I chose the name Langdon for a combination of reasons. The name first occurred to me as a tribute to one of my favorite artists, John Langdon, who not entirely coincidentally is a passionate art-lover and a teacher like Robert Langdon. I also like the way his name sounds; all of my heroes have two syllabus names for reasons of rhythm. In addition, the name Langdon is an old New England family name that carries with it an air of erudition and academia, which works nicely for a Harvard professor.