Thread: Length/Complexity of Character Names?

Sorry, Cadence, for making you the scapegoat for this issue. But, since there was a lot of discussion about it in the thread this quote comes from, I thought I'd start up a new one.

Originally Posted by Cadence

'Harvoskus June was in a furious state.'

The question was whether a name like that is off-putting. Backwards Ox said that it wasn't that hard to pronounce, and he's right, but it's still a mouthful.

I don't read a lot of fantasy, but I expect it's more prone to long names than most literature. Since I don't encounter long names often, I'm curious as to how readers deal with them. Do you read it out it in your mind every time? Does your mind substitute "that main character guy" for the actual pronunciation? Are there any examples of successful stories starring characters with long names?

For my own part, I've avoided names with more than two syllables, but I think that was more unconscious avoidance than anything else. The lone exception is the name Alessa, but that flows off the tongue well enough that I doubt it'll be an issue.

How about the rest of you? How do you all feel about long/complex names?

Well, as I stated, I don't mind unusual names - but I don't want to have that sudden stop every time the name comes up. And if the name isn't easily (or at least, readily) pronounced, that's exactly what it does. It happens in books by very good writers - but it's still a speed bump. Now, if there's only one name like that, I can make myself "mispronounce" it as something smoother, but if there's more than one or two, the characters start melding together simply because I have no real (what I call) immediate recognition factor. It becomes "character-with-weird-name and another-character-with-a-weird-name (but not the same as the first one - or is it?)" - and then I'm trying to recall what these guys did or said or position they hold so I can place things in context. All of which means I'm losing the story.

I do find that fantasy does have more complicated names, as does SciFi at times. Which is, perhaps, part of the reason that although I enjoy reading fantasy, I don't enjoy it as much as more "earth-bound" genres. I like to get lost in the stories, not confused in the names.

I don't even read most of the long names that I come across. My mind just kind of registers them and I know who I'm reading about. Of course it gets awkward when someone else who's read the book wants to recall the particular name...

I'm addicted to making up new names, and I love it in my own work, but I can be skeptical of it in the work of others. This is probably because I'm used to the names I work with, where others are unfamiliar to me. I should probably reflect on that.

My current novel has a very large scope, and so has quite a few characters. Most of these are fairly minor characters (maybe on the level of Glorfindel, Galadriel, Elrond, etc). I'll post my list here so that you all have more fodder for discussion beyond Cadence's character.

Names include Chrisabel "Isa" Vangar, Valetine "Vali" Harding, Lorien Longladar, Ashley "Ash" Sinden, Axel & Anetta Harding, Hena & Andarin, Councilmaster Orion Vangar, Soll, Agent Jackson, Agent Patal, Idrielle Lossanti, Sahra & Ammar Kirem, Blink, Daris & Dolos Lucerna, Munir, Nibras, Erin Fideas, and Agent Alun Uchabo.

That said, and speaking of LotR, I am completely fine with all of Tolkien's names, but I struggled perpetually with all the names and nicknames in Crime and Punishment and most other Russian Lit that I've read, in much the same way as Shadowwalker described. I'm not quite sure what the difference is there.

No need to apologise, Gamer.

I'm fine with lengthy/weird names as long as they suit the character and have a meaningful reason to be lengthy/weird. 'Harvoskus' is a slight mouthful, but I like that because whenever you say it, you have to say it with a forced vigour layered over your tone. Like the name 'Penelope', which you can't really say in a way that isn't sweet.

On a more important note - throughout the story I refer to Harvoskus June as 'June', so the name doesn't get used much anyway. So I don't worry about it too much.

I do have a few other 'mouthful' names though:

Jsathu D'Vall - oh dear, that's quite bad on reflection. Je-Sar-Thoo De-Vall. But he is alien, and I have read much sci-fi with weirder names.

Czades - I like this one. Pronounced 'Sades'.


I balance them out with easier names:

Ewan Sowno

Dal Mars

John Carris


So, I generally allow weird names as long as they are not too dominant/repeated. A nice sense of culture can be shown just through a name.

Czades bothers me. If I had to pronounce it, I would say "Zades."

And I can hear sweetness in the name "Harvoskus," especially with the right kind of accent (Polish/Russian-ish maybe?).

