Character Names (do they affect how you perceive the character?)

It's not a big thing, but it does matter somewhat to me.

I know that Ian Fleming used the "silly" names for his characters for a reason, but it's always been a turn-off for me. I felt like every time I came across the name of a character I could almost see Fleming winking at the reader.

Lawrence Block has an interesting discussion of character names in his book, Telling Lies for Fun and Profit.

They matter to me.
My main character is everyman. So I gave him a mundane name. Other names are to do with where the character is from, eg: French and Asian names.
Two of my characters are historical, therefore they must bear the same name. (Though modernised for secrecy).
The love interest is based on my girlfriend. So I let her chose her name.
Names to me are very important. They can give a character importance, mistique, and charm, or blend them into the background, perfectly set for change.

I'd say they matter in a way to me, but then, names are one hobbies.

I almost always have an opinion of a name before I know the character. Heck, I've been told that some of my names sound stripper-y! Does that stop me from useing a name I think fits the character? Nope. I'll just try to make the character likable enough to make them look past it. Or better, maybe I can change the impression they have of the name.

Zodiea

While I might have personal like or dislike of a name (my husband's name is "James," for instance, so I always giggle when I see it in a book) I don't let that carry over to what I read.

However, I expect unusual names to be that way for a reason. If a character is named "Ocean" or "Starlight," I expect that to have something to say about the character and / or his / her parents, even if that's not specifically addressed.

I also don't like a lot of characters with similar names in a story.

--Q

I tend to pick names that sound good and that make sense for the character to have, based on parents, culture, the sort of thing that goes into account when people are named in the real world.

If a character in a book I'm reading has a name I get a bad feeling about, it'll be tough for me to read the book. But I'll do it. If the name is one of those cliche-names, the kind Mary Sues often have, the name is probably just one of many aspects of the book that makes me want to stop reading.

roseangel said:

Does the name of a character matter to you? Do certain names make you think negatively or positively of characters? Or do they not matter at all?

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Not really. Just as in real life, I don't judge people based on their names alone. I may judge their parents for naming their children Rainbow and Starfish, but not the character itself (unless he or she picks the name, or it's some kind of nickname).

In fact, I have a problem with writers basing the name of a character on the traits or "meanings" she wants to assign to the character. Oh, she's named Angelica because she's so angelic and kind. Blech. Or some names which are supposed to have some obscure, hidden meaning. Like, eh, I'm going to get that. Just pick a name and stick with it. My own rule of thumb: the name has to be easy to pronounce and remember and won't conjure a bad feeling (Hitler, Lucifer, Mao, etc.) -- anything that would distract the readers.

Yeah, names don't matter to me. I'd rather follow the adventures of an interesting character named John than a boring character named Glymmera Stardreamer.

Names matter to me. If the MC was named Glymmera Stardreamer, the story would have to be awfully good -- with a good reason for the awful name -- to keep the book in my hands.

I have pounded on good friends for giving evil characters names starting with "Mal-". So cliche.

A name that reminds me too much of something else will cause itchiness too. Hard to avoid that in all cases, since we all have different experiences, but common words and brand names can be weeded out easily.

In comedy, anything goes, if it works.

Names matter to me. Though I don't go online and name a character Jason because it means healer and he's a doctor. I just give my characters names that I hope will represent them. Like my main character is really girly, so I give her a really girly name. The alpha male character has a very strong male name. I'm hoping that the names reflect my characters, yet they are all names that you would have heard of before.

I think if your character has a good backstory, the parents might suggest a name. My MC is a pastor's wife, and my first inclination was to name her Faith or Grace. But when I started developing her character, I realized that her mother was more of a hippie/new-ager type, so I gave my MC a real name that a drugged out flower child might find profound and meaningful -- and then gave her a nickname she could live with.

(If that doesn't work, I could rename her Glymmera Stardreamer.)

