Oh I don't know - in my experience real-life names can be much more mad than fictional ones. Authors have a tendency to go "I can't give someone that surname, it sounds ludicrous!", whereas parents are pretty much just stuck with it. I know a couple of people who routinely have to present ID, or pretend to have a different name, simply because nobody believes their actual name can possibly be real. (I'd give examples, but I doubt they'd appreciate it!) Edit: my friend Scarlett Blades gives her full permission for me to tell you that she keeps getting into arguments with people who refuse to believe that that is her real name...
Haha, I'd hate that. Perhaps it's just me that only knows people with average names. There's 4 people who I work with with the same name as me and there's about 3 who share another name (first name, not surname though...thankfully!)
Oh I don't know - I know a lot of people with boring names. I remember once reading an interview with an author saying that he once knew a bloke called Dave Moustache, but as an author he'd never name a character that because it sounds ludicrous. In Scarlett's case, the issue is probably compounded by her usually wearing a corset, goth skirt and pirate hat, that people tend to assume she's just made up a suitably silly "goth" name. Point is, I don't think silly names should be shied away from - real life is, as is so often pointed out, stranger than fiction.
I love the name Dave Moustache, sounds like a character from The Mighty Boosh. No way, you're friend has an awesome name, Scarlett Blades sounds badass, at least she lives up to her name well with the gothic attire. You're right, some things you just can't make up!
That said though - probably best avoiding Monty Python "pepperpot" names; Mrs Smoker and Mrs Non-Smoker, Mrs Premise and Mrs Conclusion, Mrs Thing and Mrs Entity, etc.
I am just starting a piece that I have been thinking about doing for a long time. For various reasons I don't want to use names. There are only two main characters with another few that make regular appearances but the idea behind it is that the two main characters can become anyone you associate them with and not giving them a name makes them more applicable to a reader's life. Has anyone done this before and do you think it could work?
How are you going to differentiate between the characters? And what about when they talk to each other? I'm not saying it's a bad idea, it actually sounds intriguing.
I think there are two things to consider most when choosing names. 1) What's the context/setting/time period, etc. of your story? I mean, if it takes place in ancient Egypt, it seems out of place to name your pharaoh "Bob." 2) Don't overdo it. This happens most often in fantasy novels, where everyone wants to emulate Tolkein. If the reader has to pause to stumble over the pronunciation of your character's name, it's doing you a disservice by distracting too much from the story. Often, IMHO, simpler names are best.
For this most recent project I couldn't come up with a name for my main character. The night after I wrote the first page or so, I had a dream and a main character (?) girl had a name I don't think I've ever heard before. The next day the closest I could remember it being was "Kayclee" (pronounced Kay - slee) so I figured that's a sign if any to make it my MC's name
Personally, I just think of names I have heard, or like and then just go from there. Last names are alittle tricky though. I tend to just make some things up, and combine things.
I always used Nickelodeon's website. They had a baby name section that was wonderfully organized with great options for advanced searches. Unfortunately, it's no longer up so I've switched to behindthename.com and surnames.behindthename.com. Not quite as good, but it does the job. I usually think of some words to either describe or represent my character and search meanings. For example, a character from my current project is named Beau Lowell, meaning "beautiful wolf."
I'm sure it sounds odd, but there's a very large graveyard about a mile from my house which dates back to the 1800's (I think, some of the tombstones are hard to read...). I'll usually stroll around there and see if one of those names would fit one of my characters. I did that yesterday, in fact, and I found a perfect name for one of the not-completely-human characters I'm working on right now.
I usually mix and match first and last names from people I went to high school with or know in the army. I'll tie characteristics to the people I took the first name from so their character development comes a bit more natural to me while I'm writing. I might be cheating but I have to draw inspiration from somewhere. I also research the history of any particular culture or nationality for my foreign characters and mix up names of historical figures in specific cultures so I can tie characters with their behavior in the past. Anyone with any background in the culture I'm writing on might be able to draw parallels by the name alone.
I like to give my characters names that mean something which relates back to their personality. For example, if one of the characters is considerate and compassionate, a shoulder for friends in need, I might name him Cody, which means "cushion."
It depends, sometimes a name will just pop in my head when I'm developing a character, other times when I can't think of anything I look at baby name websites as well. Usually something will stand out to me then cause I've already got a pretty clear idea of who the character is. I find last names more complicated. Even after deciding on a name I'll sometimes change it several times cause I'm not happy with it and other times when I'm just using a name as placeholder intending to change it later, I have to stick with it cause it's become part of the character. The latter is quite annoying cause it happened with my main character: her name is Olivia Hayes and here in South Yorkshire any first name ending in a vowel doesn't go too well with a last name with a "H". You just end up dropping the "H" more often then not But I just can't change it now!
I love names and the meanings behind them. If I hear a name out in public that sounds interesting, I will write it down then look up the meaning when I get home. If I am in class (since I am a college student), sometimes I look at the authors of the text books and write down the names that stand out. I am a name collector, you could say. In my mind, I know what I want a character to be like and I'll try to find a name that fits that basic image in my mind. For example, recently I had an idea for a new story and I knew I wanted the protagonist to be kind and gentle. I went back through my name list and the name Dara stood out to me. In Hebrew, the name Dara means "compassionate" or "pearl of wisdom". I once had a character who loved nature and lived in the woods. I named him Silas because the Greek meaning is "forest; woods". Basically, I choose my names based on the character in some way or another.
This is a fun thread! Ok, so I have some names that came from here and there for one story I've been working on forever. Some were last names I found through work that I liked and used as only names (Fantasy genre). Some names for that story are being changed because it's not working right (that story is my white whale). Another story, I used a name of an old friend that fit the character. I have a baby name book or go online to baby name sites sometimes. Especially if I want the name to fit something specific about that character. Made up names are the best but also the hardest.
I'm with a few people here, just staring into space and hoping something pops up that feels right. A lot of the time though, I can pick a name, and halfway through writing just decide it is completely wrong. I think how your characters develop can decide what their names are.
Well i usually make names up like I did Razet Elwood. Its just cooler than my real name. I have only searched for a name once and that is my recent short story in progress and it lead me to Sayer. one of my characters is a villian and her name is Janalin
I cheat! As a teacher I cam confronted with hundreds of names a year. I mix and match until I find a combination I like.
Besides the mundane things like using name generators or just making one up, my odd "method" is actually taking names and surnames from people in Christian Weston Chandler's life. I've scoured the wiki that documents his life out of the boredom that comes with my free time, and I've come accustomed to every name on there. I suppose those poor souls could do without any more publicity due to their association with CWC, but, the references are subtle enough. It's not like I take whole names.
I used to think a lot about character names, researching meanings and stuff but now I just come up with them. I don't honestly remember how I came up with the characters names in my current book.
I go through different methods when coming up with names for characters. I usually try to figure one out myself but if I can't think of any I'll go explore naming sites like seventhsanctum or behindthename. Sometimes I go to a translator and find a word in a different language. Lately when I have trouble figuring out a name I will put a dash where the character's name will be and figure it out later.
