It seems some see names as a rather trivial thing, and I thought so too for a long time, but I'm not so sure I agree anymore. To ask whether the character or the name comes first is a little flawed, too - in a way, they're sorta dependent on each other. Have you ever named your character and even after using it for some time, you somehow feel it doesn't quite fit? I know I have. You have a character imagined and felt inside you and somehow the name doesn't ring true with that - in that sense, you've developed the character first, haven't you, even though you may not have done it on purpose. Even if perhaps you started with the name first, and then find the character has outgrown the name. In my experience, however, when you change the character's name, their personality changes too. Truth is, you have a certain feeling about names. If I ask you to imagine someone called "James" or someone called "Hope" or someone called "Bucklebee" - I'll bet all of us would be imagining different people. That's because we associate names with something, with a mood perhaps, a personality, mannerisms, background. Why doesn't it feel right to call a successful millionnaire Buckweed Butch? No reason, other than that somehow that's not the image that name brings. (maybe it does to some others, who knows. It doesn't to me lol) I changed the name of my main character several times and each time he changed a little. The most disastrous of all was when I named him a name I didn't love lol, and the guy turned into a jerk because of this lol. So in a way, I think it's a bit of both - tug of war, as it were. I don't think the name determines the character per se, but I also don't think you can underestimate just how powerful associations can be with names. It's better to think of a good name near the beginning - it doesn't have to be right at the start, but near the beginning - and then stick to it. It's not paramount and I don't think your story will be destroyed if you don't. Any kind of writing involving your MC will help you develop a deeper sense of him/her and that will guide you to the right name more than anything else. But I don't agree with those who seem to think the name can come last, as though it's something so small it's not even worth thinking over. It is certainly not the most important part, but I wouldn't say it's something too minor.
I never meant to imply that name choice is unimportant. But everything needs to be tweaked as the story takes shape and is buffed to a high polish. one of these aspects is character names. You may discover that a couple of character names are a skoche too similar, especially when those characters are in the same scene. Or maybe another name has wormed its way into your cerebellum and demanded to infest one of your characters. Maybe another name appeals esthetically. Whatever the reason, changing a name late in the game is far less disruptive to the overall flow than realigning the character herself. Furthermore, global replace makes a name change much simpler than examining every scene to adjust emotional reactions. Everything may change, but some things are harder than others to modify in the final stages of revision.
I tend to start with a partially formed character who then gets a name almost immediately, which helps fill out their character. Most of my characters have names that aren't the names I would have necessarily picked out from a list, but they kind of named themselves at the beginning and then I couldn't make them work with any other name other than the first one that popped to mind. In one or two cases I actually got names that didn't make intuitive sense which then required backstory to explain how they got those names - for instance I have a character with a Celtic first name and an East European last name (Sinead Szerbiak) that I had to explain by making her the child of a feminist professor who named her after rock singer Sinead O'Connor. I also have an Australian Aboriginal character named Truganini which is a really stereotypical name from Australian history and more importantly comes from Tasmanian Aboriginal culture rather than North Australia where the character is from. I tried to name her ANYTHING but that, but she kept telling me her name was Truganini. So I eventually gave in, invented a backstory about why her Mom gave her the name, and translated my reservations about giving her the name of a historic figure into her own reservations about CARRYING that name...which are now a big deal for her (she goes by "T.A." to avoid admitting her name is Truganini). Also, changing a name can cause major changes in how you see the character. I once accidentally misremembered a newly introduced character's name and changed her name from "Vidya" to "Vinya"...totally changed who she was. Vidya was a ditz, Vinya is a highly intelligent femme fatale.
Normally my characters are developed holistically, meaning once there is a plot, I select the characters as required, and then create a name appropriate to their social position, skills, and family background.
Sometimes you wake up and suddenly think of an awesome-sounding name and immediately start thinking of what kind of character suits that name. But usually the character comes first. The name can easily be changed, as many times as needed, but it's slightly more difficult to change the character.
I never put any thought into names. People don't choose their names, what they do rarely reflects on the name other than in literature and film, and I honestly find it pretentious when people come up with superfluous, flashy names. Names make me lose my mind. A lot of people want to be edgy, but imo I think you should keep it simple. Their actions define them, not the name. You can be creative, but don't get carried away. It's kind of why I don't like many fantasy names. People just think noises sounds cool and spell it weird and they can get away with it because it's a fantasy name. And there's no point behind it most times. There's being unique, then there's being excessive. I'm not saying name your character Richard Wiener, I'm just saying don't get hung up on a name.
