# Naming a Character



## Mark Twain't (Jul 29, 2021)

What are peoples' processes for naming characters.


I'm struggling with one at the moment. She's a young women who ended up on the streets (London) at just 15. She quickly becomes a heroin addict and is taken in by a local gangster but he feeds her addiction so he can keep her compliant. She's not the MC but she becomes sort of a sidekick later in the book.


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## Lawless (Jul 29, 2021)

If I had to make up a name for someone from my own ethnic group... It's a really difficult question. Maybe I'd let a random numbers generator (such as Excel's RND function) generate a random letter of the alphabet and then make up a name beginning with that letter? Maybe even generate two letters and try to come up with a name whose first two letters are those, and should it be impossible, then maybe a slightly different name would occur to me that sounds suitable?

Pick a random book from the shelf, open it in a random place and look at the first word in the 3rd row on the left page, and try to think of a name similar to that word??


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## midnightpoet (Jul 29, 2021)

When I was writing my first novel (back in 1980's) I came up with J.W. Mack (John Wayne Mack) as my protagonist, combining two of my favorite cowboy actors (Johnny Mack Brown the other) from the '50's.  Try putting down say 10 first names with 10 last names and random pick.  I realize naming ethnic characters can be a problem, but like it's common here in Texas to have an "Anglo" first name combined with an Hispanic last name or vice versa.  You can always change it later, and often you might find out after you finish or during the process that the "right" name will come to you.


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## Joker (Jul 29, 2021)

Corrit is actually a corruption of Corvo, the protagonist of the video game _Dishonored._ It's a favorite of mine and both characters are foreigners with a checkered past. 

His last name, Raith... It just sounds cool to be honest. Sounds like like wraith, or wraith. It's a short name an avian species might use.

Silver, being a factory robot who gained sentience, named herself. A luxury or a curse? I figured she just appropriated a nickname for her. The silver one.

Wilbur, Hau and Nyssa are all just ethnic names I had for human characters in previous works that didn't pan out. German, Vietnamese and Arabic respectively. Not much to them, just liked them.


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## MistWolf (Jul 30, 2021)

I speak the names out loud and listen to how they sound and how they roll off the tongue. Like-
-Jessica Jones
-Captain Janeway
-Johnny Rico

These names have momentum and flow. Notice how your mouth and tongue are positioned to transition from the last letter of the first name to the first letter of the last name-
- ca Jones
-n Janeway
- y Rico

I avoid names that are difficult to say aloud.

I like names that tell the reader something about the character of the character. J.K. Rowling has them scattered all through her books-
-Peeves. Right away we know Peeves the Poltergeist is going to be peevish.
-Draco Malfoy. This name drips with malicious (Malfoy) arrogance (Draco).
-Thomas Marvalo Riddle. Thom, the Marvelous Enigma.

There are names that can be turned into nicknames. Michael Connolly is the master of not so endearing nicknames-
-Lt. Harvey “98 Pounds” Pounds. This is a reference to the "98 Pound Weakling" everyone picks on. Yes, Pounds is seen as weak and given no respect.
-Lt. Grace “Bullets” Billets. She's called "Bullets" because she's a tough, no nonsense commander, though never to her face.
-Honey "Money" Chandler is a civil rights attorney with no scruples, only interested in the money the case will bring. The nickname "Money" (rhymes with "Honey") is meant as an insult.

Other things I play with are syllable counts, placement of hard & soft consonants and what images the name conjures up. I also like to combine unusual with common. An example of this is Indiana Jones.

There's something about Jones that makes it a good last name for almost anything. A few I invented off the top of my head I think sound interesting-
-Malodorous Jones
-Ambiguous Jones
-Mojave Jones
-Coyote Jones
-Bowler Jones

Flavor is very important to me when it comes to fantasy or science fiction characters. Names like Bilbo Baggins, Luke Skywalker, Captain James T. Kirk, Zena, The Doctor, Princess Leia Organa, Lt. Uhura and Diana Prince. Each name gives a taste of the milieu the character inhabits.

How a name is chosen or generated isn't  important. Throw darts at phone book for ideas, if you must. But do give the results thought. Does the name roll off the tongue, or is it awkward? Does it lend flavor to the story, to the world? Does it say something about the character? If not, work with it until it does.

