With the hit move It Ends With Us finally being released we think lots of parents may draw inspiration from the pages of Colleen Hoover novels.
Hoover has written over 20 books, and they feature boy and girl names that are rarely used, stylish and really stand out. The very definition of main character energy names!
If you loved It Ends With Us the book, or have watched the movie starring Blake Lively and now want to see what names you could borrow from this romantic drama, then this list is what you need!
We’ve compiled the names of all the main characters from It Ends With Us, plus some names from Hoover’s other novels that we think you will love.
Hoover has a real knack for picking out unique and strong names for her characters, so we think her books are a perfect place for some baby name inspo.
It Ends With Us Names
The hit novel It Ends With Us was released in 2016 and followed up with a sequel, It Starts With Us, in 2022.
The books have been so popular that a movie adaptation followed. Here are the names of the main characters in this book series.
Girls
Lily. The heroine of the book is Lily Bloom, who is played by Blake Lively in the movie.
Allysa. This is the name of Lily’s best friend in the book series. Allysa is a variant of Alyssa, which is derived from the name Alicia. Alicia is of Old German origin, meaning noble.
Jenny. Jenny is a diminutive form of Jennifer, which means “white wave” or “fair one”. In the book Jenny is Lily’s mother.
Lucy. Lucy means “light” or “born at dawn or daylight”.
Katie. Katie is a diminutive form of Katherine or Kathleen, which means “pure”.
Rylee. This is the name of Allysa’s daughter with her husband Marshall. It’s inspired by her brother Ryle. Rylee is a variant of Riley, which means “courageous” or “valiant”.
Emerson. Ryle and Lily call their baby girl Emerson. However they shorten it to Emmy, which I think could be a sweet name on its own. This is a lovely gender neutral name.
Boys
Atlas. The hero of the story is Atlas and this is such a perfect name for a sweet soul.
Kincaid. Head of the battle
Ryle. Rye hill, dweller in the rye field
Marshall. Caretaker of horses
Emerson. Son of Emery. Emerson was the brother of Ryle and Allyssa.
Devin. Poet, divine
Brad. Broad meadow
Darin. Great, wealthy
Josh. God is salvation
Theo. Gift of God
Corrigan. This is Atlas’s last name but I think it could be a really sweet unique first name for a boy.
Other names from Colleen Hoover novels
Want more baby name inspiration from the literary works of Hoover? Check out these powerful and sweet name ideas.
Girls
Adeline: Noble, nobility
Ainsley: One’s own meadow
Alana: Little rock, harmony
Beth: House of God
Beyah: Bay, or to be
Bridgette: Strength, exalted one
Carol: Free man, song of joy
Caroline: Free man, strong
Charlie: Free man
Chastin: Pure
Chrissy: Follower of Christ
Claire: Clear, bright
Clara: Bright, clear
Dawn: The first appearance of light, daybreak
Diem: Day (often seen in the phrase “carpe diem” meaning “seize the day”)
Emory: Brave, powerful
Fallon: Leader, superiority
Grace: Elegance, grace
Gwenn: Blessed, white, fair
Janean: God is gracious
Jordyn: To flow down, descend
Julia: Youthful, downy
Karen: Pure
Katie: Pure
Kenna: Born of fire, handsome
Kiersten: Christian, follower of Christ
Layken: Lake, body of water
Layla: Night, dark beauty
Lesslie: Garden of hollies
Lexie: Defender of the people
Lisa: God is my oath
Lowen: Joyful
Lucy: Light
Lydia: Woman from Lydia, kind, noble one
Maggie: Pearl
Marjorie: Pearl
Megan: Pearl
Morgan: Sea-born, bright circle
Nova: New, star
Pamela: All sweetness
Patricia: Noble, patrician
Quinn: Wise, intelligent
Rachel: Ewe, female sheep
Sadie: Princess
Sam: God has heard
Sara: Princess
Sasha: Defender, helper of mankind
Serena: Tranquil, serene
Sky: The atmosphere above the earth
Sutton: From the southern homestead
Sydney: Wide island, wide meadow
Tabitha: Gazelle
Tarryn: Rocky hill
Tate: Cheerful
Tessa: To gather, to reap
Tori: Victory
Verity: Truth
Whitney: White island, fair island
Boys
Aaron: High mountain, exalted
AJ: Initials often standing for names like “Anthony James” or “Andrew John”
Alec: Defender of the people
Alex: Defender of the people
Ben: Son of
Benji: Son of the right hand
Breckin: Freckled
Brennan: Descendant of Braonán, little raven
Brian: High, noble
Brody: Ditch, muddy place
Caleb: Whole-hearted, faithful
Callahan: Bright-headed
Carey: From the fortress, or dark one
Caulder: From the stony river
Chad: Battle, warrior
Chris: Follower of Christ
Clayton: From the clay town
Cody: Helpful, cushion
Conner: Lover of hounds
Corbin: Raven
Corey: Hollow, or from the round hill
Crew: Group, company
Dakota: Friend, ally
Daniel: God is my judge
Darin: Great, wealthy
Dennis: Follower of Dionysius (Greek god of wine)
Devin: Poet, divine
Dillon: Loyal, like a lion
Donovan: Dark, brown-haired chieftain
Efren: Fruitful, productive
Elijah: My God is Yahweh
Ethan: Strong, firm
Evan: God is gracious
Glenn: Valley
Graham: Gravelly homestead
Grayson: Son of the steward
Harrison: Son of Harry
Hunter: One who hunts
Ian: God is gracious
Jack: God is gracious
Jake: Supplanter
Jaxon: Son of Jack
Jeremy: God will uplift
Jimmy: Supplanter
John: God is gracious
Jonah: Dove
Josh: God is salvation
Justice: Just, fair
Kel: From the narrow strait
Kyle: Narrow, strait
Ledger: Spear tribe
Leeds: People of the river
Marcos: Warlike
Marshall: Caretaker of horses
Max: Greatest
Michael: Who is like God?
Miles: Soldier, merciful
Miller: One who grinds grain
Oliver: Olive tree
Owen: Young warrior, well-born
Patrick: Noble, patrician
Rake: Meaning dweller by the clearing
Reid: Red-haired
Ridge: Narrow, elevated strip of land
Rob: Bright fame
Robin: Bright fame
Roman: Citizen of Rome, strong
Samson: Sun, bright sun
Scotty: From Scotland
Silas: Man of the forest
Spencer: Dispenser of provisions
Tanner: Leather worker
Theo: Gift of God
Thomas: Twin
Tim: Honouring God
Trey: Three
Warren: Watchman, park-keeper
Will: Resolute protector
Zachary: The Lord remembers
