I’ve mentioned my problems with names before, regarding the main character in Don’t Stop Beleivin’. I resolved that issue, but it was a pain to discover it when I did. I decided that I wouldn’t wait that long to check character names again.
I’m only a chapter or so into The Fire Inside, and I’m still developing characters, so I figured it was time to start checking names. I had already realized that I had three main female characters whose names began with “M,” so I’ve fixed that. Margaret became Gloria, and I think she’ll be okay there.
I had named my murder victim Tony Baron, because that’s what popped into my head. He seemed like a Tony, and I may have been eating pizza at the time. Then I Googled “Tony Baron” and realized the issue I might have. I suspected the real Tony Baron wouldn’t appreciate being depicted as a philanderer, even if I had the “standard fiction disclaimer.”
Then I Googled one girl’s boyfriend. Turns out there are two NFL players with the same name. Great.
I’ve got several name helps bookmarked, including the Fake Name Generator and this great piece from Elizabeth Sims at Writer’s Digest. Appellation Mountain has an interesting section called “Name Stories,” where parents talk about why they chose the name they did.
I’ve already got a named cast of fourteen, and still need at least half a dozen more. Some can come from Fake Name Generator without much trouble, since they’ll only be around for a page or two – what gamers call NPCs, or Non-Player Characters. I’ll still Google them though. But there’s plenty of work still to do with the rest of them.
What do you do for name research and tracking? Got any favorite sites? Any helpful routines to develop your characters’ names or histories?
4 Comments
I long ago started a file of names – male, female, last, nicknames, and first and last combinations. When I need a name, I just pull up my file and go through it. I don’t worry too much about real people with the name I choose because, unless you go way out there naming a character, odds are someone somewhere will have the name you pick.
You have to, however, temper it with some common sense. I’d never name a female character Cindy Crawford or a male Tim Tebow for obvious reasons unless the real Cindy or Tim appeared in my story. And that’s about as likely to happen as me displacing Michael Connelly on the bestseller list.
I seem to recall starting a file like that once upon a time. And I created an Excel spreadsheet that would create a name combination for me. But I’ve gotten to where I don’t like the random combos any more, and I like to put some thought into naming most of my characters. And I used to pick up cool last names when I was doing the funeral gig.
Hmm. Where is that file?
Hey there Bob,
Glad that article has been helpful to you– & thanks for mentioning it to your followers. I’m writing a new novel now, so have been creating a bunch of names. I have an old baby name book I always seem to start with, then I often think of what descent the character might be, and that helps me get started on a last name.
First names are by feel of the character, but as I write historical fiction, I like to research the last names common to the region at that time, unless there is a backstory that they came from elsewhere. I like unusual names for my MC; Valentia, Theodosia, Reginald, Eamonn.