I'm amazed that any author can do the 'name them whatever and change it later' thing. Once one of my characters grows into a name, changing it is nigh impossible for me. It takes something crucial away from them and they stop being as real to me in some way. Typically, I'll think of a name I like and create a character out of the name, rather than giving the name to a character in development. I'll know nothing at all about a character until he/she has a name. Entire plots come after the names for me.
My characters need to have an appropriate name; one that (in my mind at least) fits their character. I would find it difficult to write with a placeholder name.
People don't define their names but names often define their people. I actually agree with not being overly flashy but that doesn't mean you can't be a little interesting. The real world is full of people with odd or interesting names, and there's no reason a fictional one shouldn't be as well. Smith may be the most common name in America but I don't think I actually know anyone named Smith off the top of my head - I have however met people with last names like Siggins and Andrzejewski - and somehow known multiple people with the first name "Leif". All of whom, at some level are defined by the rhythm of their name, how it leads people to perceive them, whether people see them as normal, weird, or "ethnic". Even if your character is named Bill Smith (and I do have a character named Bill Smith), that's going to at some level define his self image (my Bill is pretty stuck in his traditions and sort of revels in his bland midwestern whiteness thinking it gives him advantages that it really doesn't - he's a politician running in a primary against an Asian opponent, mistakenly assuming his constituents are more racist than they are, and hence getting lazy with his campaign). Names are especially important for me as a lot of my characters are TV journalists and the way their name rolls off the tongue plays a big role in their viability in their job.
Write the story and give the character any name. When the real name comes to tour mind, you will know it and just will have to hit "replace all" in Word.
For me the character comes first and the name develops as I start mulling it the story around in my head. If I get stuck on a name be it a character name, place name, etc then I write <name of place> or <name of beverage> and so on as a placeholder until I think of something. If not I would and have sat there for hours coming up with what an alien species would call something like beer.
Certainly an interesting read on everyone's perspectives, and now for my 2 pence on this. Names do have some importance in then novels, whether it be the names themselves, or the inherent lack of a name (I'm certain I have read discussions on here before about characters/speakers with no name in novels before) what I find works is in some instances, is that I put a name in, that later doesn't fit and then I change it (and on several occasions). Don't be too worked up over a name, sometimes even if you put in something like John Doe until you can think of a more apt name. A good story isn't just the character, it is the plot and the writing as well, take a step back from the character and look at the other aspects and something may just come to you. It isn't impossible for characters to appear fully formed either, ive had two characters, both of which appear in the same novel as my first example, do that to me, sometimes you get the inspiration, sometimes you don't. ask the question what if? that generally does help the process as well. I hope my incoherent gibberish helps
How to pick names: With little discrimination. Just use a random name that sounds ethnic and isn't hard to pronounce. Names should be the least of your worries.
The character. Why? Let me tell you a story. Back in 2003 (this was when I was 14), I had an English teacher named...let's just call her Inges, who was, for all intents and purposes, the most selfish, self-centered, narcissistic woman I had ever known up to then. She gave me crap because of my hearing impairment, refused to even acknowledge that I needed her to repeat things when I couldn't hear. She was...horrid. She also had the back wall of the classroom covered with pictures of herself and only herself. It was very clear she saw herself as the center of the universe. Now let's say I created a character named Inges, but didn't establish her personality. Already this fledgling character is in trouble because of negative association I have with the name. She would be defined by what I associate the name with. But if I go with character first, then the name, the risk isn't there, see what I'm saying? Whether we admit it or not, if the name comes first, then our association with the name will carry the risk of molding the character before he/she ever had a chance.
Likewise! Naming is a ton of fun, and it's hardly ever set in granite so no need to lose sleep over it. My process involves thinking about the kind of character I want, giving her a name, writing the first few chapters of said character, and deciding whether or not to stick with the name. There are truly infinite names to choose from, but the limiting factor I give myself is of syllables. I try to mix them up as much as I can, but almost always give my protagonists single-syllable names: Stat, Tom, Feath, Nick, Jauss etc... because I don't want them to clutter up the readers' minds.
@Link the Writer I always have to pick a name first, I just don't use names that I associate with anyone in particular.
Same here! In my case, names come first, they simply appear in my head when I'm searching for them, and at the same time I start to get a feeling about a character... And at the end, the character kind of wraps itself around the name. My first novel started with the name of my main character, and with the scene in my head, and I started writing from that point, without knowing anything about the story, or characters, or anything really... I just let it develop and tried to keep up.
