I’m working on a character list for one of my books and just realized I might have a problem. The main character is [name_u]Tavi[/name_u] (it’s a nn). [name_u]Tavi[/name_u]'s brother is married to a women named [name_f]Mariel[/name_f]. I was planning on [name_u]Tavi[/name_u] naming his daughter [name_f]Mara[/name_f]. If he named his daughter [name_f]Mara[/name_f] would it seem like he was naming her after [name_f]Mariel[/name_f]?
Also, [name_u]Tavi[/name_u]'s other children are [name_u]Tyler[/name_u] and [name_u]Penny[/name_u] but I don’t like the name [name_f]Penelope[/name_f]. What are some other names that [name_u]Penny[/name_u] could be a nickname for? Does [name_f]Mara[/name_f] ‘go with’ [name_u]Tyler[/name_u] and [name_u]Penny[/name_u]?
And if [name_f]Mara[/name_f] is too similar, what other names would you suggest to go with [name_u]Tyler[/name_u] and [name_u]Penny[/name_u]? (It can’t start with B.)
I would think [name_f]Mara[/name_f] was named after Aunt [name_f]Mariel[/name_f], unless it was explicitly stated she wasn’t. You could display it in quite a witty comment, for example:
“[name_f]One[/name_f] of the questions I get asked most is whether I was named after my Aunt [name_f]Mariel[/name_f]. My response usually runs along the line of ‘do you think my parents would name me after a chain-smoking, beer-swigging tart who cheats on my uncle frequently?’ which does the job of shutting them up.”
The only other full name for [name_u]Penny[/name_u] I can think of is [name_u]Aspen[/name_u], but I don’t think [name_f]Penelope[/name_f] and [name_u]Tyler[/name_u] match at all, they evoke completely different parentage to me - [name_f]Penelope[/name_f] is quite upper class, whereas [name_u]Tyler[/name_u] is quite chavvy. At least, that’s the UK perception of said names, it might be different in the States.
If you like the -ara sound: [name_f]Cara[/name_f]/[name_f]Kara[/name_f], [name_f]Lara[/name_f], [name_f]Zara[/name_f], [name_f]Clara[/name_f], [name_f]Tara[/name_f], [name_f]Sara[/name_f] (though can be pronounced the same way as [name_f]Sarah[/name_f] so maybe not the best option)