They matter to me, but to different degrees. There are so many factors to take into account--the tone of the story, the sound of the names, if they have a meaning to the author, if they have any meaning to me personally, how important they are in the story--that I wouldn't be able to say flat out how much a name affects me or not. For example I might be fine with a particular name for a particular character in a particular situation, but the same name used on a different character in a different situation, I might loathe it. I might love a name one way, and hate it another. I might even change my opinion of a character depending on what name he's given. Etc.

I guess I could only judge on a case-by-case basis.

I don't give characters names that reflect what they are doing in a story. My reason is that babies are generally named when they are too young to actually have a personality, so the name really reflects their parent's wishes for them. How would the parents know that at age 20, the character would need to show "courage," and therefore name the baby "Leo," or some other name indicating strength or courage. To me, it is as though the character's fate is written in stone,and that is too deus ex machina for me. I sometimes have fun and name a character "opposite" what the name means, but it is rare, and usually only for peripheral characters. My recent MC is named after an uncle, who has an old family name, but he goes by a nick name. The uncle also has a nick-name, because in the long run, the name is rather Victorian and formal, and neither of them like it much. I did this because I like the concept of a person choosing his or her own name. I have several "names." I have never gone by my formal first name, I just sign it to checks. I know tons of people who go by a different name than the one on their birth certificate.

I like to use http://www.behindthename.com/random/ to randomly generate names based on the national heritage I've selected for the character. I hit the generate button until I find a name I'm happy with. I use it for the first and the last names.

For me, it provides a good mix of names that are not the standard John, Jim, Bob, Mary & Sue.

I know what you mean Use Her Name. I used to feel a lot like that too, and when I'd read a book with a name that was obviously meant to describe the personality as well, I thought that was really silly. But lately I am finding it more and more fascinating. I think also it depends on the kind of book you are writing. If one is writing a very naturalistic, slice of life story, then I can see where the author would relish in the realism. But if you are writing a heightened reality, not even fantasy or SF, but kind of like (and this is a really bad example, forgive me) Dickens - where he definitely set his books in the real world, but had these larger than life characters, often to make a satirical point, coming up with names that suit the people can be very clever. The problem comes from some authors not being clever enough, so that they name their character "Mr. Nice". That's a bit obvious I think. Though now that I think about it, I quite like the name "Mr. Nice". Hmm . . .

I dunno, I think it depends how the author uses the name, what name they come up with, and the way in which it fits into the context of the book. Okay, I guess I am saying what I always do, if done well it is awesome.

Matera the Mad said:

I have pounded on good friends for giving evil characters names starting with "Mal-". So cliche.

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I read somewhere that a lot of names of evil characters begin with "Mor-", so I gave a character in my latest manuscript a Mor name. The character is sometimes evil and sometimes very kind, so that should mix up the name connotations a little.

Bayley said:

Names matter to me. Though I don't go online and name a character Jason because it means healer and he's a doctor. I just give my characters names that I hope will represent them. Like my main character is really girly, so I give her a really girly name. The alpha male character has a very strong male name. I'm hoping that the names reflect my characters, yet they are all names that you would have heard of before.

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Well a lot of parents would give their kids names that would reflect their values too, and a little girl with a princessy name might be treated like a princess, dressed in pink all the time, and really see the world like that, so really, she might be directed to behave like her name would pre-assume. I just don't think she would have much of a choice about what would happen to her. It is like the woman Lawyer character, Elle, in "Legally Blond." Obviously she was encouraged to make the choices she made in clothing, friends, interests, but her personality was that of an intelligent woman willing to fight for a cause, though she did not fit the stereotype.

Of course one of the most interesting character creation techniques is "working against type." Which is having a character who seems opposite of everything he seems. The Al Pacino character (Sonny) in "Dog Day Afternoon" is a brilliant example.

I do think the character name is important to a story. The names for my characters just come to me. I just sit and think to myself that I need to come up with a name and it often just comes to me after a while. For instance, my MC's name is Toby Manning. I'm very happy with the name and I think it suits my character down to the ground.
I was watching a show on tv this morning and there a was a character on the show called Kathy Manning. I shouted out loud in front of my wife that she's not related to Toby! LOL

Names matter to me too. The name has to fit the story. I don't want to read an epic fantasy with an MC named Kevin. It just wouldn't fly for me.

