Gaius

In Battlestar Galactica, Gaius Baltar was used by a Cylon spy to help bring about the holocaust that killed most of humanity. He was rescued from Caprica, and ended up on Galactica. He invented a Cylon detector, and led a monotheistic cult. He was also elected President of the twelve colonies.

In Frank Herbert's Dune, Gaius Helen Mohaim was a Bene Gesserit Reverend Mother. She was part of the conspiracy to end Paul Atreides' rule, and was later executed by Alia Antreides.

In Jim Butcher's Codex Alera series, House Gaius is a ruling house of Alera.

In Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn, Gaius van Baelsar was a general who lead the invasion into Eorzea. He was known as The Black Wolf.

Gaius is a Latin name from ancient Rome, and means 'Happy'. Only 15 boys in the United States were named Gaius in 2015.

Nova

A nova is an explosion on the surface of a white dwarf star. A supernova is a star that explodes.

Nova is a science television program aired by P.B.S.

There are several characters in the Marvel universe that bear the name Nova: Richard Rider, Sam Alexander, and Frankie Rae.

Nova was a human female in the movie Planet of the Apes.

In ABC's Once Upon a Time, Nova was a fairy. She wanted to become a fairy godmother, and had a romance with Dreamy, a dwarf later known as Grumpy.

Nova was a novel by Samuel R. Delaney published in 1968. The Nova Trilogy was a series of novels by William S. Burroughs.

Nova is the latin word for 'new'. In 2014, Nova was the 215th most popular name for girls in the U.S.

Peeta

Peeta Mellark was a character in The Hunger Games franchise. Peeta lived in District 12 and was chosen as tribute to the 74th Hunger Games along with Katniss Everdeen. Peeta's family owned a bakery and he was a talented baker and cake decorator. Peeta had a crush on Katniss and mentioned it during an interview before the games. Haymitch, their mentor, used the idea of young love to help the two survive the games. Following the games, Peeta and Katniss had to keep up the pretense of their relationship to appease President Snow. When Katniss and Haymitch were slected as tribute to the Quarter Quell, Peeta volunteered to go in Haymitch's place. After the games were sabotaged, Peeta was captured by the Capitol and was tortured and brainwashed.

There is no history for the name Peeta. It has been suggested that it is derived from the English word pita, since he came from a family of bakers. Peeta does not appear in the Social Security Administration's name database.

Primrose

In The Hunger Games franchise, Primrose Everdeen was the younger sister of Katniss Everdeen. Primrose lived in District 12, and at the age of 12, she was selected as tribute for the 74th Hunger Games. Katniss volunteered to go in her place. Primrose was a natural healer, taking after her mother, who often provided medical care to District 12 residents. Primrose adopted a cat named Buttercup and she had a goat named Lady. When District 12 was bombed following the 75th Hunger Games, Gale helped Primrose and her mother escape to District 13. There, Primrose began formal medical training to become a doctor. She often went by the nickname 'Prim.'

In The Lord of the Rings, Samwise Gangee had a daughter named Primrose.

Primrose is a Middle English word that means 'first rose.' In 2014, 42 girls were named Primrose in the U.S. 

Mars

Mars is the fourth planet in our solar system. It is the second largest planet (excluding dwarf planets) in the solar system, after Mercury. It has two small moons named Phobos and Deimos. An abundance of iron oxide gives Mars its red color. Mars is home to the largest volcano in the solar system, Olympus Mons.

A list and description of the planet Mars in fiction can be found here.

The name Mars comes from the Roman god of War. In 2014 34 boys were named Mars in the U.S.

Galileo

Galileo Galilei was a scientist that lived during the Renaissance. His astronomical observations fundamentally changed the way we view the universe. Among his contributions was the discovery of the four largest moons of Jupiter, now called the Galilean moons. His support of the heliocentric model of the solar system caused much controversy, and he was tried by the Roman Inquisition. He was sentenced to house arrest on June 22, 1633, a sentence which remained in effect until his death in 1642.

An unmanned spacecraft was named Galileo in his honor. It arrived at Jupiter in 1995 and remained in orbit until 2003. The spacecraft was deteriorating, and it was decided to intentionally crash it into Jupiter itself to prevent contamination of any of Jupiter's moons, some of which may harbor life.

Rocket Shop Galileo was a science fiction novel by Robert A Heinlein.

In Star Trek, several shuttles were named Galileo. Galileo Galilei was mentioned in several episodes, and in one episode title.

