Shakespeare is one of the most famous playwrights in history. If you’re a fan of his work, name your baby after one of the characters.
William Shakespeare was a famous playwright, poet, and actor.
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Throughout his life, he wrote 38 plays, 2 narrative poems, and 154 sonnets.
His work about life, love, death and other human emotions always strikes a chord.
Shakespeare left a big legacy. If you’re a fan of his work, name your baby after one of his characters.
The following is an extensive list of Shakespeare characters and key details to know.
Table of Contents
Gender-neutral names from Shakespeare
Alexas (Antony and Cleopatra): Cleopatra’s servant, close advisor, and messenger between her and Antony.
Ariel (The Tempest): A spirit who serves Prospero.
Hero (Much Ado About Nothing): The innocent, sweet, and obedient daughter of Leonato.
Morgan (Cymbeline): A banished lord and soldier. His real name is Belarius.
Juno (The Tempest): One of Prospero’s spirits. She represents the Queen of Heaven and goddess of marriage.
Robin (A Midsummer Night’s Dream): A vivacious fairy who’s also called Puck.
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Girl names from Shakespeare
Adriana (The Comedy of Errors): The wife of Antipholus of Ephesus and Luciana’s sister. She’s constantly worried about her husband loving another woman.
Alice (Henry V): Catherine’s waiting-woman.
Anne (Henry VIII): The second wife of King Henry VIII of England. She was one of the most powerful women in the world.
Audrey (As You Like It): A patient but ignorant shepherd girl.
Beatrice (Much Ado About Nothing): The niece of Messina’s governor, Leonato. She’s a strong female character who’s feisty, witty, and sharp.
Bianca (The Taming of the Shrew, Othello): The soft-spoken and sweet daughter of Batista Minola. In Othello, she’s Cassio’s jealous lover.
Calpurnia (Julius Caesar): Caesar’s wife.
Catherine (Henry V): The wife of King Henry V and the daughter of King Charles VI and Queen Isabel.
Cassandra (Troilus and Cressida): A prophetess and one of Priam’s daughters.
Celia (As You Like It): The daughter of Duke Frederick. She’s attractive, intelligent, funny, and witty. She also dressed as a young farm girl and used the name, Aliena.
Ceres (The Tempest): One of Prospero’s spirits, who represents the goddess of the harvest.
Cleopatra (Antony and Cleopatra): The Queen of Egypt and Antony’s lover.
Cordelia (King Lear): The youngest daughter of King Lear. She’s the personification of devotion, kindness, beauty, and virtue.
Cressida (Troilus and Cressida): The woman who Troilus falls in love with.
Desdemona (Othello): A beautiful, loyal, brave, and compassionate Venetian woman.
Diana (All’s Well That Ends Well): An intelligent young lady who tricks the sleazy Bertram into sleeping with Helen instead.
Eleanor (King John): The widow of Henry II. She’s strong-willed, intelligent, and elderly.
Elizabeth (Henry VI, Henry VIII, Richard III): The Queen of England and daughter of King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn.
Emilia (Othello): Lago’s wife and Desdemona’s maid.
Gertrude (Hamlet): Hamlet’s mother and the Queen of Denmark.
Helena (A Midsummer Night’s Dream): One of the four Athenian lovers. She thinks most about love but isn’t loved.
Imogen (Cymbeline): The daughter of King Cymbeline.
Iris (The Tempest): One of Prospero’s spirits. She’s the goddess of the rainbow.
Isabella (Measure for Measure): A virtuous, chaste, and strong woman. She represents goodness and mercy.
Jessica (The Merchant of Venice): The daughter of Shylock. She breaks her dad’s heart when she runs off to marry Lorenzo.
Julia (The Two Gentlemen of Verona): A young noblewoman from Verona who falls in love with Proteus.
Juliet (Romeo and Juliet): The teenage daughter of the Capulet family. She’s the female protagonist who falls in love with Romeo.
Katherine (The Taming of the Shrew): The “shrew.” She has a sharp tongue and a quick temper.
Lavinia (Titus Andronicus): The virtuous daughter of Titus Andronicus.
Luce (The Comedy of Errors): A maid who’s also known as Nell.
Luciana (The Comedy of Errors): Adriana’s sister who’s outspoken and impatient.
Margaret (Much Ado About Nothing, Henry VI, Richard III): Hero’s serving woman who’s playful and flirtatious. The Queen of England and married to King Henry VI. A queen who’s a widow that represents pain and rage.
Margery (Henry VI, Part 2): A witch working with Roger Bolingbrook.
Maria (Love’s Labour’s Lost, Twelfth Night): The Princess of France’s attendant who falls in love with Longaville. Also, a servant in Olivia’s household.
Mariana (All’s Well That Ends Well, Measure for Measure): A friend of the Widow and her daughter Diana. A young lady of Vienna and Angelo’s ex-fiancé.
Marina (Pericles): Pericles and Thaisa’s daughter. She was born at sea in the middle of a storm.
Miranda (The Tempest): The daughter of Prospero who’s gentle, compassionate, and innocent.
Octavia (Antony and Cleopatra): A faithful wife to Mark Antony and mother.
Olivia (Twelfth Night): A beautiful and wealthy woman.
Ophelia (Hamlet): A noblewoman of Denmark who’s driven mad after her lover, Hamlet, murders her father.
Paulina (The Winter’s Tale): An authoritative, courageous, and noble woman. She’s Antigonus’s wife.
