Naming Characters

Research

When does you work take place? A well-chosen name can reveal a character’s age and time period. Using names that are specific or believable for the setting and time period will make the reader that much more willing to suspend their disbelief. A name that does not fit the setting or the time period runs the risk of throwing the reader out of the story completely.

The same rules apply for using names that are culturally sound. There’s plenty of information on the web. You can try baby name websites to find origins and popularity of names. You can also try flipping through old year books or encyclopedias to generate ideas.

Phonetic Names

These are names that sound like something else or remind us of another word. Where ironic names (discussed next) are explicit, these names hint at character personality and room for development. For example, part of why I chose the name Fana (pronounced “Fah-na”) for my leopard protagonist in Falling Storm is because it sounds similar to the word “fawn”. Associating Fana with the word fawn suggests a comparison: Fana to a fawn. Therefore, one can assume that Fana is delicate, young, innocent, and cannot take care of herself. For most of the book, this is true but as she grows as a character and gains experience, she becomes almost the complete opposite of a fawn.

Ironic Names

These names are going to be rather on-the-nose so you’re not going to want to overuse them in your work. It’d be ironic if the man called “Ethan Justice” turned out to be a serial killer. A name that is the opposite of its meaning in some way.

Connotative Names

These names are also suggesting something but without as much of a clue or hint as phonetic names. These names tell us something just because of what they are. Arthur Pemberton is a character I just made up. What would you guess by reading or hearing this name? Arthur Pemberton sounds like he could be a fussy English lord or a rich man who likes to stroll around on hunts that are more about showing off his wealth than the game.

Yes, that’s a lot of assumptions and depending on where the writer took the plot the assumptions could be wrong. Maybe the author chose that name to prove a point then? Compare the long name ‘Arthur Pemberton’ to the crisp, clean ‘Rick Fields’ (another made-up name for the purpose of the exercise.). Rick Fields sure sounds like they could be a hard-working family-man, don’t they? Much simpler than the fussy Arthur Pemberton. Those are the assumptions, right or wrong, one may make when encountering a character’s name for the first time. And it should always be the purposeful and intended reaction cultivated by the author choosing this name.

Meaning

Make sure you research the root meanings of the names your considering for your character. Even if a reader is not aware of them or potentially doesn’t really care, it can still make a difference in how you see your character. The meaning of a name may even pertain to how a character interacts with the plot and setting around them.

Takeaways

1. An author should always choose a name for a reason. There should be purpose behind their actions. If a name is chosen because it feels right that’s fine, just make sure you research that name first. The name Sierra for a 1930s schoolteacher might feel right to you but that doesn’t mean that name was common or even likely in that era.

2. Remember that it’s alright to break the rules, as long as you have a good reason to do so. Does a character’s strange name tie into the plot, explain why they’re oddball out with no friends? Whatever the reason you can definitely use an uncommon or unlikely name for a character but make sure you have a reason and don’t overdo it. Limit the strange, out-of-time-period names to one, maybe two, per work.

3. Some will advise you that only children’s book authors get away with using personality-revealing names, like naming a superhero “Hero” or a villain “Evil” for very obvious examples, by rule of thumb. I do not believe this. You can write a wonderful book using on-the-nose personality-revealing names no matter the genre as long as you have a reason for using such names. Make sure that you are using such names with purpose and thought.