Naming a character may be one of the most important decisions that you make as a writer. You will write your main character’s name a thousand times in your writing process. The names of your characters are some of the most defined takeaways that a reader will have of your story. If you’re lucky, then your character may become one of your namesake creations.
Naming your characters must be done with purpose.
What to Avoid
There are some common mistakes to avoid when naming your characters. Let’s start with the basics.
Keep it Genre Appropriate
Stories that exist within the world as we know it allow the author to create characters with real-life names. Exploring the Bestsellers list in the Thriller category shows plenty of series-leading main characters:
- Jack Reacher
- Alex Cross
- Maximum Ride
- Odd Thomas
- Dirk Pitt
- Jake Brigance
- James Bond
- Will Robie
- John Puller
These are all names of leading characters. You can see that there isn’t necessarily a winning formula here. Some common themes are simple first names and a short, action-driven last name. Jack REACHer, John PULLer.
Another common theme seen here are names than have simple nicknames attached to them. This can be a super simple trick for an author to establish certain side-characters that refer to your main character by this more intimate nickname, so they must have a history together.
Exploring outside of the Thriller Category, we can enter Fantasy and Science Fiction and see a wildly different kind of name:
- Ender Wiggin
- Rand al’Thor
- Frodo Baggins
- Eragon
- Paul Atreides
- Luke Skywalker
- Jean-Luc Picard
- Spock
There is a lock to unpack here. Let’s start with the most basic rules. Your main character should have a name that easy to pronounce after reading the name one time. I understand that you want your characters to have unique, memorable names; but, if your reader struggles with writing/reading your character name then you have failed.
Within the genre of Fantasy and Science Fiction, there is enough creativity behind the names to make a unique character, but not enough uniqueness to create a barrier to the reader. All of the above options are readily readable.
For fun, let’s also look at the list of characters present in bestselling Romance:
- Nora Stephens
- Kenna Rowan
- Atlas
- Bee Königswasser
- Persephone Fraser
- Knox
- Delilah Green
- Jules Ambrose
- Declan
- Fox Thornton
- Alexis Montgomery
This sampling of character names tend to lean towards the uncommon, yet realistic names. None of the names in this list are that odd in our world, yet they stand out. When writing in Romance, with so much competition in the market and so many books on the bookshelf, it seems hard to make a character name stand out. Unlike something like Fantasy or Science Fiction, you’re working within the bounds of our modern culture,
Avoid Changing Common Names
In modern fiction genres, when your characters exist within the real world, you may be inclined to take a normal name and apply a new spelling to it. Kaylee becomes Khayleigh. Emily becomes Emmaleigh. Or, god forbid, Snow because Sneaux.
This is a sure-fire way to pull a reader out of a story.
Don’t believe me? There’s an entire subreddit dedicated to this in the real world. Check out r/Tragedeigh.
How to choose a name
Choosing a character name starts in the mind of the writer. The writer has an understanding of the kind of character that the story needs. These qualities of the character begin to shape the name. Andrew ‘Ender’ Wiggin, from Ender’s Game is a prime example. His nickname relates closely with his role in the story (no spoilers here!). The role and qualities of the character influenced the naming of the character.
Here are some ways you can apply this strategy:
Inspiration from Other Languages
One method I’ve used in the past is to take certain qualities of a character and begin to explore what this sort of word translates to in other languages. This works best when referencing languages within the same entomological background (if you’re writing in English, explore the Romantic languages).
For example:
I am writing a male character that is meant to be strong, both in physical strength and in personality. I want them to be bold, daring, and confident. I might take those terms, and synonyms of those terms into google translate:
- In German, strength translates into Stark. That could make a good last name (I wonder who else has used this method?). Kraft is another translation of strength in German.
- Strong in Latin can be valentus. Valen could make an interesting last name.
Online Resources
Fantasy Name Generator
Using online tools can streamline the naming process. The one-stop shop for all naming inspiration is the Fantasy Name Generator.
For much more than just fantasy names, this is a fantastic resource for writers. The website contains numerous categories of name generations.
The categories for this website include:
- Fantasy and Folklore
- Real Names
- Places and Locations
- Names inspired by specific IPs (Game of Thrones, Lord of the Rings, Doctor Who, etc)
- Description Generators
- Character Personalities
Name Census
When looking for real world names, the Name Census is another good resource. This website displays first names and last names by popularity. The site also allows for filtering based on demographics to explore last names for characters with different backgrounds.
Real Life
No better inspiration than the people you surround yourself with. I’m not saying to name your characters should be named after your friends, family, and coworker; but, you can make note of interesting names you come across. It can be especially useful for finding interesting and cool nicknames.
Hopefully these ideas can help make a daunting process a little easier!