It's not uncommon for parents to name their babies after beloved book characters, but the popularity of romantasy — a combination of romance and fantasy fiction — means that there's a whole new list of name options to consider.
Sophie Kihm, editor-in-chief of Nameberry, tells TODAY.com that romantasy-style baby names are one of their top trends of the year. Two of the names leading the pack are Cassian (from the Sarah J. Maas series "A Court of Thorns and Roses") and Violet (the main character in "The Empyrean" series by Rebecca Yarros).
"Cassian was the fastest-rising boy name between 2022 and 2023. It dropped a bit between 2023 and 2024, but could easily rebound," Kihm explains. "Violet is currently Number 15 on the US Top 1000 and seems destined for the Top 10."
Some parents are choosing names straight from series like "The Fae & Alchemy" (Callie Hart), "Blood and Ash" (Jennifer L. Armentrout) and "Kindred's Curse" (Penn Cole). Others, however, are using the conventions of romantasy character names to create unique combinations of their own.
"Parents are embracing names that feel like they could be in a romantasy novel," says Kihm. "These names tend to be ornate and strongly gendered, often with Welsh or Scandinavian roots."
Some of the names climbing the charts for boys in the U.S. are Magnus, Alistair and Caspian, while Elowyn, Soraya and Elora are rising for girls, according to Kihm.
And on the Nameberry site, often a good indicator of future name popularity, these romantasy names are in the Top 50: Isolde, Freya and Eluned for girls, and Eirian, Perran and Llewellyn for boys.
Would you consider a romantasy-inspired name for your babe in the woods? Below are 98 names pulled directly from the hottest romantasy book series of the moment.
98 Romantasy-Inspired Baby Names
"A Court of Thorns and Roses (ACOTAR)" by Sarah J. Maas
- Feyre
- Tamlin
- Lucien
- Rhysand
- Amarantha
- Alis
- Nesta
- Elain
- Andras
- Tomas
- Isaac
- Clare
"The Empyrean" by Rebecca Yarros
- Violet
- Xaden
- Dain
- Mira
- Brennan
- Rhiannon
- Ridoc
- Sawyer
- Jesinia
- Imogen
- Garrick
- Bodhi
- Aaric
- Sloane
- Jack
- Lilith
- Asher
- Baylor
- Catriona “Cat”
- Caroline
- Ciaran
- Felix
"Crescent City" by Sarah J. Maas
- Bryce
- Hunt
- Lidia
- Ruhn
- Danika
- Ithan
- Tharion
- Cormac
"Blood and Ash" by Jennifer L. Armentrout
- Penellaphe
- Casteel
- Seraphena
- Isbeth
- Nyktos
- Kieran
- Millicent
- Attes
"Zodiac Academy" by Caroline Peckham and Susanne Valenti
- Darcy
- Tory
- Darius
- Lance
- Gabriel
- Elise
- Seth
- Caleb
"Quicksilver" by Callie Hart
- Kingfisher
- Saeris
- Everlayne
- Renfis
- Hayden
- Lorreth
- Belikon
- Onyx
"Alchemised" by SenLinYu
- Kaine
- Helena
- Lila
- Soren
"The Kindred's Curse Saga" by Penn Cole
- Aemonn
- Alixe
- Diem
- Luther
- Henri
- Teller
- Eleanor
- Taran
- Zalaric
- Cordellia
"Powerless" by Lauren Roberts
- Kai
- Kitt
- Paedyn
- Adena
- Mara
- Edric
- Makoto
"One Dark Window" by Rachel Gillig
- Elspeth
- Ravyn
- Jespyr
- Emory
- Elm
- Hauth
- Orithe
- Morette
- Fenir
- Ione
- Opal
