I need a good last name for a female character named Michelle. She is refined but rebellious, comes from an French/Spanish aristocratic family , traditional but mysterious. What do you think of this list: (Open to SUGGESTIONS) Michelle de Lorraine Michelle de Valois Michelle de Aragon Michelle De Alba Michelle De Visconti Michelle Blanchet OR Blanchett Michelle Milano Michelle Ferreira Michelle Molinari Michelle D'Orleans Michelle de Bourbon Michelle de Parma Thanks
Did you create an account specifically for this? This being asking for input on what would be a good name? I doubt it. Then again, you never know... I pick... Michelle de ParmaSAN CHEESE. But really. Castañeda? Quierolo? Salvattore? De Santiago?
Funny you ask that in a judging tone provided that you are a NEW member as well but then again, you never know..
@SardonicWriter pops up every once in a while with a truly sardonic post. I've never seen such dedication to a name. It's quite impressive, really. Don't take it personally @Sancho
They all have possibilites, with the exception of : Michelle de Aragon Michelle De Alba These both sound clunky when you read them out loud, don't they? This is the kind of story choice you need to make yourself, though. What are the implications of the name? The 'de' in the middle suggests this person is from that area of the country, so think about that. However, us all flinging in names isn't really what you need. What you need is to think carefully about what you want for your story, then go with the name that makes sense to you. Until you get published, you're free to change it at a later date. Have fun. It sounds as if you already are. Good luck.
Many of your suggestions are linked to place names. I've done this several times and always because I wanted to suggest a place of origin. What is your thinking in choosing these as possibilities for your character.
EdfromNY and jannert are correct. I agree with Jannert when I read out loud MICHELLE DE ARAGON AND MICHELLE DE ALBA it sounded clunky to me. Thanks for that. I am not necessarily sticking with those last names, if anything i was just brain storming. Thats why I mentioned on my post that I am OPEN to suggestions. If you have better last names to suggest, I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you all.
If those names were from the French, they'd probably be D'Aragon and D'Alba, which might flow more easily?
I'd say just pick one of the ones you've listed and go with it. You might get comfortable with it, and that will be fine. If the choice bothers you when you're halfway through writing the story, then consider changing it. Don't get stalled at this stage. And don't expect brainstorming to be the answer either. Too many choices is like a 6-page main course menu at a restaurant. You get so overwhelmed that you eventually decide to order the first thing on the list, or get somebody else to choose for you. It's easier working with a limited menu.
Don't forget her middle name. Odds are she has one. Also, double last names are possible, not necessarily hyphenated. For an actual suggestion I have: Michelle Adelais de Châtellailon which I thinks sounds ever so French when spoken, and is an old noble French name. Of course, with a name like that, the MC may be constantly asked, "Can you spell that for me?" and "How do you pronounce that?"
EnginEsq I am in love with that name it sounds incredibly chic and aristocratic but you are right I can see the question how"Can you spell that for me?" and "How do you pronounce that?" will come out... BUT since you are creative and clearly You have exceptionally good taste would you mind suggesting other surnames for Michelle or at least point me out in the right direction? Thank you
Sancho, you may be misunderstanding my intent, since I was brief. I wasn't saying that name that would provoke quesions of how it was spelled or how it was pronounced was a problem. It could easily be an opportunity! There's a lot of potential for humor and characterization in it. How does the character react to people not being able to spell or pronounce it? What kind of hilarity (or even plot twist) might ensue? Clerk: "Your name, please?" Michelle: "Michelle Adelais de Châtellailon" Clerk: "And how to do spell that?" Michelle: "Elegantly." The patrolman read her license. "So, you're Mitchel Cattailon?" Michelle smiled endearingly. "Close enough. What can I do for you, sir?" But they never did catch her, never did punish her for her littering. For it was Monday, and the Sheriff had had only one cup of coffee when she entered the particulars into the computer. It wasn't just that the Sheriff misspelled her name - the system had spell-checkers that used the citizenry database to correct exactly such an mistake. But the Sheriff misspelled it very badly and then, flustered by the difficulty, had entered the wrong birth date and address too. The system pondered, or would have pondered if a machine could do such a thing, and then issued the warrant with its usual perfunctory obedience. That the criminal named in the warrant was male, a judge, and recently dead didn't matter: the law didn't concern itself with trivialities. If you're worried about how the reader might pronounce it, don't. You aren't going to be calling the character by her full name all the time are you? And you can cook up a passage where the character for some reason has to explain how to pronounce. "That's Saint Francis Xavier. That's Xavier with an 'x,' not a 'z.' But don't blame him, he was just given the name, he didn't decide how to spell it. Damn stupid language anyway."
How about these names: Michelle Aragon y Moncada michelle Castro Y Aragon Michelle Suarez de Mendoza Michelle Marquez de Montiel Michelle Girard Michelle Sabater Michelle Laforet Michelle bisset michelle Pasqal Michelle de Baviere
