Names with real connections to documented people, published works, and living traditions. Every entry is curated by hand, states the year or period involved, and links to its reference.
Collection
Screen characters from 1939 to 2001, noting which names were invented for the story and which pre-date it.
6 entries
Princess Leia Organa
Star Wars, from 1977
Leader of the Rebel Alliance in the Star Wars films first released in 1977, played by Carrie Fisher. The name was created for the character rather than drawn from an established tradition.
Names From Movies & Stories
Amélie Poulain
Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amélie Poulain, 2001
Title character of the 2001 French film directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet, played by Audrey Tautou. Amélie is also a long-established French given name.
Names From Movies & Stories
Matilda Wormwood
Novel 1988, film 1996
Book-loving child at the centre of Roald Dahl's 1988 novel Matilda, adapted for film in 1996 and as a stage musical in 2010. The name itself predates the story by centuries.
Names From Movies & Stories
Dorothy Gale
The Wizard of Oz, 1939
Kansas farm girl carried to the land of Oz in the 1939 film, played by Judy Garland, based on L. Frank Baum's 1900 novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.
Names From Movies & Stories
Neo
The Matrix, 1999
Hacker alias of the protagonist of The Matrix (1999), played by Keanu Reeves. The character's birth name in the film is Thomas Anderson; Neo is a chosen alias, not a traditional given name.
Names From Movies & Stories
Hermione Granger
Harry Potter series, from 1997
One of the three central characters of J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter novels, published from 1997 and adapted for film from 2001. Hermione derives from Greek myth rather than from the novels.
Names From Movies & Stories
Names That Changed History
Eleven names carried by documented figures in science, medicine, civil rights, exploration, and invention, each with dates and a reference.
Classic Literary Names
Names from novels and plays that have stayed in use for generations, with the work and year they appear in.
Names Inspired by Scientists
Mathematicians, chemists, and physicists whose names remain in common use today.
Timeless Film Names
Screen characters from 1939 to 2001, noting which names were invented for the story and which pre-date it.
Names of Modern Icons
Six contemporary figures in sport, letters, dance, and activism, described factually with no endorsement implied.
Names With Remarkable Stories
Mythological and folkloric names whose stories are recorded in classical and oral traditions across cultures.
Lucky Stork is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by any person, studio, publisher, or estate named on this page. Associations are descriptive and link to published references. Read our sources.
