Parenting

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

by Team Scary Mommy
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Shakespearean Names
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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. AaronTitus Andronicus

Meaning: Mountain of strength

  1. AbramRomeo and Juliet

Meaning: Exalted father

  1. AchillesTroilus and Cressida

Meaning: Pain

  1. AdamAs You Like It

Meaning: “Son of the red earth”

  1. AjaxTroilus and Cressida

Meaning: Eagle

  1. AlexanderTroilus and Cressida

Meaning: Repulser of men

  1. Alonso The Tempest

Meaning: Ready for battle

  1. AngeloThe Comedy of Errors, Measure for Measure

Meaning: Messenger and angel

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

Meaning: Priceless and flower

  1. AragonThe Merchant of Venice

Meaning: High valley

  1. ArthurKing John

Meaning: Bear

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

Meaning: Bel protects the King

  1. BarnardoHamlet

Meaning: Bear brave

  1. BartholomewThe Taming of the Shrew

Meaning: Son of Talmay or having many furrows

  1. BenedickMuch Ado About Nothing

Meaning: Blessed

  1. BenvolioRomeo and Juliet

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

  1. BerriHenry V

Meaning: Small fruit

  1. BertramAll’s Well That Ends Well

Meaning: Bright or famous

  1. BrandonHenry VIII

Meaning: Gorse hill

  1. CalibanThe Tempest

Meaning: Black

Even More Shakespearean Names

  1. AdrianCoriolanus, The Tempest

Meaning: Son of Adrian

  1. AlbanyKing Lear

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

  1. AlexasAntony and Cleopatra

Meaning: “To defend” or “man”

  1. CaiusJulius Caesar, Titus Andronicus

Meaning: Rejoice

  1. CiceroJulius Caesar

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

  1. CorinAs You Like It

Meaning: Spear

  1. Derby Richard III

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

  1. DionThe Winter’s Tale

Meaning: God of wine and revelry

  1. Dorcas The Winter’s Tale

Meaning: Gazelle

  1. FentonMerry Wives of Windsor

Meaning: Marsh town

  1. GriffithHenry VIII

Meaning: Old Welsh name that means chief or lord

  1. JupiterCymbeline

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

  1. JusticeMeasure for Measure

Meaning: Fair-minded

  1. LincolnHenry VIII

Meaning: Settlement or condo

  1. LuceThe Comedy of Errors

Meaning: Light

  1. MorganCymbeline

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

  1. ParisRomeo and Juliet, Troilus and Cressida

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

  1. ReganKing Lear

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

  1. RobinA Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Merry Wives of Windsor

Meaning: Fame or bright

  1. ShawRichard III

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

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