Character Names

Switch-Phase · May 18, 2013

I personally hate it when I'm trying to read a story and everyone has some bizarre name that doesn't match with the overall setting or theme. I've seen a lot of articles by agents who urge writers to avoid weird names as well.

While normally my characters have basic names, my current WIP has two main characters with weird names in a setting where everyone else has the average assortment of modern American names.

I named my female MC Beatrice because I wanted her to have an outdated name passed on from her grandmother. She became Beaty, and I really can't see her having any other name.

Then there is my male MC, who had remained nameless until yesterday when I was sounding out names at random and said "Harland." The moment I heard it, I knew that was his name.

But now I have two MC's with Victorian names in a modern YA horror.

Is this the kind of thing that will piss people off, or is it alright in small doses? Though I suppose it's hardly a small dose if they're the main characters.

Jehhillenberg · May 18, 2013

Switch-Phase said:
Then there is my male MC, who had remained nameless until yesterday when I was sounding out names at random and said "Harland." The moment I heard it, I knew that was his name.

But now I have two MC's with Victorian names in a modern YA horror.

I know that feeling. It's great. Finding and giving your character identity.

I have a friend around my age, German transfer student, whose name is Beatrice

Since there's a backstory to the name, like it being a family one, I don't see a problem. I think it works. I frikin' love the name Harland for a guy and think it's rather sexy. Had character with that name in a fanfic written years ago.

I wouldn't worry about pissing people off over names.

thehundreds · May 18, 2013

I didn't even make the connection to them being Victorian. And those names certainly aren't distracting as they stand.

I'd go with it.

J.S.F. · May 18, 2013

Sometimes a name will just feel...right. I usually write from a male POV, so I give my male MC's rather generic names i.e. Bill or Sam or Harry.

However, the women get some names which would be considered 'different'. In the past, I used Oriana (for The Tower), Ariel (like in Shakespeare and not The Little Mermaid) for Death Bytes (see avi), and other names with an 'la' ending such as Angyalla (from Hungarian), Angella, and Shayala. It sounded more poetic to me, so I went with them. You can't argue with your feelings.

With alien names I can take a bit more liberty, but with Earth names I try to keep it sort of generic to emphasize the everyman/everywoman quality of the MC who is suddenly thrust into a very different and sometimes bizarre situation.

Switch-Phase · May 18, 2013

Thanks everyone, it's reassuring to hear that I'm not overdoing it so far.

I'd hate to get attached to something only to find out it's detracting from the main story.

ellio · May 18, 2013

I wouldn't think of Harland as old fashioned or Victorian. Beatrice, maybe, but not Beaty. I think you're okay.

I have hell finding names. With my main characters it's usually fine, I just name them whatever I feel suits who they are. I never try and overthink names because if I was left to be picky with names they would literally all be named after the Beckham's children. Every character, in every novel. Yikes.

My issue is naming secondary characters because I like them to be socially and culturally relevant but I don't want them to stand out too much. I find that process agonising.

jimbro · May 18, 2013

One of the MCs in my books is named Brenda. The second book in the series takes place in 1822. During Beta and various critiques, it was pointed out that 'Brenda' was a very modern-sounding name.

This created a problem. I couldn't change the name (for reasons I can't go into here), but the criticisms were valid. I got very lucky. One of the first references to that name in print (possibly the very first) was a book by Sir Walter Scott, The Pirate. Published in 1822.

Amazingly lucky coincidence. Dodged a bullet with that one.

julie_a_w · May 20, 2013

I like the names. I think you should keep them.

Bufty · May 20, 2013

Nothing wrong with Beatrice or Harland.

Rumplestiltskin is okay, too. :snoopy:

What gets up folk's noses are dreamed-up names with crackpot spellings that can barely be read yet alone pronounced.

kyocrisis · May 20, 2013

I like the names that you have, they sound realistic and I wouldn't be distracted.

Besides I know someone named Beatriz anyway (close right?) so it's not that odd to me.

The fantasy WIP I'm working on now has some unusual names, but they are based in Norse language which ties into the story. I tried to use ones that would be easier to pronounce though so as not to annoy the reader. That said, there are still characters with names that are more 'normal.'

jaksen · May 20, 2013

You know what (female) names sound old to me?

Emma, my grandmother, born 1903.
Alice, her sister, born 1909
Esther, Sophie and Hannah, all elderly aunts or cousins.
Evelyn, my mother's name.

