Fictional place name by C.S. Lewis, inspired by the ancient Italian town Narni (Latin: Narnia).
S. Lewis, though it was inspired by the ancient Italian town of Narni, Latin Narnia. That gives the name a fascinating double life: literary on the surface, historical underneath.
Few names carry such an immediate sense of imagination while still being anchored in a real classical place. As a given name, Narnia feels evocative, enchanted, and unmistakably literary. It suggests worlds beyond the ordinary, which is part of its appeal and also part of why it remains rare in personal use.
The name has an airy, mythic quality that can feel both whimsical and dignified. Narnia is one of those names whose story is inseparable from fantasy, yet its older place-name roots keep it from feeling purely invented.