Writers often agonize over what to name a new
character, wanting it to suggest something about the person’s personality and
their part in the plot.
Over the years, I’ve heard/read much advice
about naming characters: If writing historical fiction, make sure the name was
in use during the time period. Don’t
give all your characters names that rhyme or start with the same letter. For modern times, use the names that were
popular during the time the person would’ve been born.
The popularity of names changes along with the
years. For the last few years, parents
are giving their newborns older names. In my own family we have an Ethan,
Emily, Olivia, Madeline, Eleanor, Priscilla and recently I saw a newborn given
the name, Genevieve.
Biblical names have always been popular such as
Matthew, Mark, Luke and John—but some of the Old Testament names are also
finding favor like Jeremiah, Asher, Adriel, Julius, and Abigail. And of course,
Adam, Nathan and Nathaniel are still popular.
In my own family we have some of those names
I’ve already mentioned, but on the more unusual side we have girls named Aria,
Aleena, Avyanna and Khloe.
When I was naming my own children I thought naming
my first daughter Dana, after a Russian ice skater was so clever, only to find
a few years later that many others gave their daughters the same name.
The Internet has made it so much easier to find
the names for a character. You can look up ethnic names, what names mean, and
even unusual names. But you still have
to choose the one you think fits your character best.
When I was trying to choose a name for a Native
American heroine, I used my great-grandmother’s name, Tempe Crabtree. No, she
wasn’t Indian, but the name sounded right to me. Because I live in an area
similar to the setting for the Tempe Crabtree series, for names of new
characters, I often pick names from graduation programs, finding a first name
or last that sounds like the person I’m going to depict.
Do any of you have other ideas for choosing
names for characters in your books?
Tangled Webs Blurb: Too many people are telling lies: The
husband of the murder victim and his secretary, the victim’s boss and
co-workers in the day care center, her stalker, and Detective Milligan’s
daughter.
Marilyn Meredith is
the author of many published novels, including the award-winning Deputy Tempe
Crabtree mystery series, the latest A Cold Death from Mundania Press,
and coming soon, Spirit Winds. Writing as F. M. Meredith, her latest Rocky Bluff P.D. crime novel
is Tangled
Webs, from Aakenbaaken &Kent. She
once lived in a beach town much like Rocky Bluff. She has many friends and
relatives in law enforcement. She’s a member of MWA, two chapters of Sisters in
Crime and serves on the board of Public Safety Writers Association.
I use various school and church directories for surnames, plus the Sunday obit page.
ReplyDeleteSometimes characters spring to mind, already with a name they would not let you change, and other times, I have to do some research to select an appropriate name. Your suggestions are helpful.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for hosting me today. I had fun writing the post.
ReplyDeleteNames are so important. I develop tics with them. Suddenly I'll realize: why is does every character in this novel's name begin with D? Or end with A? Fine tuning characters can mean fine tuning names, so it's all part of the process.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tips, Marilyn. I got so desperate for names of minor characters, that I began taking names off reference books on my shelf and signatories from certificates and diplomas on my wall. I also tried to include ethnic names. After years of working on my manuscript, I ended up changing my main characters' names. Hard to do, but the new names work better.
ReplyDeleteThis was very interesting. I named my first born son John because it was my father's name and I liked the name. My 2nd son was named Joe because when I was a teenager there was a song that had Joey in the title. Then I named my third child Susan sort of after my sister Suzanne, and then my fourth child Mary Elizabeth because I liked the name. As for the characters in my books or stories I just pick out something I think fits and isn't a repeat of any of my other characters. Sometimes it's just a name I pick out of my newspaper.
ReplyDeleteI've always enjoyed choosing my characters' names. Thank you all for commenting! I appreciate it.
ReplyDeleteI try to pick names that suit the character, but in general I use fairly common names that I feel the reader can relate to. Great post, Marilyn, as usual.
ReplyDeleteI'm with you, Marilyn. I have fun choosing character names. When I hear or read a real-life name that I like, I jot it down for future use. Also, I sometimes use names of people I know (with permission) and they get a kick out of the character fashioned out of the name. I love the Tempe Crabtree name and the mysteries! Great post.
ReplyDeleteGreat info, Marilyn. Being of Italian heritage, I tend to use Italian names. My protagonist in my SFPD Inspector series four of my books is Vince Torelli, and in my stand alone supernatural thriller, he is Nico Guardino. I enjoy reading your blogs!
ReplyDelete