Avid readers know that classic literature is a goldmine of names – some of which are still popular today! If you’re looking for something literary, timeless, or romantic, the classics have got you covered.

Names from British Classics

Elizabeth: The heroine of Pride and Prejudice, Elizabeth Bennet is a smart, independent woman who finds love.

Darcy: Mr. Darcy, also of Pride and Prejudice fame, is a loyal and strong man.

Emma: From the book of the same name, Emma is a meddling matchmaker.

Anne: In Persuasion, Anne Elliot gets a second chance at love.

Jane: Jane Eyre starts her story as an orphan, eventually becoming an independent and principled woman in Jane Eyre.

Edward: Another character from Jane Eyre, Edward Rochester is a brooding man harboring dark secrets.

Heathcliff: In Wuthering Heights, Heathcliff is an outsider who serves as the book’s antihero.

Catherine: The protagonist of Wuthering Heights, Catherine (often called Cathy) is Heathcliff’s lover.

Ebenezer: The name of the miser in A Christmas Carol actually has biblical roots that go far deeper than classic literature.

Oliver: Oliver Twist follows the titular orphan as he falls in with a group of pick pockets and learns about himself. Other names from this novel include Dodger, Bill, and Nancy.

Pip: Short for Philip Pirrip, Great Expectations’ Pip sees his life transformed by sudden fortune.

Estella: Also from Great Expectations, Estella is an orphan raised to break hearts.

Dorothea: In Middlemarch, Dorothea Brooke seeks purpose and significance.

Dorian: The Picture of Dorian Gray depicts an attractive young man who retains his beauty while his portrait ages in his place.

David: David Copperfield follows the titular character from his youth to adulthood.

Mina: In Dracula, Mina plays a major role in defeating the vampire.

Lucy: The tragic fate of Lucy drives forward Mina’s story in Dracula.

Wendy: The eldest child in the Darling family, Wendy sets off on an adventure in Peter Pan. 

Names from American Classics

Hester: The Scarlet Letter details the tribulations of Hester Prynne, a woman accused of adultery.

Ahab: The captain in Moby-Dick, Ahab is obsessed with revenge against a whale.

Ishmael: Ishmael narrates Moby-Dick, sharing the tale of Captain Ahab and the ship’s voyage.

Finn: Huckleberry Finn, the protagonist of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, is a rebellious young boy who sets off down the river.

Sawyer: Tom Sawyer, Huck Finn’s best friend, gets his own story in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. 

Daisy: The Great Gatsby‘s Daisy Buchanan is charming and beautiful, serving as the novel’s embodiment of privilege.

Atticus: The upstanding attorney who defends justice in a racist town, Atticus Finch is a standout character in To Kill a Mockingbird.

Scout: The protagonist of To Kill a Mockingbird – and Atticus’s daughter – is Scout Finch, née Jean Louise Finch.

Lennie: This strong but developmentally disabled man comes to a tragic end in Of Mice and Men. 

Holden: The Catcher in the Rye‘s Holden Caulfield is now a well-known example of teenager-hood.

Scarlett: Scarlett O’Hara is the protagonist of Gone with the Wind, starting as a spoiled teenager who becomes driven by survival.

Rhett: Scarlett engages in a volatile relationship with love interest Rhett Butler.

Names from European and Asian Classics

Anna: Anna Karenina tells the story of a married woman and an affair that leads to tragic consequences.

Jean: Jean Valjean, in Les Misérables, is a former convict seeking redemption.

Cosette: Cosette is a symbol of hope in Les Misérables.

Edmond: Edmond Dantés, in The Count of Monte Cristo, reinvents himself after a wrongful imprisonment.

Gregor: In The Metamorphosis, Gregor Samsa is a salesman who transforms into an insect.

Nora: A Doll’s House tells the story of Nora, a wife who rejects the expectations of society.

Natasha: Natasha Rostova grows up amid heartbreak and war in War and Peace.

Andrei: In War and Peace, Andrei Bolkonsky searches for meaning.

Yuri: In Doctor Zhivago, Yuri Zhivago is a physician and poet who is torn between love and revolution.

Heidi: The optimistic orphan girl in the novel of the same name, Heidi discovers the power of family.