Names are incredibly important. Everyone loves the sound of their own name (this is different from whether you like your name or not - it's an ego thing).

As creators/writers we must scrutinise, refine and contextualise every aspect of our characters' traits. We look at their dialogue, body language, relationships with other characters, the settings that they find themselves in and most importantly their fears, hopes and dreams. This, together with their physical attributes, allows the character to connect with the reader and vice versa. But are names important? Of course they are. In fact a name or lack thereof can play an integral part to the development/portrayal of a character.

Think:

Luke Skywalker - implies a scifi/fantasy setting and adventure.
Bond, James Bond - despite the iconic status associated to the character, can you imagine him having any other name.
Hannibal Lecter - 'Cannibal' anybody?
Blondie - the man with no name (how is that for building atmosphere, suspense and character?)

I'm sure you can think of plenty of other names that will serve this purpose and others that may not. The point is that names (including meaning and how they sound) are an integral plot/character device. They can be used as a wink for other 'in the know' as to their meaning or simply because they fit the character description. Imagine Darth vader being called Bob Smith.

There is no doubt that there are those who may look down upon authors trying to be too clever with their name choices and their various hidden meanings but this is an opportunity to lend further substance to both story and character. How to achieve this? Well it's simple - use your creativity. There have been outstanding suggestion made here on how to do that already.

And in the end there is no right or wrong, only write. (Hope that makes sense)

I do think names matter...but only in a very general way. Outside of humor, I dislike names chosen for their meaning, such as Dirk Steele for an action hero. When I notice a connection between the meaning of the character's name and how they're portrayed, I feel like the author gave me jab in the ribs and said, "Get it!, Hunh, do you get it?"

(Although, I can imagine a not-humorous story about a woman trying to be taken seriously in spite of being named Candie Caine. In that case, though, the story would be about the name, which is a whole different thing.)

Ethnicity matters. Cultural and historical accuracy matter. Beyond that, you can paint some broad strokes. Assuming a contemporary setting, John and Bob aren't the same as Kevin and Nathan, and all of them are different from Hubert and Walter. But I don't think you can fine-tune it very much; readers' reactions are going to be all over the place.

I like names that are memorable. I reserve boring names for minor characters. I just couldn't have a character named Bill Smith or John Brown (though I do have a Billy, but he also has a unique last name and nickname).

Of course, they also have to fit the ethnicity/time period.

Gynn said:

Yeah, names don't matter to me. I'd rather follow the adventures of an interesting character named John than a boring character named Glymmera Stardreamer.

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I agree. I am more interested in a character than I am in the name but if the character does have a name that is not of the norm, I would wonder the significance of it. Did their parents give them that name and what was their reason behind it or did they change it when they were eighteen and if so what was their reason behind it.
I tend to choose names that do signify something about the character although it’s usually not base on their occupation. Like if I had a character that was the ultimate girly girl, I would give her a name that was either unisex like Mackenzie (I know a woman with this name and she is the ultimate girly girl) or had a more masculine feel to it like or Charlie, and probably incorporate how much she disliked the name because it didn’t suit her prissy attitude or how she liked the name because it was her favorite grandfather’s name.

pointman said:

I like names that are memorable. I reserve boring names for minor characters. I just couldn't have a character named Bill Smith or John Brown (though I do have a Billy, but he also has a unique last name and nickname).

Of course, they also have to fit the ethnicity/time period.

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I can understand that but as a reader I tend to like the charcters with the boring names that does great things.

Use Her Name said:

The Al Pacino character (Sonny) in "Dog Day Afternoon" is a brilliant example.

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Al Pacino.

pretticute80 said:

I can understand that but as a reader I tend to like the charcters with the boring names that does great things.

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I'm not saying I'd name anyone Glork or anything. I like the names James Bond and Harry Potter for example.

Now that I think about it I guess I'm just saying John Smith is out.