The Name Game

Empty your mind… Okay, now picture a group of people in a room in a story, let me give you their names: Ross, Rachel, Scarlett, Elvis, Ebenezer, and Maude.

How many of these names made you think of well-known characters (possibly from TV shows?) – be honest. How would you feel if I told you in this story Ross and Maude were an item, Ebenezer is a generous philanthropist, Scarlett is a young, sexy model and Rachel and Elvis are her elderly farmer grandparents. Knowing the “people” you probably first thought of, how well do these names fit the descriptions?

Choosing a well-known name that is associated with a specific character type can cause your readers similar problems. There are times when using an identifiable name can work; suppose mom had an Elvis fetish and named her son after him – that could be part of the story, but unless you want that association, be careful. Some names will make you think of a specific type – one-syllable male names are often used for strong, virile men and flowery names like Violet or Rose are undeniably female.

Giving your fictional character a name, or even a nickname, becomes a part of that character’s personality and description. It’s an important task for an author. Once you name your character you’ll think of him or her as “so and so” and if you decide the name needs to be changed later in the story it might be hard to think of something else. How do you choose a name that is worthy of the character you’ve created.

Using a baby book and looking up meanings MAY help. The name Caitlyn is Irish in origin and means “pure beauty”, it’s a variation of a name which in Gaelic means “virginal”; Brandon has an English root and means “from a hill covered with a prolific weed”. My novel His Lucky Charm features lovers Brandon and Caitlyn – Brandon comes from a wealthy family and was an unwanted child, Caitlyn is very pure of thought, idealistic and yes, Brandon is the first and only man she has been with. While I didn’t use these particular definitions of their names, the names do fit them well. This is also a contemporary story.

The time period of your story can make a big difference in choosing your characters’ names. The more popular names in the 1850’s (in America) are probably not the same as the popular baby names in 2011. 1850’s: Abraham, Lou, Edwin, Alice, Henry, Keri, Walter, Milicent, Eli, and Cora (by the way, Lou is a female name); 2011’s: Mason, Emma, Liam, Olivia, Noah, Sophia, Ethan, Isabella, Jacob, and Ava. If you were to name a young girl in the mid 19th century Ava, you’d probably raise a few incredulous eyes among your readers.

Ethnicity is also important to keep in mind. Overused and stereotyped names are not the answer – not every Hispanic couple is named Jose and Rosita, not every Italian couple is named Vito and Sophia, and not every French couple is Pierre and Suzette, etc. Do your research as well as use your imagination. Realize that a character’s name, although ethnic in origin, may have been naturalized if the family has emigrated to another country. Some names are also handed down between the generations or have spiritual meanings.

When you decide on a name for your character, try searching it online. While it is possible that you’ll find there are real people with the same name (first and last), you don’t want to find that you’ve given your hero the name of a convicted murderer or that you are naming your villain the same as an up and coming politician for example.

A name can mean a lot of things. It becomes an important part of your character. Try it out and make sure it feels right to you.


Writing Exercise: Is there a history to your name? Or your family name? Write a few sentences about who named you and the reason your name was chosen. Does it fit you? If not, what would you prefer to be called?


Writing prompt: Using your own name, write down a quality starting with each letter of your name.