Naming Novel (or Short Story) Characters
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The Importance of Being Ernest (or Ernestine)
When you're writing fiction, the names you choose for your characters are important. Names help create impressions in readers minds, and are an important part of creating that vital first impression.
Imagine if, in the Harry Potter series, Professor Snape had been called Professor Little. It would be harder to take him seriously as an antagonist. Or, for that matter, if Harry had been named, say, Maximillian Darlington-Smythe, he would have made a far different impression on readers.
This lens points you to information on naming characters, as well as resources you can use to find both first and last names for your characters.
Imagine if, in the Harry Potter series, Professor Snape had been called Professor Little. It would be harder to take him seriously as an antagonist. Or, for that matter, if Harry had been named, say, Maximillian Darlington-Smythe, he would have made a far different impression on readers.
This lens points you to information on naming characters, as well as resources you can use to find both first and last names for your characters.
Factors to Consider When Naming Characters
A rose by any other name ...
- What are the character's ethnic origins? Different cultures use different names. And if you name your character Muhammad Abernathy, you'll probably want to explain why.
- How old is the character? Different names are popular in different decades. That's not to say you couldn't name a twenty-year-old Edna, but you'd probably have to explain that.
- How does it sound? Make sure the first and last names sound good together.
- What are the connotations? For example, the names Nigel and Tom have very different connotations. That's not to say you can't break a stereotype, but you'd want to think about it first. And you generally want to avoid historical names ... although if a character's mother is obsessed with World War II, for example, it might make sense to name your character Winston Churchill Smith.
- What does it mean? Some authors like to choose character names with symbolic meanings.
Off-Line Resources
Books on Names
While the Internet is a wonderful resource when it comes to finding names, it can also be helpful to have some off-line resources for easier browsing. Here are some examples.
First Names
On-line lists of first names
- Behind the Name
- This is my favourite site for finding first names from a certain background (German, Japanese, etc.). Unlike a lot of baby name lists, it lists names that are actually from the country, not a lot of random names that are based on a certain country's names.
- Popular Baby Names by Decade (USA)
- A name that was common at one time may sound strange several decades later—or like it belongs to a grandmother rather than a ten-year-old girl. This wonderful resource provides the top 100 girls and boys' baby names by decade in the USA, starting with the 1880s.
A Google search for top names in a particular country (or Canadian province) can yield some helpful information, but it doesn't usually seem to go back more than a decade or two. - Popular Baby Names (USA)
- The same site has other great features, including showing how the popularity of a name has changed over time.
- Medieval Names Archive
- Just what it sounds like. You sometimes have to plough through a bunch of historical information before you get to the names, though.
Surnames (Last Names)
On-line list of surnames
- Family Education: Browse Surnames by Origin
- This is my favourite site for finding surnames of different ethnic origins. Other sites list the top names from a certain country of origin; this site has pages and pages of names.
Creating Fantasy Names
Build a naming language to use as a basis for character names
- A Naming Language
- More than most people could ever want to know on creating a basic language to use for naming your characters.
- The Language Construction Kit
- This information is for building an actual language, but the information could be used just for naming.
Fantasy Worldbuilding in General
Study Up on Ethnic Names
Some examples
There are a lot of books with lists of first names and/or surnames that reflect a variety of ethnicities. Here's a small selection.
Character Name Generators
A huge list of random name generators
Where Do You Get Your Inspiration?
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My Other Writing Lenses
What Do You Think?
Do you have any advice for naming characters?
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emmalarkins
Jul 29, 2011 @ 9:40 am | delete
- What an excellent resource! Naming your characters right can be really difficult - and really rewarding. Blessed!
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by Peregrina
I'm a writer who's working toward publication, a photographer, an aunt, and much more. I'm interested in walking, history (which I studied at universi... more »
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