This page lists 25 literary boy names that start with I, from “Iago” to “Iolaus.” The names come from novels, plays, epics, myths, and sagas, and they come from many cultures, including Hebrew, Greek, Slavic, Norse, and Tolkien’s invented languages. You can use the list to find a baby name with a story behind it, to name a character in your own writing, or to pick a username or pen name.

Literary boy names are male given names borne by characters or authors in books, poems, plays, and other written works. Some, like “Ishmael,” open famous novels with a single line: “Call me Ishmael.” Others, like “Icarus,” come from ancient myths that writers have retold for centuries.

Below you’ll find the table with the name, origin, pronunciation, meaning, and description for each entry.

Name: The name itself, listed in alphabetical order, so you can scan quickly and find the spelling you like or want to check.

Origin: The language or culture the name comes from, which helps you see its roots and decide whether it fits your family or story.

Pronunciation: A simple phonetic guide with the stressed syllable in capitals, so you can say each name with confidence, even the unfamiliar ones.

Meaning: The literal or traditional meaning of the name, which you can use to find a name that carries a message you like.

Description: A short note on the book, myth, or author linked to the name, so you know exactly where the name comes from in literature.

Literary boy names

NameOriginPronunciationMeaning
IagoSpanish (form of James)ee-AH-go“supplanter”
IanScottish Gaelic (form of John)EE-an“God is gracious”
IchabodHebrewIK-uh-bod“the glory has departed”
IgorOld Norse / RussianEE-gor“warrior of Ing”
IgnatiusLatinig-NAY-shus“fiery”
IlyaRussian (form of Elijah)IL-yah“Yahweh is my God”
InigoSpanish (Basque)IN-ih-go“fiery”
IshmaelHebrewISH-may-el“God hears”
IsaacHebrewEYE-zik“he will laugh”
IsaiahHebreweye-ZAY-uh“God is salvation”
IsidoreGreekIZ-ih-dor“gift of Isis”
IsildurSindarin (Tolkien)IS-il-dur“devoted to the moon”
ImrahilSindarin (Tolkien)IM-rah-hil“jewel-devoted”
IvanhoeOld English (Wilfred of Ivanhoe)EYE-van-hoh“Ivan’s hill spur”
IvanSlavic (form of John)EYE-van“God is gracious”
IvorOld NorseEYE-ver“archer”
IvoGermanicEE-voh“yew wood”
IonGreekEYE-on“violet” or “going”
IcarusGreekIK-ar-us“follower”
IdrisWelsh / ArabicID-riss“ardent lord” (Welsh); “interpreter” (Arabic)
IlmarinenFinnishIL-mah-ree-nen“of the air”
IngolfOld NorseIN-golf“wolf of Ing”
IzaakDutch / HebrewEYE-zak“he will laugh”
Ishmael BeahHebrewISH-may-el“God hears”
IolausGreekeye-oh-LAY-us“violet-hued” (traditional)

Descriptions

Iago
The scheming villain of Shakespeare’s Othello, who destroys the general through lies and jealousy. The name is now closely linked with treachery in literature.
Ian
A popular name in modern fiction, from Ian Fleming, the creator of James Bond, to Ian Malcolm in Jurassic Park. It carries a literary Scottish flavor.
Ichabod
The nervous schoolmaster Ichabod Crane in Washington Irving’s The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, who is chased by the Headless Horseman.
Igor
The name of the hunchbacked lab assistant in Frankenstein films and of the hero of the Russian epic The Tale of Igor’s Campaign.
Ignatius
Best known from Ignatius J. Reilly, the eccentric hero of John Kennedy Toole’s comic novel A Confederacy of Dunces.
Ilya
Ilya Oblomov is the famously lazy hero of Goncharov’s novel Oblomov. Ilya Muromets is a legendary hero of Russian epic poems.
Inigo
Inigo Montoya, the sword-wielding Spaniard in William Goldman’s The Princess Bride, who seeks revenge for his father’s death.
Ishmael
The narrator of Herman Melville’s Moby-Dick, who opens with the line “Call me Ishmael.” Also the biblical outcast son of Abraham.
Isaac
A name found throughout classic literature, from the Bible to Sir Walter Scott’s Ivanhoe, where Isaac of York is a wealthy Jewish moneylender.
Isaiah
A biblical prophet whose poetic book has shaped English literature, and a name used for many characters in American fiction.
Isidore
Appears in French and English novels, including Isidore Ducasse, the real name of the Comte de Lautréamont, author of Les Chants de Maldoror.
Isildur
The heir of Gondor in Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, who cut the One Ring from Sauron’s hand but failed to destroy it.
Imrahil
Prince of Dol Amroth in The Lord of the Rings, a noble commander who fights at the Battle of the Pelennor Fields.
Ivanhoe
The title hero of Sir Walter Scott’s 1819 historical novel, a Saxon knight who returns from the Crusades in the time of Richard the Lionheart.
Ivan
Ivan Karamazov, the tormented intellectual in Dostoevsky’s The Brothers Karamazov, and Ivan Denisovich, the prisoner in Solzhenitsyn’s novel, are famous bearers.
Ivor
A Welsh and Scottish favorite, known in children’s literature through Ivor the Engine, the Welsh steam locomotive in a British series.
Ivo
Used in medieval romance and in modern fiction, and borne by characters in works from Evelyn Waugh to Slavic novels.
Ion
The title character of Euripides’ play Ion and of Plato’s dialogue Ion, a young temple servant in Delphi who turns out to be a son of Apollo.
Icarus
The boy in Greek myth who flew too close to the sun on wax wings. His story is retold by Ovid and countless poets as a warning against hubris.
Idris
Appears in Welsh legend through the giant Idris Gawr, and in fantasy and science fiction as a name for noble and scholarly characters.
Ilmarinen
The legendary smith in the Finnish epic Kalevala, who forges the magical Sampo. Tolkien drew on this epic for his own stories.
Ingolf
A name from Icelandic sagas, linked to Ingólfr Arnarson, the first settler of Iceland, as told in the Landnámabók.
Izaak
Izaak Walton wrote The Compleat Angler (1653), a classic of English prose about fishing and the contemplative life.
Ishmael Beah
Not a character but a modern author, whose memoir A Long Way Gone helped keep the name Ishmael in literary conversation.
Iolaus
Hercules’ nephew and charioteer in Greek myth, who helped him defeat the Lernaean Hydra. He appears in Ovid and later retellings.
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