM Smith says
I didn't get in first with Atticus Finch – rats 😉
My second favourite name is Mr Ignatius Niggle – "Iggy" – from Measles and the Mallockee by Ian Ogilvy
Bee says
Nymphadora Tonks
Wednesday Adams
Bilbo Baggins
Dr. Faustus
Betsy Trotwood
Heathcliff
Salazar Sytherine
Susan Antony says
Oliver Twist.
Mark says
Jammy Grammy Lammy F'Huppa F'Huppa Berlin Stereo Eo Eo Lebb C'Yepp Nermonica Le Straypek De Grespin De Crespin De Spespin De Vespin De Whoop De Loop De Brunkle Merry Christmas Lenoir
or
Skulduggery Pleasant.
Eric says
Ford Prefect.
M.J.B. says
Miss Flite – "Bleak House"
Elphaba Thropp – "Wicked"
Hermione Granger – "Harry Potter"
Albus Dumbledore – "Harry Potter
Watcher55 says
OZ – taken from a file-cabinet drawer
Puddinhead Wilson
Slartibartfast – HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE
OK I'll stop cheating and leave some for the other kids.
Richard Gibson says
Snidely Whiplash. And yes, I realize Rocky & Bullwinkle isn't exactly literature.
Chantele Sedgwick says
Dang it! I was going to do Severus Snape! 🙂 I'm a big fan of Luna Lovegood as well. 🙂
CobraMisfit says
Horatio Hornblower and Thursday Next. Hands down some of the best names in fiction.
Anonymous says
Algernon
Topher
Balthazar
Brandi Lynch says
Ged from A Wizard of Earthsea. Not so much the name, but the fact that it's a secret and the reader knows it.
Lan Mandragoran, Nynaeve, many other Robert Jordan names
Landra says
Tikki tikki tembo-no sa rembo-chari bari ruchi-pip peri pembo
Pippi Longstocking
Scarlett O'Hara (the name says it all)
mshatch says
Artemis Fowl
Mr. Gradgrind – Hard Times
Boomer aka Athena – Battlestar Galactica (actually everyone in that show had great names)
The English Teacher says
@Amanda C. Davis LOL *giggle*
Rowling and Dickens win hands down for the longest list of awesome character names (Mr. Jaggers, The Artful Dodger, Miss Havisham, and tons of the Rowling names listed already), but beyond those two, I've always liked Lemony Snicket (who is arguably a CHARACTER — a fictional creation — in the books) as a name, as well as Humphrey Clinker (from Tobias Smollett's book).
From Shakespeare, I like Benedick (from Much Ado), as his name literally means "well spoken," which fits his personality so well.
Jason Jeffery says
Alexis Machine, created by Shane Stevens and injected new life by Stephen King.
Loree Huebner says
Tom Bombadil
Marisa Hopkins says
Septimus Hodge and Thomasina Coverly!
Watcher55 says
@Munk
I was going to mention Scout (which is a good character name), but I like her given name as well – Jean Louise
Matthew MacNish says
I've always thought that Tolkien had the most beautiful names, the most poetic, and the ones that built the world through names alone more than any other story.
Names like Thranduil, Olorin, Gil-Galad, Saruman, Theoden … I could go on. Of course it's not really fair, him being a linguist.
And yet, that being said, I still think my favorite character name of all time is Hermoine Granger. I had never heard of that name before Harry Potter, and I just can't think of a single character whose name fits them better.
Severus is great, but I sort of love Severus, and love to hate Snape.
Matthew MacNish says
Oh and Zaphod Beeblebrox is rather fun to say as well.
JPK says
Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore.
Love how Brian is kinda just thrown in for good measure.
Sam Webb says
Vardaman Bundren from As I Lay Dying.
Anonymous says
Cornelius Fudge
Stephanie McGee says
I'm going to have to agree with Thursday Next and all the Harry Potter/Tolkien/Shakespeare names.
My addition would be Silk from David Eddings' Belgariad and Mallorean series. It's a nickname, and I know we learned his real name during the books, but it sticks in memory because it's so suited to his character.
Janet Kay Jensen says
Eustacia Vye from The Return of the Native
AllMyPosts says
Edward Newgate
Ace
Monkey D. Luffy
Admiral Grap .. so on ..
with warm regards
Another Author
Rick Daley says
Gollum
A note on Slartibartfast: rumor has it Douglas Adams came up with that name just to &^%# with his secretary, who had to format the scripts for the Hitchhiker's radio shows.
Anonymous says
Evie Decker (A Slipping Down Life by Anne Tyler)
It's part of the first line in the novel, which sums the novel up in a sentence, and I love when authors do this well in the first line.
TERI REES WANG says
Eva Luna & Tartuffe!
Cyndy Aleo says
Katniss Everdeen. Followed by Gibson's "The Dixie Flatline"
Rebecca Burke says
These are all wonderful suggestions, but I don't yet see Lemony Snicket! Another favorite of mine, Adrian Mole, is also one of my favorite characters.
Winnie the Pooh and all his friends are also sweetly named.
Sasha Barin says
The Imp.
Anonymous says
Anne spelled with an E from the Green Gables books
Ninja Girl says
Well, since you've already said Snape:
Channing Channing of the Chesterfield Channings (from Gail Carriger's Soulless series)
Amelia Bedelia
Pepper Potts
Ivy Hisslepenny
And, of course, Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore 🙂
Stephen Parrish says
Darn it, someone already beat me to Snidley Whiplash. So I'll say Simon Bar Sinister.
You know, Nathan, coming up with a hooky character name would make a good contest.
D.G. Hudson says
Yoda and R2D2 from Star Wars; Jabba the Hut & Hans Solo also from Star Wars.
Fagin from Oliver Twist and
Ebenezer Scrooge (that name just sounds like a skinflint/miser)
Francis Tuohy says
Favourite Chracters, favourite names.
Huckleberry Finn, Rincewind from Discworld and Gatsby