Character Name Inspiration:

Medieval

Female

A ~

Ada, Adela, Adele, Adelaide, Adelicia, Adelie, Adelin, Agatha, Agnes, Aldith, Ailith, Alianora, Alice/Alys, Alicia, Alinor, Alina, Alison/Alyson, Amabel, Amice, Andrea, Ann/Anne, Anora, Arabel, Arabella, Avaline/Aveline, Avelina, Avelyn

B ~

Basilia, Beatrice, Beatricia, Beatrix, Bethia, Berta, Bertha, Blanche, Bridget, Brigid, Bronwyn

C ~

Cassandra, Catherine, Caterine, Cateline, Cecily, Cecilia, Celestria, Christine, Clara, Clare, Clarice, Colleta, Colette, Constance, Constantia

D ~

Denise, Dennet, Dionisia/Dionycia, Diot, Dorothie, Durilda, Dyanys

E ~

Eda, Edith, Eilian, Elaine, Elaria, Eleanor/Elinor, Elena, Elfreda, Elise, Elizabeth, Elizabet, Ella, Ellen/Ellyn, Elspeth, Emily/Emilie, Emilia, Emlyn, Emma, Emmeline, Eva, Evaine, Evelina, Evelyn

F ~

Felice, Felicia, Flora, Florence, Floria, Francisa, Fressenda

G ~

Gemma, Gillian, Gilliena, Gisela, Gisele, Gowan, Guinevere, Gunilda, Gunnor, Gwendolen

H ~

Hawise, Helewise, Helisen, Helisende, Hersent, Hildith, Honora

I ~

Ingrid, Isabeau, Isabel/Isabelle, Isabella, Isemay, Ismena, Isolde, Isolda, Ivetta, Ivette

J ~

Jacqueline, Jacquelyn, Jacquetta, Jean, Jehanne, Joan, Johanne, Johanna, Joyce, Joy, Judith, Juliana/Julianna

K ~

Kate, Kateline, Kateryn, Katherine, Kinborough, Kit

L ~

Laudine, Laura, Lavina/Lavena, Letia, Leticia, Lia, Lisette, Lora, Loretta, Loveday, Lynette, Lucette, Luciana, Lucia, Lucy

M ~

Mabel, Mabella, Madeline, Madelina, Marabel, Margaret, Marian, Marianne, Mary, Mathilde, Matilda, Maud/Maude, Meg/Meggy, Millicent, Mirabel, Miriel/Muriel, Mirielda, Miriella/Muriella

N ~

Neldred, Nell, Nessie, Nesta, Nicola, Nicole, Nicolette, Noel

O ~

Odelina, Odilia, Olive, Olivia, Olwen, Orella, Oriana, Oriel, Orielda

P ~

Paula, Paulina, Pauline, Pavia, Philice, Philippa, Philomena, Prudence, Prudencia

Q ~

Quena, Queniva, Quenilda, Quenilla

R ~

Ravenilda, Regina, Reina, Rohese, Rohesia, Ronwen, Rosamund, Rosamunda, Rosa, Rose, Rowena

S ~

Sabelina, Sabina, Sara, Sarah, Serena, Sibyl, Sigrid, Sigrida, Susan, Susannah, Swanilda, Sybil

T ~

Theda, Thedilda, Theopania, Thomasin, Thomasina, Thomasse, Tiffan, Tiffany/Tyffany, Tilla

U ~

Ursalay, Ursley, Ursula

V ~

Viviane, Vivianna, Violette

W ~

Warina, Wenefreda, Wilmot, Winefrida, Winifred

Y ~

Yolande, Ysabel, Ysemay, Ysmena, Ysolt, Yvette

Male

A ~

Adam, Adelard, Alan/Allen, Alain, Alaric, Alban, Albert, Aldin, Aldred, Aldus, Alexander, Alfred, Algar, Alric, Alwyn, Ancelot, Andrew, Anthony, Antony, Anton, Amis, Arnold, Arthur, Aubrey, Avery, Aylmer

B ~

Baldric, Balin, Bardolph, Barnabas, Barnaby, Barnet, Barret, Bartholomew, Basil, Benedict, Bennet, Berenger, Bernard, Bertram, Bertrand, Bowden, Brand, Brannock, Brian/Bryan, Bryce, Brun

