In a 1974 comment at a lecture, Rand said that Danneskjöld's name was a tribute to Victor Hugo's novel, , wherein the hero becomes the first of the Counts of Danneskjöld.
ɪn ɐ nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd sˈɛvənti fˈoːɹ kˈɑːmɛnt æɾə lˈɛktʃɚ, ɹˈænd sˈɛd ðæt dˈænɪskjˌɜːldz nˈeɪm wʌzɐ tɹˈɪbjuːt tə vˈɪktɚ hjˈuːɡoʊz nˈɑːvəl, , wˈɛɹɪn ðə hˈiəɹoʊ bɪkˌʌmz ðə fˈɜːst ʌvðə kˈaʊnts ʌv dˈænɪskjˌɜːld.