‘Me, a name I call myself,…’
18 October 2016
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: The Broke and the Bookish, Top Ten Character Names, Top Ten Tuesday
Every Tuesday over at the The Broke and Bookish we all get to look at a particular topic for discussion and use various (or more to the point ten) examples to demonstrate that particular topic. The topic this week is :
Characters Names that I love
There are plenty of great characters in books and some very memorable names. Here are my top ten memorable names.
- Max/Maxim – I love this name- and in fact the novel that I first encountered it in – Daphne DuMaurier’s Rebecca.
- Oberon. What a wonderful name and one we all probably know in terms of him being King of the Fae. Brought to life in Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream it’s a name that I also now associate with a rather large, unkempt and sausage loving wolf hound that keeps Atticus company in Kevin Hearne’s Iron Druid Chronicles.
- I really like the use of the months of the year that Seanan McGuire uses for her Toby Daye series. I think to date we’ve got characters called October, January and April – I wonder if we’ll complete the full calendar month? Kind of hoping that December will be used at some point as that’s my birth month! *winks at MsMcGuire*
- The Bastard. This is the name of a feisty horse, belonging to Imriel in Jacqueline Carey’s Kushiel series. It just makes me smile – I’m very easily pleased like that, I know it’s not big and clever but it’s just a name that really seems to fit on this occasion.
- Inigo Montoya – this character is brilliant and you certainly can’t forget his name – he simply won’t let you. The Princess Bride by William Goldman
- Sherlock Holmes – you can’t really ask for a more memorable name. How on earth you come up with a name like that is a mystery to me but it’s brilliant and a name that everyone knows, whether they’ve read the books or not!
- Dolores Umbridge – you really do have to hand it to Rowling – this name is inspired and suits the character to perfection!
- Ebenezer Scrooge – again, a name that everyone knows and more than that uses. Scrooge has become synonymous with tight fisted miserliness. Dickens A Christmas Carol.
- Samwise Gamgee – I don’t need to qualify this one do I! ‘I ain’t been dropping no eaves sir’! Okay, Lord of the Rings by JRRTolkien.
- Dracula – another name that really needs no explanation. I think everybody must know this name. Bram Stoker’s famous vampire creation!
Books and travelling with Lynn 
April is a lovely name! I also like May and June – simple and elegant.☺️ Oberon would be a nice name for a pup, me thinks.
I set up a list of names for dogs and cats at my new blog: http://randombookishness.blogspot.com/2016/10/ten-characters-i-might-like-to-name-cat.html
Hi Risa, thanks for stopping by. Oberon is great for a dog isn’t it – or at least Kevin Hearne has put that notion into my head with his Iron Druid chronicles and I can’t shake it.
Thanks for your link.
Lynn 😀
I like Max/Maxim. You are right, some of these names fit the characters to perfection. I could not imagine, for example, Sherlock Holmes under any other name. 🙂
I know – or Watson!
Lynn 😀
These are all great names. Sherlock is definitely a memorable one. I also love Oberon.
Oberon is a great name – especially for a dog I think!
Lynn 😀
My son’s middle name is Maxwell:-) Obviously I love that name too!
It’s such a cool name! I love it.
Lynn 😀
Should have asked – what’s your son’s first name?
Duncan!
What a great name! I love it. And then Maxim too.
Sorry – Maxwell! (Not Maxim – stuck in the world of Rebecca).
I can’t believe I forgot the name Oberon. It’s the perfect dog name. I also think Sherlock would be cute for a schnauzer or scotty dog.
Sherlock the Schnauzer – how perfect!
Lynn 😀
I thought for a moment you were going to name a child the Bastard. I mean for a pet it feels kinda cool but a child???
Inigo Montoya and Samwise Gamgee are definitely memorable names. And Dracula is almost synonymous with vampire, I actually thought they were interchangeable when I was a kid.
Haha – I just went for memorable names rather than choosing a pet or children and Bastard is definitely memorable. Dracula is definitely synonymous with vampires – i think most people probably think they’re interchangeable.
