Top 11 Fictional Character Names
- CJ Tiernan
- Jun 23
- 6 min read
By CJ Tiernan
Shakespeare once wrote something about names and flowers (C’mon, you know the one). Anyway, he was wrong. A name can make or break the essence of a character. Han Solo tells us he’s a lone wolf. Ted Lasso tells us he’s in charge of corralling a group of individuals. Mickey Mouse tells us he’s a mouse. Sometimes, the writer just goes wild with it. Princess Consuela Banana Hammock is a name a character (who already has a name) makes up for themselves. Inigo Montoya is a fluid name, uttered poetically over and over again. The list of character names truly feels endless. And yet, I have compiled a list of my Top 11 Favorite Character Names of all time, including movies, TV, the internet, and other reading material. Enjoy!
1. Yukon Cornelius - Movie - Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
This intrepid explorer, on the hunt for a rich vein of peppermint, drops in on our protagonist and becomes an unexpected ally. What’s the first thing you think of when you hear “Yukon”? An area of Canada? The river that flows through that area? How about the GMC SUV? Whatever it is, it is a rugged association that meshes perfectly with a bearded dude, armed solely with a pickaxe, wandering the frozen tundra avoiding the Abominable Snow Monster.
2. Caractacus Potts - Movie - Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
The first time we meet this character, we actually meet his kitchen as well. He has a crazy contraption designed to make breakfast more complicated. We are introduced to the fanciful, larger-than-life nature of the story and his handiness with building odd machines. How did the sculptor of this wonderful name also generate names like Jeremy and Grandpa? It feels like a choke job, or it would, if said writer didn’t also have names in his bag like Willy Wonka, Miss Trunchbull, and The BFG.
3. Ebenezer Scrooge - Book - A Christmas Carol
I didn’t read the book and yet I’ve seen an iteration of this story a hundred times. It is the backbone of a Christmas movie. Someone is grumpy and angry at the world or their life or something and then get set straight through a series of interactions. Usually, that character is named Ebenezer Scrooge. Fun fact: the Disney character Belle is simply named for the word “beautiful” in French (J.K. That wasn’t the fact. It’s that Scrooge McDuck was named after Ebenezer).
4. Albus Dumbledore - Book - Harry Potter
His full name is Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore. When you have three kids, you have an oldest, a youngest, and a middle child. Names usually follow this same pattern, dropping oldest and youngest for first and last. When you have three middle names, do those names have sub-names? I don’t believe they do. If you, like the late Charles Duell of 1899 Patent Office fame, believe that “everything that can be invented has been invented,” then you can break that curse by trying your hand at giving a name to the subset of middle names. I, for one, submit using The Brady Bunch progeny as nomenclature delineation for multiple middle names. Percival would be the Greg Middle Name, Wulfric would be the Marcia Middle Name, and Brian would be the Peter Middle Name. If you have more than six middle names then, well, your initials must look like an eye test.
5. Dr. Heinz Doofenschmirtz - TV Show - Phineas and Ferb
Heinz is a Drusselsteinian villain often mistaken for a pharmacist. He is solely focused on taking over the entire tri-state area and his efforts (and Inators) are inevitably foiled by Perry the Platypus (another great name). I love the brazen nature of creating a corporation with both his name on it and the word “Evil.” There is no subtlety and yet he is never harassed by the proper authorities (unless you count his brother Roger: the mayor of Danville).
6. Trogdor the Burninator - Web Series - Homestar Runner
I appreciate a name that tells you right in the name what the character does. He, to quote the song, spends his time “burninating the countryside” and “burninating all the people in the thatched-roof cottages.” He’s a dragon man (or maybe he was just a dragon) that comes to life courtesy of Strong Bad’s sketch work. You have to look him up to check out all his majesty. This hails from a simpler time when the internet was used for good instead of evil.
7. Zaphod Beeblebrox - Book - The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
The idea that an individual would be classified as an ex-President of the Galaxy is delightful. Zaphod has two heads, three arms, and no sense of decorum. His surname would be an excellent choice for a one-word tongue-twister. If you manage to squeeze both an ‘X’ and a ‘Z’ into a name, you’ve either completely lost the plot on how English works, or you’ve created a sweet name.
8a. Kingsley Shacklebolt - Book - Harry Potter
This guy has the job that Harry Potter hopes to get when he graduates Hogwarts (if he manages to survive his annual life-and-death entanglement). He’s an auror at the Ministry of Magic. The job is to essentially track down and capture bad guys and send them to jail (which in Harry Potter land, is the ominous sounding Azkaban). The dude is literally out here shackling and bolting baddies. A tip of the Kufi (his hat style) to you, Mr. Shacklebolt.
8b. Bellatrix Lestrange - Book - Harry Potter
I double-dipped with Harry Potter characters so, don’t worry, I’ve added a twelfth name to the list. This far into the list, it’s become clear that an ‘X’ a ‘Z’ or a ‘K’ is nearly essential for a great name. Only a few on the list lack all three. Bellatrix is an evil woman, fueled by a warped sense of genetic superiority and a fanatical devotion to the big bad. She is, apart from the magical abilities, a spot-on impression of the high-ranking officers of the Nazis. J.K. Rowling has confirmed that is not an accident. Some may question putting the word “strange” in the name of a crazy woman, but I think it works (plus, with the French pronunciation, it’s hidden-ish).
9. Snake Plissken - Movie - Escape from New York
What’s cooler than a dude with an eye-patch? A dude named Snake. This guy has both and, just to drive the point home, he smokes. In fact, if we continue the cool list, we can add in that he has a tattoo of a snake, rocks monochromatic camo pants (oxymoron?), and has big guns (and we’re not just talking the ones sticking out either side of his tank top). While I could take or leave the movie, the man is the definition of cool on every level.
10. Lex Luther - Comic Book - Superman
If you’re gonna build a bad guy from scratch, what do you start with? I feel like rich owner of a large corporation with your name on it is a start. Maybe sprinkle in genius scientist and bald head and you’re getting really close. Finely dressed in a suit and surrounded by henchmen and you’ve got it. Add in the ‘X’ and the alliteration in the name and you’ve got one of the greatest villains ever. Fun fact: the comic book artist initially intended for him to have red hair and simply left him bald by accident. Neglect: classic villain origin story.
11. Maximus Decimus Meridius - Movie - Gladiator
This is not a name you give to an accountant. The individual who rides beneath this flag, rides toward greatness (no offense to accountants but, you get it). It sounds like it could be vaguely, historically Roman, although no such figure actually existed. I think it’s a perfect name with which to enter the Colosseum because it’s so long that it provides time to stall whilst they announce your entrance. When you’re up against corrupt Emperors, desperate criminals, and oversized animals, every little bit helps.
Final Thoughts
Names can be such an important piece of one’s identity. When they are a fictional character with a backstory that is less fleshed-out than that of yours or mine, it is often an essential shortcut. Manners may maketh man, but a name maketh their identity known. There were obviously a ton of different names I considered when making this and I left a bushel off. I will leave a few of those that just missed down below. Please let me know if I missed any of your favorites. Thanks! Have a great day!
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