Parker

In Marvel's Spider-Man, Peter Parker was given superhuman powers after being bitten by a radioactive spider.

In The Vampire Diaries, the Parker family was a family of witches.

Parker is an English occupational surname that means 'keeper of the park'. In 2016, Parker was the 87th most popular name for boys, and the 217th most popular name for girls in the United States.

Aida

In Marvel's Agents of Shield, Aida was an Artifical Intelligent Digital Assistant aka A.I.D.A. that was created by Holden Radcliffe. Her appearance was based upon the woman he loved, Agnes, who had a terminal illness. Aida's programming became corrupted by the Darkhold. She used the Framework created by Radcliffe to create a human body for herself with multiple inhuman powers.

In Computer Science, AIDA stands for Abstract Interfaces for Data Analysis.

In Space exploration, AIDA stands for Asteroid Impact and Deflection Assessment. It is a space probe that would crash into an asteroid to study it.

Aida is an Arabic name that means, 'returning or visitor'.

Logan

In the X-Men franchise, Wolverine went by the name Logan. His birth name was James Howlett, but his birth father's surname was Logan. He was a mutant with healing powers and retractable bone claws, which were eventually fused with adamantium. His healing powers gave him an extremely long lifespan during which he did not age.

Logan's Run is a science fiction novel published in 1967 that has been adapted into a film and television series. The novel focuses on Logan, who enforces society's rule that requires death for everyone when they attain the age of 21 by chasing down those who don't comply. He ends up running himself when it is his turn.

In D.C. Comics, Beast Boy's real name is Garfield Logan. He was also known as changeling, and was a member of the Teen Titans. he had the ability to change into any animal that he had seen in person or a picture of.


In the television series Dark Angel, Logan Cale was a wealthy cyber-journalist who used the alias 'Eyes Only' to fight corruption. He partnered with Max Guevara, a genetically engineered commando, who escaped from the program that created her.


The name Logan is Scottish in origin and means 'little hollow'. In 2015, Logan was the 14th most popular name for boys in the United States.

Wade

In X-Men, Wade Wilson is the real name of Deadpool. He was a mentally unstable mercenary with incredible healing abilities.

The name Wade appears in several D.C. Universe characters. Wade Eiling was  known as The General. He worked on Project Adam and had did not like superheroes. After being diagnosed with a brain tumor, he had his mind placed in the body of the Shaggy Man. Larry Wade was a character in the Dakotaverse. He dated Frida Golden and worked for a street dealer. Wade LaFarge was Slade Wilson's psychotic half-brother. The woman he loved married Slade Wilson, which drove him mad. He was an assassin.

In Babylon 5, Wade worked for Edgar Industries, was involved in Garabaldi's betrayl of Sheridan

In George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series, House Wade was an extinct house that used to be located in Dorne.

In the Marvel Universe, Wade Cole was a cyborg and a member of the Hellfire Club.

In the Star Wars: Demolition video game, Wade Vox was an Alderaan smuggler.


There are two possible origins for the name Wade, both in Old English. It is either derived from the word wadan which means 'to go', or the place name wæd, meaning 'a ford'. In 2016, Wade was the 521st most popular name for boys in the U.S. 

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.

Riri

In Marvel Comics, Riri Williams was a genius 15 year old who studied at M.I.T. She created her own version of Tony Stark's Iron Man suit using material stolen from the school. While testing the suit, she stopped some prisoners trying to escape.

Some sites claim that Riri is an Indonesian name, but I don't see much backing that claim up. Riri is a nickname used by the pop star Rhianna. Riri does not appear in the Social Security Administration's name database.

Jemma

In Marvel's Agents of Shield, Jemma Simmons was a biochemist and was part of Phil Coulson's team. She worked closely with Leo Fitz, and the two were commonly referred to as 'Fitzsimmons.' Jemma had two PhD's and attended S.H.I.E.L.D's Academy of Science and Technology. Grant Ward attempted to kill both Jemma and Fitz. Fitz sacrificed himself to save Jemma, telling her that he loved her as he did so. Fitz survived with some brain damage, but their friendship was never the same due to the guilt Jemma felt for his sacrifice and because she did not reciprocate his feelings. Jemma was sucked into an obelisk that was a portal to another world.