Lynn 😀
Agreed 100% on Dolores Umbridge *shudder* perfect name for that character. One of my favorite, just right-sounding names is “Ursula Monckton” from Gaiman’s “The Ocean at the End of the Lane” 🙂
Brilliant choice – not just the character even, but the book and the author.
Thanks
Lynn 😀
Eh eh… I *knew* that at least one name would come out of JRR Tolkien’s works! 🙂
If I had a cat – preferably a grey one – I’d name it Gandalf – of course…
I saw a really cool list this week with a picture of a long white haired Afghan hound – to be called Gandalf the White. Which I admit was spot on.
Lynn 😀
I really like the name Oberon, I think I’d see it as being for a massive dog.
My TTT
My brother has a cross wolfhound – which he actually called Jake – Oberon would fit him perfectly. (and, yes, he is massive!)
Lynn 😀
Sherlock Holmes and Samwise are of course memorable. Personally, I like the name Titania more than Oberon, though. 🙂
I love the name Titania – although I think more for a cat.
Lynn 😀
Inigo Montoya! That’s a great name. I don’t think there’s a person on earth who doesn’t know that name.
I don’t think so either! He repeats it quite frequently and I can’t imagine anybody not knowing The Princess Bride!
Lynn :d
I can’t hear “My name is” without finishing the phrase.
Excellent – me and you both then in that case – do you get some funny looks?
I get funny looks all the time. I’m used to it.
Yeah, me too – but then I will keep quoting movies!
Great names! I also think Samwise, Inigo, Dolores, Sherlock and Ebenezer are cool names. For this week’s TTT topic I have picked literary-inspired baby names 😀
I love your choices – lovely names 😀
Awesome list! These are some of the most iconic names in literature and for good reason!
Inigo Montoya is definitely a memorable name, and very fun to say out loud! And month-related names sound awesome, but I also like day-related names, too, haha.
Yeah, day related – like Wednesday from the Addam’s Family. Never thought of day related names.
Lynn 😀
I love the name Bastian, from The Never Ending Story. I watched that movie about a million times as a kid!
Lol, i also love what you titled this blog post – that’s another movie i watched a million times as a kid!
Bastian is a great name isn’t it. Yeah, I loved that film too. I didn’t think anybody would ‘get’ my title!
Lynn 😀
Ebenezer Scrooge is such a great pick! I don’t think anyone on the planet doesn’t know that name. I also love Maxim! 🙂
Ebenezer Scrooge is just spot on for the character and you just can’t imagine any other name for him now!
Lynn 😀
I also love a lot of the names from the Song of Ice and Fire series. Problem is I would never name my kids after any of the characters because you never know if they’ll get killed off in the worst way or GRRM or the show writers might decide to turn them into total asshats!
The GRRM names have been very popular for this topic. But, you would be pretty disappointed if you named your child after somebody who then died horribly! Or, the asshat thing as well….. lol
Lynn 😀
There’s a September in the McGuire books, too. So she seems to be getting there!
ahh! Excellent – my December naming must be due soon!
Loving this series.
Lynn 😀
I like Oberon a lot, always have. there’s just something about it. And I like names derived from months- April and January, and I’ve seen September used too.
Yes, I just read one of the other comments that September is also used – great! December is surely on the cards then eh!
Lynn 😀
Lovely list. Some very unique names!
This week’s topic was a good one – good to read everyone’s suggestions and see how many names cropped up more than once.
Lynn 😀
Very interesting list with very unusual names.
I’ve been wanting to read “Rebecca” for ages! I really need to get on that soon. The monthly names in the Toby Day series are so fun, aren’t they? I think the only one I’d have trouble buying as a name would be August. It just doesn’t have the same ring as December. 😉
Haha – agreed!
Samwise Gamgee is one of my favorite names in literature! It’s just so fun to say 😊
It is a fun name to say!
Lynn 😀