The name Galileo is of Latin origin and means 'from Galilee.' In 2014, 20 boys in the U.S. were named Galileo.

Finnick

In The Hunger Games, Finnick Odair was a tribute from District 4 in the 65th Hunger Games. He was the youngest to win the Hunger Games at the age of 14. He was later reaped as part of the 3rd Quarter Quell. Finnick was married to Annie Cresta, also a victor from District 4. He was very close to his mentor, Mags. Finnick was incredibly good looking and charming, and he used it to his advantage when dealing with political intrigues in the Capitol.

The name Finnick was invented by author Suzanne Collins. It's root is the Gaelic name Finn, which means 'white, fair.' In 2014, 38 boys were named Finnick.

Jorah

In Game of Thrones, Jorah Mormont was a knight from House Mormont in Westeros who fled to the Free Cities to avoid execution and became a mercenary for the exiled Targaryens. At first he spied on Daenerys for Varys, the spymaster of Westeros. He developed a deep devotion to Daenerys and became loyal, but when she found out about his past spying, she exiled him.

Jorah is a variant of Yarikh, a moon god in Caanaite relgion. In 2014, 7 boys in the U.S. were anmed Jorah.

Katniss

Katniss Everdeen was the heroine of The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins. When Katniss's twelve year old sister, Primrose, was chosen to go to the 74th Hunger Games, Katniss volunteered to go in her place. Katniss and her fellow District 12 tribute, Peeta Mellark, won the Games, only to be caught up in a web of political intrigue following the games.

Katniss is the name of an aquatic plant in the Sagittaria genus.In 2014, 38 girls were named Katniss in the U.S.

Tiberius

In Star Trek, Tiberius was the middle name of James T Kirk, Captain of the U.S.S. Enterprise. Kirk's middle name came from his paternal grandfather, Tiberius Kirk.

In Harry Potter, Tiberius Ogden was a member of the Wizengamot who resigned in protest when Dolores Umbridge was appointed High Inquisitor of Hogwarts.

In the Mortal Instruments, Tiberius Blackthorn was a shadowhunter. Shadowhunters were humans with angelic blood who battled demons and supernatural beings.

Tiberius is an ancient Roman name, borne by a Roman emperor. In 2015, 85 boys were named Tiberius in the United States.

Ronan

In Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy, Ronan the Accuser was a Kree radical. He was part of the Kree military, and he refused to accept the peace treaty between his world and Xandar. He agreed to obtain an orb for Thanos in return for the destruction of Xandar. When he discovered that the orb contained an infinity stone, Ronan broke his deal with Thanos and attempted to destroy Xandar using the stone. He was defeated by the Guardians of the Galaxy.

In Stargate: Atlantis, Ronon Dex was born on the planet Sateda in the Pegasus Galaxy. He was implanted with a tracker and hunted by the wraith for sport. Sheppard's team helped him remove the tracker, and he joined them when he learned that his people had been wiped out by the wraith.

In Harry Potter, Ronan was a centaur that lived in the forbidden forest. He led the centaurs during the Battle of Hogwarts during the Second Wizarding War.

Ronan is a Gaelic name that means "little seal". Ronan entered the top 1,000 names in the U.S. for boys in 2001 and has been steadily climbing ever since. In 2014, it was the 366th most popular name for boys. The name was also given to 9 girls.The alternate spelling Ronon was given to 10 boys.

Galadriel

In J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit, Galadriel was an elf and the Lady of Lothlórien. Her husband was Lord Celeborn. She was one of the most beautiful and most powerful elves of Middle Earth. Her daughter, Celebrían, was the wife of Elrond, and the mother of Arwen. Galadriel assisted the Fellowship of the Ring after they escaped from the mines of Moria. Frodo offered the One Ring to her, but she refused it, knowing that it would corrupt her.

The name Galadriel was invented by J.R.R. Tolkien. In the books, the name was given to her by her husband, and meant "maiden crowned with a garland of bright radiance." The name has seen some occasional use, but has always hovered at the bottom of the SSA's name database. The last time it appeared was in 2006, when it was given to only 5 girls.

Selene

Selene was a vampire in the Underworld franchise. She was born in Hungary in the 14th century. She was turned into a vampire by the Vampire Elder Viktor after he killed her family. Viktor told her that her family had been killed by werewolves, or Lycans. She devoted her life to the extermination of the Lycans until she found Michael Corwin and helped him become the first vampire-lycan hybrid. She and Michael were the parents of Eve, who was born and raised in captivity while her parents were held in cryogenic suspension.

