Names from Agatha Christie: From Ariadne to Septimus

Zoë Wanamaker as Ariadne Oliver and David Suchet as Hercule Poirot

I have a confession to make: I am addicted to Agatha Christie shows. Now I do have plans on reading the novels, as I feel it's a requirement for anyone wanting to write mystery, and specifically historical mystery, just to see where these sort of novels originated. I call them my guilty pleasure simply because I do not particularly like Christie as a person, her racism being just the tip of a very large iceberg. But I have noticed she has some very interesting names in her works and I thought it would be great to take a look at them! Please let me know your favorites, or some I might have missed!

Women: 

Adelaide Jefferson
Adele Fortescue
Ariadne Oliver
Cherry Baker
Cicely Beauclerk
Cora Van Stuyvesant
Dolly Bantry
Elsie Holland
Elvira Blake
Evadne Willett
Florrie
Frankie Derwent
Ginger Corrigan
Griselda Clement
Gwenda Halliday
Gwenda Vaughn
Hester Argyle
Honoria Waynflete
Jolly Bellever
Kanga
Lady Eileen "Bundle" Brent
Lavinia Pinkerton
Letitia Blacklock
Lettice Protheroe
Marina Gregg
Maud Dane Calthrop
May Ainsworth
Mitzi Kosinki
Primrose Dixon
Prudence "Tuppence" Beresford
Rowena Waddy
Thomasina Tuckerton
Thyrza Grey


Men:

Amos Perry
Archie Oxley
Augustin Dufosse
Basil Blake
Cardew Pye
Cedric Crackenthorpe
Claude Evans
Conway Jefferson
Hercule Poirot
Leo Argyle
Luther Crackenthorpe
Nevile Strange
Percival Fortescue
Rafiel
Rex Fortescue
Septimus Bligh

Comments

  1. apolla13July 3, 2020 at 9:40 PM

    I love Agatha Christie, ever since I discovered her books in my high school library one day and became addicted to them. I'm not kidding when I say I've read every Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple book and own nearly all of them.

    The shows are great. Although I've seen other adaptations of Poirot (I'm thinking of the 2017 movie with Kenneth Branagh, which was alright but not my favorite), to me David Suchet is the quintessential Poirot I've always envisioned from the books. There were some changes from the books to the screen (but that's true of everything show that adapts its material from literature), most I enjoyed, some I didn't, but overall the show was awesome and I find myself rewatching some episodes from time to time when I'm feeling nostalgic for a good mystery.

    I like the name (and character) of Ariadne Oliver. I think it was the first time I even came across the name Ariadne, and pairing that with Hercule (both names coming from Greek mythology, and both character so different) I thought was clever. Other favorites from this list are Rex Fortescue (did you notice that his children are named after characters from the Arthurian legends? Even his duaghter-in-law has a name connected to it), Gwenda, Thomasina Tuckerton, Basil Blake, Rafiel.

    Some other names I liked but aren't on this list are Lenox, Rosamund, Arlena, Valentine Chantry (I love this combination of the first and last name), Linnet, Jacqueline, Rosalie.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. BreeJuly 4, 2020 at 11:01 AM

      Thank you so much for your comment! I very much agree that David Suchet is the best Poirot. I love the other names you mentioned, especially Linnet, Rosamund, and Valentine Chantry.

      Delete

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