Writing Resources for Naming Your Characters
Have you ever read one of those epic fantasy novels in which the magical characters can gain total control over any living being (or non-living object) simply by discovering its real and true name? I’ve read about ten of those novels.
What do you think is more perplexing, the fact that authors continue to use this rule of magic (even though it’s tired and ready to be retired) or the astounding number of unique names that writers come up with for all the characters in these stories?
Dubworthy or Dubless?
I have been known to spend hours pondering names and wondering how a writer managed to choose a name that so perfectly fit a character, especially those characters that are iconic. Holden Caulfield. Harry Potter. Hamlet. Hanibal Lechter. And they don’t all start with the letter H. Ebenezer Scrooge. Mary Poppins. Sherlock Holmes. Gollum. Cinderella. Willy Wonka. The list goes on and on. And it doesn’t stop with literary characters. Remarkable character names can also be found in movies, comic books, and on TV.
Think about the most famous, unforgettable, and compelling characters. They have names that are memorable. Names that resonate with the character’s energy: Bond. James Bond. How do you forget a guy like that?
You don’t.
But here’s a better question. How does a writer come up with a name like that?
The Name is the Game
Let me be blunt. I suck at coming up with names. I can’t begin to tell you how many hours I’ve spent pondering great names and trying to come up with handles for my poor, nameless characters. But names elude me. They do. So, what do I do when my fiction writing antics require me to name a character? Well, if I’m already in the throes of writing, I generally write the characters’ names generically and in all caps:
GIRL is walking down the street and freezes when she spots ANIMAL sitting in the middle of the road as if it were perfectly ordinary for a tiger to be cleaning its paws smack dab in the center of a suburban middle-class neighborhood.
But I can’t avoid naming forever. The story is never finished until everybody is named, and I find that I can’t get very deep into the tale when I’m working with nameless characters. So, I do what any resourceful writer does. I turn to my handy dandy writing resources.
Enter, Internet
The internet is always my first choice for research. I use an online dictionary and thesaurus. When I need a quick fact, I’ve been known to obtain it from Wikipedia (judiciously, of course) and I also use the open-source, online encyclopedia as a starting place to look for more credible research (they often have excellent annotations). And when I need a name, I’ve engaged the power of Google (a search engine that happens to have a fantastic name of its own).
I’ve googled boy names and girl names, exotic names, and androgynous names. I’ve done it in reverse too, and searched for names by their meaning. I’ve gotten lucky a few times and found just the right name for a character I had in mind. I’ve even found a nifty tool that generates a character name, which is awesome if you can use a name like Magaga Dawntracker.
But looking for a name on the web is like looking for a song in your iPod when you can’t remember the title or artist. It takes forever. And you find yourself endlessly perusing, clicking, and nodding your head (or shaking it, as the case may be). I guess the benefit is that all those names you skim through might spark ideas for other characters, but what about the character you’ve already created? The one whose name launched you into this quest in the first place?
It’s not like this was a one-time ordeal. Name searching became a time suck for me. And fiction writing started to feel more like climbing a Mount Everest of names than a writing experience. I went through this ridiculous cycle more times than I care to recall.
And then one day, I was happily browsing through my favorite bookstore, a local and independent bookstore, and this book popped out at me:
A World of Baby Character Names
Okay, so technically, the title of this book is A World of Baby Names
Even though this was the first name book that I noticed, I checked out several others before buying this one. It had some features I thought might be useful. Turns out I was right. I’ve used this book a lot. A whole lot.
What I like best about it is that the names are separated by country of origin. And there are tons of names in this book that my American self has never heard before. I can look at the Hindu names and the Polish names, and then I can get creative and start combining them.
The names are also sorted by gender. That makes looking for an androgynous name a little challenging, but on the other hand, there’s a nice index, so I can scroll through every single name in a few minutes — a great method for finding a name that pops out at me. I can then navigate to the name page and find out what it means.
Each section also includes a written introduction about names in various cultures, which is pretty cool.
If you suck at names the way I do, then you should seriously consider getting this book or one like it.
A Rose By Any Other Name
As you can imagine, this post contains affiliate links, which means if you click on the baby name book and buy it, I’ll get a kickback, which would be cool. But what would be cooler would be for you to tell me how you come up with character names. Do you have a name book? Is there a website you use? Do you have a knack for names using nothing more than your own brilliant imagination? And what are some of your all time favorite character names? And finally (here’s a question for the most creative souls out there), can you think of any other good uses for a baby name book, other than naming babies and fictional characters?
I think I’ve come across some books too where it was about the real and true name. It’s interesting how in real life, some folks seem to look like their name.
Very nice walk through of your approach and sources to draw from.
J.D. Meier´s last blog ..What Do You Want to Accomplish Today?
Yes, a lot of science fiction and fantasy that I’ve read uses real/true names with magical powers. It’s a common device, I guess. And I agree that people often look like their name, which is an odd phenomenon.