Just don't become Analysis Paralysis Jones.


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## K.S. Crooks (Jul 31, 2021)

I start with the role of the character (primary, secondary, hero or villain) I then consider what they look like (their sex, age, ethnicity). I then decide on a selection of names and adjust my choices as more get filled in. I also make a conscious choice of having different first letter to their names.


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## Mark Twain't (Jul 31, 2021)

Interesting replies.

Problem I'm having is that this particular character (secondary) is from a poor background and every name I come up with sounds either too posh or too stereotypical.


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## MistWolf (Jul 31, 2021)

Mark Twain't said:


> Interesting replies.
> 
> Problem I'm having is that this particular character (secondary) is from a poor background and every name I come up with sounds either too posh or too stereotypical.


Well. The answer is obvious then- 

Too Posh Jones


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## Darkkin (Jul 31, 2021)

Honestly, a name pops into my head, I pick it up and run with it.  I have never created a character without knowing their name.  Everything else becomes secondary, but that is how my brain works.  If I don't know your name, how can I create you?


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## Theglasshouse (Jul 31, 2021)

Use a baby dictionary and search for one you like. This old advice did not fail me when I tried to look for some names that sounded appealing in both English and French. As for titles of stories I am stumped on that and wish more people would share their process on that. I stumbled on some interesting names when searching. One is hamet which sounds like hamlet. It's a real name used in countries like Senegal. Shakespeare actually had a son called Hamnet. That's where the name Hamlet came from many historians suspect.


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## Megan Pearson (Aug 3, 2021)

Mark Twain't said:


> Interesting replies.
> 
> Problem I'm having is that this particular character (secondary) is from a poor background and every name I come up with sounds either too posh or too stereotypical.


Darkkin talked about needing to know a character's name before creating the character & I have to agree with that. But if it's a background character whose role is primary, I'll just plug in his role like <that> & fill in a cast appropriate name later. 

I want my primary characters named first. I want them to be eye-catching on the page, easy to read yet distinct from one another so as to not confuse the reader. I like & use baby name books, random name generators, & surname generators. But I'm also considering the story's location (not so much ethnicity but rather does it seem to be a location-appropriate name) and the character's family of origin economic and educational attainment. I want the name believable to the story setting. Maybe a family business or character strength/flaw influences the surname? Do they go by a nickname? How'd they get the nickname? 

You could go on and on with this, but like someone here already said, find a name & run with it. You'll know after a while if it's going to stick or not. There's no shame in renaming a character when their real name 'hits' you when you're in the shower!


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## Mark Twain't (Aug 3, 2021)

Thanks Megan



Megan Pearson said:


> There's no shame in renaming a character when their real name 'hits' you when you're in the shower!


Yep, the Project Replace in Scrivener is pretty good.


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## bdcharles (Aug 3, 2021)

Mark Twain't said:


> What are peoples' processes for naming characters.
> 
> 
> I'm struggling with one at the moment. She's a young women who ended up on the streets (London) at just 15. She quickly becomes a heroin addict and is taken in by a local gangster but he feeds her addiction so he can keep her compliant. She's not the MC but she becomes sort of a sidekick later in the book.


I tend to use either actual non-name words that I might slightly namify, or interesting-sounding gibberish sourced from wherever I can mine it. Eg I have characters called Gaunt, Hemocide, Danycode, Ao, and Day. The more outlandish a character - like a fantasy race - the more namey I make their names. I have a race of winged humanoids called Swarhelians. They're blue-and-white and do all sorts of fantasy stuff. Their names in my books? Kenny, Benny and Penny.

For your character, I would choose an everyday word whose meaning/etymology/sound/appearance conveys something of her character. If for eg she is fragile I might start calling her, I dunno, Gossamer or Spider or something, if it were my character. It's all a bit of an unconscious process.

Hmm ... gibberish mining...


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## Kent_Jacobs (Aug 3, 2021)

Try this just for fun:



			https://www.fantasynamegenerators.com/


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## Mark Twain't (Aug 3, 2021)

TheMightyAz said:


> Try this just for fun:
> 
> 
> 
> https://www.fantasynamegenerators.com/


Yes, I have that, along with a few other RNGs, in my bookmarks. I could spend an hour flicking through those and still not find what I'm looking for!


