Picking names for characters...

I use no method in particular, they just seem to come to me. Occasionally, I will intentionally name a character based on his/her personality, but usually, it just comes to me out of the blue. I really don't know why.

Welcome to AW. You might want to check out the Newbie Forum, just to introduce yourself

As for your question. I personally use a baby names book or babynames.com and basically just research until I find something that fits the character. Sometimes it's easy, sometimes it's really hard. Sometimes I find a name I like, and an idea for a character blossoms from that. A lot of times I'll do a "meaning" search and find names that have meanings that have something to do with the particular character. Other times, if I'm looking for something really unusual or fantastical, I'll use a random name generator to come up with lists of possibilities. (The only trouble with that is weeding out the really, really weird ones)

It's also helpful to take into account the timeframe your story takes place in, and the "world" or culture.

I either just pick one or give the guy a place holder name (I currently have a character called DSB, which stands for Devious Bad Guy). I don't spend a lot of time picking it--it's often a quick trip to a website, a quick scan, and I've got it. What I've used:

• Internet Movie Database. I pick a TV show and look at the names of the guest stars.
• TV shows. Sometimes the name of a character or actor catches my eye, and that's the name I pick. I have the last name of an actor for one of my characters, and another one uses the last name of a character.
• Navy and Air Force websites. They both have official biographies of all their flag officers--all nicely listed in a way that's easy to scan for interesting names. Got a last name of a character from here.
• Social security website. Great resource for old-fashioned names.
• Family history. Granted, I have some family members with strange and interesting names--Havilah, Phannelia, Electra, Harschel, Hazard (yes, that was actually a first name!).
• Happenstance. I overhear or see a name, and I like it. I named a character after a conference room!
• Inside jokes (or Easter Eggs, though I prefer the other term). I've got a name in each book that's one of these. Like the first name of a character is the name of a character an actor friend of mine played.

And I don't treat the names as locked in stone. They're all subject to change, even the main character's name.

Hi kitkshs

I've heard a lot of people use baby name books or online baby name searches. I use online searches sometimes. I like to find older names that are different (but not too crazy) and not commonly used.

Or, I'll start with a more common name that seems to fit my character and then play with it to turn it into something else. In my WIP which is a YA Fantasy, my favorite character's name is Zacrabus which started out as Zeke. . . .

Naming my characters is one of my favorite things to do.

The names just come to me for no reason when I start writing.

I find female names alot easier to do than male names though. I guess because there's more female names that I like and male names not that many.

I use online random name generators for RPG gamers I have a few links below to get you started.
Google 'fantasy name generators'
my favorite is the Seventh Sanctum
http://www.seventhsanctum.com/index-name.php
also has random plot twist generators, exotic drink name generator, Setting generator etc.
Random disease name generator example.
Ancestral Terror Sores
Bad Stroke
Cairn Sniffles
Cat's Intestinal Colic
Cramping Ulcer
Dark Dissolution
Great Seeping Fever
Great Vomiting Jaw
Grocer's Sweats
Legendary Acid Womb
Lymph Bule
Queen's Lips
Storm Boils
Vault Foot
Whooping Complaint

It depends on what I'm writing. Sometimes, it just comes to me out of nowhere. Some characters almost seem to name themselves. I'll be typing, and I'll type out a new character's name and I'll be like...."I hadn't planned for her to be named ______, but it works!"

Other time, I use a baby names book or website. I usually have an idea of the first letter I want to use, and I go to that letter. or I flip randomly through the book and stop at random spots to see what's on a certain page.

When I first started writing, back about 8 or 9 years go, I would use names that had a specific meaning to the character, or that went with a core character trait.

It really depends. if you're stuck and have no idea what name to use, try using a baby names book or site. if that doesn't work, just go over random names in your head, and one might pop out at you.

Good luck!

Recently, I tried to come up with surnames for more modern stuff that I write, but I find hard to come up with a full name. So, I would go through all the surnames I could think of in my head. Those that were more common or less like I only know one person with that name, I would write down. Then, if I was traveling on the road and saw a name on the side of a semi and thought it would fit as a surname, I wrote that down.

For the fantasy that I write, I try to think of names that have never been used, so no one can say that I stole them. I will also search Wikipedia to make sure that name is not common in a book I haven't read yet. Recently, when I posted something on here for SYW, someone pointed out that if you sounded out the name of one of my characters, it sounded like a name straight from Lord of the Rings. I had never seen that in the twenty years it's taken me to finish this novel, but they were right. So, I had to change a name I've been using for over twenty years.

Plus, as I have changed jobs a few times, I may have a name I've been using in a more modern work, but if a new co-worker has a similar name, I have to go back and change the name I've been using all along. You just have to accept that the name you've always thought was perfect may have to be changed some day. And, with Word, it's very easy to do.

Lots of different ways - I quite often look at word origins for inspiration.

But remember that find/replace is a powerful thing. Put in a placeholder name and start writing, and then find/replace when you settle on a better one. Often, when you know the character better, a name will present itself.

I use names of family, friends, actors, footy players and book/film characters. Then if I still can't think of something I'll use a baby name website. I write fantasy so often I'll create a name by mixing a couple together.

I just pick a name out of the air. Although sometimes I will name a character for a specific reason, an in joke with friends, or just my own amusement. I have a werewolf novel, for example, where I called the older silver knife weilding anti-hero Claude Rainier. HAHAHAHA.








(after Claude Rains in the original wolfman movie, who hits a werewolf with a silver poker. just for those who didn't get it)

I use a combination of baby name sites, foreign language dictionaries and just syllables that sound good together. I like to use names that have real meanings that reflect the character is some way, even if I'm the only one who knows it.