Jemma is a variant of the Italian name Gemma which means 'gem or precious stone.'  In 2014, Jemma was the 637th most popular name for girls in the U.S.

Daisy

In Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Daisy Johnson was the daughter of Calvin Johnson and an inhuman, Jiaying. Daisy was taken from her parents as an infant, and she went by the name Skye. She joined S.H.I.E.L.D., and worked on Agent Phil Coulson's team. After she was exposed to the Terrigen mist, she gained the ability to cause vibrations in objects. In the Marvel comics, her codename was Quake, and she became a member of the Avengers.

In Pokémon, Daisy was an older sister of Misty. She was the one of the Gym Leaders of Cerulean City.

In the video game Super Mario Land, Daisy was the Princess of Sarasaland.

Daisy is an English name that means 'day's eye.' It is also the name of a flower. It is sometimes a nickname for Marguerite, which is the French word for the same flower. In 2014, Daisy was the 180th most popular name for girls in the U.S.

Zelda

In The Legend of Zelda, Princess Zelda was the name of several members of the royal family of Hyrule. In some incarnations she was a child. In others, she was a young adult. Zelda possessed psychic and magical abilities. She often played the role of damsel in distress for the hero Link.

In X-Men, Zelda was a waitress who once dated Robert Drake, aka Iceman.

In the British Sci-Fi series, Terrahawks, Zelda was an android and the primary villain of the series.

In the Batman television series, Zelda the Great was a magician who robbed a bank every year on April Fool's day in order to pay Eivol Ekdol to make her escape devices for her.

Zelda is a diminutive of the Old German name Griselda, which means 'dark battle.' Zelda dropped out of the top 1,000 names for girls in the U.S. in 1967. In 2014, 212 girls were named Zelda.

July 2015 Round Up

It's time for my monthly round-up of geeky names from other name sites!

Nancy's Baby Names talked about Teela and She-Ra usage in the 1980s.

Bewitching Names profiled Echo. Echo's geeky references include a character in Marvel's Daredevil,
Several characters in the D.C. Comics universe,  a comic book series,  a fantasy novel by Francesca Lia Block, and an asteroid.

Appellation Mountain posted about Joss, from Firefly creator, Joss Whedon, and names from the Wonder Woman comics, and about Vega, which is the name of a star.

S My Name is Sophie had some constellation names.

The Art of Naming had a post on Luna.

Antony

In Marvel's Ant-Man, Scott Lang, a.k.a. Ant-Man, used a flying ant for transportation. This ant was originally given only a number, 247, as a designation by Hank Pym, the original Ant-Man. When Lang took over control of him, he gave him the name Antony.

In Babylon 5, Antony was a member of the telepath resistance.

Like the name Anthony, Antony is derived from the ancient Roman family name Antonius. Antony hasn't been in the top 1,000 names in the U.S. since 2010. It was at it's most popular in 1970 when it was the 611th most popular name for boys. In 2014, 118 boys were named Antony in the U.S.

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.

Ulysses

In Avengers: Age of Ultron, Ulysses Klaue was a smuggler who sold a large amount of Vibranium to Ultron.

In D.C. Comics, Ulysses was the alias for Neil Quinn, who had the ability to absorb and transfer various forms of energy.

In Marvel Comics, Ulysses Bloodstone was an immortal human born 10,000 years ago in Scandanavia. He became immortal when the bloodstone shattered, and a piece of it became imbedded in his chest.

In the Doctor Who novel, The Gallifrey Chronicles, Ulysses was a time lord who married a human named Penelope Gate, an human from the 19th century.

In the Syfy series, Defiance, Ulysses was a bioman who lived in Defiance and worked for Datak Tarr. Nolan defeated him in a fight by deactivating his switch.

In Babylon 5, the Ulysses was a merchant vessel. In a Battlestar Galactica comic book, the Ulysses was a battlestar that along with Galactica attacked Trinity Base. In Star Trek, the U.S.S. Ulysses was a Federation starship.

In a Stargate SG-1 comic series, Fall of Rome,  Ulysses was a Goa'uld who was in a Unas host. He had lived on Earth in Ancient Greece.

In World of Warcraft, Ulysses Rackmore was the captain of the ship Gallant.

The Ulysses of Greek myth made an appearance in the television show Xena: Warrior Princess. Xena and Gabrielle helped him break a curse placed upon him by Posiedon.

