Imogen

Imogen is closely associated with the heroine of Shakespeare’s Cymbeline. It is often explained as a printed form of Innogen, a name connected with older legendary material and commonly linked with a Gaelic word for “daughter” or “maiden.” The precise development is debated, so the familiar story that Shakespeare simply invented it through a typo should be treated as an explanation rather than an unquestioned fact.

Photographer Imogen Cunningham and musician Imogen Heap give the name artistic associations beyond the play. Immy and Imo are useful shorter forms, while Imogene is a related spelling with its own pronunciation history. Parents may be drawn to Imogen’s literary roots and three-syllable rhythm even without settling every detail of its earlier etymology.