Romantasy Baby Name Inspiration For Your New Addition

The recent news that Sarah J Maas is bringing out two new books in her hugely popular A Court of Thorns and Roses (ACOTAR) series, which follows the journey of Feyre Archeron as she journeys into the alluring yet deadly world of the Fae, left a lot of fans practically bursting with excitement.

Across social media, influencers and avid book readers are already sharing the missed Easter eggs they’ve spotted in the Great ACOTAR Re-read ahead of the sixth book’s release.

Meanwhile Rebecca Yarros’ Fourth Wing, another best-selling fantasy series following the journey of Violet Sorrengail as she strives to become a dragon rider, is heading to Prime Video.

Romantasy – an amalgamation of the romance and fantasy genres – is as popular as ever. So popular, in fact, that baby naming experts are noticing more people are naming their children after the characters in their favourite series.

“Parents often look to their passions when choosing a baby name; it’s a great way to find something that truly feels special to them and sparks an instant connection,” SJ Strum, BabyCentre’s baby naming expert and author of Baby Name Envy, told HuffPost UK.

“The aesthetic of romantasy is rich and blends fairytale, whimsical landscapes with true love, making the names poetic and dreamy. With people always on the search for a unique name with deep meaning, this trend sparked by Sarah J Maas isn’t going anywhere soon.”

Pamela Redmond, creator of baby name inspiration website Nameberry, told us she’s seen “a huge increase in interest in romantasy names”.

The site has created a new popularity prediction tool that applies an academic predictive model to both government and its own data to make scientifically-based predictions on the popularity trajectory of names between now and 2040.

“Many Romantasy names are taking off now for babies. Cassian’s contemporary use is completely due to ACOTAR. Azriel is another name whose popularity makes no sense except seen in the context of ACOTAR,” said Redmond.

“Two of the hottest girl names in our projections are Violet and Elaine. We’re predicting Violet to be in the Top 10 of 2040, where it’s never ranked before. And Elaine is the name we’re seeing rising the furthest to make the Top 100 of 2040 – over 200 places in the US charts.”

Rhys is also rising in popularity, reaching its highest point ever in the US, rising to 412th place in 2025, up more than 50 points compared to last year.

And even the name Feyre, a moniker invented by Maas for her lead character, was given to 21 baby girls in the US last year and has ranked on Nameberry’s own Top 1000 of names, attracting lots of interest from readers.

“The Romantasy genre is so vast and so popular that it’s had a huge influence on names in general,” she added.

What’s the appeal? Well, Strum notes that romantasy names “have an ethereal style; think lots of syllables, pretty vowels and powerful meanings”.

Using BabyCentre data, she suggested the name Cassian has risen 1,075 places since A Court Of Thornes and Roses came out, and Azriel has gone up 1,425 spots in the baby name charts.

“Aelin entered the UK baby name charts for the first time ever inspired by the Queen of Terrasen in the popular Throne Of Glass series with Rowan and Dorian from the same series rapidly rising,” Strum added.

Aside from your favourite book characters, here’s the baby name expert’s pick of some of the best romantasy-themed monikers for new parents to consider…

“Emrys has all the rugged romance of a hero in a fantastic realm. It’s also the druid name of magician Merlin giving it a deep footing for any romantasy fan.”

“Valens is a word meaning strength and vitality and with Valentine becoming linked to love it is the perfect vibe for this trend.”

Meaning: Dark haired warrior.

“An outdoorsy name that has main character energy.”

“Angels frequent the pages of many romantasy books and Malakai has a whimsical sound with a touch of edge.”

“Great romantasy characters balance strength and vulnerability – and the softness of Larkin with it’s graceful birdlike feel, matched with it’s meaning, place it firmly into one of the courts of ACOTAR.”

“Evocative of hunting in a magical woodland; Fletcher is a wearable and playful romantasy aesthetic name.”

“Hamlin is a name full of heart and courage. I love it’s homely meaning and dash of charm.”

Meaning: Warrior of life.

“A gorgeous boy name packed with character.”

“A fairytale name always has an intriguing sound and Welsh Rosenwyn is a compound name that’s whimsy without being timid.”

“Originally from Greek Mythology, it’s like Evelyn and Daphne elevated into a fierce romantasy heroine fighting for good.”

Meaning: From the raven’s fortress.

“A fortress feels both like a prison and a place of security; themes throughout Sarah J Maas’s books. Roxbury has spirit and an enigmatic sound.”

“A little bit fairy with a stylish twist – Ferryn is soft without being frilly and would befit any romantasy-inspired name list.”

Meaning: Beautiful princess.

“Welsh names always create such strong and unique sounds and Delith has warrior princess all over it.”

“I adore this angel inspired name right out of a fairytale; it seems sweet but the prettiness of the name could be deceiving.”

“A nature name inspired by Elm Trees which in folklore are associated with a passageway to the underworld. A dramatic, stunning girl name.”

Meaning: Dark challenger.

“Romantasy novels take us on epic journeys and challenges and this surname as a first name takes us on that adventure.”