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On Names in Historic Romance Novels

My husband thinks that all the historical romance novels I read have characters names Sebastian and Felicity. As much as I disagree vehemently with him whenever he brings this up, giggling as he makes his way through Eddie Izzard’s “Room with a View, with a Pond” sketch about Sebastian arranging matches, I have to admit that there is a grain of truth to his claim.

I haven’t been keeping track, but whenever I do read a novel where one of the characters is named Sebastian, I have been telling him, just so I can watch him roll his eyes. To tell the truth there have been several. More that I expected. I am totally keeping track now, and I will list theme here as I find/remember them.

Sebastian’s in Literature/ Romance Novels

  • Sebastian Griffin, Duke of Melbourne – Suzanne Enoch, Sins/Griffin Family Series
  • Sebastian (Bastian) Valmont, character in Les Liasons Dangereauses (Dangerous Liasons)
  • Sebastian Flyte, a character in Evelyn Waugh’s novel, Brideshead Revisited
  • Bastian Koehler, a character in With the Band, by L.A. Witt
  • Sebastian, a character in William Shakespeare‘s play, The Tempest
  • Sebastian, a character in William Shakespeare‘s play, Twelfth Night

Yes, different names were more popular in Regency London. Especially in Regency Romance London. Strapping Marquesses named: Oliver, Sebastian, Gabriel, Nathaniel, Gideon, Vincent and Fitzwilliam. Not to mention misses: Calphurnia, Aline, Violet, Olivia, Julianna, Althea, Eveline, Meredith, and Samantha.

From now on, I am also going to keep track of all of the great names that I find, and add them to this post. Feel free to comment and add!

Great Names in Historical Romance Novels

  • Gabriel St. John, Marquess of Ralston
  • George Wickham
  • Modred Vaughn, Duke of Elderwood
  • Olivia Marsden
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Author: Penny Wilder

Penny Wilder is a queer human who writes and reads far too many books. She lives near Minneapolis, Minnesota with her husband and four cats. Her favorite thing to do at the end of a very long day is to curl up with her tablet and read. She does bookkeeping for nonprofits by day, and by night moonlights as a blogger, artist, illustrator, actor, director, performer, and also sometimes as a business manager for a fledgling theater company. (Not all at once though, because that would be crazy!) She has spent a good deal of her life working in theater; either onstage as a performer, or backstage doing just about every job imaginable. Her love of writing dates back almost as far as her love of reading.

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