I haven’t posted on Nameberry for a long time and, for some reason, I’ve never posted on this board before even though I like to write a lot. Shame on me.
I’m kicking around ideas for a story set around about 1860 in the USA and I want to make a list of names that would fit in that era because I so often introduce a new, minor character and then puzzle for ages over the right name for them. My main character is sorted though. She came into my head with a name, which was awfully nice of her.
Main Character: [name_f]Josephine[/name_f] ([name_u]Jo[/name_u])
[name_m]Elder[/name_m] sister: [name_f]Martha[/name_f] (?), she’s married and pregnant
Younger sister: (about 12)
Mother: (Deceased)
Father:
Brother-in-law:
Neice/Nephew: ([name_u]Haven[/name_u]'t decided if [name_f]Martha[/name_f]'s baby will be a boy or girl yet)
I would love a list of potential names to just play around with. [name_m]Don[/name_m]'t be afraid to throw some slightly more obscure ones in too. [name_m]Bill[/name_m] and [name_u]James[/name_u] are all very well but, well, I am a name nerd and would like some fun stuff.
[name_f]Josephine[/name_f]/[name_u]Jo[/name_u]: I like this name, but it’s also the name of another fictional character in a book set roughly around the Civil War- [name_u]Jo[/name_u] from [name_m]Little[/name_m] Women. Sorry!
[name_f]Martha[/name_f]: I like this name for your character.
Younger sister: here are some of my ideas for her-
[name_f]Clara[/name_f]
Pringle
[name_f]Priscilla[/name_f]
[name_f]Rose[/name_f]
[name_f]Melanie[/name_f]
[name_f]Helene[/name_f]
[name_f]Constance[/name_f]
[name_f]Rebecca[/name_f]
[name_f]Ophelia[/name_f]
[name_f]Opal[/name_f]
[name_f]Savannah[/name_f]
[name_f]Winnifred[/name_f] ([name_f]Winnie[/name_f])
[name_f]Virginia[/name_f] ([name_f]Ginny[/name_f])
[name_f]Emma[/name_f]
[name_u]Evelyn[/name_u]
[name_f]Katherine[/name_f]/[name_f]Kathryn[/name_f]/[name_f]Catherine[/name_f]
The brother-in-law:
[name_m]Ulysses[/name_m]
[name_m]Luke[/name_m]
[name_m]Mark[/name_m]
[name_m]John[/name_m]
[name_m]Matthew[/name_m]
(I dunno about you, but I can picture this guy with a Bible name)
[name_m]Judas[/name_m]
[name_m]Abraham[/name_m]
[name_m]Gabe[/name_m]/[name_m]Gabriel[/name_m]
Irrelevant, but: I am vaguely reminded of [name_m]Little[/name_m] Women. [name_f]Josephine[/name_f] main character, 12 year old sister? I am sure that you aren’t going to copy [name_m]Little[/name_m] Women, but just a side note from me.
Good luck on your story! It sounds really interesting
I’m aware of [name_u]Jo[/name_u] from LW. I did realise that but it’s not distinctive enough a name, nor will their personalities or stories be similar enough for it to become a problem, I think. I would like to be careful about repeating other names though, especially distinctive things like [name_u]Laurie[/name_u] or any of the other [name_u]March[/name_u] sisters. I do like the idea of slipping [name_f]May[/name_f] in for a side character somewhere though in honour of [name_f]Louisa[/name_f] [name_f]May[/name_f] [name_u]Alcott[/name_u].
I like [name_f]Hester[/name_f]/[name_f]Esther[/name_f] for the mother and men’s names along the lines of [name_m]Abraham[/name_m], [name_m]Abel[/name_m], [name_m]Amos[/name_m], [name_m]Thaddeus[/name_m] etc. I like [name_u]Quincy[/name_u] but maybe as a surname? [name_f]Clara[/name_f] was a name I had actually thought of already for the little sister (or something like [name_f]Charity[/name_f], maybe?)
You could check my lists and see if there’s names you like there. I have started one collecting old fashioned girls names, (haven’t begun the boy’s yet, sorry) and then I have a lengthy list of boy names I’ve used in my books before, as well as another long list for girls. I’m always adding on them. And a great deal of the ones used in my books are supporting characters, so feel free to use any of them, of course! My books span American Revolution so far to the 1960’s Germany, but most of the names are from the late 1700’s-early 1900’s.
Younger [name_f]Sister[/name_f]: [name_f]Emily[/name_f], [name_f]Laura[/name_f], [name_f]Caroline[/name_f], [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f]
Mother: [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f], [name_f]Alexandra[/name_f], [name_f]Mary[/name_f] (maybe [name_f]Martha[/name_f] could be named after her)
Father: [name_m]John[/name_m], [name_m]Joseph[/name_m] (maybe [name_f]Josephine[/name_f] could be named after him), [name_m]Richard[/name_m], [name_m]Ernest[/name_m]
Brother-in-[name_m]Law[/name_m]: [name_m]William[/name_m], [name_u]James[/name_u], [name_m]Thomas[/name_m], [name_m]Samuel[/name_m], [name_m]Benjamin[/name_m]
Niece/Nephew: If it’s a boy I like the idea of him being a [name_m]Junior[/name_m] and everyone just calling him [name_m]Junior[/name_m]. A little girl could be [name_f]Edith[/name_f] “[name_f]Edie[/name_f]”
Father: like the suggestion of [name_m]Joseph[/name_m] and having this be who [name_f]Josephine[/name_f] is named after… Also, [name_m]Fred[/name_m]? [name_m]William[/name_m]?
Brother in law I like [name_m]Luke[/name_m] or [name_m]Simon[/name_m].
For the baby, if it’s a girl - maybe a virtue name? [name_f]Constance[/name_f] was mentioned earlier as well as [name_f]Charity[/name_f].
My books span American Revolution so far to the 1960’s Germany, but most of the names are from the late 1700’s-early 1900’s.