How do you folks go about the process of figuring out what to name your characters?
How do you folks go about the process of figuring out what to name your characters?
How do you folks go about the process of figuring out what to name your characters?
I use one of several random name generators. I try to keep first names unique if possible, so not nearly so many Johns and Marys as in a normal distribution.
https://randomwordgenerator.com/name.php
http://www.listofrandomnames.com/index.cfm?generated
https://www.fakenamegenerator.com/
I use a mix of inspiration and random name generators.
Out of random name generators, this is my favorite: https://www.behindthename.com/random/
Main characters, if at all possible, I create their names myself.
Secondary characters I use:
https://www.fantasynamegenerators.com/
Lots of different nationalities as well as fantasy characters.
Aside from my female lead, who always has the same name, I give 'em a temporary name (or for one-offs just write NAME1), and as I write/edit/revise I'll revisit names till I settle on the right ones. Sometimes I'll scan through lists if I need a name from a specific language/culture, or if I need a unisex name. I've never found random generators useful to my process.
I give 'em a temporary name (or for one-offs just write NAME1), and as I write/edit/revise I'll revisit names
In the early days of my writing, I used to choose short temporary names like Joe and Sue for speed of typing. The intention was that, when I was done writing the story, I would do a global find/replace with the real names (which were typically longer and often easy to misspell). But that never worked. I grew to know the characters by their "temporary" names and didn't change them.
Sometimes the temporary name sticks, sometimes a character will get three or four name changes before I'm done. More than once, I've had a character change names during final proofreading. I've never found a pattern for this.
More than once, I've had a character change names during final proofreading.
That's nothing compared to the agonising many parents go through when choosing their kids' names. And I'm sure many readers will disagree with whatever your choices.
On the other hand, some authors chose their characters' names very lightly and I've found myself thinking that no sane parents would actually call their two children X and Y, where saying "X and Y" out loud is horribly discordant.
AJ
X and Y
X may be a little discordant, but I think there are some singers or other stars that use it, but Andy is perfectly fine. X Andy would be ok, I think. Maybe it could be used in Xmas, someone like Christmas Eve or Christmas Adam would be able to use X for Xmas. Adam came before Eve so since December 24th is Christmas Eve then the 23rd is Christmas Adam.
Sigh... Men often do... :(
But Christmas Eve comes on December 24th and the evening of December 25th - not many men are multi-orgasmic :-(
AJ
Huh...???
"Christmas Eve" can have two meanings. Both the Evening before Christmas, and the Evening of Christmas.
And with the wordplay, Eve "cums" on the 24th and 25th both.
the Evening of Christmas.
Never seen or heard that before.
So it seems AJ isn't as far into dementia is it appeared.
:)
"Christmas Eve" can have two meanings. Both the Evening before Christmas, and the Evening of Christmas.
I've always heard it differently with Eve as the night before and Evening was the night of the day.
And with the wordplay, Eve "cums" on the 24th and 25th both.
It's not just Eve who 'cums' at Christmas. On December 24th Santa comes down your chimney and on December 25th everyone comes all over Happy.
everyone comes all over Happy.
So your kink is dwarf bukake..?
Statistically speaking, six out of seven dwarves aren't happy.
At first Snow White felt bashful bathing with the dwarves, but once she got used to it she felt happy, he got out so she felt grumpy, all of that tired her out so she felt sleepy.
Also, Snow White claimed to have invented 7up.
More topically, sneezy died of Covid, as did Doc. Dopey thinks Covid is a plot to allow lizards to take over the world.
It's not just Eve who 'cums' at Christmas. On December 24th Santa comes down your chimney and on December 25th everyone comes all over Happy.
They also jump for Joy.
We were really annoyed that we had to provide a name for the adoption paperwork before we met the wee one. We spent days going through name lists, building a long list, winnowing it down to a short list, etc.
Way more effort than for any character.
I could have suggested it, but I have this curious attachment to continuing to live.
(Neither of us wanted to use a name already used by one of our MCs. It just feels too squicky for both of us.)
Some of my characters have specific names for a reason, but most of my characters fall into two groups: people born in the late 1930's-early 1940's (parents, teachers, etc) and people both in the 1960s to maybe 1970 (fellow students and their siblings).
So, I pulled up historical common-name charts and work through those, picking a random name and marking it with green (very short-term use), yellow (short-term but may recur), and red (definitely recurring). Same with last names.
A fair number of characters have names not on the list, but they either pre-date the list system or they're someone who needed a more unique name.
I use a variety of methods based on the intended characteristics of the character. Where ethnic origin is important I use a suitable ethnic name. many of the bad people are named after real people I know who are like the character, but I rarely have the story characters as bad as the real individuals. In these cases I do mess with the name a little to avoid legal issues so they can't be immediately identified by others.
I've tried random name generators, but I've never used any of the names that showed up. I have used lists: most common girls' names in India. Most common surnames in Russian. If I wanted to make the character fit an ethnicity.
The most important thing for me is that the names don't step on each other's toes. No Amys and Ambers in the same story. Once I read a story on MCstories.com called the Jilliad. There was a Mark, Marcus, and Marcia. Which wasn't as bad as the Elsie and Elise that showed up later. Ew.
Some stories I grabbed a theme, such as stealing from Totally Spies for Blizzard, Nirvana for Magic is Gross, or spelling out the word HAUNT for Shelter In Place on Haunted Hill and picking a name for each letter.
I try not to use the same starting letter, and if I do, I like to use different numbers of syllables for each name. Dean and Dashawn (Monkey Wrench). Even they are a bit too close to me. Starting and ending with the same letter, having the same number of letters, or names that would sound similar if spoken aren't good.
Gene and Jean don't share visual conflicts, but I still wouldn't put them both in the same story, unless that was a plot point.