Now, check out the latest kindergarten classroom, or popular baby names. You'll find them all, even Esther. (I know two friends with granddaughters by that name.) And Evelyn. (My daughter works in corporate daycare and has cared for two babies, Evelyn and Eveline.)

Names come and go, what sounds old today is youngish tomorrow. I had an aunt once tell me she named her daughter Doris as it sounded so modern and bright. (Doris was born in 1940.) She said she had considered 'Emily' but it was too old-fashioned. Yeah, in 1940 it sounded that way. Maybe.

Use the name that is right for your character - and I think it's great that Harland sort of named himself. I love it when that happens.

writerjohnb · May 20, 2013

Your names are fine. But I'd like to take the conversation in a more general direction. Sometimes the names can help make the characters less cardboard. At first, I used just any old name: Brad Wilson, Tony Fuentes, Jenny Bailey, etc. But then I got more creative.

I have a character who is Native American and battles Native American supernatural villains. His full name is Hubert Avenging Shadow Fletcher. This is a common way that tribes set up their names. In his case, Hubert is because his shaman grandmother was a great fan of Hubert Humphrey, the middle names are his "tribal name" and Fletcher comes from a scottish ancestor because Scotsmen who were banished to America by Britain often ended up marrying native-american women. And "fletcher" refers to the making of arrows. Do you see how much back-story I got out of that name? It was fun to research, too. In the novel, he goes by "Shadow" because he hates being called Hubert.

Another character is a native boy on an Tinian Island in the South Pacific. He is an orphan, found as a baby, alive and alone in a canoe, and his adoptive mother calls him "Tedtaotao" or "Ted," which means "He who has no people" in the Chamorro language.

It all comes down to every "rule" about writing, it depends on the novel you're writing.

Take care,

JohnB

quicklime · May 20, 2013

those aren't as bad as when you have improbable faux names...I have a horrible time reading past something like "Obsidian Nightbayne" without snickering or mentally imagining myself throwing the book at the author's crotch

yours I'd forgive and plow through

kyocrisis · May 20, 2013

quicklime said:
those aren't as bad as when you have improbable faux names...I have a horrible time reading past something like "Obsidian Nightbayne" without snickering or mentally imagining myself throwing the book at the author's crotch

yours I'd forgive and plow through

Oh god is that ever annoying.
I wouldn't read that lol.

The character names in my novel so far:
Signe
Amund
Eira
Elias

With all but Elias taken from the Norse language.
Not too odd I hope, no one has mentioned anything bad about them so far.

Sonsofthepharaohs · May 20, 2013

Bufty said:
What gets up folk's noses are dreamed-up names with crackpot spellings that can barely be read yet alone pronounced.

Uh oh... I can't do much about mine, as they're historical, but people do seem to have a lickle bit of trouble pronouncing Djehuty, Bakwerel, Yamunedj, Towosret, or Nefretnosretnekhtyamun....

No, I'm not kidding about the last one

quicklime said:
I have a horrible time reading past something like "Obsidian Nightbayne" without snickering or mentally imagining myself throwing the book at the author's crotch

It's ok, I can take anything aimed at my crutch - just don't mess up my hair

SevasTra82 · May 20, 2013

I've learned as I have been planning my book(s) is that names can be a very tricky animal to successfully tackle. There are literally thousands of names out there, and all with different backgrounds, history, etc behind them. It got to the point where it was just simply too difficult to just "stick with" names from a specific time period.

I personally cannot stand names that have hyphens, apostrophes etc in them. Names like that get ridiculous. Honestly, how can someone relate to a character names "namerel'awser-rhor" ?? They can't, and it's extremely hard to constantly pronounce them over and over.

I have about 350 or so characters (so far) in my book, and all of them have normal sounding names from across many different backgrounds. I don't tie certain names to certain backgrounds. I just use names that I think fit the character.

kyocrisis · May 20, 2013

SevasTra82 said:
I've learned as I have been planning my book(s) is that names can be a very tricky animal to successfully tackle. There are literally thousands of names out there, and all with different backgrounds, history, etc behind them. It got to the point where it was just simply too difficult to just "stick with" names from a specific time period.

I personally cannot stand names that have hyphens, apostrophes etc in them. Names like that get ridiculous. Honestly, how can someone relate to a character names "namerel'awser-rhor" ?? They can't, and it's extremely hard to constantly pronounce them over and over.