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## bdcharles (Aug 3, 2021)

Mark Twain't said:


> Yes, I have that, along with a few other RNGs, in my bookmarks. I could spend an hour flicking through those and still not find what I'm looking for!


I have a secret weapon in my fantasy-naming arsenal: the Soybomb Nonsense Generator.


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## indianroads (Aug 3, 2021)

Character names often come naturally when they’re born, but I sometimes modify names that are similar. When I get stuck I look up popular baby names from different eras, and ethnic surnames. 
the web is your friend.


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## VRanger (Aug 3, 2021)

Character Name Generator
					


Automatic character name generator tool. Choose some keywords and we will automatically create a character name in seconds.




					www.name-generator.org.uk


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## Taylor (Aug 3, 2021)

Nothing scientific about my process.  I use names that I like, and that suit the character depending on their age and place of birth. (Google works wonders) Also, based on people I know or have seen on TV. For example, I called my rich Eastcoast lady Melania after a rich lady I know in my hometown.  But I was always concerned about another rich Eastcoast lady people might associate.  I don't want people to make assumptions about who my character might be based on.  So, I was looking out for something safer, and then voila!  Watching reality TV, I saw another less famous rich Eastcoast lady called Meridith...perfect.  Thank goodness for find and replace!

For me, naming the characters is one of the best parts of writing.  It's like giving birth.  And typically the character comes to life and lives up to their name.

I always thought "Hannibal Lecter" was too heavy-handed.    But then there is the real-life "Bernie Madoff."   Made off with all the money.


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## Turnbull (Aug 6, 2021)

In a story of mine, I wrote characters whose names were all sounds.  One was Miaul (an old fashioned way to say "meow") and another was "Terwa" -- which is the middle section of "caterwaul."  Another time I named all my characters in alphabetical order by appearance.  

But for some reason when I think of your character, "Bristol" comes to mind.


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## yft (Sep 1, 2021)

I don't put too much effort in naming my characters (or my stories). I go with placeholders writing the first draft and only give them names in the final draft. It helps me focus on actually writing the thing.

That said, I like naming characters after common objects. Hill, Cat, etc. I also use names as an opportunity to give off hints of where the story takes place in (native-sounding names).


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## SteveTheAviator (Sep 2, 2021)

Hideo Kojima takes the approach of on-the-nose naming:

Deadman (a guy who's had a lot of organ replacements.)
Die-hard Man (a man who is hard to kill.)
Heartman ( a guy who has heart issues.)
Fatman (go ahead and guess why.)
Mama (a woman whose importance to the story is by being a mother.)
Big Boss (the main antagonist.)
You could pass them off as nicknames. But... some of them aren't.


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## ehbowen (Sep 4, 2021)

For first names, I use one of the many "baby-name selection" web sites out there. For last names, I go here (actually, I have about two dozen of the paper originals). That's an index of every single railroad station in North America in April of 1948. _Somewhere_ in those 236 pages is the perfect last name!


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## Tyrannohotep (Sep 6, 2021)

It depends on the setting of the story. For my current main WIP, I'm just making up names that sound prehistoric, since the setting is Africa around 100,000 years ago. For other stories (e.g. those set in the real world), I'll pick a name from whatever culture the character comes from.


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## Llyralen (Sep 6, 2021)

I was watching "Eurovision the Legend of Fire Saga" and I found an Icelandic girl on youtube responding to it.  She was laughing and annoyed because the main character's name is Lars and Lars is not an Icelandic name.  She thought it was such a lazy mistake showing how little research the writers had done.  In Iceland (and some other European countries) there are specific names that you are allowed to name your children, and some names forbidden.  I don't know if there are restrictions for England, but that would be something to look up. 

 I take names pretty seriously for historical stories.  There are historical and area trends for names.  When writing a historical fiction I always figure out what year I want them to be born in and where I want them to be born and then look up what names were most common that year and also the years surrounding it.  Sometimes I use a name that was quickly on the rise to becoming a more fashionable name.   A google search usually does the trick. 
Names also change by place-- especially surnames.  A good tip is to look at findagrave.com  If I want accuracy for the time and place, this works great!  I also look for what are considered common nick-names for that name during that time period if it is a common name.   If we are talking very long ago, I might have to read names on archeological finds like those etched into weaponry or on stone memorials.


