Top Ten Tuesday: Ten Characters I’d Name A Child/Dog/Cat/Car/Etc.

Although my list is leaning toward girls names, I adore every single one of these names and the qualities they represent from the characters they portray in their stories.

1. Arya from the Game of Thrones series by George R. R. Martin
   A caveat to this one – my dog’s name is Arya, although we spell it Aria (like the opera term).  My partner is a musician and a huge fan of the tv show and I’m a librarian so it works really well for us!
2. Ella from Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
   This is actually a family name from a few generations ago and I’d love to use it for that reason as well as for the fact that Ella Enchanted is my go-to recommendation for any girl who loves princess stories or twisted fairy tales.
3. Esma from The Lightning Queen by Laura Resau
   I love this simple, slightly quirky name for the Queen of Destiny who I could only hope would surpass her own destiny with such a name.
4. Felicity from A Snicker of Magic by Natalie Lloyd
   I love the language of this book and I could only hope that if I named a child Felicity that she’d be a “word collector” just like her namesake.
5. Jeremiah from Soar by Joan Bauer
   I have loved this name since the movie, The Princess Diaries came out years ago.  It’s somewhat unique, but also familiar for many people as well.  Plus, as a character, Jeremiah has a lot of heart and that’s what makes this name a top contender.
6. Kai from The Nameless City by Faith Erin Hicks
   Kai means water in Hawaiian which makes this name super awesome to me – I love anything to do with being in the water, swimming, relaxing, even just the act of getting a shower is so enjoyable to me.  But, in this story, Kai befriends Rat and his actions speak more words than any novelist could write (this book is a graphic novel).
7. Luna from The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill
   I LOVED this book and Luna is such a brave character, plus this is such a cute name for a little girl, cat, dog, etc.
8. Madeline from the Madeline series by Ludwig Bemelmans
   A super cute name that could be shortened to Maddie and who didn’t love the little girl who “lived in a tall house in Paris that was covered with vines?”
9. Matilda from Matilda by Roald Dahl
   Not only is this an adorable name, but I love Matilda’s love of books in this story.
10. Serafina from Serafina and the Black Cloak by Robert Beatty or Seraphina by Rachel Hartman
    Although I won’t be naming any dragons any time soon, I’m thinking that this soft, beautiful name would be such a great one to give to a little girl to grow up strong and brave.

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish.