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Choosing a name for your baby may be one of the most challenging things you do before your baby arrives. You want something memorable, but not too far out there. Whichever baby name you choose, don’t fret too much. Your child can always change it, or at least go by their middle name, as YA author Sloane Tanen once did as a teen.
When thinking of baby names, movie-inspired monikers might be on your list. Here are some names inspired by characters from the silver screen that you may want to consider.
Choosing a baby name: Movie characters from films we love
“I’ll never know how big or small a part my relationship with John Hughes weighed in on his decision to name his character after me, Sloane Tanen wrote in, “What John Hughes Taught Me About the Importance of a Name”.
“Maybe it was a tribute because he saw a better version of me trapped inside that teenage bundle of insecurity, maybe it was a consolation prize because he thought I’d never measure up, or maybe, most likely, he just liked the name.”
1. Sloan: We all either wanted to be Sloane Peterson from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off or use it as one of our own baby girl names.
Let’s be honest, at one point in our lives, we all really wanted to be skipping school with Ferris like Sloane did in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, right? Anyone? Anyone?
2. Noah: Noah has been in the top 20 baby names since 2006
While Nicholas Sparks penned the novel in 1996, the wildly popular film adaptation, The Notebook, was released in 2004 and was likely a contributing factor to the name’s top 20 status.
3. Savannah: The name Savannah transcends time and place as a baby name, both literally and figuratively
“We named our daughter Savannah after the little girl in the movie Savannah Smiles. We both thought she was so adorable and smart,” Theresa S. told Mom.com. In 2020, the name Savannah was the 67th top baby name in the United States, according to the Social Security Administration website – a great place to gauge the popularity of a baby name you might be considering.
Baby name movie picks: Villains we love to hate
As a parent whose first baby’s name was movie-inspired, it’s often not necessarily the character that we love, but the name itself; the way it sounds, and its connotation. This was certainly the case when my ex-husband and I were naming our oldest child. These baby names – inspired by movie villains – might be the perfect choice for your sweet newborn.
4. Dante: We may not have been the only ones who fell in love with this name given its rise in popularity in 1997
When Mario Puzo’s 1996 novel, The Last Don, was made into a television docuseries in 1997, the name Dante Clericuzio stuck out to us. While not the most lovable character, the name was noble and strong, and if we wanted, we could just say we were inspired by Italian poet, Dante Alighieri. Who’s gonna know?
5. August: This name was ranked the 170th most popular name for boys in the United States in 2018. The name has been popular since the mid-1980s
If you happen to name your baby August, you’re in good company. Mandy Moore and Princess Eugenie both named their boys August last year. August Walker also happens to be the name of the villain in Mission Impossible: Fallout.
6. Asher: In Hebrew, Asher means blessed or happy. In late 2021, Asher was one of the top names for boys in the United States
In 2018, Ron Perlman played Asher, an aging villainous hitman. The popularity of the baby name Asher has been on the rise since the year 2000, according to the Social Security Administration website.
Most popular baby names and their movie characters equivalent
In these times of uncertainty, the one constant over the last few years is that the baby names Liam and Olivia have held strong, and were the most popular names given to newborns in 2020 and 2021. Given the other baby names that made it into the top spots in recent years, it looks like many of us were on the binging-movies-on Netflix portion of the pandemic while waiting for our sourdough bread to rise.
7. Emma: This name gained the top spot for girls baby names in 2020 and remains popular
Emma Grace Frost is an X-men character in the Marvel Universe, and Emma Woodhouse is the main character in the 2020 movie, Emma, which is based on Jane Austen’s 1815 eponymous novel.
8. Charlotte: The girls baby name Charlotte grabs 5th place as far as most popular baby names go
The name Charlotte can be found in movies like Beautiful Creatures, Top Gun, Rugrats: All Growed Up, and of course Charlotte’s Web.
9. Lucas: The name Lucas has consistently been in the top 20 baby names for years. They say you never forget your first movie star crush. Mine was Corey Haim — who starred in Lucas — the 1986 film that no one really talks about much, but is definitely an eighties favorite.
10. Benjamin: In 2020, Benjamin was the 7th most popular name in the United States Fans of the cult-classic movie The Sandlot will remember Benjamin as Smalls’ best friend and the best player on the team. National Treasure fans will recognize the name Benjamin Gates as the unlikely protagonist of this beloved 2004 film.
Choosing a name for your baby can indeed be a roller coaster ride. Speaking of John Lucas and his interest in the name Sloane, Tanen wrote, “I imagine he wanted a name that would stand out with the character. I wanted a name that would allow me to fit in.” Finding the perfect balance between the two is something to which many parents can surely relate.
