What Is in a (Character's) Name? -

By Janine Mick Wills

What is in a name? Would a rose smell as sweet if it was called a potato?

There’s no sweeter sound than the utterance of one’s name. The same is true for your characters. Finding their perfect name can be a labor of love or a drudgery beyond compare, but it’s imperative and one of the first things you consider when beginning your story.

Here are a few things to consider when naming your character:

1. Use variety. Don’t have a Mary, a Mary Ellen, and a Marty in your story. It can confuse your reader and even yourself at times. Plus, it makes your word search more complicated. Aim for names that either begin with different letters or different sounds.

2. Research the name. I called one of my characters “Meghan” for several months, thinking the more formal spelling would fit a lady from 1903. I found out Meghan is a modern English variation, which made it inappropriate for my story. I did more research and settled for Madeline or Maddie, for short. It took time to get used to calling this character by a new name. I could have saved myself the effort with research before I named her.

3. Be aware of proper surnames. Yes, your homeless man can have the last name of Davenport or your Regent lord may sport the last name Jones, but only as an oddity or to add humor. Again, don’t confuse your reader by giving names that would not fit your character and the time period in which they live.

4. Buy a Baby Name book. You can usually find one at almost every yard sale. Many of them give the etymology and historical origin of each name. I also use The Writer’s Digest “Character Naming Sourcebook.” This gem also lists first names by country, which is helpful.

5. Be careful of stereotypes. Again, I plead guilty. When I wrote my series TEXAS TREASURES, I named my outlaw Slim Tucker. A stereotype for sure unless he was to be obese, which would have added levity. Don’t get too far from the norm or each time your reader comes across the name, he may conjure up someone else.

6. Don’t forget euphonics. Euphonics is the way a word sounds aggregable to its cause. What name sounds better for a shy, English miss of the nineteenth century – Elizabeth or Gretta? The word Elizabeth is not only well-known for that period, but it also slips off the tongue in a soft manner which reiterates your character’s personality. The “gr” of Gretta is a guttural sound that works better with a character who is gruff or possibly a hard-working servant.

7. Pick a name that indicates your character’s personality or a characteristic. This might not be as evident as it was in Bible names given to indicate a person’s character or one of his characteristics (Consider Esau – “hairy,” Jacob – “supplanter,” and Moses – “to pull out from the water”). But you can use that to your advantage or a subtle hint for your reader.

8. Consider the period of which you’re writing. This holds particularly true for Bible times (Note Luke 1:60-63), the Middle Ages, and the 18th and 19th centuries. Offspring during these times were often named after a parent, grandparent, or another relative. Be sure to differentiate your characters from one another, so the reader can tell them apart (i.e. Junior or Senior, Kegan the Great or Kegan the Lesser, though IMO, the latter can still prove confusing).

9. Be careful using common, popular, infamous, or well-known names. Don’t expect your reader to fall in love with your heroine if her name is Jezebel or give a Presidential candidate the last name Lincoln (Unless you plan to show how hard he campaigns to live up to that name, or how his name is an antithesis—he was a closet racist).

10. Don’t pick complicated names. Don’t forget you will be typing them again and again, and it might also cause your reader to pause each time she reads it. Be honest. Would you like to type “Euryanassa” over and over? (And yes, that is a Latin female name). Only use an uncommon name if it furthers your story (i.e. a poor child who can’t live up to his name).

11. Don’t forget the genre of which you’re writing. This also bears relevance to your characters’ names. You wouldn’t find Darth Vader in a Western novel (unless time travel was involved) or Little Missy Pennewell in a horror story (unless you are stretching the macabre).

These are only a few ideas to help when picking names for your characters. Search the local library (Do people still use those?) or the Internet for more help. Now, get busy and go name those characters!