Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly linkup of book bloggers hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl! This week, we’re looking at the characters with the best names. It would be so easy to go with just girl’s names, since it seems like authors often get more creative with them, or stick to the realm of fantasy where there’s even more flexibility, but I decided to try to limit myself to one name from any given series and included my favorite five for girls and five for boys!
Katniss Everdeen (The Hunger Games): Many fantasy-style novels use names that are similar to ones we know and use, but with a twist. This one falls right in line with that, but it’s particularly well-done because the rhythm and balance of it is pleasing.
Anna Karenina (Anna Karenina): Maybe it’s the repetition of the “n” sound and the “a” vowels that tie it together so well, but this one just flows beautifully.
Georgiana Darcy (Pride and Prejudice): She’s only really a bit character, but I’ve just always loved the elegance of Georgiana as a name. It feels more sophisticated and unexpected than Georgina.
Vianne Rocher (Chocolat): I like the link to the famous Ferrero Rocher chocolates, and Vianne is lovely, and they work really well together.
Daenarys Targaryen (A Game of Thrones): A Song of Ice and Fire had to get in here somewhere, and the distinctive majesty of this name is instantly identifiable with the series.
Philip Pirrip (Great Expectations): Both names come close to being palindromes, and echo each other in a way that should sound cheesy but instead has a bright ring.
Albus Dumbledore (Harry Potter): There are so many names from the Harry Potter universe that could have made it on here, but the soft consonants of the headmaster’s name, its very old-fashioned first name and to my American ear, very British-sounding surname, make it my favorite.
Tristran Thorn (Stardust): Again with the “fantasy using slightly-changed normal names”, but I like the stutter-step of “Tristran” instead of the familiar “Tristan”, and both names sound enough alike but are still different that they hang together well.
Bilbo Baggins (The Hobbit): This is just such a delightfully hobbit-y name.
Newland Archer (The Age of Innocence): This has the kind of moneyed, old-fashioned aura that fits this Old New York character perfectly.