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## Ralph Rotten (Sep 7, 2021)

Mark Twain't said:


> What are peoples' processes for naming characters.
> 
> 
> I'm struggling with one at the moment. She's a young women who ended up on the streets (London) at just 15. She quickly becomes a heroin addict and is taken in by a local gangster but he feeds her addiction so he can keep her compliant. She's not the MC but she becomes sort of a sidekick later in the book.



I try to ensure some latitude between names. I don't every want readers mistaking one character for anopther simply because their names were close.
Clancy used to do something that irritated me greatly where he would have two Russians whose names both started out with the same letter. So easy to mix them up.

I also try to avoid boring names.


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## AcademicCockroach (Sep 12, 2021)

I think your name should say something about the character but not what the character _is (_exept for comedic purposes). 

For first names of characters I’m going to use a lot, I do take into account how easy it is to read it and how distinct it sounds compared to the other ones but I do like to make them name themselves or choose a name that has personal significance to them. 

For last names I usually look into the meaning/history of names and connect it to my character or their personality somehow. Like, if I have a OC ‘from an old-money family but lost all of it due to gambling’ I would search for real life examples, googling ‘old american family names’. I’d click on the first article about the ‘Oldest Known Family Names in America’s History’ and read about them until I find one that says: 
‘The Sherman family name can be traced back to William Sherman, who lived in Plymouth from 1630 to 34. Sherman did well after he arrived in Plymouth and left to his children a rich inheritance of lands.’ 
Close enough, Sherman it is. But since my OC isn’t exactly in posession of those lands anymore and I want to emphasize the disconnect between their past and present, I’d choose an almost comically different first name like— Chad for example. It has some unwelcome connotations too, which is an added bonus in this case, maybe signalling that the character is also kind of an ass.

Chad Sherman, the arrogant aristocratic gambling addict who’s dead broke and sleeps under a bridge but still wears a full suit to the casino. And if anyone is confused as to why would a ‘high-class’ family like this name their son ‘Chad’, his real name is Chaderick which he absolutely despises for obvious reasons… 

I’m not sure if explaining my insane thought process helped anyone though


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## Theglasshouse (Sep 12, 2021)

Well it does make sense in many cases to use an original name for a character in a story of a long length such as a novel. For reasons of copyright when it is published and thus protected it could help the writer further protect it.


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## dee (Oct 12, 2021)

Mark Twain't said:


> What are peoples' processes for naming characters.
> 
> 
> I'm struggling with one at the moment. She's a young women who ended up on the streets (London) at just 15. She quickly becomes a heroin addict and is taken in by a local gangster but he feeds her addiction so he can keep her compliant. She's not the MC but she becomes sort of a sidekick later in the book.


As they say, whatever works. For my first fiction attempt I went with real people with common enough names; this may sound unexciting but makes it easier (for me) to visualise each character's background, speech, attitudes, mannerisms, and even thought process in various situations. 

Your young lady sounds much like my Amanda, wide-eyed and innocent before colliding with Kings Cross and Waxy, her black pimp who beats, dopes and grooms her for work on the street. And yes, Amanda also ends up as part of a gang, though I prefer 'team'.


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## A Novel Idea (Oct 28, 2021)

Mark Twain't said:


> Interesting replies.
> 
> Problem I'm having is that this particular character (secondary) is from a poor background and every name I come up with sounds either too posh or too stereotypical.



Nothing came to mind when you described her in your original post. I wasn't actively trying to think of one, mind you but nothing clicked. For some reason, when I read this comment, I immediately thought of the name Nicky. Not sure how common or appropriate that is for a London setting but it's what clicked.

If you don't like that name then maybe you _should _go with a name that is a little too posh. It would be an interesting contrast to her character for this "street rat" to be in possession of a "high society" name. In a sense, it could be the most valuable thing she owns or the only thing that hasn't been taken away from her yet.


