Coming up with character names. - Writers Forum

Slipstream · 12-05-2003, 12:34 PM

Hi everyone,

I was just wondering if anyone had any good tips when it comes to naming your characters, one of my biggest problems is that the ideas for stories come up just fine but I get stalled when it comes to what to name them and so I was just wondering if you could offer some advice or let me know what you do?

Aevin · 12-05-2003, 12:50 PM

You might not think of it as "naming characters," so much as figuring out what their name really is. Personally, I rarely search for names that have symbolic meaning. Instead, names simply occur to me that fit my character due to their sound. It's kind of funny since I've done this without thinking about it, but many of my characters are softspoken or shy, and their names seem to reflect this with softer sounding letters. I tend to use a lot of A's, V's, and R's, for example, and they sound a little less harsh than some. Hence, "Everin" for a shy child, and "Agate" for a temperamental young warrior.

So . . . yeah. That's my advice. Try to pick names that fit your character due to their sound. For example, you probably wouldn't name a fierce monster of the mountains "Willowan," or an insubstantial spirit of the wind "Gargatanius." *Shrugs*

Of course, there are times when picking a symbolic name is good. You could pick words from foreign languages or mythology that suit your characters. In my case, I couldn't figure out a name for an evil magician who sacrificed children to maintain his youth. At a loss, I looked up "Young' in a French-English dictionary, and the dark Magician Jeune was named! And if you're going for obvious allegory, you could always follow the example of writers such as Spenser who named their characters things like "Error," "Despair," "Duessa," "Fidessa," and "Pride."

Spudley · 12-05-2003, 03:16 PM

If I'm writing something contemporary, I usually just put down the first name that comes into my head. Normally something simple just John or Alex, or Peter or Becky. I don't always need a surname, but if I do, they're just as easy. If the worst comes to the worst, open up the phone book at a random page and pick something from it.

On the other hand however, when I write something with a more definite theme, I do tend to try to pick a name that matches the mood of the piece. I don't go in for names with meaning as Aevin described above, but I do find that having a name that fits the story does help a lot in making the whole thing work.

For instance, I wrote a humorous science fiction short story a while back. The lead character was named Hambone. The name had no bearing on the story, but because it sounded vaguely silly, it helped give the story the humorous feel I wanted.

There was another thread here, some time ago now, where someone wanted help naming a specific character - it might help you to look that one up as well; I remember there was some good advice given there by a few people.

chameleon · 12-06-2003, 12:09 AM

For my five cent's worth - if I'm writing a story, I try to find a name with a sound that suits the charactor, but I also try to have the name meaning something that relates to the charactor's personality, if you can sort of see what I mean.

Sometimes, when I plan a story, I give a charactor a name meaning something that will remind me of how the charactor is supposed to be.

Some people say that this is actually easier, but I haven't found it so. I prefer naming my charactor after an aspect of themselves *after* I've written them. It makes more sense and, if you haven't already, then it's well worth trying one day

ltpalmer · 12-06-2003, 12:34 AM

Characters should name themselves. I think that their names should reflect their characteristics. I am guilty of doing a lot of research on the meanings of names. There are some good sites out there for that. Strong characters require a strong name. I believe that names are very important - it is how they are defined by the world.

HisNibs · 12-11-2003, 08:58 PM

You can't go wrong by studying Dickens. He invented scores of the most aptly named characters in all of literature ... Mr. Pickwick, Mrs. Gump, Mr. Pecksniff, Mr. Pinch, Mr. Turveydrop. In the Penquin editions, scholarly introductions often comment on character names, why they work, etc. For example, even if you haven't met this particular character, what does the name "Turveydrop" suggest to you? Is he a strong, heroic character? A shifty, untrustworthy character? Why? What is it about that name that conveys the impression you get?

Following up on Chameleon's suggestion about the SOUND of a name, two specific ways to go at this:

First, consonants. Become attuned to the differences in consonant sounds: f g k m , etc. Do a little research and learn the names: fricataives, sibilants, plosives, etc. Classify these sounds according to their hardness, softness, sharpness, dullness, wetness, dryness, etc. Notice how those difference affect the "feel" of names. For instance, compare the names "Norman" and "Kirk." If your character were a brawler from the school of hard knocks, which of these names would fit better? To my ear, "Norman" is round and soft, like a pillow. "Kirk" has sharp edges, points. It's the consonants that convey those impressions. Pay close attention to all the consonants and combinations of consonants (ph, st, fr, ck, and so on).

Second, vowels. Develop a feel for how the "pitch" of vowel sounds affect names (and many other things in writing). By pitch I mean literally how high the sound is when you say it. There's a natural order of high-to-low vowel sounds. To see it, take the vowels in this order: E I A O U. In one continuous sound, pronounce these vowel sounds. Fill in all the vowel sounds -- short A, long A, broad A ("ah"). Notice that as you move through these sounds, your voice will naturally move from a higher to lower pitch. You'll also notice that your mouth tends to be stretched wider on the high sounds (E as in "we") and narrower, rounder on the low sound (OO as in "moo").