I like blander names for protagonists and I like names I find unattractive for women. Though I haven't gone all of the way yet. Gerardine is the most unattractive woman's name I've ever encountered. I've known two Morags.
And still, I break my rules, for superhero names I have Heartwood and Headwind. Heartwood becomes Witchwood, Ironwood, Deadwood, so I clear that up eventually. That's only because I noticed my fuck up a couple years later and had to dive deep into Heartwood's planned story arc and evolve the character.
So yeah, how do I name my characters: thinking too much on the topic and making sure what could be a minute and change gets extended out for a solid 5 hours.
I have three Daves, but it's a (minor) plot point that they all have the same name, and all three are peripheral characters whose last name is used when they get mentioned.
I have two Helens, but, while one is a fairly major character, she's usually 'Mom', and the other is an aunt. Again, minor plot point that their mother and aunt have the same name.
Aside from that, most characters have distinct names, though I worry less about stepping on toes. I don't think I have too many serious name collisions, though a couple might have been better thought out in retrospect.
I have two Helens, but, while one is a fairly major character, she's usually 'Mom', and the other is an aunt. Again, minor plot point that their mother and aunt have the same name.
Reminds me of The Kids in The Hall:
30 Helens agree "Tattoos aren't for everyone."
30 Helens agree "Cole Slaw deserves another chance."
29 Helens agree "Punctuality is important."
Characters with the same name as a plot point are excellent to play with. Even in the small way of The Terminator going through the phone book and killing Sarah Connorses.
The most important thing for me is that the names don't step on each other's toes.
See, that's something I really don't care that much about, because how often in real life do we know multiple people with the same first name? It's not that big of a deal, and I think it makes the story more true to life.
About like going to a family get-together a few years ago and hollering for Michael. There were four of them - and two of them even had the same last name.
There were four of them - and two of them even had the same last name.
Please tell me they were twins.
:)
See, that's something I really don't care that much about, because how often in real life do we know multiple people with the same first name?
All of the time. I was Neal, I had a Neil on my soccer team, a different Neil in most of my high school classes, a third in judo, a fourth in art, and a new one when I went into engineering. I eventually worked out the code that A for authentic, I for impostor.
In real life, let names be shared. I know 9 different Ryan MacDonalds, all born between 1981 and 1985. But stories shouldn't be true to life, they should be hyper-true to life. Like a physicist holding a few numbers constant to see the effects of one variable at a time. Similar names are just more work for your audience. I include enough to make it real enough, and then fiddle with the dials on the variables I'm experimenting with.
A fellow writer who worked as a nurse in a maternity ward told me one young woman named her baby girl after a diarrhea medicine.
young woman named her baby girl after a diarrhea medicine.
Could have been worse... Meet her twins, Chlamydia & Syphilis.
Helen
There is the joke about asking for credit from the credit manager, Helen. Her last name is Wait so if you want credit go to Helen Wait.
(For the pun challenged, "Go to hell and wait.")
http://www.math.ttu.edu/~pearce/jokes1/joke-168.html
A frog goes into a bank and approaches the teller. He can see from her nameplate that the teller's name is Patricia Whack. So he says, "Ms. Whack, I'd like to get a loan to buy a boat and go on a long vacation."
Patti looks at the frog in disbelief and asks how much he wants to borrow.
The frog says $30,000.
The teller asks his name and the frog says that his name is Kermit Jagger, his dad is Mick Jagger, and that it's OK, he knows the bank manager.
Patti explains that $30,000 is a substantial amount of money and that he will need to secure some collateral against the loan. She asks if he has anything he can use as collateral.
The frog says, "Sure. I have this," and produces a tiny pink porcelain elephant, about half an inch tall, bright pink and perfectly formed.
Very confused, Patti explains that she'll have to consult with the manager and disappears into a back office.
She finds the manager and says "There's a frog called Kermit Jagger out there who claims to know you and wants to borrow $30,000. He wants to use this as collateral." She holds up the tiny pink elephant. "I mean, what the heck is this?"
The bank manager looks back at her and says: "It's a knick knack, Patti Whack. Give the frog a loan. His old man's a Rolling Stone"
Most of my names are pretty much made up as I go along. And they may be created to reflect their ethnicity, or just because it is a name I like.
But also, many times I actually name them after somebody I know. This helps me remember the names, especially in a longer story.
I use my high school yearbook a lot. I create one by combining a first name with someone else's last name. Sometimes it comes out of a news story. Or if there is a picture of someone online, I might lift their first name but usually not the last one. At one point I created a Holly Sykes without realizing that the same name is in David Mitchell's novel The Bone Clocks. I kept it anyway.
Since I often include characters of different ages, nationalities, etc., I typically use U.S. Cenus page for the top 1,000 names for which decade I'm looking for, and you can frequently find similar pages, especially for ethnic for foreign surnames.
But I also jot down any name which happens to catch my fancy in my phone, and now during the extended Covid-19 lockdown, I try to grab screenshots of local news (teen sports competitions, focus stories, etc.) to get the more 'common' names--which is better, because then you get the more natural first/last name combinations. But since those take more work, I save them for the more central characters.
However, I stay as far from Random Name generators as i can get, lest my names sound overly 'canned' and abstract.
elevated_subways' idea of using school yearbooks sound good, but again, that limits you to a single decade's current names, rather than more versatile naming choices.
The other detail is that, since I like the 'everyman' character, I tend to give my protagonist's more standard names, while using the more creative or time/setting-specific names for my secondary and tertiary characters.
However ... since I mostly write multi-person dialogues, where the constant "John said", "Sally said", "Frank said," "Elizabeth said" gets so repetitious, I prefer inventing personal nicknames, so I can alternate names (i.e. "Jennifer", "Mom", "Mrs. Sykes") whenever I need to.