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## Mark Twain't (Oct 29, 2021)

A Novel Idea said:


> Nothing came to mind when you described her in your original post. I wasn't actively trying to think of one, mind you but nothing clicked. For some reason, when I read this comment, I immediately thought of the name Nicky. Not sure how common or appropriate that is for a London setting but it's what clicked.
> 
> If you don't like that name then maybe you _should _go with a name that is a little too posh. It would be an interesting contrast to her character for this "street rat" to be in possession of a "high society" name. In a sense, it could be the most valuable thing she owns or the only thing that hasn't been taken away from her yet.


Thanks

Yes, not a bad idea on the posh "street rat". I've settled on Lauren for now although that may well change.


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## Lee Messer (Nov 11, 2021)

Personally, I try to find a likely culture that the character type would likely emerge from. This would be my most common choice.

Sometimes I will give a character a name that would intertwine with their purpose. It will have a stronger name if it has a stronger purpose.

Unless I am writing a comedy crossover, I won't use a humorous name.


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## RGS (Dec 6, 2021)

One thing I do when I cook up a name, whether it's a person or an entity, like a church, a business, etc..., is to Google it to make sure it's not a well-known person or thing.

I also have a funny story about that. In my first novel, I needed to name a creek. I wanted a nonexistent one, because I didn't want to pinpoint or imply where the story takes place. Well, it took me about thirty attempts for Google to finally come back and say, "_No results for..._" It's like there's a creek somewhere in the USA by every name you can imagine.


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## VRanger (Dec 6, 2021)

RGS said:


> One thing I do when I cook up a name, whether it's a person or an entity, like a church, a business, etc..., is to Google it to make sure it's not a well-known person or thing.
> 
> I also have a funny story about that. In my first novel, I needed to name a creek. I wanted a nonexistent one, because I didn't want to pinpoint or imply where the story takes place. Well, it took me about thirty attempts for Google to finally come back and say, "_No results for..._" It's like there's a creek somewhere in the USA by every name you can imagine.


A creek in our town is named "Scotch Creek". I keep wanting to pull over and test it.


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## RGS (Dec 6, 2021)

Mark Twain't said:


> Thanks
> 
> Yes, not a bad idea on the posh "street rat". I've settled on Lauren for now although that may well change.


I don't really have a comment about your post, but I wanted to say that I can't fathom a cooler user name on a writing forum!


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## Sinister (Dec 6, 2021)

I'm not sure, with all these qualified replies if you even still need help.  But, I'd kinda like to hear myself try to explain how I do it.

First it depends on the work.  A Sci-fi name isn't the same as a Fantasy name or even a Horror name.  Some characters, regardless of whether they're genre fiction or not, you want to have grounded realistic names that the reader might've even encountered.

But basically for main characters, I use placeholders.  One work, I just wrote down whatever name I was feeling at the moment.  It didn't matter, I understood him as the main character.  Admittedly, his personality changed like his name each time.  Finally, I settled on the feeling I wanted.  I took an interesting surname I encountered a long time ago and mixed it with a name that "sounded" like the character.

He was a round, nerdy and sheepish character who was fiercely intelligent in his own way.  So his first name just sounded like how I personally identified all those qualities, distilled into a real name that wasn't on-the-nose.  Then, just make sure his second name rolls off the tongue with the first.

I figure that's what I traditionally do.

-Sin


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## Xander416 (Dec 9, 2021)

VRanger said:


> A creek in our town is named "Scotch Creek". I keep wanting to pull over and test it.


Where I lived until this past May, there's a creek called Blacks Creek, a name certain people would no doubt get up in arms about.


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## RedsFables (Dec 11, 2021)

Naming is painful for me.  I am a very literal person. I love the thought of a name having some sort of wish or an aspect to convey the personality or a potential back story of my character. In many ways, they grow around or from their name.  So lots of research, lots of delving in and through Google. For me, the name is the base of which my character is formed. The definition and or connotation, followed by pronunciation. All of this is important, but it can lead me to some random places. Hope this helps!


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## RGS (Dec 11, 2021)

Xander416 said:


> Where I lived until this past May, there's a creek called Blacks Creek, a name certain people would no doubt get up in arms about.


I don't see why. I grew up with a family named Black, and yes, they were white.

If anything, they should get offended by the missing apostrophe.


