If you’re a pop culture-lover who can’t get enough movies, TV, celebrity news, and everything in between, why not channel those interests into a name brainstorm for your baby? Create your list with a favorite celebrity, show, movie, or character in mind, and you just may end up finding the perfect moniker.
We’ve rounded up nearly 300 beautiful names for your little one that go way beyond most of the current most popular choices. You’re sure to love these pop culture-inspired names, from those of obscure TV show characters to A-list celebrities.
Related: Olympic Sprinter Usain Bolt Is a Dad, and His Daughter's Name Is Absolutely Amazing
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Baby Names Inspired by Cult TV Shows
Though many of the most beloved cult television shows in history are now off the air, you can help them live on forever through your baby’s name. Check out this list of unconventionally beautiful names inspired by your favorite cult classic shows:
Girl names:
- April (Parks and Recreation)
- Betty (Mad Men)
- Britta (Community)
- Clara (Dr. Who)
- Deandra (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia)
- Juliet (Lost)
- Kima (The Wire)
- Lane (Gilmore Girls)
- Maeby (Arrested Development)
- Meadow (The Sopranos)
- River (Firefly)
- Skyler (Breaking Bad)
- Veronica (Veronica Mars
- Willow (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)
Boy names:
- Ben (Parks and Recreation)
- Dale (Twin Peaks)
- Dean (Supernatural)
- Dennis (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia)
- Desmond (Lost)
- Dexter (Dexter)
- Duncan (Veronica Mars)
- Dwight (The Office)
- Emerson (Pushing Daisies)
- Fox (The X-Files)
- Hugo (Lost)
- Jax (Sons of Anarchy)
- Jess (Gilmore Girls)
- Malcolm (Firefly)
- Omar (The Wire)
- Rory (Dr. Who)
- Saul (Better Call Saul)
- Sawyer (Lost)
- Sayid (Lost)
- Sherlock (Sherlock)
- Troy (Community)
- Walter (Breaking Bad)
- Watson (Sherlock)
- Xander (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)
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Names Inspired by Romantic Movies and Television
Everybody’s got a soft side, but your child may be more predisposed to the sweet things in life if given a romantic name. Try one of these monikers, selected from classic romantic pairings:
Girl Names:
Boy Names:
- Edward (Jane Eyre)
- Fitz (Pride and Prejudice)
- Forrest (Forrest Gump)
- Jack (Titanic)
- Jamie (Outlander)
- Noah (The Notebook)
- Paul (Breakfast at Tiffany’s)
- Peter (To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before)
- Rhett (Gone With the Wind)
- Sebastian (La La Land)
- Westley (The Princess Bride)
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Baby Names Inspired by Quirky Films
Whether you’re a die-hard Wes Anderson fan or have seen Sofia Coppola’s films more times than you can count, quirky-movie lovers will dig these unique names:
Girl Names:
- Agatha (The Grand Budapest Hotel)
- Amélie (Amélie)
- Charlotte (Lost in Translation)
- Elsa (Jojo Rabbit)
- Juno (Juno)
- Lux (The Virgin Suicides)
- Margot (The Royal Tenenbaums)
- Mia (Pulp Fiction)
- Rosie (Jojo Rabbit)
- Ruby (Ruby Sparks)
- Sofia (director Sofia Coppola)
- Suzy (Moonrise Kingdom)
Boy Names:
- Archie (Inglourious Basterds)
- Calvin (Ruby Sparks)
- Eli (The Royal Tenenbaums)
- Joss (director Joss Whedon)
- Jules (Pulp Fiction)
- Lawrence (Pulp Fiction)
- Martin (director Martin Scorsese)
- Quentin (director Quentin Tarantino)
- Wes (director Wes Anderson)
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Names Inspired by Science Fiction
Usable sci-fi names are few and far between, but the diamonds in the rough are absolutely gorgeous. Consider these science-fiction-inspired names for your baby:
Girl Names:
- Leia (Star Wars)
- Neytiri (Avatar)
- Rey (Star Wars)
- Ripley (Alien)
- Storm (X-Men)
Boy Names:
- Dallas (Fifth Element)
- Emmett (Back to the Future)
- Kirk (Star Trek)
- Lucas (director George Lucas)
- Montgomery (Star Trek)
Everett Collection / Doane Gregory
Baby Names Inspired by Young Adult Franchises
Many young adult books-turned-films have inspired baby name trends – just ask the thousands of toddlers named Bella and Jacob! These gorgeous YA-inspired names haven’t reached peak popularity, however, so consider them for your bundle of joy:
