It seems that character-naming for me happens either spontaneously or through hours of frustration I'm planning a story and have nearly named all of the characters in my outline. However, when I came to my main character I realize I couldn't find a suitable name for him. A little character description: His childhood was extremely harsh and Darwinian (forced starvation, confinement, physical abuse). This eventually causes him to become both savage and brutally efficient. He also likes to travel alone, and is very much a misanthrope--to the point of seeming apathetic (in the beginning at least). Considering his rough childhood and personality please suggest what kind of a name this character would give himself. (the name can even be a literary allusion to another similar character or a word that would make a good name)
I hate ordinary names; at the same time, odd names can ruin the integrity of the character. The first name that came to mind reading this was Lawrence. Perhaps it is the word law, as in the law of nature; subtle, no? Give him either a strong name (some names are considered to be more masculine than others based on the spelling). Jack, Brock, Jared are some suggestions. If you want to subvert it, you can give him a name that is opposite of his nature and possibly feminin to a degree. Then he will be at odds with even his own name, which he could strongly dislike.
I also really like Cain Based off of the information you gave I am picturing a severe and cynical outcast. If that's what you're going for I think the names Taylor, Knox, Curtis or Walker would work well. good luck!
Sometimes if a character has an interesting backstory or personality I like to look up the meanings of names and see if any of the names that have meanings that relate to the characters sound good. The site which I like to use for this is here. For example, I looked up names with the meaning "hardy" and found a possibility, Will. (modified from Willard)
I think i would depend a lot on some other aspects, is he sarcastic and ironic, does he appreciate pop culture? the idea of "Kurt CoCain" came to mind. Otherwise I like Cain
thanks everyone for your suggestions! I have decided to choose the name "Barad" as the name of the main character. It alludes to the seventh's plague of Egypt where hailstone intermixed with fire (how cool is that!) fell upon the Pharaoh's lands. I chose this name because the main character, in a way, considers himself a scourge of retribution; pitted against the general society that shunned and abused him. I decided to use the name "Cain" for the "father figure" character to Barad who, with his own ruthlessness and general antipathy towards humans, enforces Barad's hatred towards humanity. The name "Job" I chose to use for the foil of Barad who shares a similar past. But despite the horrible misfortunes he was made to suffer, he chose to live with a far more optimistic outlook.
