My character [name]August[/name] [name]Harbor[/name] is an outgoing, neurotic, spontaneous 19 year old who has this hidden, troubled past which has caused a deep-set anger within him. He is pretty tall, has messy brown hair, hazel eyes, and big ears.
To pretend like he isn’t [name]August[/name], he likes to introduce himself to strangers as someone else. He’ll go out and public and be this pseudo-intellectual version of himself, and for that I need a name.
I want something bigger than [name]August[/name] [name]Harbor[/name], and right now I have [name]Phineas[/name] [name]Wilder[/name], but it doesn’t feel right yet. [name]Do[/name] you have any ideas about what the alter ego should be named? I really like the last name [name]Wilder[/name], but I definitely would like a new first name, unless you think [name]Phineas[/name] is perfect.
Thanks in advance for any help!
Bonus Question: I need a name for his mom who isn’t in the story, and I’d like for it to be a name that you could confuse for a teenager. Right now I have [name]Molly[/name], but if you have an idea or two for that, that would be grand.
[name]Phineas[/name] feels too psuedo-intellectual. I do like [name]Wilder[/name] as a surname though!
Psuedo-intellectuals I’ve actually known have been names:
[name]Jonathon[/name] nn [name]Jon[/name]
[name]Brian[/name]
[name]Dylan[/name]? I think…or [name]David[/name]? I don’t remember it was a D I believe.
[name]Megan[/name]
So -N endings seem common. Perhaps something literary with an N ending?
Also, non -n endings that fit to me are:
[name]Atticus[/name]
[name]Silas[/name]
I think [name]Atticus[/name], [name]Dorian[/name], [name]Holden[/name], and [name]Sebastian[/name] are good choices. They all sound good with [name]Wilder[/name] to me.
As for his mom, [name]Molly[/name] doesn’t make me think teenager at all. Something like [name]Alexis[/name], [name]Jessica[/name], [name]Lila[/name], [name]Aubrey[/name], [name]Avery[/name], [name]Dahlia[/name], [name]Natalie[/name], etc.
I quite like PP’s suggestions of literary names like [name]Dorian[/name] and [name]Rodion[/name] (though that’s a Russian name but doesn’t really feel like it).
Some other suggestions that could work with [name]Wilder[/name] (though they’re not necessarily literary):
[name]Dermot[/name]
[name]Duncan[/name]
[name]Fabian[/name]
[name]Nathan[/name]
[name]Gabriel[/name]
[name]Frederick[/name]
[name]Lemuel[/name]/[name]Samuel[/name]
[name]Otis[/name]
Or maybe just something plain and simple like [name]James[/name] or [name]John[/name]?
I think [name]Wilder[/name] would be a perfect surname for him. I always try to look for a connection when looking for pseudo-names. Like [name]Sumner[/name] (similiar to [name]Summer[/name], and [name]August[/name] is a summer month - although rather far-fetched). I think he would choose a strong name especially seeing as he is angry.
I like the name [name]Johan[/name] for him ([name]Johan[/name] "[name]August[/name]’ Strindberg was a painter)
[name]Austin[/name]/[name]Austen[/name] (disambiguation of [name]August[/name]?)
[name]Tin[/name]/[name]Dino[/name] (nicknames for [name]Augustin[/name])
I am really loving [name]Dorian[/name] [name]Wilder[/name], it sounds really cool and I like the literary reference.
Others I really liked were [name]Holden[/name], [name]Sebastian[/name] (one originally on my list), [name]Frederick[/name], and [name]Sumner[/name]. I [name]LOVE[/name] [name]Sumner[/name], but I don’t like [name]Sumner[/name] [name]Wilder[/name] and it makes me think of a character from one of my favorite books.
Also thanks for all of the suggestions for his mom. You guys helped a lot!
