Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish. Each week, they post a topic and encourage fellow bloggers to list their own top ten answers. This week’s prompt was to pick any past TTT topic you wanted! I chose to do the TTT from February 8, 2011, which was the Top Ten Characters (and Literary Figures) That I’d Name My Children After!
My list is below.
1. A Song of Ice and Fire, by George R.R. Martin
Okay, I cheated. I couldn’t pick just one name from Martin’s renowned fantasy series! Some of my favorites include Arya, Nymeria, Brienne, Jaime, and Asha. And I’m not the only one: Martin has an entire section of his website dedicated to fans who’ve named their children/pets after his characters!
2. Scout, from To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee
Predictable, I know. But Scout is such a great, classic character from such a great book, she deserves her place on the list.
3. Valentine, from Ender’s Game, by Orson Scott Card
Though I find his politics repugnant, I can’t deny that Card’s original Ender series is excellent sci-fi writing. It was where I first heard the name Valentine used as a first name for a girl, and I’ve loved it ever since. (Unfortunately, it rhymes with my boyfriend’s last name, and I’m not evil enough to give any future kids rhyming names…)
4. Caleb, from East of Eden, by John Steinbeck
While I like atypical names for girls, my favorite names for boys tend to be a little more traditional. East of Eden introduced me to the name Caleb, which I’ve had on my shortlist for my future/hypothetical son for ages.
5. Eowyn, from The Lord of the Rings, by J.R.R. Tolkien
What can I say…I have a weakness for tough, independent, ass-kicking ladies. My hypothetical daughter could do much worse than to be named after Tolkien’s shield-maiden.
6. Lyra, from His Dark Materials, by Philip Pullman
I tend to likes names with the letter ‘y’ in them (perhaps because my own first name has a ‘y’). Past the coolness of her name, though, Lyra distinguishes herself as a brave, clever, and loyal heroine.
7. Cormac, from No Country for Old Men, Blood Meridian, etc., by Cormac McCarthy
I just really like the name Cormac!
8. Lily, from The House of Mirth, by Edith Wharton
Whenever I wrote stories as a kid, I used flower names–Rose, Daisy, etc. Lily was (and still is) my favorite, though it now makes me think of Wharton’s doomed socialite.
9. Marlow, from The Last Werewolf, by Glen Duncan
I like this one for a girl or a boy. Hopefully the kid doesn’t grow up to be a werewolf, though.
10. Dean, from Supernatural
Okay, I’m cheating again (with a name from a television show rather than a book)! But I’ve always liked this name, and once I started watching Supernatural, I loved this name. Maybe it can be traced back to reading On the Road in high school?
While sometimes I do wonder what he’s thinking, GRRM DOES come up with some of the most kickbutt names. LOTR too! Only I’d need, like, a soccer team of kids.
My TTT
Eowyn made my list too.
What a fun list! I loved Valentine in Ender’s Game! She was so sweet.
Here is my Top Ten!
Love this list! I’ve already decided that I’m naming my kids after literary characters: Clary (Mortal Instruments series) and ::if I can get my husband on board:: Tobias (Divergent series). Oh, how I love those names!!!
George R. R. Martin has some great names in his series, I really like Arya in particular. Lyra is cool too. Great choice of topic!
I came so close to naming my son Caleb because of the book East of Eden, unfortunately my husband didn’t like it. I love that name!
Great list! LOTR and ASoIaF definitely has some great names =)
Here’s my TTT for this week: http://www.rulethewaves.net/blog/?p=4748
These are some awesome names, even though I haven’t read some of the books. I did something different with my Top Ten Freebie , but strangely enough we have something big in common this week. Great choices!
Scout is my favorite! I haven’t read To Kill a Mockingbird, but I really should. Marlow is a pretty name too. Great post this week.
Great list! I love the name Lyra, and “East of Eden” has such great symbolic names. I actually just read the scene where Caleb got his name!
I adore the name Eowyn!
I always wanted to name a girl Elizabeth Jane after my favourite Austen character and her author
Some cute names. I think Asha and Lily are my favorite from the list.
I like Scout, Caleb, and Lily too. And my son’s name is Jamie (spelled differently, does that count?)
Totally counts!
Lyra is a very nice name!
And Dean for a boys name.
http://thedailyprophecy.blogspot.nl/2012/06/top-10-tuesday-13.html
Lyra is a beautiful name! Thinking of it…I might even name my future (okay, very future) kid like that! I think it sounds very mystical and fairy-tale-ish
I love the name Scout too! But I don’t know about Marlowe…if you’ve seen the TV series The Wire, then you’d know why…reminds me of an unsavory character.
Oh I love this list! I want to do it in a future week! Maybe just independently! I didnt realize how name-sensitive I am until I started blogging – and then I realized I was bringing it up in almost every review! Apparently I am opinionated here? I like your choices! Especially the girls!
Im totally naming all of my children out of L.M. Montgomery books. They may hate me.
Scout is one of my favorites! I’ve only read a few of the books on your list, but I definitely agree with you on their names being pretty great!
Top Ten Tuesday