Naming characters for a novel or short story is sometimes tricky. Finding fictional character names that suit characters’ personalities or carry apt connotations is rewarding, though. Here are 5 steps to choose a great character name:
Character names from classic literature teach us useful lessons in how to choose fitting or even clever names for characters. Many of Shakespeare’s plays, for example, contain aptly named characters.
, for example, the shipwrecked Viola dresses as a boy to live incognito in the Dukedom of Illyria. The name ‘Viola’ is fitting for multiple reasons. For one, music is a running theme throughout the play (the opening line being ‘If music be the food of love, play on.’) Further, the viola in the string instrument family resembles a violin but is bigger and deeper in range than a violin but smaller and higher than a cello. This in-between character is a good parallel for Viola’s in-between gender performance as she pretends to be male in order to find opportunities that would otherwise be denied to her.
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To find a fitting name, think about each character’s arc and any story detail that might supply a fitting or clever name.
Name meanings often supply useful underscoring for character developments.The name ‘Felix’, for example, comes from a Roman cognomen (the third part of a Roman name), meaning ‘lucky’ or ‘successful’. This would be a fitting name, then, for a character whose story arc shows him rising to success with the help of great luck.
Additionally, if you want to find a pen name to use as a pseudonym when sharing your fiction, Invaluable has a fun pen name generator here.
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Cultures throughout the world have many fascinating naming traditions. In Sweden, for example, patronymic surnames based on the father’s first name became permanent family names in the 19th Century (for example ‘Karlsson’ or ‘Karl’s Son’).
In England, Germany and other countries, surnames based on professions are also common. Because sons often followed in their fathers’ footsteps professionally, occupational surnames (Smith, Potter, Baker or Hawker) often stuck. A surname can thus suggest your character’s ancestral history. Tom Sawyer in Huck Finn would have come from a woodcutter lineage– a fitting name for a child who spends most of his time adventuring in the outdoors.
Genre does have some impact on choosing character names. In a category romance, you’re not likely to find a name like fantasy author Tolkien’s creation, ‘Galadriel’. Romance novels typically favour standard names that suggest desirable traits in lovers: Sophistication, strength, beauty, cuteness, and so forth. The diminutive-sounding ‘Allie’ of the female lead of Nicholas Sparks’
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Tolkien, with his background in linguistics, was a master of highlighting his characters’ different backgrounds and group belongings via their names. The British, ‘ordinary’ first and last names of the hobbits from the Shire (‘Sam’; ‘Baggins’) contrast with the more mythical, elevated-sounding names of the wizards, for example (‘Gandalf’; ‘Saruman’).
In literary fiction and theatre, we often find names that give clues to a character’s personality or fate (for example, the masculine Jo March in
To find names fitting your genre, rifle through some of your favourite novels and look at the names authors give. Take notes. Are they standard, common names, or more obviously invented? If they seem fitting, why? Apply the insights you gain from this exercise to your own character naming.
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If you’re stuck for good surnames, a public phone directory is a useful, alphabetically arranged source. Open your phone directoryto a random page and read whatever name your finger lands on. Make a list of last names that capture your attention.
Besides using physical resources to find names, try using online name generators and combining different results. This name generator lets you choose how many given names to include (first and/or middle and/or last), along with the gender and national origin of the name – useful for naming a multicultural story’s cast.
Want to create interesting characters with complex backgrounds and imaginative detail? Use the ‘Character’ section of the Idea Finder on Now Novel to sketch and prepare your story’s cast.
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Jordan is a writer, editor, community manager and product developer. He received his BA Honours in English Literature and his undergraduate in English Literature and Music from the University of Cape Town.But if you want to find the perfect name for a character in your book or short story, you need to be selective.
If you rush it and choose any random character name, you might fail to get your readers to connect with your story and characters.
When you are selecting possible names, always make a list of at least five or six possibilities. Think about how each name works in conjunction with the other names in your story.
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You can use your imagination, try anagrams, or even Scrabble letters. But for many writers, it’s easier to use a free online tool and let it go to work for you.
The tool has a database of over a million names, so you are sure to find one that’s just right for you.
But it has been around for a long time and has some useful features. You can set a title, gender, nationality, and even date of birth.
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There’s nothing fancy at all on this site. But as the name says on the box, Random Name Generator does just that.
You can choose “Generate Life Story, ” and you will get a short character bio you can use to profile your new character.
You’ll find just about any topic you can imagine, from cats and dog names to Star Wars names and elves and dwarfs.
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The site is a bit slow, but if you are patient, you might find a gem of a name for your fiction project.
If you are writing in the paranormal or dystopian genres, does the name suit the time, place, and perhaps even the story’s weirdness?
If you get it right, you will enhance your story and engage your readers more easily. But if you get it wrong, an ill-fitting name can become an annoyance.
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Take your time and use all the tools at your fingertips to prepare a list of possibilities. Ask your friends what they think to get some feedback.
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Naming Characters: 5 Steps To Find Character Names
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Ideas For Creating Cool Character Names:amazon.com:appstore For Android
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.Coming up with a great name for your characters is one of the hardest tasks you’ll ever complete as a fiction writer. The weight of that responsibility can often paralyze writers.
On one hand, you don’t want to saddle your characters with ordinary, pedestrian names. The right name can help you explore a character’s personality. The right name can help the reader easily identify each character.
On the other hand, going too “creative” with your name choices can distract or even confuse your reader. The wrong name can take the reader out of the story and cause him or her to question why you, the author, made such an inane choice. The wrong name can force the reader to backtrack in an attempt to remember who’s who.
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Sometimes, you’ll know the name of the character before you know much anything else. Other times, you’ll know everything about the character except for his or her name. This guide is for the other times.
There are a lot of Mary’s in the world, which is precisely why your novel may need one. In creating the
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