Generic Names Already Well Known in the Genre?

What if you spelled it slightly different or introduce him with his last name - make sure his last name is different and then just refer to his first name for the remainder of the story.
Other than that, I wouldn't sweat it too much. If your character has his own distinguishable features, his name will probably mean more to you than to your readers.

Gina

If your character's name is Miles Vorkosigian or Phillip Marlowe or James Bond, then don't do it.

If your character's name is Anne Elliot or Virgil Samms or Arthur Hastings, then you're fine.

Some names are more iconic than others. You could get away with Charlie Bucket, but not Willy Wonka, yes? Ask a friend or two and see how they respond. Don't tell them why you're asking.

I had a similar problem. I never ever ever thought I could come up with a better name than this character's, but there was just no way it would fly. (Mine was same genre, even.)

Puzzling through it, I went off to the dog park (what better place to think?) and a woman called her dog. It was a strange name for a dog... but the perfect name for a psycho MC.

Keep an open mind and open ears!

Most of mine just come to me when I create the character. Now I have named one or two from the way a strange sound written out looked good.

ideally, the name should be distinctive in its own right *and* serve the characterization. if possible, the name could play into the theme if you've got one. (and, no, i doubt charlie bucket would go unnoticed, lol.)

whenever i see an author using the name 'ravenscroft' or something like that, i laugh. then put the story down. if they can't arrive at an appropriate name, i have no reason to think they've put any more thought into the rest of the story, either. 'but my fantasy is different! my amber ravenscroft has a b/f named tyler and uses elemental magick!'

case, and book, closed.

a litmus test for what it's worth: would you have arrived at the name on your own had you *not* seen it already (or close to it) in another story? if yes, i think altering it is okay. if not, then it's clear to me that you're not being creative enough. if you feel you are being creative enough, i'd consider how close that character is to other characters you've read as i've a sneaking suspicion yours is very closely related to someone else's in *that* regard, too.

i feel your pain. i've come up with character names only to find later it's too close to something else or i've subconsciously lifted it from another source and had to change it.

It depends.
How well known is the name? and Are you thinking of using the same first and last name or just one of the names? A character named Harry Jacobson or a Julie Potter would be just fine.

If I see a name I recognize frex: Anne Elliot or Arthur Hastings or Harry Potter I'll probably bail on the book because it's distracting, looks kinda unimaginitve or lazy on the author's part...unless you're going for a spoof.

I'd probably run it by a couple of people to see what their reactions are to it. Like some above said, don't say anything about it but simply ask them what they think of the name.

I feel for you, I've had a couple of names go ineligible when one became infamous because of some political nutbar and another name became unusable when I learned that a car manufacturer was using it.

I am fine for first names, but struggle with surnames. I tend to over-hibernicise them so everyone is a Mac or an O, a Byrne or a Ryan, or whatever - when in reality family names in Ireland are as likely to be Smith, Jackson, Warren and Moscowicz...

You're probably fine. I tend to overdo regional first names. If a country has a stereotypical sound of name I can't help but use it.

Here's a true story of a same name that went unnoticed for nearly 30 years:

In 1978 I wrote my first Twighlight Manor story. In 1993 is was rereleased in a drasticly revised and expanded edition. It went from a 16 page short story to a fulll legnth novel. The basic story is about a character named Sir Roderic who is so obsessed that his haunted house is trying to kill him, that he has driven himself insane over it.

Than in 2007 someone pointed out to me, that there was already a Rodrick (slightly differant spelling plus a totally differant last name) being driven mad by a house be believed to be possessed with an evil spirit, and it had been written by Edgar Allan Poe! It was The Fall of the House of Usher.

OMG! I couldn't believe it. I thought I had a mildly unique name and an orginal idea to go with it, and than I find out some 200 years ago, someone else already used the same name with the same idea!

Well, I went and read Poe's book to see if anything else was the same, and other than the name and the haunted house the two stories have nothing in common, but wow... I just could not believe it. Maybe some names just "go" with some ideas?

It depends how common the name is overall. Call a character John and you're unlikely to be accused of copying any other John.

Now, I'm curious to know the name.
Maybe it's not as well known as you think it is.

Selcaby said:

It depends how common the name is overall. Call a character John and you're unlikely to be accused of copying any other John.

Click to expand...

On the other hand, be careful of the 'television problem' -- the following list is off the top of my head: Sam Winchester, Sam Carter, Jack Carter, Jack O'Neill, Jack Bauer, Jen Shepard, John Sheppard, Johnny Smith, John Crichton, Chuck Bartowski, Chuck-from-Gossip-Girl, Chuck-from-Pushing-Daisies, Dean Winchester, Dean-from-Gilmore-Girls, Sam Tyler, Rose Tyler, Martha Jones, Ianto Jones, Alison-from-Eureka, Alison Cameron, Cameron Mitchell...*

Yeah. I do not, for the record, watch all of those shows. But my point was: while you can reuse names in books more often than you can in TV, there will always come a time when people are going to be saying 'Did you see that episode last night? What was up with Sam? And Chuck!' And you want the conversation to progress from there, not become bogged down in immediate requests for clarification.

*tv shows, in order: Supernatural, Stargate:SG1, Eureka, Stargate:SG1, 24, NCIS, Stargate:Atlantis, The Dead Zone, Farscape, Chuck, Gossip Girl, Pushing Daisies, Supernatural, Gilmore Girls, Life on Mars, Doctor Who, Doctor Who, Torchwood, Eureka, House, Stargate:SG1