All the World's A Stage for People With These 190+ Shakespearean Names

For some people, William Shakespeare is a dead white guy who wrote a bunch of plays and poems that they were forced to read and pretend to understand in high school. But for others, he is the greatest writer of all time, skilled at capturing the intricacies of human emotion in a way that manages to translate in the 21st century. In fact, some people are such big fans of the English playwright, poet, and actor that they want to name their children after characters in his written works. And why not? There are plenty of baby names inspired by books, classic literature, writers, and children’s books. Those looking for Shakespearean names, in particular, are in luck: The Bard penned 39 plays, 154 sonnets, and three long narrative poems, leaving us with plenty of inspiration.

Even though Shakespeare lived from 1564 to 1616, many of the names of his characters are classics that aren’t out-of-place today. Fun fact: Shakespeare’s wife’s name was Anne Hathaway (but no, not that one), and they had three children together — Susanna, Judith, and Hamnet (not a typo). If you’re interested and Shakespearean names, there’s no better place to start looking for inspiration than some of the writer’s best-known plays, including Romeo & Juliet, Love’s Labor’s Lost, The Taming of the Shrew, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Merchant of Venice, Much Ado About Nothing, As You Like It, Twelfth Night, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Hamlet, Othello, Macbeth, King Lear, and The Tempest, among others.

Or, you can save yourself the hassle and check out our list of Shakespearean names below. Without further ado, what follows are Shakespearean names for girls, boys, and some that are gender-neutral, along with the name of the play in which the character appeared.

Shakespearean Names for Girls

1. Adriana — The Comedy of Errors
2. Alice — Henry Vi
3. Aliena — As You Like It
4. Anne — Henry VIII, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Richard III
5. Ariel — The Tempest
6. Audrey — As You Like It
7. Beatrice — Much Ado About Nothing
8. Bianca — The Taming of the Shrew, Othello
9. Calpurnia — Julius Caesar
10. Cassandra — Troilus and Cressida
11. Celia — As You Like It
12. Ceres — The Tempest
13. Cleopatra — Antony and Cleopatra
14. Cordelia — King Lear
15. Cressida — Troilus and Cressida
16. Cymbeline — Cymbeline
17. Desdemona — Othello
18. Diana — All’s Well That Ends Well
19. Dionyza — Pericles
20. Dolabella — Antony and Cleopatra
21. Eleanor — King John
22. Elizabeth — Henry VIII, Henry VI/Richard III
23. Emilia — The Comedy of Errors, The Winter’s Tale, Othello, The Two Noble Kinsmen
24. Gertrude — Hamlet
25. Helen — Troilus and Cressida, All’s Well That Ends Well
26. Helena — A Midsummer Night’s Dream
27. Hermia — A Midsummer Night’s Dream
28. Hermione — The Winter’s Tale
29. Imogen — Cymbeline
30. Iris — The Tempest
31. Isabel — Richard II, Henry V
32. Isabella — Measure for Measure
33. Isidore — Timon of Athens
34. Jessica — The Merchant of Venice
35. Julia — The Two Gentlemen of Verona
36. Juliet — Romeo and Juliet, Measure for Measure
37. Juno — The Tempest
38. Katharine — Love’s Labour’s Lost, Henry V
39. Katherina — The Taming of the Shrew
40. Katherine — Henry VIII
41. Lavinia — Titus Andronicus
42. Leonine — Pericles
43. Luciana — The Comedy of Errors
44. Margaret — Henry VI/Richard III, Much Ado About Nothing
45. Margery — Henry VI
46. Maria — Love’s Labour’s Lost, Twelfth Night
47. Mariana — All’s Well That Ends Well, Measure for Measure
48. Marina — Pericles
49. Miranda — The Tempest
50. Octavia — Antony and Cleopatra
51. Olivia — Twelfth Night
52. Ophelia — Hamlet
53. Paulina — The Winter’s Tale
54. Phebe — As You Like It
55. Portia — The Merchant of Venice, Julius Caesar
56. Rosalind — As You Like It
57. Rosaline — Love’s Labor’s Lost
58. Silvia — The Two Gentlemen of Verona
59. Tamora — Titus Andronicus
60. Titania — A Midsummer Night’s Dream
61. Ursula — Much Ado About Nothing
62. Valeria — Coriolanus
63. Viola — Twelfth Night

