July 14, 2020

What's In A Name? 12 Baby Names Inspired By Shakespeare

We’re here to guide you through the Coronavirus pandemic. Sign up to the Life newsletter for daily tips, advice, how-tos and escapism.
Whats In A Name? 12 Baby Names Inspired By Shakespeare

There’s nothing more timeless than Shakespeare – his plays have been adapted on stage and on screen for centuries.

So why not give your new baby a moniker inspired by some of history’s greatest characters – those who have been at the centre of tragic romances, gripping battles and exulting love stories.
We have a wealth of baby name inspiration on HuffPost UK Parents, but here are 12 special names straight from the quill of the Bard.Related... Retro, Baby: These Names Were Popular For Infants In The 1950s OthelloOthello is about... Othello, a brave and competent soldier of the Venetian Republic. He elopes with Desdemona, but is later betrayed by his friend, Iago. OpheliaA tragic, romantic character in Hamlet, Ophelia – a young noblewoman of Denmark – drowns herself in the name of love. JulietEver-popular since the tragic love story of Romeo and Juliet, this name is synonymous with romance.DesdemonaA Venetian beauty who enrages her father when she elopes with Othello, in the play by the same name.RomeoHandsome, intelligent, and sensitive; Romeo circumvents the violent feud between his family and Juliet’s when he falls in love with her.ParisCount Paris is a suitor of Juliet’s. He is handsome and rich, yet ultimately cannot compete with Romeo.ArielAriel is a spirit who works in Prospero’s service in The Tempest. Representing the power of creative imagination, Ariel is unerringly loyal to Prospero. BeatriceIn Much Ado About Nothing, Beatrice is “a pleasant-spirited lady”. Generous and loving, with a sharp tongue, she loves puns and wins wordy battles. AdrianaThe comedy of Errors sees Adriana worrying that her husband loves another woman. She is observant and astute on a woman’s role in marriage.Related... Reach For The Stars: 10 Baby Names Inspired By Great Explorers RosalindThe heroine and protagonist of As You Like It, Rosalind’s father, the exiled Duke Senior, is banished from the kingdom, BREAKING her heart.BalthazarThe Merchant of Venice features Balthazar as one of Portia’s servants. She steals his name for her disguise as a boy.HoratioHamlet’s confidante, Horatio finds himself called on by castle guards to try to communicate with the ghost of his departed friend. Related... Usain Bolt Reveals Baby Daughter’s Name, And Well, It’s Absolutely Perfect These Vintage Baby Names Are Getting More Popular 10 Unusual Baby Names Inspired By Greek Mythology

Headlines

World rings in 2023

Country by country, the world welcomed 2023 early Sunday morning — and bid goodbye to a year marked by war, economic uncertainties, and COVID variants. Many cities were celebrating New Year's in full force for the first time since the pandemic, with more than 100,000 gathering on the Embankment of the Thames in London for a firework show that paid tribute to the late Queen Elizabeth II, while an estimated million people braved the rain for the New Year's Eve party in New York's Times Square. Roni Bintang/Getty Images Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Alexi Rosenfeld/ Getty Images Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images "I just wish everyone a lot of prosperity, peace, and love," Tina Wright, a reveler visiting New York City from the Phoenix area, told the Los Angeles Times.