How exciting is it that there's a new version of The Little Mermaid on the way? That movie (and frankly, the whole Disney series) was such an important part of our childhood, we don't even know how many times we ran around singing "Part of Your World," completely, totally, painfully off-key, while trying to twirl forks in our hair, much to our mom's dismay. But for anyone who hasn't read the original Danish fairy tale written by Hans Christian Andersen, we strongly recommend it, but definitely keep kids away from it until they're about, oh, 13 or so — it's pretty rough going, and spoiler alert: it's not a happy story with a happy ending, like, at all. There's been a lot of talk about this new adaptation, which we're thrilled for, but there have been a lot of adaptations for stage, screen, and TV, starting in 1901 as an opera composed by Dvorak.
There was also a 1952 film that adapted several of Hans Christian Anderson's stories, a TV series starring Shirley Temple back in 1958, and several Russian, Spanish, and Japanese series as early as 1968, so this new adaptation is part of a long history of adaptations of this interesting, compelling story. Generally, we're huge fans of the way Disney does adaptations generally though (those songs!) and we love thinking about baby names in relation to these cherished classics. For instance, baby girl names inspired by forgotten Disney characters or baby boy names, also inspired by forgotten Disney characters. For a different take, try some more unusual baby boy names inspired by Disney and while it might seem strange, baby names inspired by Disney villains — kids don't have to take after the villain to have a cool name!
ARIEL
Yes, this is the obvious one: Ariel is the protagonist of The Little Mermaid, and she's pretty much been every little girl's dream. In the 1989 animated version, she was voiced by Jodi Benson, and in the upcoming live action version, she'll be portrayed by Halle Bailey.
ALANA
In the Disney version, Alana is one of Ariel's sisters under the sea. She sports a pink tail and a purple seashell bra, with black hair with a pink crown. She's the second oldest of the sisters, and becomes a major character in the prequel.
CHRISTIAN
Hans Christian Andersen is the author of the original story, The Little Mermaid. He was a Danish author from the 1800s, and he wrote a number of tales we think of as classic fairy tales today, including The Emperor's New Clothes and The Snow Queen.
ERIC
In the original Hans Christian Andersen tale, the prince didn't have a name, but in the Disney version, his name became Prince Eric. He is voiced by Christopher Daniel Barnes in the 1989 version, and there is still speculation about who will play him in the upcoming live action.
HALLE
Halle Bailey is the beautiful young actress who will be portraying Ariel in the new version of The Little Mermaid. She's a remarkable singer, half of the musical duo Chloe x Halle, and an actor on ABC's hit show Grown-ish. We can't wait to see her performance.
JOHN
John Musker co-wrote and co-directed the 1989 The Little Mermaid with his directing and writing partner, Ron Clements. He has been a writer and director on many amazing Disney productions, including Moana, Hercules, and Aladdin.
CARROLL
Pat Carroll was the voice of Ursula in the 1989 The Little Mermaid, and we hope she eventually reads this round-up, because she is without question the voice of our favorite Disney villain, and her voice is a big part of that.
SEBASTIAN
Sebastian is the name of the delightful red Jamaican crab who is a semi-sidekick of Ariel's, but really, a servant of King Triton. He's a musician, and in the story, he composed "Under The Sea," one of the best songs in the original Disney movie.
ADELLA
Adella is one of Ariel's sisters — she's the one with the yellow tail and bright green seashell bra. We love her name, which is a play on names like Adele and Adelaide, which come from German and mean "noble."
MAX
Sure, in the film, Max is an Old English Sheepdog, but he's also one of the best characters — he discovers Ariel, and he's incredibly affectionate and loving. We also just love the name Max generally, especially when it's short for Maximillian, which means "greatest."
ARISTA
In the animated film of The Little Mermaid, Arista is the one with a red tail and a matching seashell bra. In the prequel, she's a main character. She loves music and plays the trombone. Arista is a Greek name meaning "The Best."
GABRIELLA
In the TV series, Gabriella is one of Ariel's friends. She is a deaf mermaid, she has a pink tail and matching seashell bra, and she speaks in sign language. It's a feminine version of Gabriel, a Hebrew name meaning "God is my strength."
JODI
Jodi Benson is the voice of Ariel in the 1989 The Little Mermaid. We grew up listening to her gorgeous voice, and we think naming a baby in her honor would be a great tribute. And for fans of Hercules, she was also the voice of Helen.
PEARL
Pearl is an adorable blond mermaid with a blue tail and matching seashell top. While she's a bit of a bad influence, we love her name, which may be connected to the name Margaret, which means "pearl."
MORGANA
Morgana is Ursula's younger sister. She is half octopus, has eight tentacles, and is a gray-green in color. While she may be a villain, we love her and her name, which is a play on the Arthurian legend of Morgan le Fay.
MELODY
In the sequel to The Little Mermaid, Melody is Ariel and Eric's daughter. She has a Rapunzel-esque storyline, and we love her name, which is taken directly from the Greek word for song, as "melos" means "to sing."
ATHENA
In The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning, Athena was Triton's wife, and Ariel and her sisters' mother. We love the name Athena, which is also the name of the Greek goddess of wisdom, who is associated with owls and olive trees.
JASON
Jason Marin gave us the voice of Flounder in the 1989 animated classic, for which we are profoundly grateful — it's a great performance, and he was only 15 when the film came out. We also just love the name Jason, which means "healer" in Greek.
RENE
Rene Auberjonois provided the voice of the French chef, Louis, in the 1989 animated film version. He was also a principal character on the TV show M*A*S*H, and has been a great character in many shows since.
ALAN
Alan Menken provided the original score for The Little Mermaid, and we don't even really have to say that it's iconic. He has been the composer behind many Disney efforts, including Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin.
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Save these adorable names for your baby if you are a big fan of 'the Little Mermaid'.
