This week I’m doing a throwback to one of the Broke and the Bookish’s long-ago post topics, which is characters and literary figures that I would name my hypothetical children after. This Top Ten Tuesday and I were meant to be. I thoroughly enjoy playing the baby name game any old time, but bookish themed ones are just the cherry on top of my sundae.

Fun fact: according to my mother, I was named after a supporting character in a romance novel. I’d like to think this says a lot about me.

In a valiant attempt to keep this list at a firm ten, I am breaking it up into Top 5 girl names and Top 5 boy names. Here we go!

The Wee Ladies

1. Alanna: I have had this one on lock since I first read Tamora Pierce’s Lioness series when I was twelve. That is some serious consistency in a top choice considering that I am now twenty-four. Alanna is strong and carves her own path through life, so I feel like that is an excellent namesake.

2. Luna: I wouldn’t saddle my child with Hermione (fine name for a witch, not so much for a muggle) but I could see myself naming my daughter Luna. She’s quirky and smart and quite honestly one of my favorite HP characters.

3. Blake: This one would be kind of double whammy. 1) One of my favorite poets is William Blake and 2) One of my favorite characters is Anita Blake from the Anita Blake series by Laurell K Hamilton. Plus I like the idea of having a slightly masculine or at least gender neutral name on the list.

4. Arya: I’m a Song of Ice and Fire junkie. I stopped myself from adding Daenerys or Khaleesi because I don’t want my hypothetical children to be brutally teased in the school yard. I mean, it will happen anyway, because kids can be cruel and they’ll find something else to pick on, but I’d rather not have it be my name choice that does the deed. Anyway, the name Arya just sounds so nice. And I can still nerd out over it.

5. Skye: This child might turn out to be a major hippy, but I’d feel proud to name her after Skye O’Malley from Bertrice Small’s epic saga. Yes, I would name my child after a character in a romance novel. Based on my opening fun fact this seems completely legitimate to me.

And the Wee Gents

1. Liam: This name is also from the Lioness series, but I would have to make a serious choice over Liam and Alanna because in the book they become lovers for a while and I will not name siblings after characters that have sex. There’s just too much weirdness for that. It will literally be whichever gender comes first that gets dibs on my top name choice.

2. Rowling: This one just occurred to me as I was making this list, but I like the name Rowling for a little boy. It’s a great way to pay homage to a favorite author while being a little unique. I like this plan and it just might stick.

3. Austen: I quite like that I’d name a little girl after a male poet and would name a little boy after a female author (or two). Jane Austen is one of my all time favorites and she writes some swoon worthy male characters, but I’m not forcing the life of Darcy on a little boy, nor do I want to be as obvious as William. Oh! Bennett would be a good one though. Can you tell I’m a Pride and Prejudice fan?

4. Owen: John Irving’s A Prayer For Owen Meany is one of my all time favorite books. Not that I would want my child to be extremely short or have a Christ-complex, but I adore the name and think it would be a subtle tribute.

5. Burke: This would be another whichever gender came first scenario. Niall Burke is one of Skye O’Malley’s principle love interests and I am enamored with how either Niall or Burke sounds as a name for a boy. Again, wouldn’t name my girl Skye and my boy Burke because that would be too much name incest, but apart they’re solid name choices in my book.

Phew! Choosing literary names was harder than I thought. What literary legacy would you label your child with?