Literary Baby Boy Names From All-time Favorite Books
Travel back in time and restart your journey of reading with this list of literary baby boy names for your future bookworm.
We all have that favorite books that influenced us to become who we are today. Characters from classic or contemporary books made an impact on our lives. And somehow, you want your child to emulate the best traits of that character; brave like Frodo, smart like Sherlock or persistent like Odysseus. Here is a list of all-time favorite male characters to choose from for baby boy names and their meanings.
Literary Baby Boy Names from Favorite Classic and Contemporary Books
Achilles – Greek origin which means “Pain.” A hero of the Trojan war who killed Hector., son of Peleus and Thetis.
Adonis – Meaning “Highly attractive”. The attractive youth loved by Aprodite.
Adrian – A Greek name which means “Rich.” Adrian Leverkuhn is a talented composer in the novel Doktor Faustus written by Thomas Mann.
Agamemnon – Meaning “Resolute.” The king of Mycenae who led the Greeks in the Trojan War.
Alec– With Greek origin meaning “Defender of men.” A British spy agent from John Le Carre’s book, The Spy Who Came in From the Cold.
Aleister – A Greek name meaning “Man’s defender.” Aleister Crowley was a famous English poet and novelist.
Alexander – A Greek name which means “Defender of mankind.”
Alfred – An English name which means “Counsel.” The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock was a poem published by T.S. Elliot in 1911.
Androcles – A Greek boy name which means “Glorious man.” Androcles is a slave saved by a lion in George Bernard Shaw’s 1912 play, Androcles and the Lion.
Apollo – Meaning “Destroyer.” The Greek god of light.
Aslan – A Turkish boy name which means lion. It is the heroic lion character in the book Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis
Atticus – It is a Latin name which means “From Attica”, the region where Athens is located. The fictional character in the book To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee.
Augie – A name with Latin origin, meaning “Magnificent.” The novel, The Adventures of Augie March, by Saul Bellows tells the story of Augie March’s from child to adult life.
Augustus – A name with Latin origin meaning “Magnificent. One of the Texas rangers from the book Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry.
Barnaby – An English name which means “Son of consolation.” The heroic character of the historical novel by Charles Dickens, Barnaby Rudge.
Belarius – From Shakespeare’s play; A banished lord.
Bilbo – A name which is said to be by J.R.R. Tolkien as “Of Unknown meaning.” Bilbo Baggins is the heroic hobbit in the novels The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings series.
Cadogan – A knight in a painting in the book Harry Potter.
Cash – An English name meaning “Money case.” Cash is a woodworker child in the 1930 novel by William Faulkner As I Lay Dying.
Caspian – From the book Prince Caspian, Chronicles of Narnia series.
Cato – A name with Latin origin, meaning “Knowledgeable.” A character in Suzanne Collins book, Hunger Games.
Charlie – The main character in the 1964 children’s book by Roald Dahl, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
Clyde – A Scottish name meaning “Friendly.” Clyde Griffith is an ambitious man executed for his crime in Theodore Dreiser’s An American Tragedy.
Cullen – An Irish name which means “Holly tree.” It was popularized by Edwar’s family name in the book series Twilight by Stephenie Meyer.
Daneel – A Hebrew name meaning “God is my judge.” In Isaac Asimov’s Caves of Steel, Daneel is a robot who seems too human and partner to police detective Elijah Bailey.
Darcy – A French name meaning “From Arcy.” A wealthy gentleman from Jane Austen’s classic book, Pride and Prejudice.
Dean – An English name meaning “Valley.” Jack Kerouac, in his novel On the Road, tells his travel stories across the United States, personifying his friend Neal Cassady as Dean Moriarty.
Doremus – A Dutch name derived from Adoremus which means “We adore.” Doremus Jessup is the owner/editor of a newspaper in Sinclair Lewis’ It Can’t Happen Here.
Draco – A Latin word for serpent or dragon. He is the main student antagonist in the Harry Potter series. It means dragon.
Dudley – It means people’s field. He is the cousin of Harry in Harry Potter series.
Elmer – An English name which means “Noble.” Elmer Gantry is a self-promoting evangelist in Sinclair Lewis’ novel of the same name.
Flint – A topographic English name for someone “Born near an outcrop of flint (rock).” Flint is both a legendary pirate and a parrot in the Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson.
Frodo– Derived from the English word frod, meaning “Wise.” Frodo Baggins is the main hobbit protagonist in J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings series.
Fritz– German origin which means “Peaceful ruler.” From the book The Swiss Family Robinson by Johann David Wyss, Fritz was the oldest child in the Robinson family whose ship on the way to Australia was shipwrecked on a deserted island.
Galahad– Hawk in battle. Son of Sir Lancelot and Elaine, he is a knight in King Arthur’s round table and one of the achievers of Holy Grail in Arthurian romance.
Gavin– An English name meaning “Hawk.” Gavin Stevens is a lawyer in William Faulkner’s The Hamlet.
Griffin– In Greek mythology, it is an animal that is part eagle and part lion.
Gulley– An English name which means “Giant.” Gulley Jimson appears in Joyce Cary’s trilogy novels.
Gustav– A German name meaning “Royal staff.” In Thomas Mann’s novel Death in Venice, Gustav is a writer who visits Venice and becomes obsessed with a teenager, Tadzio.