Phebe (As You Like It): A young shepherdess beloved by Silvius.
Portia (The Merchant of Venice): A female protagonist who’s rich, beautiful, and quick-witted. She’s the heiress of Belmont.
Regan (King Lear): King Lear’s second daughter and wife of the Duke of Cornwall.
Rosalind (As You Like It): The heroine and protagonist who’s witty, resilient, resourceful, and beautiful.
Rosaline (Love’s Labor’s Lost): The Princess of France’s attendant who’s witty and intelligent.
Silvia (The Two Gentlemen of Verona): The spirited daughter of the Duke of Milan and Valentine’s girlfriend.
Tamora (Titus Andronicus): The Queen of the Goths turned Roman Empress.
Titania (A Midsummer Night’s Dream): The queen of fairies and wife of Oberon. She’s strong-willed, powerful, and independent.
Ursula (Much Ado About Nothing): Hero’s attendant. She’s vivacious, witty, and mischievous.
Valeria (Coriolanus): Virgilia’s best friend and known for chastity and nobility.
Viola (Twelfth Night): A delightful, engaging, witty, and intelligent protagonist.
Boy names from Shakespeare
Aaron (Titus Andronicus): Tamora’s lover, and the main antagonist of Titus Andronicus.
Abbot (Richard II): A clergyman loyal to Richard.
Alonso (The Tempest): The king of Naples.
Angelo (Measure for Measure): The main antagonist who’s a corrupt deputy.
Antonio (Much Ado About Nothing): Leonato’s older brother, Beatrice’s father, and Hero’s uncle.
Balthasar (Much Ado About Nothing): An attendant of Don Pedro and musician.
Banquo (Macbeth): Macbeth’s noble and brave best friend.
Bassianus (Titus Andronicus): The son of the late Roman emperor and younger brother of Saturninus.
Benedick (Much Ado About Nothing): An aristocratic soldier serving in Don Pedro’s army.
Bertram (All’s Well That Ends Well): The Count of Roussillon. He’s handsome and an excellent soldier.
Biron (Love’s Labour’s Lost): An outspoken follower of the king.
Chiron (Titus Andronicus): Tamora’s youngest son and a prince of the Goth Army.
Claudio (Much Ado About Nothing): A soldier of Don Pedro and a friend of Benedick who falls in love with Hero.
Claudius (Hamlet): The King of Denmark and main antagonist.
Cleomenes (The Winter’s Tale): A Sicilian lord.
Cymbeline (Cymbeline): The King of Britain.
Demetrius (Titus Andronicus): Tamora’s eldest son and a prince in the Goth Army.
Dion (The Winter’s Tale): A Sicilian lord.
Edmund (King Lear): The main antagonist and illegitimate son of the Earl of Gloucester.
Fortinbras (Hamlet): A Norwegian prince who’s also Hamlet’s enemy.
Friar (Romeo and Juliet): A Franciscan monk who performs the marriage of Romeo and Juliet.
Gregory (Romeo and Juliet): One of Capulet’s servants.
Henry (Henry V): The King of England. He’s wise, loyal, and intelligent.
Iago (Othello): The main antagonist. He’s obsessed with control and power.
Laertes (Hamlet): The son of Polonius. He’s fierce, brave, and compulsive.
Leonato (Much Ado About Nothing): The governor of Messina, father of Hero, and uncle of Beatrice. He’s sweet, kind, protective, and gracious.
Leonine (Pericles): A loyal and obedient bad guy.
Lucius (Titus Andronicus): The eldest of Titus’s living sons. He’s also a popular soldier.
Lysander (A Midsummer Night’s Dream): A Clever man from Athens. He falls in love with Egues’s daughter who he can’t be with.
Macduff (Macbeth): A loyal, brave, and emotional antagonist.
Malvolio (Twelfth Night): A serious and humorless character who wants to become a nobleman.
Marcus (Titus Andronicus): Titus’s younger brother, Publius’s father, and a tribune of the people.
Mercutio (Romeo and Juliet): Romeo’s close friend and confidant. He’s witty, funny, and the first to see that Romeo’s in love.
Mutius (Titus Andronicus): One of Titus’s sons, who Titus kills after trying to help Lavinia.
Orlando (As You Like It): A healthy, brave, chivalrous, strong, and intelligent gentleman. He’s one of the male leads.
Osric (Hamlet): A famous and entertaining minor character. He was sent by the king to invite Hamlet to a duel with Laertes.
Richard (Richard II, Richard III): The King of England.
Roderigo (Othello): A rich but unintelligent antagonist.
Romeo (Romeo and Juliet): The male protagonist. He’s the teenage son of the Montague family who is feuding with the Capulets (Juliet’s family).
Sampson (Romeo and Juliet): One of Capulet’s servants.
Saturninus (Titus Andronicus): The oldest son of the late Emperor of Rome.
Sebastian (Twelfth Night): Viola’s twin brother. Antonio rescued him from a shipwreck, and he thinks his sister drowned at sea.
Titus (Titus Andronicus): The general of Rome, main character, and tragic hero.
Valentine (The Two Gentlemen of Verona, Twelfth Night, Titus Andronicus): The best friend of Proteus, Sylvia’s lover, an attendant of Orsino, and Titus’s kinsman.
Shakespeare’s work provides plenty of name ideas. Now that you’ve read through the list of characters, which name did you choose and why?
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