Girl Names:
- Alaska (Looking For Alaska)
- Beatrice (Divergent)
- Clary (Mortal Instruments)
- Esme (Twilight)
- Fleur (Harry Potter)
- Hazel (The Fault in Our Stars)
- Luna (Harry Potter)
- Maddy (Everything, Everything)
- Maia (Mortal Instruments)
- Opal (Artemis Fowl)
- Primrose (The Hunger Games)
- Rue (The Hunger Games)
- Starr (The Hate U Give)
Boy Names:
- Artemis (Artemis Fowl)
- Augustus (The Fault in Our Stars)
- Damon (The Vampire Diaries)
- Lucian (Mortal Instruments)
- Miles (Looking For Alaska)
- Olly (Everything, Everything)
- Patrick (The Perks of Being a Wallflower)
- Quentin (Paper Towns)
- Tobias (Divergent)
Everett Collection / Cartoon Network/Courtesy Everett Collection
Names Inspired by Cartoons
While it can be hard to find cartoon names that are actually usable for kids (SpongeBob? No thanks!), there are a few great options for cartoon-loving parents:
Girl Names:
- Daphne (Scooby-Doo)
- Dot (Animaniacs)
- Lana (Archer)
- Lillian (Rugrats)
- Louise (Bob’s Burgers)
- Penny (The Proud Family)
- Summer (Rick and Morty)
Boy Names:
- Elroy (The Jetsons)
- Finn (Adventure Time)
- Huey (The Boondocks)
- Phillip (Rugrats)
- Riley (The Boondocks)
- Sterling (Archer)
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Baby Names Inspired by A-Listers
Any pop-culture junkie should consider naming their child after one of Hollywood’s finest. After all, they set the trends in every other way! These celebrity names are seriously great picks:
Girl Names:
- Ariana (Grande)
- Blake (Lively)
- Chanel (Iman)
- Charlize (Theron)
- Chrissy (Teigen)
- Emma (Stone, Watson)
- Gigi (Hadid)
- Gwyneth (Paltrow)
- Halle (Berry)
- Keira (Knightley)
- Lena (Dunham)
- Meryl (Streep)
- Mila (Kunis)
- Reese (Witherspoon)
- Rooney (Mara)
- Selena (Gomez)
- Sienna (Miller)
- Viola (Davis)
- Zooey (Deschanel)
Boy Names:
- Anderson (Cooper)
- Benedict (Cumberbatch)
- Bradley (Cooper)
- Chadwick (Boseman)
- Christian (Bale)
- Drake
- Dwayne (Johnson)
- Keanu (Reeves)
- Leo (DiCaprio)
- Liam (Hemsworth)
- Morgan (Freeman)
- Niall (Horan)
Everett Collection / Colleen Hayes
Baby Names Inspired by Comedians
Do you have a fun-loving family that is always laughing? Comedic names are a great option for your new addition! Honor some of the greats with these fun names:
Girl Names:
- Ali (Wong)
- Amy (Poehler, Schumer)
- Carol (Burnett)
- Ellen (DeGeneres)
- Hope (Bob Hope)
- Iliza (Shlesinger)
- Lucille (Ball)
- Maya (Rudolph)
- Tina (Fey)
- Wanda (Sykes)
Boy Names:
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Baby Names Inspired by Old Hollywood
Retro names are a huge trend right now, and you won’t find a better selection than the ones stamped on Hollywood Boulevard! Let these classic film stars serve as baby name inspiration:
Girl Names:
- Katharine (Hepburn)
- Marilyn (Monroe)
- Audrey (Hepburn)
- Grace (Kelly)
- Vivien (Leigh)
- Ginger (Rogers)
- Bette (Davis)
- Rosalind (Russell)
- Eleanor (Parker)
- Marlene (Dietrich)
- Judith (Garland)
Boy Names:
- Clark (Gable)
- Humphrey (Bogart)
- Cary (Grant)
- Marlon (Brando)
- James (Stewart)
- Laurence (Olivier)
- Charles (Chaplin)
- Orson (Welles)
- Clint (Eastwood)
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Celebrity Baby Names
Celebrities excel at choosing unique baby names, so why not gain some inspiration from their little ones?
Girl Names:
Boy Names:
- Abel (Amy Poehler and Will Arnett)
- Adler (Danielle Fishel and Jensen Karp)
- Aleph (Natalie Portman)
- Bingham (Kate Hudson and Matthew Bellamy)
- Bodhi (Megan Fox)
- Bowie (Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale)
- Brooklyn (David and Victoria Beckham)
- Isaac (Ashley Graham and Justin Ervin)
- Jaden (Will and Jada Pinkett Smith)
- Kingston (Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale, Alexa and Carlos PenaVega)
- Knox (Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt)
- Marlowe (Sienna Miller)
- Mason (Kourtney Kardashian and Scott Disick)
- Milo (Alyssa Milano)
- Moses (Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin)
- Otis (Olivia Wilde and Jason Sudeikis)
- Reign (Kourtney Kardashian and Scott Disick)
- Solo (Rosamund Pike)
