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?
Tere Kirkland says
Love Miss April Spink and Miss Miriam Forcible from Gaiman's Coraline. All good names, there.
And I always loved Ford Prefect. But my favorite by far is Karl Friedrich Hieronymus Freiherr von Münchhausen.
David Jace says
Lyn-
I have GOT to ride more trains now. I think I'll run a little game like this on my Facebook (Cause I don't have enough blog readers to play Solitaire!). I can call it Characters on a Train… or maybe I'll suggest it to ComeInCharacter.
I, too, would like to thank you, Nathan, for such a fun post!
Neil Larkins says
Wow. All great names. Can't think of any not mentioned. Among the shortest: O
Jo Eberhardt says
Damn, someone alreasy said Thursday Next. Awesome character name.
I also like:
Nobby Nobbs (Discworld)
Slatibartfast (H2G2)
Seregil (Nightrunner Series)
Jupiter Jones (A blast from the past – The Three Investigators.)
Watcher55 says
I called myself looking for this one, so it might have been mentioned, but I have to jump on the Harry Potter bandwagon:
Xenophilius Lovegood (Strangelove Lovegood).
I tip my hat to Major Major Major, @Aimee.
Heidi says
Publius Varrus (from Jack Whyte's Camulod Chronicles),
Ebeneezer Scrooge,
Snuffleupagus,
Willy Wonka,
Mrs. Tiggywinkle,
Jeremiah Johnson
Pamala Knight says
Lots of great ones already. If we were doing lists then I'd say:
Tom Bombadil
Sirius Black
Channing Channing (of the Chesterfield Channings)
Ivy Hisselpenny
Kvothe
Logan Mountstuart
Han Solo
Cormac Mac Art
Bigger Thomas
But since we're limited to one ;), I'll say
Fitzchivalry Farseer
Ed Miracle says
Darth Vader
Anonymous says
the one and only, man in black, aka randall flagg, aka….a million other names
Ninja Girl says
Oh, oh, I almost forgot Atticus Finch and Boo Radley. Love the names, the characters, the book, everything!
Kristin Laughtin says
The Harry Potter series does have great names, even the more heavy-handed ones like Sanguini.
Perhaps it's because I'm reading THE WISE MAN'S FEAR right now and it springs to mind easily as a result, but I've really come to love the name Kvothe. It gives the appropriate fantasy vibe while not being too far out there.
I've also loved the sound of Jean Valjean for many years.
I thought SPIN's Wun Ngo Wen had a great name. It sounds exotic, appropriate for a Martian, but I can still trace it back to various Earth cultures, showing the continuity across hundreds of thousands of years between the two planets.
Even though it's simple, I really like Ayla's name in THE CLAN OF THE CAVE BEAR, especially since it is so different from the sounds the Neanderthals she is raised by can/do make. It demonstrates her difference from them.
There are so many more! A good name always catches my attention.
Alyson says
I always loved Sabriel and Lirael from the Garth Nix books. Granted, all the names in those stories were dark and original (and the author's!): the Despicable Dog, Abhorsen, they go on…and make you think of dim places, with plenty of shadow and swordfighting.
Scott says
I used to really like Asimov's names from his Foundation series. Golan Trevize, Salvor Hardin, Hari Seldon, and of course R. Daneel Olivaw (from the robot novels and the continuation of the Foundation series).
The Pen and Ink Blog says
Any Tamora Pierce name. i.e. Veralidaine Sarrasri
Anonymous says
I love Otis Otis from the Vladimir Todd series.
Juliette says
Eustace Clarence Scrubb 'and he almost deserved it'
Honourable mentions to Flay, Steerpike, Endeavour Morse and Ebeneezer Scrooge
Melanie Jacobson says
Boo Radley
Amy Van Es says
Peekay (from Bryce Courtenay's the Power of One)
haleywhitehall says
My favorite character name is Pippy Longstocking. I have a cat named Pippy now.
Kari Wolfe says
Mine's from a television show, Rubicon.
Kale Ingram 🙂
Kari Wolfe says
Mine's from a television show, Rubicon.
Kale Ingram 🙂
Kelli L. Kozak says
Kilgore Trout.
ElizaJane says
Phileas Fogg and Passepartout.
More seriously, Lucasta, invented by the poet Richard Lovelace (who would have had to invent his own name if his family hadn't done it for him). I wanted to name one my youngest daughter Lucasta but was voted down.
RED STICK WRITER says
Sometimes truth is better than fiction. Learned Hand, the U.S. Judge and judicial philosopher, gets my vote. I'll stick with lawyerly types for my backup guy, Atticus Finch.
Marta says
Boo Radley
Near runners-up: Snidely Whiplash, Huckleberry Finn, Darth Vader, Cruella de Vil and Lemony Snickett (oops, maybe author pseudonyms don't count).