In the X-Men comics, Selene Gallio was a mutant an enemy of the X-Men and a was the Black Queen of the Hellfire Club. She has the ability to drain the life of others in order to extend her own life. She was born over 17,000 years ago.

580 Selene is a minor planet of our solar system. It is located between Mars and Jupiter, and it approximately 46 km in diameter.

SELENE was the name of a Japanese lunar orbiter. It was short for Selenological and Engineering Explorer, but was better known by it's nickname, Kaguya, after a legendary moon princess.

Selene Lindstrom was a character in the Isaac Asminov novel, The Gods Themselves. Adam Selene was a character in the Robert A Heinlein novel, The Moon is a Harsh Mistress. In Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series, Selene was an alias used by Lanfear.

Selene is the name of a genus of fish.

In Dungeons & Dragons, Selene was a name for a moon that orbited the planet Oerth.

Selene is of Greek origin and means "moon." Selene only made the top 1,000 names in the U.S. in four different years, 1992, 1993, 1995 and 2006.  In 2014, 193 girls were named Selene.

Bellatrix

In J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series of novels, Bellatrix Lestrange is a death eater and cousin of Harry's Godfather, Sirius Black. While at Hogwarts, Bellatrix was a member of Slytherin House. During the First Wizarding War, she used the Cruciatus curse on Aurors Frank and Alice Longbottom. She was sentenced to life in Azkaban prison for this crime. She later escaped from Azkaban and joined Voldemort just prior to the Second Wizarding War. She was killed during the war by Molly Weasley.

Bellatrix is the third brightest star in the constellation Orion. 

The name Bellatrix is Latin, and means "female warrior." In 2014, 9 girls were named Bellatrix in the United States.

Although Bellatrix Lestrange isn't the best character to name a child after, it's a much cooler way of getting to Bella if you like that nickname.

Janus

In Stargate, Janus was an ancient scientist. He lived in Atlantis, and was one of the Lantean survivors who escaped to Earth. Janus used unorthodox methods, and his controversial experiments and inventions were often done in defiance of the Lantean Council.
In I Am Number Four, Janus was a pilot and member of the Lorien Defence Council. He piloted the ship that brought the chosen Garde to Earth.

In Men In Black, Janus was an INS agent that was neuralized by Kay and Dee.

In Warehouse 13, the Janus Coin was used to separate a person's consiousness from their physical form.

The feminist science fiction 'fanzine', Janus, was published from 1975 to 1980.

Saturn has a moon named Janus.

There are two programming languages that bear the nameJanus. Microsoft used the name as a codename for Windows 3.1x, and as a codename for a portable version of Windows Media Digital Rights Management (DRM). There is a speech recognition program named Janus.

In biology, a Janus-faced molecule can have both beneficial and toxic effects.

Janus particles are nano particles that have two different physical properties.

The name Janus comes from a two-faced Roman God. He looked to the future and the past, and was the god of beginnings and endings. The name for the month of January is derived from Janus. I love this name, but I think the name is problematic for boys because it sounds too similar to the girl's name Janice. It would work well for a pet though. It has never ranked in the top 1,000 names in the U.S., and does not appear in the database for 2014.

Scarlet

Scarlet Witch is a character in the Marvel Universe. Her real name is Wanda Maximoff. She is the twin sister of Pietro Maximoff, also known as Quicksilver. In the Marvel Comics, Scarlet Witch was a part of Magneto's Brotherhood of Evil Mutants before joining the Avengers.

Will Scarlet is a character in the television show Once Upon a Time.

Scarlet Sharp was a witch who was reported missing on Potterwatch in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1.

Scarlett Adams was a character in the Power of Five series of novels by Anthony Horowitz. At first, it was believed her power was to predict the weather, but it was later determined that she also had the ability to control it.

Skarlet was a character in the Mortal Kombat video game. She was able to absorb the blood of her prey.

The Scarlet Brethren were a group of nine wizards who wore red robes in  the Dragonlance novel, "The Dying Kingdom."

In Naomi Novik's Temeraire series, a Scarlet-Flower was a breed of dragon of Chinese origin. They were red with a yellow crest, and enjoyed fighting.

In the Star Wars franchise, Scarlet was a term used for art that was not approved by Imperial censors.