C ~

Caradoc, Cecil, Charles, Chauncey, Christopher, Clement, Clem, Col (Nicholas), Conall, Conan, Constantine, Conrad, Cornelius, Corwin, Crispin, Curtis, Cuthbert, Cynric

D ~

Daniel, Damian, David, Denis, Derek, Derrick, Digory, Dominic, Dougal, Drew, Drogo, Duncan, Dunstan, Durand

E ~

Edgar, Edmund/Edmond, Edred, Edric, Edward, Edwin, Eldrid, Elijah, Elias, Elric, Emeric, Eric, Esmond, Eustace, Evan, Everald, Everard, Everitt, Ewan

F ~

Faramond, Felix, Fergus, Ferrand, Filbert, Firmin, Fithian, Florence, Florian, Frank, Frederick, Fulbert, Fulcher, Fulke

G ~

Gabriel, Galen, Galleron, Gareth, Garrett, Garin, Gawain, Gavin, Gerald, Gerard, Geoffrey, George, Gifford, Gilbert, Giles, Glyn, Godfrey, Godwyn, Goldwin, Gregory, Gregour, Grenville, Griffin, Griffith, Grimbald, Grimold, Gunter, Guy, Guyon, Gyrth

H ~

Halbert, Hamond, Hardwin, Harold, Harry, Harvey, Hector, Henry/Henri, Herbert, Herman, Hildebrand, Hob, Holiver, Howell, Hubert, Hugh, Hughes, Hugo, Humphrey

I ~

Ifan, Ilbert, Ingelram, Ingram, Isembard, Ives, Ivor

J ~

Jack, Jackin, Jacque, James, Jankin, Jarman, Jarvis, Jasper, Jeremy, Jerome, Jevon, John, Jolin, Jonathon, Jordan, Joseph, Judd, Julian

K ~

Kenard, Kenhelm, Kenneth, Kenric, Kevin, Kit, Kynan

L ~

Lambert, Lance, Lancelot, Larkin, Laurence/Lawrence, Leo, Leofric, Leon, Leonard, Lewis, Lionel, Louis, Lucian, Lucan, Lucas/Lukas, Luke, Lyon

M ~

Mack, Madoc, Malcolm, Manfred, Marcus, Mark, Martin, Matthew, Matthias, Maurice, Merek, Michael, Mighel, Mikael, Miles, Milo, Morgan, Morris, Mortain, Murdoch

N ~

Neil, Neville, Nicholas, Nick, Nigel, Noll, Norman, Nycolas

O ~

Ode, Oliver, Olver, Osbert, Osborn, Oscar, Osmond/Osmund, Osric, Oswald, Oswin, Otto, Owen

P ~

Parkin, Pascal, Pascoe, Pate, Patrick, Percival, Peregrine, Perrin, Peter, Phelippe, Philip, Philkin, Piers

Q ~

Quentin, Quintin

R ~

Ralph, Rand, Randel, Randolph, Ranulf, Raoul, Raymond, Raynold, Raynor, Reece, Reginald, Reynard, Rhys, Ricard, Richard, Rick, Robert, Robin, Rodulf, Roger, Rolfe, Rory, Rowland, Roy

S ~

Sampson, Samuel, Savaric, Sayer, Seamus, Sean, Silvester, Simeon, Simon, Simond, Stace, Stephen/Steven, Swayn

T ~

Talbot, Tedric, Tedrick, Tenney, Terry, Theobald, Theodric, Thomas, Thorold, Thurstan, Tobias, Tobin, Toby, Tom, Torquil, Tristan, Tristian, Tristram, Tybert

U ~

Ulfric, Ulric, Umbray

V ~

Valentine, Valerian, Victor, Viel, Vincent, Vivian, Vulgrin

W ~

Walbert, Walter, Warner, Warren, Wilfred, Wilkin, William, Wolfstan, Wulfric, Wymond

Y ~

Yevan, Yvain, Yves

For a deeper dive into names and their meanings, check out BehindTheName.com

Or for more specific info on Medieval Names, you can purchase Joyce DiPastena’s book: Name Your Medieval Characters

“Fairy tales are more than true: not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten.”

– Neil Gaiman (via G.K. Chesterton)