For me, I think that it’s half and half. Usually, I just randomly pick out a name that I’ve been thinking about…sometimes when I surf for baby names (usually for a random character that I only need for a chapter or two) I’ll see other ones that sort of pop out, and then I can write them down and save them for later.
Then, when I meet a new character and need a name for him or her, I can usually sift through the names I’ve written down or remember and just stick it on. In the long run, the name will grow to fit the character and the character the name.
In some cases, though, I’ll just find a great name and I”ll make a character out of it. Sometimes the character will have been flitting around on the edge of my mind, looking for a good place to grow, and then when I get a name, it just grows out of it.
Anna´s last blog ..Pure Imitiation, while it may be the sincerest form of flattery, is difficult
It’s funny how characters and their names grow from all sorts of inspirations. I too have started with a name and evolved a character from the way the name sounds or feels. I still find naming a challenging process. Maybe I’m just too picky.
I keep a notebook where I write down any names that I come across that I like (along with quotes, interesting facts, and so on). Getting the name right is so important to creating a believable character. I’m going to check out the name generator you point out in this article.
You should see how many lists of names I have in my notebooks and journals. It’s a little ridiculous, actually. I do think the name is essential to the character’s believability.
There’s even an iPod/iPhone app that will give random names. You can specify boy or girl, the letter you want it to start with, the ethnicity, even … then shake and up comes a name! Gotta love technology.
–Deb´s last blog ..Low Tech Living in a High Tech World
I’d like to check that out! Do you have the name of that app?
Character names are such a sticking point with me as a reader regardless of the genre of the book. Names for characters cannot be random nor unrelated to the character’s attributes.
Even the best writers though pull bone-headed names out the hat sometimes. I had received many recommendations to read Wallace Stegner’s “Crossing to Safety.” Stegner is a storyteller of no small reputation; however, his character names in this book totally floored me. I could not get images of “The Flintstones” out of my head because of the character’s names; and I have not been able to recommend the book since.
Since I have not published any fiction I don’t know how I would fare as a character namer in the market. But I do call on my experience of selecting four baby names where I hoped to inspire character traits to emulate as adults. I think it helps to match cultural expectations of a name owner with their role in a literary piece.
Deb´s last blog ..Books Read in 2009
In college, I took a class on children’s literature in which we read “Tuck Everlasting.” For my essay, I did an analysis of all the names and found some pretty fascinating insights in my research on the characters’ names. I think that essay is what caused me to become so hung up on the symbolism and meaning of character names. Oddly, I just thought of that essay — I probably should have mentioned it in the post. Then again, the post is long enough as it is! In any case, even though names are a huge source of frustration for me, I do manage to have a lot of fun with them.
I use a couple of online sites to help me pick names. One is from the Social Security Administration — http://www.ssa.gov/OACT/babynames/index.html. What’s cool about this site is that you can search on a particular year and find the top ten male and female names for that year.
The other site–Behind the Name–provides names with their etymologies. The list can be limited by nationality. http://www.behindthename.com/
Jim Harrington´s last blog ..Six Questions for Laurie Sanders, Acquisitions Editor, Black Velvet Seductions
Thanks for sharing these resources, Jim. I love etymology, so I’ll definitely bookmark that site.
I am really bad with names. Throughout college, I tried very hard to avoid naming characters. One sketch has characters named Albert, Bill, Carl, and Daniel, obviously enumerated alphabetically. Another scene has four characters called The Boss, The Accountant, The Chef, and The Secretary. I also avoided having characters refer to one another by name. But I guess, in general that’s not something you can get away with.
So when I really need to name characters, sometimes I just use Twitter or my blog to ask people to suggest names for the characters I am writing and then pick the ones that I think fit best.
I have a friend whose name is Apollo Blackwood. We told him that he has the most epic name, ever. Later I realized that he has a sister named Athena. So… really… epic…
I like how in Monty Python and the Holy Grail, they intentionally named the wizard/enchanter “Tim” because “Tim was intended as a particularly unlikely and un-menacing name for such a powerful wizard.”
Kelvin Kao´s last blog ..Goodbye 2009, Hello 2010
I think you’re good at names, actually. Since you write humor, you can get away with a lot of names that other fiction writers wouldn’t be able to pull off, which is why I’m guessing that The Boss, The Accountant, The Chef, and The Secretary worked just fine. As for Apollo Blackwood, that is, without a doubt, a totally epic name. In fact, it sounds more like a character than a real person. Cool!
This is exactly the approach I use when looking for character names. You can narrow your name search by nationality too. Also, if I know the area of the country my character comes from, I google “Arkansas surnames” for instance, and find a lot of useful sites. Surprisingly, I often find surnames that work well for first names. Thanks for a great post! Very helpful.
I often narrow by nationality, but that’s not easy when I’m writing fantasy or science fiction that isn’t set on Earth (as we know it) and therefore all the nationalities are null. I do like taking existing names and tweaking them. In fact, that’s been a good technique for me. And yes, I love surnames for first names. Also: androgynous names. Thanks Birgitte!
