writrs:

Choosing a name for your character seems like a simple task, but can actually be quite complicated and difficult most of the time. It’s one of those early stumpers that can slow your writing process if you aren’t prepared for it.

Sometimes I worry that I’m doing too much research and that my names are to literal, but then I remember that JK Rowling named her werewolf character Remus Lupin: Remus after mythological Remus and Romulus (the founding brothers of Rome) who were raised by wolves… and Lupin deriving from Latin for “wolf” or Canus Lupus. Which is pretty literal, and it worked for her!

Research Tools

Two of my favorite naming tools are Wikipedia and BabyNames.com. 

Wikipedia is a great way to find mythological and historical names as well as Latin root words to help you create names for fantasy or period pieces.

Any form of baby name database or book is a great way to find modern names. I especially like BabyNames.com because they have a search function that allows you to search names by nationality and meaning.

Naming Tips

-Make sure when you say your characters name aloud you can get a feel for their personality. Make sure the name is a good fit. You may just choose a name you really like without getting much into the character development only to realize that the name just doesn’t feel right for the character anymore once you really figure them out.

-The name should tell something about the character. It doesn’t have to be very outwardly obvious, but if you can come up with a clear characteristic or description that the name follows through on it may help you stay true to that characters personality throughout the life of the story.

-Choose names that are age, period, and genre appropriate. If you are writing a modern young adult novel you’re not going to want to base all of your characters names on Norse gods, whereas if you’re writing a fantasy or sci-fi novel it wouldn’t be fitting to name everyone “Joey,” “Mike” and “Kimberly.” 

-Even if you are writing a futuristic or other-worldly piece try not to make the names so bizzarre that they are difficult to pronounce. It can quickly distract from the flow of the story if the reader has to try and decode the main characters name every other sentence.

-For minor characters you can use things like street names, names from movie credits, that name you just always thought was really cool. Since their personalities don’t have as massive an influence on your plot, minor characters can be easier to just choose a name first and then develop a personality from there.

Other Helpful Things

There are some more really great tips for writers on the babynames website as well! You will probably see some similarities to my list because like I said, it is one of my favorite resources for this task. But if you would like a few more in depth examples you can find those here: http://www.babynames.com/character-names.php

Overall I’d say the point of this post is that it is good to do a bit of research before naming characters. So if you have an idea for your story already you should try to take an hour or so either today or tomorrow to start looking into some names before you begin NaNo on the 1st!

Happy Writing and Good Luck!
-Camille