Ulysses is the Latin form of the Greek name Odysseus, who was a hero from myth. Ulysses last appeared in the top 1,000 names in 2005, when it was #983. In 2014, 171 boys were named Ulysses in the U.S.

Marvel

Marvel is the name of a comic book publisher that has turned into a huge entertainment franchise. Among Marvel's superheroes is Captain Marvel. Captain Marvel's real name was Carol Danvers. She joined the United States Air Force where she worked in military intelligence, and later joined NASA. During a battle, she was knocked into a damaged Kree Psyche-Magnitron machine. It altered her genetic structure, turning her into a half-Kree superhuman. She then became a member of the Avengers.

In X-Men, Marvel Girl was the daughter of Cyclops and Phoenix in an possible future. Her real name was Rachel "Ray" Summers. She was the a member of a group of space pirates known as the Starjammers. Her son, Jay Scott Grey Summers was known as Marvel Boy.

In the D.C. Comics franchise, William Batson was known as Captain Marvel. A wizard named Shazaam gave him the powers of six legendary heroes of Ancient Greece. He had Shazaam also give powers to his twin sister who became known as Mary Marvel and his friend Frederick Freeman, who became Captain Marvel Jr. together they were known as the Marvel Family.

In The Hunger Games, Marvel was a tribute from District 1. Katniss killed him after he killed her ally Rue.

Marvel is an English word name that means "a wonderful thing." Marvel was among the top 1,000 names for girls from 1900 through 1941. It's highest rank was in 1901 when it was #519. It never ranked in the top 1,000 for boys. In 2014, 28 girls and 24 boys were named Marvel. The alternate spelling Marvell was given to 12 boys.

Marvel is a bold choice. It's a name that may be difficult to live up to.

Quill

In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Peter Jason Quill, aka Starlord, was abducted from Earth as a child. He became an outlaw, but later redeemed himself by stopping Ronan the Accuser from destroying Xandar with an infinity stone. In the process, he joined a group of misfits called the Guardians of the Galaxy. In the Marvel comics, Peter was an orphan who became an astronaut. He was given the title Starlord by an alien called the Master of the Sun.   

In X-Men, Quill was a mutant that attended Xavier Institute. He had porcupine quills on his head instead of hair, and he could fire them as projectiles. He was mentored by Gambit and wanted to become a thief. He was killed when William Stryker attacked the school.

In Doctor Who, Mr. Quill was a minor character who was an engineer at a off shore gas rig.

In the Transformers franchise, the Quill was an artifact that had the ability to change the future itself.

Quill was an experimental satellite program in the 1960s to test radar imaging from space.

The Quill was a 1983 computer program that one could use to write computer games. QUILL is also short for Quintiq Logic Language, a Dutch programming language.

Quill is an English word that refers to the hollow shaft of a feather, or a pen made from one. In 2014, 5 boys were given the name Quill. 

If you're looking for a name that reflects a love of the written language, Quill is a great choice.

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.

Jarvis

In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, J.A.R.V.I.S. was Tony Stark's A.I. computer system.  Jarvis was named for the Stark family's butler, Edwin Jarvis, but was also shorthand for "Just A Rather Very Intelligent System". In the Marvel Comics, Edwin Jarvis was retired, but still worked with the Avengers.

In Tron, Jarvis was a program who was an officer in Clu 2's regime.

In Star Trek, Crewman Jarvis was a member of the crew of the U.S.S. Voyager.

Nina Jarvis was a character in the television series, The 4400. She was temporarily the director of NTAC (National Threat Assessment Command).

In Mathematics, the Gift wrapping algorithim is also known as the Jarvis algorithim, after R. A. Jarvis.

Gregory Jarvis was a U.S. astronaut that was killed when the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded. There is an asteroid, 3353 Jarvis, and a rocket design called Jarvis that were both named in his honor.

Jarvis is a variant of the French name Gervaise. It's been in and out of the Top 1,000 names from 1902-2007. It's highest rank was in 1988 when it was #347. In 2014, it was given to 153 boys.