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## Joker (Dec 11, 2021)

RGS said:


> I don't see why. I grew up with a family named Black, and yes, they were white.
> 
> If anything, they should get offended by the missing apostrophe.



Fun fact, in the United States, there are more white families with the last name Black, and more black families with the last name White.


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## Lee Messer (Dec 11, 2021)

Joker said:


> Fun fact, in the United States, there are more white families with the last name Black, and more black families with the last name White.


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## Lee Messer (Dec 11, 2021)

That would be obviously typical wouldn't it? The Irish have their grudge. We have ours.


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## Xander416 (Dec 11, 2021)

RGS said:


> I don't see why.


I figure it goes without saying. These days, people go out looking for things to be offended over as a form of sport, or something.


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## RGS (Dec 11, 2021)

Xander416 said:


> I figure it goes without saying. These days, people go out looking for things to be offended over as a form of sport, or something.


I couldn't agree more. Some people these days appear to just live to be "offended."


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## Xander416 (Dec 11, 2021)

But if it makes anyone feel better, there's a Whites Gulch on the other side of the mountain from it.


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## Lee Messer (Dec 12, 2021)

My last name originally meant servant when we researched it. Eventually, we found out why it's variants were so common. Sounds like mower in all languages, but means reaper. So, they were harvesters... hired peasants. A long and glorious heritage. Basically European term for slave. No wonder the names are common in America. Lol.


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## GO Bloodworthington (Dec 16, 2021)

I like the concept of this thread and wanted to put in my two cents. I think it's quite interesting because at face value names can effectively be very random, however I tend to place a fair bit of importance on them depending on the story and genre. I almost always attempt to include some level of symbolism with names even if it's only a loose connection or rough association, though in pieces where I'm specifically dealing with psychological horror or allegories I will actually plan out much more complex naming schemes that all connect, if for nothing but the potential for the in-the-know reader to catch on. I've noticed some people have stressed the important of phonetics in this thread as well, which is funny as it's almost never something I really focus on too much.


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## PaltryPoet (Dec 19, 2021)

I had to laugh when I read this.

Mostly because when I name a character, it usually is either the first thing I think of 

I don't have any rhyme or reason to it.
I just look around the room, and think into what is coming naturally to me in that instant. Mostly because I don't expect my characters names to have any deep connection to the story.
Names are trivial, in a way, and usually we are given them at birth, and who knows how our lives will manifest over time.
So sometimes a character creates their own destiny, and their name has nothing to do with that destiny.

That is life as I see it.
My name is who I am.
And who I am, isn't determined by my name.

So names are trivial.

A character isn't a name, although a name helps.

But a character is a character because of their integrity, their personality, their habits, their train of thought, their drives, their excitements and their disappointments.

Macbeth would still be Macbeth if he was named "Fred". 
Hamlet would still be Hamlet if he was "Todd".

It's those characters who drive the story, not the names that have become synonymous with the story.

A rose by any other name, would still smell as sweet...


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## MiltonBradley (Dec 19, 2021)

Clara.
Sounds soft, gentle, and hard to confuse with other names.


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## indianroads (Dec 19, 2021)

PaltryPoet said:


> I had to laugh when I read this.
> 
> Mostly because when I name a character, it usually is either the first thing I think of
> 
> ...


I think it's a matter of finding something that fits the character. Another consideration is to not have characters with similar sounding names.


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## PaltryPoet (Dec 19, 2021)

indianroads said:


> I think it's a matter of finding something that fits the character. Another consideration is to not have characters with similar sounding names.


I find it quite confusing when I read a book and characters have names I have to think hard about, to identify them as different. So I agree, having different sounding names does help the reader out.
But ultimately, it's the author's job to distinguish them as separate people. There lies the writers challenge, which is making the reader identify with who they are, despite how the names may sound.
If you're good enough at creating a personality, you can write an entire dialogue, without ever identifying the characters.
Because the personality, and manner of speech, is the identifying quality of your character.

To me, it is more about living in the shoes of who your character is.
Rather than buying shoes that fit the character.


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## Mark Twain't (Dec 19, 2021)

indianroads said:


> I think it's a matter of finding something that fits the character. Another consideration is to not have characters with similar sounding names.