The name Scarlet is of French origin, and means 'red'. It can be spelled Scarlet or Scarlett. Scarlett was the 30th most popular name for girls in the United States in 2014.

The Dragons of Game of Thrones

Except for a brief introduction, I am going to limit my discussion of these dragons to their physical characteristics to avoid spoilers. If you want to know more about the dragons, click on the links to visit their full descriptions on 'A Wiki of Ice and Fire', my source for this article.

At the start of George R. R. Martin's fantasy series, A Song of Ice and Fire, and the popular television series based on it, dragons were considered extinct. However, they had existed in the past, and were a part of the history of the world. That changed when Daenerys Targaryen hatched three eggs and became the Mother of Dragons.

Daenerys named her three dragons Drogon, Rhaegal and Viserion. Drogon was believed to be a reincarnation of another dragon, Balerion. He was black with red horns and spines. His eyes were red, and his blood was black. Rhaegal had green and bronze scales. His eyes were bronze and his teeth and claws were black. Viserion was cream colored, with gold on his horns, wing bones and spinal crest. His eyes were gold and his teeth were black. He was called the white dragon.

Other dragons mentioned in the books are:
Arrax
The Cannibal - A wild dragon that was the color of coal. As his name suggests, he ate his own kind.
Caraxes - Also called the Blood Wyrm, he was a huge red dragon.
Dreamfyre
Grey Ghost - A grey white dragon, the shade of a morning mist.
Meleys - Also called the Red Queen, she was red with touches of pink and copper.
Meraxes - This dragon had silver scales and gold eyes.
Moondancer - A female dragon, she was pale green with pearl colored horns, crest and wingbones. She was as small as a warhorse.
Morghul
Seasmoke - A pale, silver-grey colored dragon.
Sheepstealer - This dragon was the color of mud.
Shrykos
Silverwing
Stormcloud
Sunfyre - This dragon was gold and pink. He was called Sunfyre the Golden, and was regarded as the most beautiful dragon ever.
Syrax -  This was a yellow colored dragon.
Terrax
Tessarion - Also known as the Blue Queen, she was cobalt blue and copper. Even her flames were blue.
Tyraxes
Urrax
Vermax
Vermithor - Also known as the Bronze Fury, he was bronze and tan.
Vhagar


For more inspiration, check out my list of Direwolves in Game of Thrones.

Lyanna

In Game of Thrones/A Song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin, Lyanna Stark was the sister of Eddard Stark. She died before the beginning of the stories. She was bethrothed to Robert Baratheon, but she was kidnapped by Rhaegar Targaryen. When her father demanded justice from King Aerys II, the King had him and her brother Brandon Stark executed. In retaliation, Eddard and Robert joined with other houses to overthrow the Targaryens. 

Lyanna Mormont was named after Lyanna Stark, and was the Lady of Bear Island, and cousin of Jorah Mormont. In the television series, she pledged what few men she had to support Jon Snow and Sansa Stark in their bid to take back Winterfell from the Boltons. 

Lyanna is also the name of a character in The Chronicles of the Raven by James Barclay. She was the daughter on Erienne Malanvai and the mage Denser.

Lyanna could be a variation of Liana, which has origins in multiple languages. In 2014, 58 girls in the United States were named Lyanna.

August 2013 Roundup

British Baby Names profiled Archer, known to geeks as the surname of the first Captain of the Enterprise, and Malcolm, the tactical officer that served under him.

Baby Name Pondering gives us Atlas, which is a moon, a star, a comic book, a video game, and much more. They also profiled Axis, from the Wayfarer Redemption fantasy series.

Bewitching Names discussed Ceres, which is a dwarf planet.

Appellation Mountain looked in depth at Melody, the birth name of Doctor Who's River Song.

Nameberry has a post on names from the work of Neil Gaiman.

Once Upon a Time Baby names has a list of Magical Names.

July 2013 Roundup

It's time for my monthly roundup of other blogs that profiled geeky names for the month of July!

Appellation Mountain profiled Domino and Jubilee who are known to geeks as characters from X-Men.

NameFreak! has a great post on the characters from the movie Pacific Rim.

Naming the Fishes has a list of Names Worn By Elves.

Bewitching Names has a list of names inspired by the constellation Cancer.

Nameaholics Anonymous continues their Harry Potter Name series with H is for Hestia.

Histornamia has found a great name, Jaina, from Star Wars and World of Warcraft.