Creating names for characters

scriptwriter91 · May 27, 2008

How do ya'll (i'm southern) come up with names for your characters? The plot is easy for me, but the names of the characters gives me the fit.

Thanks for the help!

icerose · May 27, 2008

I use baby name dictionaries from several different countries and start reading names. If one stands out, I'll use it. I often morph names to fit in with my little universe. You can just google them.

Sometimes my characters will come with names, other times it's hard as heck and I use a unique identifier so I can continue writing until I do find a name for them.

scriptwriter91 · May 27, 2008

Well I have in the past looked up the popular baby names for the time I was writing about. (eg: Story in 2000's, people are teenagers, popular names in the early 90's) It just is hard to see which one sticks out.

Thanks

nmstevens · May 27, 2008

scriptwriter91 said:
How do ya'll (i'm southern) come up with names for your characters? The plot is easy for me, but the names of the characters gives me the fit.

Thanks for the help!

Well, if it's a foreign name, or if it's a period piece, I'll google the time and place to get lists of first and last names and go with what sounds good.

If it's a contemporary story, you start with any kind of ethnic characteristic that might effect the name -- is the character Irish, Italian, Polish, Jewish -- or whatever.

Then I try looking around at the names of authors on the books on my bookshelves to see if something inspires me.

If that doesn't work, I'll try glancing through the phone book. I live in Brooklyn, so we've got huge ethnic communities of pretty much any category anybody could think of.

Other than that, it's always a good idea to try fitting the name into a line or two of dialogue to see, mentally, how it fits. Does the name flow, does it sound right?

There's no real hard and fast rule about coming up with names - I like to keep things simple -- basic first and last names of a syllable or two, unless there's some reason to make things more complicated.

NMS

dpaterso · May 27, 2008

This recent thread in Basic Writing Questions forum might interest you:

Choosing names for characters & locations
http://absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=99480

But if you're just looking for one quick link:
http://www.kleimo.com/random/name.cfm

-Derek

zeprosnepsid · May 27, 2008

I always just write the first thing that comes to mind, always believing it's a placeholder and I'll come up with something else later, and I never do. I get used the name after a while.

I usually end up with names of stuff that reminds me of someone else. For instance, I recently came up with a kindly old man type character that reminded me of a couple roles Richard Attenborough had played, so I named him Mr. Richards.

odocoileus · May 27, 2008

http://names.mongabay.com/male_names.htm

David McAfee · May 27, 2008

I don't have any useful info, I just wanted to say:

GO SOX!!!!!!!

WriteKnight · May 27, 2008

I generally let my subconcious name characters as I go along. I conciously try NOT to get into any kind of alliterative problems... lots of characters' names that start with the same letter, for instance.

After I'm done writing, I might go in and tweak a name - but usually, if I take a step back, I'll find that the name my subconcious has given them is somehow strangely appropriate.

Don't know where it comes from, but I trust it enough not to frak with it.

nmstevens · May 27, 2008

odocoileus said:
http://names.mongabay.com/male_names.htm

Great. Now I know that Elmer and Claude and Chester are all more popular names than Neil -- which isn't even the way I spell my name.

NMS

clockwork · May 27, 2008

Neal is 337th on the list. Which is still one above Pablo.

WriteKnight · May 27, 2008

Wow, I'm number seven.

stuckupmyownera · Jun 3, 2008

I usually go with whatever pops in my head first.
Then one day a heroine of mine got married and I realised her name was Magda Carter. Oops.
These things need careful thought...

Mystery Man · Jun 3, 2008

I used to have complaints that my characters' names were too waspy so now I tend to dig into my school yearbooks and mix and match names from there along with names I see in phone books etc.

Jon-Luke · Jun 8, 2008

I sometimes try to nail down the character's personality and then I look up name meanings and try to match a name with the meaning that matches the character.

So for example a character who has to deal with many problems on a day to day basis and works as a manager in a bank who finally has to make a difficult decision to save the job of his staff could be called Waldo (Wealth/Ruler) Harding(Brave)

A good web site for this is http://www.behindthename.com/ sometimes finding the right meanings can be hard, but sometimes new meanings and depths can be found for characters by looking into the meanings of their names, so I really like this tool!

crimsonlaw · Jun 9, 2008

Jon-Luke said:
I sometimes try to nail down the character's personality and then I look up name meanings and try to match a name with the meaning that matches the character.

So for example a character who has to deal with many problems on a day to day basis and works as a manager in a bank who finally has to make a difficult decision to save the job of his staff could be called Waldo (Wealth/Ruler) Harding(Brave)

A good web site for this is http://www.behindthename.com/ sometimes finding the right meanings can be hard, but sometimes new meanings and depths can be found for characters by looking into the meanings of their names, so I really like this tool!

I do the exact same thing. I like names with particular meanings. I feel it gives characters a special depth. Maybe I'm over-thinking things just a bit...

Sunshine13 · Jun 9, 2008

Hey Neal, at least your name is ON the list.

I never think about the names. They just sort of...come to me. Though it's funny, because after writing a script I went back and read it and realized my two main male characters were named Jackson and Michael. Get it? Michael Jackson?

But I've decided to keep it that way and just add to it in dialogue about their names being like that.

But yeah, I don't know how th enames come to me. I did use one of those baby name generator's once before, though.

raiboy · Oct 5, 2008

Watch out for names that end with "S". When you're writing Action (a.k.a Business; a.k.a narrative description) it sometimes sound funny. One of myu characters was named Marks (it was his last name) and it caused problems.

Marks sits...

ManyAk · Oct 5, 2008

I like to give my character's names that in some way represent who they are. So I just search for names significations on the internet, it just gives your character a little more depth and an unique and personal color.

Or sometimes some names just fit with how you imagine your character. If he's badass, you obviously name it Lance, you know what I mean?

mario_c · Oct 5, 2008

I'm number 143! Woot!

*looks around, hears crickets*

ManyAk · Oct 6, 2008

Oh and also, some scripwriting softwares (such as Final Draft) include a huge name database from which you can choose. It comes in handy once in a while.

Kosh · Oct 6, 2008

I search "[a nationality] names translation" into google; I like having certain meanings behind certain characters. I'll also look at books I have about certain locations and just skim them for names.

kayg · Oct 6, 2008

odocoileus said:
http://names.mongabay.com/male_names.htm

My name's not even on that website. :Shrug:

But according to a baby names website(babynamesworld.parentsconnect.com) there were only 232 babys named my name in 2006.

ALLWritety · Oct 7, 2008

If you want really interesting names then go to your bulk/spam mail box and just look at those names. Most of the names are very different and strange.
;-p

Kev

Homewrecker · Oct 7, 2008

I stock pile names and words I have a fancy for and browse through them periodically.

My stats class did get to look at this baby name wizard. I thought it was cool as you could track the popularity of names from the 1880s forward.

http://www.babynamewizard.com/voyager

I found this one trying to find the url above...
http://www.babynameworld.com/

Cheers!

Creating names for characters

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