Becky Stanborough says
Mosca Mye.
But Scout is just about perfect, too.
Jennifer R. Hubbard says
I'm not going to pick one name. I'm just going to name three authors with a flair for exotic character names:
L. M. Montgomery (who invented characters named Valentine Courtaloe, Hazel Marr, Minerva Tomgallon, Lavendar Lewis, and Ludovic Speed, to name a few)
Sinclair Lewis (whose penchant for names such as Orchid Pickerbaugh and Doremus Jessup exploded into a bizarre-name factory in the book CASS TIMBERLANE, where each of the dozens of character names is more original than the one before it)
Charles Dickens (pick a name, any name)
but C. S. Lewis gets an honorable mention for the name "Screwtape," and Margaret Mitchell for "Cade Calvert."
Nancy Lauzon says
I'm way late in answering, so many have already been mentioned, including 'Gollum', my all time favorite.
Nancy
https://nancylauzon.blogspot.com
The Chick Dick Blog
Marilyn Peake says
Galadriel, from LORD OF THE RINGS.
Also, Arya Stark, Lord Eddard Stark and Cersei Lannister from A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE series by George R. R. Martin.
And, if you can sat that Lemony Snicket is a character – like others have said, I also love that name!
(Also, I spend a lot of time choosing names for my own books. One of my favorite names from my own novels is Wiley O'Mara from The Fisherman's Son Trilogy.)
Anonymous says
Jilly Coppercorn from the Newford collections.
Patrick Neylan says
Did I misread the bit that said "your favourite character who sounds like (s)he came from a Charles Dickens novel you haven't read"?
In which case, I'll go for Titus Bramble.
Damn. Titus Bramble is a real person.
OK, Slartibartfast. Or Yossarian. Or Colonel Aureliano Buendia.
Jaimie says
Mrs Whatsit
Patrick Neylan says
My brother wanted to name his firstborn "Hrothgar". I don't think Michael has forgiven his mother for denying him that honour.
Still, it would be a shame if we'd never improved on the first English book still in existence.
D.G. Hudson says
Another great name —
Marcus Didius Falco from the series by Lindsay Davis. (Roman mystery series)
Caden O'Brien says
Stellaluna, the lost baby fruit bat!
brianw says
I love the name kelsier from mistborn by Brandon Sanderson. I'm not sure why exactly. Cool name, awesome character.
brianw says
Also, the main character from my debut novel, dreamworld, is named Trayvian James, which fits in real life and a fantasy world, just like the story. I think it's a pretty sweet name (but I guess I made it up, so I might be a little biased:).
Maggie says
Boo Radley
Jenni Wiltz says
Vicky Bliss and Sir John Smythe, creations of Elizabeth Peters
Laura Marcella says
Bilbo Baggins! Love that name. Some of my other favorite names are Willy Wonka, Rita Skeeter, Scarlett O'Hara, and Pippilotta Delicatessa Windowshade Mackrelmint Ephraim's Daughter Longstocking (Pippi Longstocking!).
Dawn Pier says
Snark, Boojum & Jabberwocky
gracias al Lewis Caroll
oh and Holly Golightly!
Sara says
I realize that Doctor Who is not literature, but one of my favorite character names is Sally Sparrow. I also like the name Katniss, from the Hunger Games.
Anonymous says
Dr. Chillingsworth – the name most clearly attributed to a supervillain, but no one suspects a thing. The Puritans were too trusting.
Diane J. says
Ichabod Crane
Rikki Tikki Tavy
Norton Juster (I know he's not a character, but I love his book The Phantom Tollbooth)
Almost any name from the old EC Horror Comics.
sharktastic says
OMG best blog post ever!
I have to give it to JK Rowling:
Draco Malfoy
So prickly and unlikeable. I also love:
-Charlie Bucket
-Lyra Belacqua
-Albus Dumbledore
-Atticus Finch
-Hester Prynne
-Jo March
-Owen Meany
Gabriel says
viceroy Fizzlebottom
Things I google
Stephanie says
Easy. Dreadful Spiller, from The Borrowers.
Becca says
Alaska – because it's different
Charles Xavier – because it sounds smart, and somewhat British
Ean Amhearst- a different twist on a well-known name
and I'm sure there's more, I just can't remember
Anonymous says
I agree that Rowling, Dickens, Tolkien, and Twain have some of the best names out there. Some of my favorites:
Severus Snape
Neville Longbottom
Mr. Tulkinghorn
Smallweed
Ebenezer Scrooge
Bilbo Baggins
Bifur, Bafur, Bombur
Huckleberry Finn
Also Becky Sharp [Vanity Fair] and Mara Jade [Start Wars]. There are many others….
Dana Strange says
Pippi Longstocking