Using a baby book is an awesome idea! I’ve been known to take two random names (first and last) from different stories in the paper (I call this the “Mrs Doubtfire” method). Or sometimes, if I’m writing fantasy, I’ll either take an existing name and just change the spelling slightly (names look totally different when an i becomes a y), or sometimes I’ll just run a word backwards.
Icy Sedgwick´s last blog ..To CGI, or not CGI…don’t make the Phantom Menace mistake
I’ve run words backwards and turned them into names too. I’ve also used anagram generators online, and those can be a lot of fun. There are actually tons of naming resources. Maybe I’ll update this article later with a more thorough list. Thanks Icy!
I’m with Deb, the names are sooooo important! I still remember F’lar from the Dragonriders of Pern that I read in Intermediate school! (I still want to be a dragonrider!)
But, I can’t tell you the name of the villain in my own story that I’m still trying to write. I can tell you the name of the main character. She was named by what and who I wanted her to be. I can’t forget her. I love her. Her name is stuck to her like literary glue!
I despise my villain and aim to kill her so, apparently, I’ve failed to find her a worthy name because she doesn’t deserve it. Tsk, tsk, tsk!
Yes, I know, I’m going to have to find her a better one.
Evelyn, you just said the magic word: Pern. The Dragonriders of Pern is by far my favorite fantasy series. I’ve read the entire collection twice! I too find villains more difficult to name than heroes. One of my favorite villain names is Snape (from Harry Potter). I like to use made-up names for villains so that I don’t create a negative association to a regular or common name. That’s just me being finicky
I am abnormal. Not that names are unimportant, but that the right name need not be a mystery to solve.
Villainy is better hid in a creature called Ross, than something darker, something visible a mile away. James Bond carries strength from single syllables (close enough), an old husbands tale, and the work that made that simple name something larger.
A character, complete, complex and consistent will give life to the name given. Pebbles may not work so well, but common sense would not use that, when Sue is a much better boys name.
Jason is both hero and monster. As an aside, my ex-wife’s family name was Voorhees (yes, for real, with a brother associated with…well that’s mine to use, sorry).
Michael Myers, Marilyn Monroe, Marilyn Manson; tragic and immortal, immortal and tragic, tragic and tragic – got give up some tears for M and M’s.
You may consider repetitive syllables (Mor Dor, Fro Do – and on and on), an abundance of vowels, which is seriously abused, or bend first and last to one (JakeSully). At some point, an author was the first to use it. Thousands will tear themselves apart to recreate it. Take a deep breath….
I hope I didn’t offend anyone…I can’t help but be a boat rocker.
Caliban
Yes, I agree that sometimes a villain is better off with a simple, regular name. The same is true for heroes. It really depends on the story. Since I read a lot of science fiction and fantasy, the names are often exotic (not names you normally come across) and I always like it when those names somehow reflect the character’s personality or say something about the character, even if it’s only symbolic. But I have read stories in which average, everyday names work perfectly. Thanks for adding this perspective. You definitely didn’t offend anyone but merely opened up the discussion to more ideas. Thanks, Caliban.
I’ll often sit through movie credits, jotting down any unusual or interesting names. If I don’t happen to be thinking about this at the movies, IMDB can do the trick.
Ah! I never thought of that, but it’s a great idea. Thanks for sharing it Paulo!
I love remixing names. I also really like behindthename.com
S.D.´s last blog ..In other news…
For the most part, I usually can come up with a name for my characters off the top of my head, mostly because I spend so much time combing the internet for them (Something I enjoy doing, oddly enough). However, for those names I get stuck on, I narrow down my search by the characters personality, or heritage, or something in their lives that kind of defines them. I pick up names from everywhere I can because of my fascination with them and for my characters, but I like to use thinkbabynames.com a lot. I can search by keyword in the meaning or history of the name, or by origin, gender or even variations. And I always keep my eyes open for interesting names in what I read and hear.
You’ve developed a great method for coming up with names. I do all that stuff too, but still don’t have much luck. Sometimes I wonder if I’m just too picky!
Some authors use real or composite names as a tribute to other people.
It is nice to recognise the talents of other authors who have contributed to the area you are writing about.
Although if one was to be cynical, one could say that it was born out of insecurity and a need to display research that was carried out by the author!
Joseph Condron´s last blog ..About The Cicada: Master Of Time And Numbers
The band Marilyn Manson comes to mind — all the band members took their first names from Hollywood starlets and their last names from criminals (murderers, I believe). In some ways, I think this approach in writing (and naming characters) lacks originality. On the other hand, it does pay tribute.
I have used all the above plus spam mail and looking down at the keyboard and starting the name with the letter my index finger was touching.
But all in all, I do think that naming characters require great care for they will be known by the name and could be life or death of your book.
V.
I like your innovation! I never would have thought to look for names among the spam. Maybe it’s good for something after all.