What I also try to do is look beyond just picking names. I think about the names as a whole culture, and not just what sounds good. Cultures often have similar sounding/feeling/looking names, similar roots, etc. There are reasons a name sounds Latin, Russian, Welsh. Names can show both ethic diversity and a cultural group.

I also try to make sure my names are easy to pronounce and easy to remember who's who (this is more of a problem in fantasy or sci fi, but even "real world" names can cause trouble) No two names start with the same letter, or look or sound the same, like Jim, Tim, Kim. Kyla, Sylvia, Tyler.

I try to vary the lengths so not every character has the same size name. A lot of short names start to blend together, while a lot of long ones can be hard to keep track of.

Side note to remember: you want consistency. Don't have someone with a Gaelic name be the brother of someone with a Korean name (without a good reason). Once you pick the type of names (based on Czech, American, Greek, Japanese, and so on) you want for your cultures, stick with it.[/QUOTE]

Good point, Satsya. I would add that African names demonstrate tribal affiliation and country of origin (i.e. Egu is from a specific tribe in Nigeria).

I use an internet random name generator.

Works wonders and always comes through in a pinch.

http://www.kleimo.com/random/name.cfm

For minor characters, I use this random fake name generator. It also makes up an address, SSN, date of birth, employer, etc. You can use or toss any or all of it. It saves a lot of time, and you're not likely to have an old acquaintance claim you put them in your book.

For my main characters, I give a lot of thought to the names.

I think it's important to consider whether the various characters' names sound similar. If they do, it can get confusing for your readers. For example, it might not be a good idea to have two characters named Anna and Annie in the same story/book.

Of course, if you write historical fiction about people who actually lived, like I do, you're kind of stuck with the names history hands you. In my first novel, I have five characters whose names all end in the suffix "mose." I tried very hard to give some of them nicknames and to minimize the time they were in scenes together so it wouldn't become overwhelming for the reader. If you're in a position to choose your own characters' names, definitely think hard about how those names will sound together in scenes. If they're too alike, you could have a problem!

kitkshs said:

I'm stuck. How do you go about picking names for the characters in your story? This part seems to be difficult for me. Does it just come to you as you write? Do you research until you find one that fits your particular character? I know someone who goes through old yearbooks, which is kind of creepy but it works for him...just wondering if any of you have a method that you would like to share. It might be helpful.

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I don't anything is as unimportant as name choice. The name doesn't make the character, the character makes the name.

I just pick a name I like, or give the character the same name as a friend or family member.

The only time I spend any time on names at all is if I need an ethnic name, or a historical name, and even then I just look until I find one that fits the time and place.

Phone books are a quick and easy way to find names. So are newspapers. Need a hispanic name? Look one up on the internet by finding a Spanish phonebook or newspaper online.

I use
http://www.thinkbabynames.com

@ James and the others, If I need an ethnic name, and it's important I'm accurate, I use Behind the Name to select a first name, then go to Google Maps and select a town or area in the country they're from for the last name. Occasionally, I'll use two different given names for first and last if they sound realistic.

RJK said:

@ James and the others, If I need an ethnic name, and it's important I'm accurate, I use Behind the Name to select a first name, then go to Google Maps and select a town or area in the country they're from for the last name. Occasionally, I'll use two different given names for first and last if they sound realistic.

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That's a good idea. Might make finding a good ethnic name easier.

Also, I avoid 'interesting' names like the plague.

I use the Charles Dickens method. I take a word that captures the essence of the character and change it a little to make it work as a name. In one of my books that is a love story about a smart girl and a not-so-smart guy the girl was called Sophia and the guy Dudley. I think clues are good.

Or I pick as boring and bland name as possible. Very complex characters or characters that change over the course of the story can't be summed up with a word. I also make sure that the names I use don't sound similar. I don't want my readers to confuse characters. That would just be stupid.

I put quite a lot of work into my names.

Sometimes I will just push random keys on my keyboard until I find something that sounds good. Sometimes I'm able to make them up. And other times I cheat and Google names used in the middle ages.

I have multiple methods to name my characters, and I tend to change the name of the same character at least 7 or 8 times until I find one that I think fits their personality.

The first way, and probably the least successful way of making a new name, is I hit random letters on the keyboard and make that a name. Of course I add in extra letters where necessary to make the name pronounceable, but some of the names can come out nice sometimes. Luck of the draw really. For example:

fiekakdf ==> Feikadef, Faycadif, Faekaf, Faycaf... etc. It works sometimes... Mostly for those odd other-worldly names that you want to come up with.

A second method of mine is the random name generators. This works well if you want all the names of your characters to have a certain feel to it. There are different generators for certain themes, for example elvish names or alien names. It may take you a while to find a name that you like, but it is a fairly painless process.

Lastly, there is the most effective way of searching for names if you don't just want a random sounding name--baby name sites. Generally I search the baby name sites for a certain characteristic of my character (eg. Lucky, clever, godly etc.) and take a look a the names that share the same meaning. If you find the names too vanilla, you can always change it slightly to make it fit your character. You should find a lot of names that you like.

As you can probably tell, I like my character names to reflect my characters very much, which is why I go through so many names each time. My advice is to experiment a few times with some names--nothing really stops you from changing someone's name half way through a rough. Maybe you're like me and like using harsher sounds to reflect a character's brutish nature or their harsh upbringing? Maybe the silky sound of vowels or the aspirated letters can reflect the more sensitive side of your MC?

I'm rambling now. My point is just to experiment. I myself find it very rare to find the perfect name on the first try, but if you persist you'll find a name that'll be a perfect match