Very much so. I've had to change names a few times because I've subconsciously given a number of characters names beginning with the same letter!


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## Xander416 (Dec 19, 2021)

PaltryPoet said:


> Names are trivial, in a way, and usually we are given them at birth, and who knows how our lives will manifest over time.


"Alex, I can't believe you're the savior of mankind!"
"Yup."
"Wait, doesn't "Alexander" _mean_ "Savior of Mankind"?
"Yup."
"Wow, that's a weird coincidence, isn't it?"
"Yup."


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## indianroads (Dec 19, 2021)

PaltryPoet said:


> I find it quite confusing when I read a book and characters have names I have to think hard about, to identify them as different. So I agree, having different sounding names does help the reader out.
> But ultimately, it's the author's job to distinguish them as separate people. There lies the writers challenge, which is making the reader identify with who they are, despite how the names may sound.
> If you're good enough at creating a personality, you can write an entire dialogue, without ever identifying the characters.
> Because the personality, and manner of speech, is the identifying quality of your character.
> ...


Part of what I do when I create a character is to give them specific expressions that they frequently use. Everyone has unique phrasing, so our characters should have it too. Do they say 'yes' or 'yeah'? Also, there's enunciation - I've read journals about how our brains work, and one of the common differences between men and women is that women speak clearer than men do. Obviously this isn't always the case, but it's something I take into consideration.


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## PiP (Dec 19, 2021)

The reason I'm not a fan of the fantasy genre and, probably SciFi, is usually because the character names are a tadge weird so I can't relate yet alone remember. Introduce four or five characters in the first chapter and I need a Who's Who and/or What's What ...


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## indianroads (Dec 19, 2021)

PiP said:


> The reason I'm not a fan of the fantasy genre and, probably SciFi, is usually because the character names are a tadge weird so I can't relate yet alone remember. Introduce four or five characters in the first chapter and I need a Who's Who and/or What's What ...


Yeah - there's an art to introduction as well as picking names.
One of the more popular SciFi novel series is the Expanse. The main characters are, Jim, Naomi, Amos, and Alex. Picking weird names might be tempting for some if they're writing some weird alien race or from some future time, but people generally tend to shorten / simplify names to make them easy to say. In my case, Kenneth became Ken - unless my wife is mad at me, then I'm Ken-NETH!


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## PaltryPoet (Dec 19, 2021)

Xander416 said:


> "Alex, I can't believe you're the savior of mankind!"
> "Yup."
> "Wait, doesn't "Alexander" _mean_ "Savior of Mankind"?
> "Yup."
> ...


Isn't it strange how coincidences manifest themselves??


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## VRanger (Dec 19, 2021)

I've mentioned somewhere else, even earlier in this thread or a similar thread, that my fantasy and sci-names are typically a regular name altered by changing out a vowel and or a consonant. "Ket" instead of "Kit". "Teven" instead of "Kevin". I have to go a bit farther afield for an elf or a dwarf ... so sue me. ;-)

However, I do think that helps to keep them relatable, but more importantly it makes it easier on me to create names that sound a fit for the genre.


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## PiP (Dec 19, 2021)

VRanger said:


> I have to go a bit farther afield for an elf or a dwarf ... so sue me. ;-)


You could always call the dwarf, Pip. aka pipsqueak


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## Lee Messer (Dec 20, 2021)

My secret for inclusive purposes:
For my main character, I chose an ambiguous name. This was done specifically to help readers relate more to the main character.


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## Joker (Dec 21, 2021)

Lee Messer said:


> My secret for inclusive purposes:
> For my main character, I chose an ambiguous name. This was done specifically to help readers relate more to the main character.



Hiro Protagonist?


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## Lee Messer (Dec 21, 2021)

You guys read the book yet? You'll see how different I write than others.


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## PrairieHostage (Dec 27, 2021)

Mark Twain't said:


> What are peoples' processes for naming characters.
> 
> 
> I'm struggling with one at the moment. She's a young women who ended up on the streets (London) at just 15. She quickly becomes a heroin addict and is taken in by a local gangster but he feeds her addiction so he can keep her compliant. She's not the MC but she becomes sort of a sidekick later in the book.


Piper or Pippa?