Hector– A name with Greek origin, meaning “Holding fast.” From Greek mythology, he is a Trojan warrior.
Homer– A Greek name which means “Security.” A character made by Nathanael West’s The Day of the Locust; Homer Simpson is a former accountant who comes to California for health reason.
Horatio– An Italian name meaning “Timekeeper.” A fictional British royal navy and the main protagonists in the titular series Horatio Hornblower series by C.S. Forester.
Howard– A name with German origin meaning “Chief guardian.” Howard Roark is a young architect in Ayn Rand’s novel The Fountainhead.
Huck– A name with English origin which means “Resembling the fruit.” The main character in Mark Twain’s 1884 novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.
Jake– A Hebrew name which means “Supplanter.” Jake Barnes is the narrator in Ernest Hemmingway’s The Sun Also Rises.
Jay– An English name which means “Rejoice.” The Great Gatsby, a novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald, centers on the story of titular character Jay Gatsby who is obsessed to be reunited with his former lover, Daisy Buchanan.
Jeeves– A name with English origin meaning “Butler.” Reginald Jeeves appears in a series of P.G. Wodehouse comedic short stories from 1915-1974.
Leo– The Latin word for “Lion.” Leo Naphta is the main antagonist in Thomas Mann’s The Magic Mountain.
Leopold – A German name which means “Brave people.” Leopold Bloom is the main character in James Joyce’s novel Ulysses.
Lew – An English name meaning “Famed warrior.” Lew Archer is a detective who appears in Ross Macdonald’s crime series.
Max– A Latin name which means “Greatest.” The main boy character in the 1963 children’s picture book by Maurice Sendak, Where the Wild Thing Are.
Manolin– Derived from the Hebrew name Emmanuel meaning “God is with us.” Manolin is a devoted young apprentice of Santiago in The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemmingway.
Marlow- An English name which means “Driftwood.” A sea captain and also the narrator of Joseph Conrad’s Lord Jim and other books.
Milo-A Hebrew boy name which means “Peaceful.” From the children’s fantasy book by Norton Juster, The Phantom Tollbooth, Milo is an ordinary boy who goes on an adventure and when returns home with a new life perspective.
Moto – A Japanese name meaning “Mind, Spirit and Soul.” Mr. Moto is a Japanese detective who appears in 6 John P. Marquand novels.
Nero – A name with Latin origin meaning “Strong.” Nero Wolfe is a brilliant, couch potato detective created by Rex Stout in a titular character series.
Newland – An English name which means “New land.” In Edith Wharton’s The Age in Innocence, Newland Archer is a passionate and young lawyer belonging to the upper-class New York society.
Oliver – Derived from the English word “Olive tree.” Oliver Mellors is a character in D.H. Lawrence’s controversial novel Lady Chatterley’s Lover.
Perry – An English name derived from “Pear tree.” Perry Mason is a fictional character , criminal defense lawyer created by Earl Stanley Gardner in his several works.
Phineas- A Hebrew name which means “Serpent’s mouth.” A male character in John Knowles’ 1959 novel, A Separate Peace.
Pierre – A French name for Peter which means “Rock.” Count Pierre Bezukhov, protagonist in Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace seeks himself to be a better man after soul-searching and tumult.
Rhett – A Latin name meaning “To speak.” Rhett Butler is a strong, charming and cynical protagonist in Margaret Mitchell’s Gone With the Wind.
Rupert – A name with German origin meaning “Bright fame.” In D. H. Lawrence’s Women in Love, Rupert Birkin is a country school inspector who falls in love with Ursula Brangwen.
Santiago – A Spanish name which means “Supplanter.” Santiago is an elderly fisherman who’s gone fishing for 84 days without catching any in Ernest Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea.
Seldom – An English word meaning “Rarely.” Seldom Seen Smith is a professional rafter and eco-terrorist in The Monkey Wrench Gang by Edward Abbey.
Sherlock – An English name meaning “Fair haired.” A fictional character created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Sherlock Holmes is a detective and one of literature’s best known geniuses.
Sky – Originally from old Norse, it is a name which means “Cloud.” Guys and Dolls by Damon Runyon stars the charming but self-assuring gambler Sky Masterson.
Stark– A German name meaning “Strong.” Willie Stark is a political governor in the novel All the King’s Men by Robert Penn Warren.
Todd – A name with English origin meaning “Fox.” Todd Andrews of The Floating Opera By John Barth is a protagonist who contemplates suicide.
Travis – A French name which means “Toll collector.” Travis McGee is a fictional character created by John D. Macdonald in a series of the same name.
Troy – An Irish name meaning “Foot soldier.” Troy is the setting of Homer’s Illiad.
Upton– An Old English name meaning “Upper town.” Upton Sinclair Jr was an American writer who was best known for his novel The Jungle.
Walt– An Old German name meaning “Commander of the Army.” Walt Whitman was an American journalist, essayist and poet.
Walter – a name with Germanic origin meaning “Commander of the army.” In Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun, a black man named Walter Lee bravely shows his people the right to personal dignity.
Weedon – Originally an English name meaning “A person from Weedon (a temple on a hill).” Weedon Scott is wealthy hunter who saved White Fang in Jack London’s novel of the same title.