Shakespearean Names for Boys

1. Caesar — Julius Caesar, Antony and Cleopatra
2. Camillo — The Winter’s Tale
3. Cassio — Othello
4. Cassius — Julius Caesar
5. Cato — Julius Caesar
6. Cesario — Twelfth Night
7. Charles — As You Like It
8. Clarence — Richard III, Henry IV/Henry V
9. Claudio — Much Ado About Nothing, Measure for Measure
10. Claudius — Julius Caesar
11. Cornelius — Hamlet, Cymbeline
12. Curan — King Lear
13. Curtis — The Taming of the Shrew
14. Davy — Henry IV
15. Decius — Julius Caesar
16. Demetrius — A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Titus Andronicus, Antony and Cleopatra
17. Dennis — As You Like It
18. Diomedes — Troilus and Cressida, Antony and Cleopatra
19. Donalbain — Macbeth
20. Douglas — Henry IV
21. Duncan — Macbeth
22. Edgar — King Lear
23. Edmund — King Lear
24. Edward — Henry VI/Richard III
25. Egeon — The Comedy of Errors
26. Emmanuel — Henry VI
27. Fabian — Twelfth Night
28. Ferdinand — The Tempest, Love’s Labor’s Lost
29. Francis — Henry IV
30. Francisco — Hamlet, The Tempest
31. Frederick — As You Like It
32. George — Henry VI
33. Gonzalo — The Tempest
34. Gregory — Romeo and Juliet
35. Hamlet — Hamlet
36. Hector — Troilus and Cressida
37. Henry — King John, Henry IV, Henry VIII, Henry VI, Henry V
38. Hero — Much Ado About Nothing
39. Hubert — King John
40. Iago — Othello
41. Jamy — Henry V
42. Jaques — As You Like It
43. John — King John
44. Joseph — The Taming of the Shrew
45. Laertes — Hamlet
46. Lance — The Two Gentlemen of Verona
47. Launcelot — The Merchant of Venice
48. Lennox — Macbeth
49. Leonardo — The Merchant of Venice
50. Lorenzo — The Merchant of Venice
51. Lucio — Measure for Measure
52. Lucius — Julius Caesar, Titus Andronicus, Timon of Athens
53. Lysander — A Midsummer Night’s Dream
54. Macbeth — Macbeth
55. Malcolm — Macbeth
56. Marcellus — Hamlet
57. Mercutio — Romeo and Juliet
58. Michael — Henry VI, Henry IV
59. Mortimer — Henry VI
60. Morton — Henry IV
61. Oberon — A Midsummer Night’s Dream
62. Octavius — Julius Caesar
63. Oliver — As You Like It
64. Orlando — As You Like It
65. Orsino — Twelfth Night
66. Oswald — King Lear
67. Othello — Othello
68. Peter — Henry VI Part 2, Romeo and Juliet, The Taming of the Shrew
69. Petruchio — Romeo and Juliet, The Taming of the Shrew
70. Philip — The Taming of the Shrew, King John
71. Philo — Antony and Cleopatra
72. Prospero — The Tempest
73. Puck — A Midsummer Night’s Dream
74. Reynaldo — Hamlet, All’s Well That Ends Well
75. Richard — Richard II, Richard III
76. Robert — King John
77. Roderigo — Othello
78. Romeo — Romeo and Juliet
79. Ross — Richard II
80. Sebastian — The Tempest, Twelfth Night, The Two Gentlemen of Verona
81. Silvius — As You Like It
82. Timon — Timon of Athens
83. Titinius — Julius Caesar
84. Toby — Twelfth Night
85. Tybalt — Romeo and Juliet
86. Ulysses — Troilus and Cressida
87. Usher — Coriolanus
88. Vincentio — Measure for Measure, The Taming of the Shrew
89. Valentine — Titus Andronicus, The Two Gentlemen of Verona, Twelfth Night
90. William — As You Like It

More Shakespearean Names for Boys

1. Aaron — Titus Andronicus

Meaning: Mountain of strength

1. Abram — Romeo and Juliet

Meaning: Exalted father

1. Achilles — Troilus and Cressida

Meaning: Pain

1. Adam — As You Like It

Meaning: “Son of the red earth”

1. Ajax — Troilus and Cressida

Meaning: Eagle

1. Alexander — Troilus and Cressida

Meaning: Repulser of men

1. Alonso — The Tempest

Meaning: Ready for battle

1. Angelo — The Comedy of Errors, Measure for Measure

Meaning: Messenger and angel

1. Antonio — The Two Gentlemen of Verona, Twelfth Night, The Merchant of Venice, The Tempest, Much Ado About Nothing

Meaning: Priceless and flower

1. Aragon — The Merchant of Venice

Meaning: High valley

1. Arthur — King John

Meaning: Bear

1. Balthasar — The Comedy of Errors, The Merchant of Venice, Romeo and Juliet, Much Ado About Nothing

Meaning: Bel protects the King

1. Barnardo — Hamlet

Meaning: Bear brave

1. Bartholomew — The Taming of the Shrew

Meaning: Son of Talmay or having many furrows

1. Benedick — Much Ado About Nothing

Meaning: Blessed

1. Benvolio — Romeo and Juliet

Meaning: Good-will, well-wisher, or peacemaker

1. Berri — Henry V

Meaning: Small fruit

1. Bertram — All’s Well That Ends Well

Meaning: Bright or famous

1. Brandon — Henry VIII

Meaning: Gorse hill

1. Caliban — The Tempest

Meaning: Black

Even More Shakespearean Names

1. Adrian — Coriolanus, The Tempest

Meaning: Son of Adrian

1. Albany — King Lear

Meaning: Derives from the name Albanus, which means “of Alba”

1. Alexas — Antony and Cleopatra

Meaning: “To defend” or “man”

1. Caius — Julius Caesar, Titus Andronicus

Meaning: Rejoice

1. Cicero — Julius Caesar

Meaning: Occupational name for someone who sells peas. It also means lentil.

1. Corin — As You Like It

Meaning: Spear

1. Derby — Richard III

Meaning: Old English word that means “park with deer”

1. Dion — The Winter’s Tale

Meaning: God of wine and revelry

1. Dorcas — The Winter’s Tale

Meaning: Gazelle

1. Fenton — Merry Wives of Windsor

Meaning: Marsh town

1. Griffith — Henry VIII

Meaning: Old Welsh name that means chief or lord

1. Jupiter — Cymbeline

Meaning: The chief Roman god, or the god of light

1. Justice — Measure for Measure

Meaning: Fair-minded

1. Lincoln — Henry VIII

Meaning: Settlement or condo

1. Luce — The Comedy of Errors

Meaning: Light

1. Morgan — Cymbeline

Meaning: Sea chief, sea protector, sea defender, or captain

1. Paris — Romeo and Juliet, Troilus and Cressida

Meaning: Refers to the French city, Parisli, or the Trojan prince

1. Regan — King Lear

Meaning: Sovereign, king, or the king’s child

1. Robin — A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Merry Wives of Windsor

Meaning: Fame or bright

1. Shaw — Richard III

Meaning: A name used for someone who lived near a copse or thicket