When you put these two techniques together, you have specific ways of thinking about how the SOUND of a name adds to, or detracts from, the character you're creating.

blackswan · 12-27-2003, 01:40 PM

Well, I usually don't think too hard on the character names, as long as they sound good, and means something relating to the story. There's a website with just names by letter and tells you the meanings, and I just pick whatever letter I haven't used a lot for names yet and try to find something with the meaning and sound I like. Of course, I do get carried away at times, but mostly the names sound unique and good. I find that lots of published authors seems to also use a technique similar to mines, and it's really nice to discover a name with a meaning that fits the character well.

Otherwise I just pick whatever name that comes into my mind....

-Laura

Csira · 01-30-2004, 07:18 PM

I personally like to create names rather than use the standard names of everyday, but it depends on the story you wish to write. I write fantasy stories so a bit of inventiveness is alright. I usually take a characteristic of a character, a word that should describe them, and transform it into a name.

I wish you luck in creating character names. Sometimes it is really fun!

Fantasia · 01-30-2004, 07:41 PM

The truth? I just give my main characters the names I think sound cool. Hehe.

Of course, I always consider the cultural background I've set up for the characters, particularly in Fantasy. Like if I put up a Japanese-Chinese based culture, the named can't be Rob or Jessica. It has to be something like Isa, Kaede, Jaino. That's just about it for me when it comes to naming.

StoneGarden · 01-30-2004, 10:22 PM

I might sound a tad odd out there *smiles*, but I keep an old baby name book handy by my desk. One from the seventies is always a good choice, as it will have more ....different types of names.

Nazareth · 01-30-2004, 11:08 PM

This site might be of some use:

http://teenwriting.about.com/gi/dyna...s%2Fnaming.htm

Anvilsmith · 02-03-2004, 03:18 PM

I'll note that names can be a wonderful character development tool, as long as they don't relate directly to the bearer - unless he was genetically manipulated or born for a special purpose, there's no way they could represent the character's spirit to any great extent*. What they should do is suggest the personalities of the character's parents, at the time of his birth... After all, it was they who chose the name. A twenty-year-old named "Jerusalem", who drives a pick-up in the redneck tradition and drinks beer by the gallon, will seem like the typical rebellious youth without feeling crammed into his role, while a typical "Jake" will suggest unimaginative parents. This technique might not be as powerful as what Dickens did, but it's not woefully unrealistic, either.

*(There is, of course, an exception - if the character learns the meaning of his name and comes to identify with it, the name will have some direct influence on him.)

I prefer to create names along with fantasy vocabularies... That is, I build a meaningless name in the "style" of a language and spend half an hour deciding what ancient or modern concept it might stand for. Usually, I end up learning a lot about the general principles of language by just fiddling with a word like this.

Aevin · 02-03-2004, 04:01 PM

Quote:

I'll note that names can be a wonderful character development tool, as long as they don't relate directly to the bearer - unless he was genetically manipulated or born for a special purpose, there's no way they could represent the character's spirit to any great extent

I'm afraid I disagree with this, Anvilsmith. I think symbolic names for characters can be very useful. There are certain things the reader is trained to accept when reading fiction. Most fiction could not have possibly happened; no matter how realistic a story claims to be, there is always a certain amount of injected drama that is not true to life. I think names that reveal a character's essence are just one more area in which the reader's "willing suspension of disbelief" will allow him to easily ignore something unbelievable. Also, when you use symbolic names, especially in a fantasy novel, the characters themselves may not be aware that their names mean anything. For example, if you are writing about a culture whose language is entirely different from ours, they may name a man "Dog" because the word is beautiful to them, while any English speaking reader would have a different concept than this culture of what the name means.

Which seems more unbelievable? To have a character think, "Hey! My name means "smart!" I must be smart! If I'm not, then I'll become so."

Or . . . to have the character never notice the meaning of his name, as if it were nothing out of the ordinary, and let the reader decide its meaning and whether the character fits it?

Gundampilotspaz · 02-03-2004, 06:53 PM

Naming characters is also the hardest think that I can do. For a fantasy for sci-fi book are easier but its hard to find names that fit some of the characters that are more personnal to I worry that I will end up hating the name when half the story is written.

LittleS · 02-03-2004, 07:25 PM

I make lists in idle moments, and I collect like a magpie - names that I like the sound of - names that suit a certain period or mood, names to amuse, just 'ordinary' names (which are the hardest to come up with), think of people you were at school with, swap around christian and surnames, just write a whole list of possibilities for future reference. Once you've found the 'right' name for a particular character then it will stick (then remember to cross it off the list).