It is interesting how language affects perception. It's the Law of Alien Names!

Originally Posted by j.w.olson

Names include Chrisabel "Isa" Vangar, Valetine "Vali" Harding, Ashley "Ash" Sinden,

Originally Posted by Cadence

On a more important note - throughout the story I refer to Harvoskus June as 'June', so the name doesn't get used much anyway. So I don't worry about it too much.

I think this is the important bit. It's alright to give your characters long names as long as you can refer to something shorter. For me, "Salvatore" (four syllables as it should be pronounced) becomes "Tore" (one syllable as I pronounce it), Julianne becomes Julie, and Anneliese becomes Anne. You still hear their full names when each is addressed formally, but the short versions are used the rest of the time.

I remember reading a couple of novels with characters who had names that weren't strange but were easily mixed up. One of them was a last name, Weneger. Every time I saw it, my mind would pronounce it 'Wegner'. Another was Johnston. I kept calling him 'Johnson'. So I do think if readers see a name, and it's similar to another one or hard to pronounce, they'll put their own spin on it.

Long or complex names don't occur much in my genre. The problem as I see it is that if the reader stops to contemplate the pronunciation of a name, that breaks the train of thought and pulls them from the story. Sometimes it's necessary. You can't, for instance, call a born and bred Russian John Smith. So you need to find a list of Russian fore- and surnames. No choosing a fabricated one, either. Realism is everything. Except in science fiction, of course.

The only successful story I can think of is The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, with a main character called Lisbeth Salander. That's more strange or odd than long and complex, I suppose.

The longer names so common in fantasy and science fiction are understandable and are quite a quaint convention, but they do prevent me from enjoying the story. I don't mind most of them, eg: Hari Seldon in Isaac Asimov's Foundation. It's 'spacy' but not intentionally weird, which so many are.

Having an unusual name is just fine, plenty of people have strange names, but calling somebody 'Mfulzt' for the sake of it probably means that you're trying too hard.

Personally, name length isn't a factor. I've had plenty with long and short names. A few that I've used a few times are Alexander, Richard, Gordon, John, Allison (Allie), Sarah, Alessandra (Alessa). A mixed bag, I think.
It doesn't really matter, so long as the name fits the character, which they usually do, seeing as names evolve over time to fit the character's personality, or vice versa.

When I come across a long, unusual, or hard to pronounce name I just pronounce it any way I feel like. Correct pronunciation is only an issue if I discuss the book verbally (not via a keyboard) with someone else. If we have two different pronunciations, it's not a big deal. I always keep in the back of my mind that we might both be wrong. I have seen on a list of rules for writers to always keep names simple, but I've broken that rule. You can, too.

Wachushlembedt Catchooslembafaum will be the name of my next protagonist. And I'll use his full name every time I reference him.

"Look out!" Wachushlembedt Catchooslembafaum cried.

Originally Posted by KyleColorado

Wachushlembedt Catchooslembafaum will be the name of my next protagonist. And I'll use his full name every time I reference him.

"Look out!" Wachushlembedt Catchooslembafaum cried.

Does he have a middle name? Or several? If you're looking for a number, I'd suggest seven.

The Harvoskus name isn't all that bad -- I got it correct the first time I read it. Though I have a few semesters of Med. Terminology behind me, so I'm used to reading long awkward words. Sci-fi/fantasy (especially the amateur kind) seems to always have a few tribal names with apostrophes, for example Jsathu D'vall, and that just always seems amusing to me. Like a canned sort of exoticism -- insert apostrophe, add a little water and voila!

I have trouble taking it seriously.

Originally Posted by j.w.olson

Czades bothers me. If I had to pronounce it, I would say "Zades."

Tsades or Chaydiss

I would agree that it doesn't matter if a name has ambiguous pronunciation, unless you want to talk about it a lot. Differences in pronunciation define the reader; it gives them a sense of originality and individual connection to the nook. Czades, for example, seems to split opinion, which is fine. If I wanted it to sound one way and not any other, I'd have made it simpler.

I sometimes pronounce it 'Sar-des' anyway. It doesn't bother me - it sounds nice however you say/think it.