This list includes 29 Literary girl names that start with D, from “Dagny” to “Dunya”. These names come from novels, plays, myths, and poems across languages and eras. They work well for expectant parents, writers, and anyone seeking a meaningful, story-driven name.

Literary girl names that start with D are female names taken from literature that begin with the letter D. Notable examples include Dagny from Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged and Dunya from Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment.

Below you’ll find the table with Name, Origin, Pronunciation, and Meaning.

Name: The literary name as it appears in texts, so you can scan options and recognize familiar characters.

Origin: Shows the author, work, and language, helping you judge cultural background and literary context.

Pronunciation: Simple phonetic respelling that lets you say the name confidently and check how it sounds aloud.

Meaning: Gives etymology or literary significance so you understand the name’s original sense or story role.

Literary girl names that start with D

Name Origin (author/work, language) Pronunciation Meaning Description
Daisy F. Scott Fitzgerald — The Great Gatsby, English, 1925 DAY-zee Day’s eye; diminutive of Margaret Gatsby’s alluring Daisy Buchanan symbolizes beauty, longing, and the illusions of the Jazz Age.
Daphne Ovid — Metamorphoses, Latin, c.8 BC/AD DAF-nee Laurel tree; nymph transformed into laurel Mythic nymph pursued by Apollo; a frequent poetic subject for escape and transformation.
Dorothea George Eliot — Middlemarch, English, 1871–72 dor-uh-THEE-uh Gift of God Dorothea Brooke is an earnest, reform-minded heroine navigating Victorian society and intellectual life.
Dorothy L. Frank Baum — The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, English, 1900 DOR-uh-thee Gift of God Dorothy Gale’s Kansas-to-Oz journey symbolizes childhood courage, friendship, and the pull of home.
Dulcinea Miguel de Cervantes — Don Quixote, Spanish, 1605/1615 dul-suh-NEE-uh Sweetheart; “sweet” Don Quixote’s idealized lady, a fictional construct of chivalric devotion and satire.
Desdemona William Shakespeare — Othello, English, c.1603 dez-DEH-moh-nuh Possibly “ill-fated” Othello’s noble but tragic wife; name evokes beauty, innocence, and doomed love.
Della O. Henry — The Gift of the Magi, English, 1905 DEHL-uh Diminutive of Adela; “noble” Della’s selfless gift of her hair is central to this classic tale of love and sacrifice.
Demelza Winston Graham — Poldark (novels), English, 1945 (first novel) deh-MEL-zuh Likely Cornish coinage; uncertain Demelza rises from miner’s daughter to spirited, resourceful partner in the Poldark saga.
Diana Lucy Maud Montgomery — Anne of Green Gables, English, 1908 die-AN-uh Divine; Roman goddess Diana Barry is Anne’s loyal, sensible best friend and beloved Avonlea figure.
Dinah Lewis Carroll — Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, English, 1865 DIE-nuh Judged; from Hebrew “Dinah” Alice’s domestic cat, mentioned affectionately as a touchstone of home amid Wonderland.
Dido Virgil — Aeneid, Latin, 29–19 BC DIE-doh Possibly “beloved” (Elissa) Queen of Carthage whose passionate love for Aeneas ends in tragic sacrifice and political consequence.
Dora Charles Dickens — The Mystery of Edwin Drood, English, 1870 DOR-uh Gift Dora Spenlow is charming, childlike fiancee in Dickens’s unfinished mystery.
Deirdre J. M. Synge / Irish legend — Deirdre of the Sorrows, English/Irish, 1907 (legend older) DEER-druh Sorrow; from Irish legend Tragic heroine from Irish myth dramatized by Synge and evoked by several Irish poets.
Dunya Fyodor Dostoevsky — Crime and Punishment, Russian, 1866 DOON-yuh Short for Avdotya; “God’s justice” Avdotya “Dunya” Raskolnikov, morally strong sister, anchors family and plot tensions.
Dolly Leo Tolstoy — Anna Karenina, Russian, 1877 DOL-ee Diminutive of Daria/Dorothy Darya “Dolly” Oblonskaya is a sympathetic, domestic presence in Tolstoy’s social drama.
Dagny Ayn Rand — Atlas Shrugged, English, 1957 DAG-nee Norse: “day-new” or “new day” Dagny Taggart is the determined industrial heroine of Rand’s philosophical novel.
Diotima Plato — Symposium, Ancient Greek (dialogue), c.4th century BC dye-oh-TIH-muh Divine honor; “honored by gods” Intellectual figure who instructs Socrates on the nature of love and beauty.
Damayanti Mahabharata / Nala and Damayanti — Classical Sanskrit epic, ancient dam-uh-YAN-tee Subduer; famed for devotion Celebrated heroine of Sanskrit romance, exemplifying fidelity and cleverness.
Despina Lorenzo Da Ponte / Mozart — Così fan tutte (libretto/opera), Italian, 1790 deh-SPEE-nah “Mistress” or lady Witty servant who engineers romantic tests in the comic opera’s plot.
Delphine Germaine de Staël — Delphine, French, 1802 del-FEEN From Delphi; “woman of Delphi” Title heroine in an influential salon novel debating women’s rights and social pressures.
Delia Samuel Daniel — Delia (sonnet sequence), English, 1592 DEH-lee-uh From Delos; associated with Artemis Poetic muse-name used in Elizabethan love poetry and sonnet cycles.
Dorabella Lorenzo Da Ponte / Mozart — Così fan tutte (libretto/opera), Italian, 1790 dor-uh-BEL-uh Diminutive of Dora; gift One of the sisters whose fidelity is playfully tested in the opera.
Damaris Acts (New Testament) / later poetry — Biblical Greek, 1st century; later literary use dah-MAHR-iss Tame; classical feminine name Briefly named convert in Acts, later adopted as a poetic name by writers.
Dione Homeric / Hesiodic poetry — Classical Greek myths appearing in ancient epics dye-OH-nee Divine one; goddess lineage Minor divine name recurring in ancient poetry and later literary retellings.
Delores (Dolores) Vladimir Nabokov — Lolita, English (originally Russian/English), 1955 doh-LOHR-es Sorrows (Spanish) Dolores “Lolita” Haze is central to Nabokov’s controversial exploration of obsession.
Desirée Kate Chopin — Désirée’s Baby (short story), English, 1893 deh-zee-RAY Desired one Title character in Chopin’s story about race, identity, and tragic misunderstanding.
Dee Alice Walker — “Everyday Use” (short story), English, 1973 DEE Diminutive of Diana/Deirdre Dee/Wangero returns changed, challenging family heritage and identity in Walker’s widely taught story.
Delilah Judges (Bible) — Biblical Hebrew/Ancient text, c.1st millennium BC; literary retellings de-LIE-luh Delicate or flirtatious; uncertain Biblical figure whose betrayal of Samson became a lasting literary symbol of seduction and ruin.
Daphne (Du Maurier) Daphne du Maurier — Many short stories/novels, English, 20th century DAF-nee Laurel tree; nymph Author Daphne du Maurier’s own name is literary by association; used here as a recognizable author-name crossover.

Descriptions

Daisy
Daphne
Dorothea
Dorothy
Dulcinea
Desdemona
Della
Demelza
Diana
Dinah
Dido
Dora
Deirdre
Dunya
Dolly
Dagny
Diotima
Damayanti
Despina
Delphine
Delia
Dorabella
Damaris
Dione
Delores (Dolores)
Desirée
Dee
Delilah
Daphne (Du Maurier)
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