Falcon

In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Falcon is the code name for Sam Wilson. He was a test pilot for the EXO-7 Falcon mechanical wings. He left the military after losing his wingman, Riley. He became friends with Steve Rogers and helped him and Natasha Romanoff defeat the hydra agents taking over S.H.I.E.L.D. In the Marvel comics, Falcon was criminal brainwashed by the Red Skull to attack Captain America. In the comics, he had the ability to communicate telepathically with birds, and had a bird of his own, named Redwing. Captain America managed to shake him of the Red Skull's programming, and Falcon became a member of S.H.I.E.LD. He temporarily took over the identity of Captain America when Steve Rogers briefly stepped down.

In Star Wars, the Millennium Falcon was the name of Han Solo's ship.

In Star Trek: Deep Space 9, Falcon was a holodeck character in a secret agent program used by Dr. Bashir.

In the Resident Evil Franchise, Falcon was a former Army ranger, anti-Umbrella activist, and member of Charlie Team.

The Falmouth Falcons are a Quidditch team in Quidditch Through the Ages by J.K. Rowling.

The Falcon Clan were a tribe of Elves in the Dragonlance novel, Time of the Dragon.

Falcon is an English word name for a type of bird. In 2014, 18 boys were named Falcon.

May 2015 Roundup

Here's my monthly roundup of geeky names from other name blogs in the month of May!

British Baby names did a very thorough write up on Hermione, and Nolan. Nolan's geeky references include the surname of Prince Charming in Once Upon a Time, Joshua Nolan, the main protagonist in Defiance, and Nolan Grayson, aka, Omni-Man.

Ren's Baby Names talks about Leia.

The Art of Naming discusses names from Avengers: Age of Ultron.

Nancy's Baby Names posted a great list of secular names. They also did a write up of Denali, which is the name of a coven in the Twilight series.

Roses and Cellar Doors has a list of Pixar names.

Name News found a great Steampunk Name generator.

MyNamesInTheClouds has an interesting You Tube video where he discusses names from Game of Thrones.

Nameberry has an article that shows the popularity of GoT names.

Once Upon a Time Baby Names goes in depth on the name Gordon.
It's geeky associations include:
Gordon Gould who is widely credited for the invention of the laser
The superhero Flash Gordon
Commissioner Gordon and Barbara Gordon (Batgirl) in Batman
A teleporting Inhuman from Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Gordon Walker, a vampire hunter in the tv series Supernatural.
Gordon Freeman, a character in Half Life
Byron Gordon of Babylon 5
a friend of Dudley Dursley in Harry Potter
a computer in Red Dwarf< a wraith in Stargate Atlantis
a naval officer in the Temeraire novels
an air force major in the Transformers comics
a professor in Warehouse 13

Thor

In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor Odinson was a prince of the planet Asgard, son of Odin and Frigga. He was banished to Earth by his father, Odin, for an unauthorized attack on the Jotunheim. While on Earth, he met and fell in love with Jane Foster. He regained his power after he attempted to sacrifice himself to protect Jane and her friends from a destroyer sent by his adopted brother, Loki. He later joined the Avengers to stop Loki from conquering Earth, and again to fight the A.I. Ultron. After defeating Malekith, Odin (actually Loki in disguise) offered Thor the throne of Asgard, which he declined. In the Marvel comics, his mother was Jord, or Gaea, the spirit of the Earth. When visiting Earth he sometimes takes on a mortal form, and is known as Donald Blake. If separated from his hammer, Mjolnir, for too long, he loses his power.

In the television series Stargate SG-1, Thor was a member of an alien race called the Asgard. Unlike the Asgard in the Marvel universe, in Stargate the Asgard bear no resemblance to humans. Thor and the Asgard protected some human worlds from the Goa'uld. Thor befriended Jack O'Neill and SG1, which led to an alliance between Thor's people and Earth. When the Asgard were facing extinction, Thor convinced the Asgard High Council to bequeath all their knowledge and technology to the people of Earth.

In the U.K. series, Being Human, the werewolf Thomas McNair named one of his vampire killing stakes "Thor."

In several of the Hitchhiker's Guide novels by Douglas Adams, the Thunder God Thor was friends with Zaphod Beeblebrox.

Thor is of Norse origin, and means "Thunder". Thor made the top 1000 names in the U.S. in 1961 (#964), 1965 (#964), 1966 (#894), 1968 (#881), 1969 (#957), and in 1971 (#912). In 2014, 114 boys were given the name Thor.