"What's in a name..."

[oOGarrettOo]

Character Naming Tips & Tricks

Naming Your Character

It’s possible that naming ones characters can be one of the most enjoyable aspects of starting a story or novel. Fiction allows for the chance to create things fresh from our imaginations in ways that would either make little to no sense in the real world, or would be completely impractical and ridiculous. Needless to say, some character names out there would likely cause said figure to have its a** kicked regularly in school in reality.

However, it’s not always easy pulling these fancy things out of ones a** (or thin air, whichever), and naming characters can be a challenge and in some cases downright frustrating. Deep down every writer fears cookie cutter, average Joe names. So, what’s the secret to developing these fantastic names that flow off the tongue and fit into place so easily?

Well, there isn’t one, but there are some wonderful tips and tricks to getting to that point.

 

[oOGarrettOo]

Obvious Features

The right name for a character can add dimension to any story as well as help in the development of said character. One of the best things I’ve found in my character naming, is giving them a name that is either pertinent to their place in the story, or expresses important aspects of the character. A name made with these things in mind can actually help in character development and aid in keeping their personality in line.

A name like this can be formulated in a number of ways. For instance, if one wants to focus on an important physical aspect of a character it would be simple to examine this feature and start tossing words and synonyms around.

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IE: “The young boy sat against the tree, deep in thought. He was relaxed, peaceful, and when she looked into his vibrant, blue eyes she could see it all reflected, those deep pools calm and sparkling like a spring of glistening water. It was almost as though she could see his fantastic hopes and dreams reflected there, and as she gazed, she began to feel as though her own were reflected there as well.”

So, we have here a young boy who’s most outstanding feature is his eyes.

A simple thing to do is play off the color. Vibrant, blue eyes.

Let’s start with Blue.

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Some synonyms for Blue are: Azure, Beryl, Cerulean, Cobalt, Indigo, Sapphire, Turquoise, Ultramarine

Obviously, some of those would make pretty craptastic names, but there are a few that would work. Personally, I’d go with Azure, or even Cobalt. They’re both a color blue, but at the same time it’s not often you hear them used in the description of color, so most people won’t catch on right away wink

You could also go with the descriptive terms: Let’s use Pool

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basin, bath, lagoon, lake, mere, millpond, mud puddle, natatorium, pond, puddle, splash, swimming pool, tank, tarn

Those all suck, but, they could still be useful. Sometimes just hearing a word can bring on different ideas. Such as tarn. I added an E to get Taren. Not the greatest, but you get the idea.

 

[oOGarrettOo]

Names With Meaning

One of my favorite ways to pick a name is a name that actually means what I’m looking for.

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For instance: “She was powerful and deadly yet so commanding and beautiful that he couldn’t look away. Her features were sharp, eyes icy and grey, silently threatening a painful end to anyone who stood in her way. But to him, her most threatening feature was the storm she carried in her hair and the simple fact that at any moment she could summon lightning so fierce, her enemies would barely have time to blink before meeting their end.”

So, upon developing this character I noted that a good bit about her related to a storm. Going to one of my favorite name sites, I tossed the word ‘storm’ into the “search by meaning” box, and came up with these:

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Kendaleigha: “Valley of the Storm” origin: American
Pillan: “God of Stormy Weather” origin: Native American
Storm: “A storm” (duh) origin: American (duh)
Sufa: “Storm” origin: Hebrew
Tempest: “Stormy” origin: English

One of the obvious would be Storm, but I found it rather tacky. That, and after X-Men, I’m not entirely sure there could ever be another “Storm” wink My favorite out of the selection was Tempest. It not only sounds cool, but it’s unique without being overbearing and well…it just suits her smile

It doesn’t have to stop there either. It’s not uncommon that the word you’re using won’t have very many names to it, and sometimes this means there won’t be one you like at all. That’s where the thesaurus comes in, and other relating words, like ‘darkness’ or some such similarity.

 

[oOGarrettOo]

Go With It

Above all else, it’s important to remember that you know your characters best. You gave them life and their personality, know their habits, quirks, all the things that make them who they are. It’s only natural that you’d know what their name is, too smile If you see one, or hear one, and you just feel that it’s right, then it probably is. Go with it. Even if it happens to be one of those cookie-cutter names. If the name fits, then it fits.

 

[oOGarrettOo]

Useful Sites

We’ll start with Google. Always a good place to start.
www.babynames.com
iVillage
Think Baby Names
My Baby Name

The Seventh Sanctum is an awesome site with links to hundreds of useful things for writers. It’s a blast to play around with if used for nothing else smile

 

[oOGarrettOo]

Other Tips

Feel free to post what you’ve found and I’ll stick it here!

Last names: Local phone books work great for figuring out last names. Don’t be afraid to say your name combo out loud. wink

Name games: Try spelling a name different ways. It’s fun to see what starts to develop. Use other name games as well.

 

[oOGarrettOo]

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[HorsesOfTheNight]

These are some kick a** tips Garrett! You know how long I can spend on finding the perfect name for a character! Hehehe!  

[Sanguina Cruenta]

When I choose a name, sometimes I like it to be onomatopoeiaic, in a sense. Names that sound the way a person is. Sharp sounds - K, T; plosives - d, p, b. M, n and l are soft sounds. Think about vowels and vowel length, too. These can reflect the "shape" of the name, both written down and how it is pronounced. Shape of the name should fit the shape of the personality.

Think about surnames, if you use them (I often don't) and how they sound in relation to the first name. Think about name origins, and how you want that to reflect your character. If a name ends with a particular letter, it's not usually a good idea to start the surname with that same letter - one name ends up blending into the next one, or you have to consciously break the names up, which is awkward. Things like assonace are neat when matching first names to surnames. Alliteration is less cool than assonance, but if you can make it work, go hard!  

[Mads Hatter]

I'm not sure if someone mentioned this already, but I think another cool source is historical backgrounds. I guess that could go with meaning...But like naming someone after a hysterical city or figure, if that makes sense. For example, I have a character who's a part of a family that is very connected to the fall of mankind. Therefore, I decided to name her Eden, since according to Biblical history that is where the fall took place. A friend of mine named a character Antigone after the character from Greek plays, but I forget the historical significance that connects to that...
I apologize if this seems like the ramblings of a simpleton. I was awoken far too early this morning by my roommate's alarm clock. sweatdrop  

[xanthofile]

i let my characters tell me their own names--i rarely find myself fishing about for inspiration. although, considering most of my writing centers on 'everyday people in everyday situations', it's not as though i'd need to come up with something fanciful.

i do have a tendency to lean toward particular names, however, so i sometimes have to consciously change what a character is advocating to be called. (Ian. why always Ian?)