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## PrairieHostage (Dec 27, 2021)

Mark Twain't said:


> What are peoples' processes for naming characters.
> 
> 
> I'm struggling with one at the moment. She's a young women who ended up on the streets (London) at just 15. She quickly becomes a heroin addict and is taken in by a local gangster but he feeds her addiction so he can keep her compliant. She's not the MC but she becomes sort of a sidekick later in the book.


Names carry different connotations to us. For example Billy has always carried a connotation of silly to me, don't ask me why. Maybe I saw a few films with goofy Billys. For a screenplay, I chose Billy for my MC suffering from schizophrenia and Nadine for a tough biker gal he meets on the psych ward. Billy and Nadine sounded right to me. 
I chose names for my young adult novel before even writing the story. I wanted the four archangels and their purpose woven into my story because I'm fascinated by single purpose. My story is basically about fraternity between men so it was fun giving the angel attributes to each character as I developed the plot.


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## indianroads (Dec 27, 2021)

For me, character names usually show up when I start describing their profile. 
In Inception, Mike Collins is the descendant of Michael Collins - the Irish revolutionary, and that's important to the story.
With Last Ride, Logan and Sarah just sort of showed up when I started describing them in Excel. Their arrival is pretty common for all my novels.
If I do get stuck for a name, I look up baby names from older periods of history, that keeps their names somewhat familiar to the reader but also unique.


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## Mark Twain't (Dec 27, 2021)

PrairieHostage said:


> Piper or Pippa?


Way too posh!   

She has had a few names now. Her current one is Jade but that may change again.


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## Lee Messer (Jan 3, 2022)

PrairieHostage said:


> Names carry different connotations to us. For example Billy has always carried a connotation of silly to me, don't ask me why. Maybe I saw a few films with goofy Billys. For a screenplay, I chose Billy for my MC suffering from schizophrenia and Nadine for a tough biker gal he meets on the psych ward. Billy and Nadine sounded right to me.
> I chose names for my young adult novel before even writing the story. I wanted the four archangels and their purpose woven into my story because I'm fascinated by single purpose. My story is basically about fraternity between men so it was fun giving the angel attributes to each character as I developed the plot.


Used to know a Bill. He was always in disarray you could say. Anyway, we called him wild Bill, from the hill. Never worked, and never will. Course, Bill did indeed work, but it was funny.


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## ferron17 (Mar 27, 2022)

In addition to all replies, I want to recommend useful resource for character naming - Unusual Names. This website has a huge list of old and unique names with full info about them (meaning, earliest mention of the name, historical reference, origin, etymology, etc.).


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## indianroads (Mar 27, 2022)

Lee Messer said:


> Used to know a Bill. He was always in disarray you could say. Anyway, we called him wild Bill, from the hill. Never worked, and never will. Course, Bill did indeed work, but it was funny.


According to my wife, the word ‘Bill’ in Dutch means ‘butt’.


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## CyberWar (Mar 30, 2022)

American characters tend to be pretty easy to name, since Americans can come from virtually any ethnic and cultural background, so if there is a name, then it's plausible that someone in the United States bears it. Other than that, I try to name my characters appropriately for their culture in the modern-day settings.

Far-future sci-fi settings are a bit more interesting. For one, there's bound to be some cultural miscegenation, so that characters with unusual combinations of names and last names from different cultures are a thing. For me, an interesting thing is to write my Sidh warrior-cyborg characters whose society consciously emulates warrior cultures of old. Consequently, I tend to name my Sidh characters according to Roman naming traditions, even if the names themselves might not necessarily be Roman. As for alien characters, I try to make their names sound similar to how I imagine their speech to be, i.e., the reptilian Skargh will have growling and hissing names (Khilgorn, Nazdreg, Sesskes, etc.) and the ape-like Woggos will have short mono-syllabic "grunting" names (Kwun, Grom, Rhog, etc.)


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## indianroads (Mar 30, 2022)

In The Last Ride, one of my characters is a 6'6" 330 pound outlaw biker - his handle is Tiny.


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## Xander416 (Apr 2, 2022)

indianroads said:


> In The Last Ride, one of my characters is a 6'6" 330 pound outlaw biker - his handle is Tiny.


"Ironic" nicknames like that aren't uncommon, both in fiction and reality.


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