I have about 350 or so characters (so far) in my book, and all of them have normal sounding names from across many different backgrounds. I don't tie certain names to certain backgrounds. I just use names that I think fit the character.

Kind of unrelated but that seems like a ridiculous number.
I don't even think the bible has that many characters.

~~jk I think it does but really.~~

NeuroFizz · May 20, 2013

If you write a damn good story, the reader will likely not care what you name your characters.

I have trouble with names in two instances: when the spelling makes the names impossible to (mentally)pronounce, and when it is obvious the writer tried way too hard to be artistically clever in selecting a name with some special meaning for the story. For some reason, the former trips me up when reading, and the second one makes me do an eye-roll each time the name comes up.

Reziac · May 20, 2013

jaksen said:
Esther, Sophie and Hannah, all elderly aunts or cousins.

Did you steal my aunts and cousins? I have (well, had) three by the same names!

UndergoingMitosis · May 20, 2013

I don't think Beaty and Harland are terribly offensive. I think it's good to give your MC's name a bit of flair so people remember it.

I have a novel full of fairly common names from the 1920s...and then I named one guy Nixby. He's an exceptional man with an exceptional name

I haven't had any complaints from betas on his name yet.

JoNightshade · May 20, 2013

Personally I appreciate it when female characters, specifically, have unusual or completely new names. There are a crapton of original cool male names throughout English literature, but I feel like the same generic female names get used for EVERYTHING. Even in SF.

(And yes, this came up during our baby naming attempts. Plenty of cool historic/literary male names that are unusual and/or rarely used, but girls? Same ones over and over. Ugh. I find myself hoping that in the future parents will have plenty of awesome female protagonists from which to mine baby names.)

Honest Bill · May 20, 2013

I feel it depends on your genre. But either way you don't want your names to be the thing that stands out.

In a contemporary setting, if i saw old fashioned names like Harland and Beatrice, i might roll my eyes, but they are not distracting enough that they would make me put the book down or anything.

Actually i think too many writers give their protagonists names they feel are pretty and unique and i'd say it's incredibly common for them to have old fashioned names in a contemporary setting. I don't know whay people like doing it so much, and it always irks me slightly, but as i said, only slightly. I don't recall ever throwing a book down in disgust because someone had an old fashioned name.

Having said that, if i picked up something at the bookshop and the character was named something like 'Obsidian Nightbayne.' I would actually just put it back on the shelf and move on. And that's not a joke or an exaggeration, i genuinely would.

I know it's often said that names aren't important, but they're not totally irrelevant either.

What i'm saying is, Harland or Beaty wouldn't really be a sticking point for me, but they might be for others. And if you really want my opinion, i'd name Harland something more contemporary. Is there really any reason they need old fashioned names? Is it important to the plot? If it isn't, then it is just authorial whimsy.

JBClemmens · May 20, 2013

I'm reading the Squirrel that Dreamt of Madness and the MC named Colososs gives long welsh weird names to some of the people he meets and authors names like Jeffrey Archer to trees. But the names fit the authors style. On the other hand I just reviewed a cozy mystery where the MC was Cyrinda and I cringed every time I read it.

Nawlins · May 20, 2013

I agree with what others have said. The names you mention are fine.

Made up names? Names with goofy spellings? I won't read those books. All I need to see is a Syntntheya or other name with 'author-generated' spelling and I begin to twitch, muttering. It may please the author, but it trivializes the work to me. After 22 years as a teacher, I've seen lots of 'creative' spellings of names that were the result not so much of creativity as simple inability to read and spell well; when I see one in a published work, it ruins the work for me.

I'm sure there are people who appreciate made-up names and spellings, but I suspect they won't pass up a book with an 'Emma' (my fave name) or a 'Matthew.' I, however, will drop a book at the first glimpse of a FMC named 'Emmaleannshatina" or whatever the heck, lol. (Or 'Apple' or 'Blue Ivy' or 'Roofing Nail' for that matter.)

That said, we all have our preferences, and I'm sure there are women somewhere thinking, "Syntheeya! Oh, that's so much better than Cynthia."

Honest Bill · May 20, 2013

Nawlins said:
I, however, will drop a book at the first glimpse of a FMC named 'Emmaleannshatina" or whatever the heck, lol. (Or 'Apple' or 'Blue Ivy' or 'Roofing Nail' for that matter.)

Well there goes my entire cast-list... Oh well back to the drawing board.

Character Names

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Where have the last ten years gone?

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