Character Name Help!

[name_m]Hi[/name_m] guys! I came up with this idea today out of the blue and needed some help with my main character’s name and the names of her family members.

[name_f]My[/name_f] story will be set in the late 1600s or early 1700s. [name_f]My[/name_f] main character is a 13 yr old girl immigrating to [name_u]America[/name_u] from [name_f]England[/name_f]. I imagine her with dark, straight hair that falls just below her shoulders and blue-green eyes. I need a name for her. I was originally thinking [name_f]Emmeline[/name_f] (she’d go by Emma) but it doesn’t feel exactly right. Other ideas I had: [name_f]Genevieve[/name_f], [name_f]Luciana[/name_f], [name_u]Evelyn[/name_u], [name_u]Willow[/name_u], etc.

She will have four siblings: an older brother (16), a younger brother (6), and two younger sisters (10 and 2). For the boys I was thinking of names like [name_m]Johnny[/name_m], [name_u]James[/name_u], [name_m]Luke[/name_m], etc. For the girls I was thinking names like [name_f]Caroline[/name_f], [name_f]Charlotte[/name_f], [name_f]Grace[/name_f], etc.

Her parents also will need last names. I also would like middle name ideas for my MC.

FYI: Their last name will be [name_u]Carter[/name_u]

Thanks!

Here are some ideas!

Girls:
[name_f]Josephine[/name_f]
[name_f]Mary[/name_f]
[name_f]Georgeanna[/name_f]
[name_f]Nora[/name_f]
[name_f]Theresa[/name_f]
[name_f]Miranda[/name_f]
[name_f]Agnes[/name_f]
[name_u]Marian[/name_u]
[name_f]Naomi[/name_f]
[name_f]Tabitha[/name_f]
[name_f]Violet[/name_f]
[name_f]Winifred[/name_f]
[name_f]Alma[/name_f]
[name_f]Blanche[/name_f]
[name_u]Marie[/name_u]
[name_f]Monica[/name_f]
[name_f]Julia[/name_f]
[name_f]Jessica[/name_f]
[name_f]Lottie[/name_f]

Boys:
[name_m]Nate[/name_m]
[name_m]Joshua[/name_m]
[name_m]Edward[/name_m]
[name_u]Amos[/name_u]
[name_m]Hugh[/name_m]
[name_m]Fredrick[/name_m]
[name_m]Matthew[/name_m]
[name_m]Alan[/name_m]
[name_m]Emil[/name_m]
[name_m]Peter[/name_m]
[name_u]Bennett[/name_u]
[name_m]David[/name_m]
[name_m]Samuel[/name_m]
[name_m]Reuben[/name_m]
[name_m]Ernest[/name_m]
[name_m]Jacob[/name_m]

I hope that helps! Good luck!

If you want names from the 1600-1700s you’ll want to choose names from the name pools from then.
[name_u]Anne[/name_u], [name_f]Ellen[/name_f], [name_f]Alice[/name_f], all start with vowels and [name_f]Lucy[/name_f] is a good one for one of your possibilities.

For [name_m]Johnny[/name_m], I’d make his full name [name_m]John[/name_m], short and simple. [name_u]James[/name_u] and [name_m]Luke[/name_m] are fine but also consider [name_u]George[/name_u], [name_m]Henry[/name_m], [name_m]Greg[/name_m] and [name_m]William[/name_m]

For the other sisters, the names seem fine.you might consider a [name_f]Mary[/name_f] or [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f] as when royal names are announced it might be considered a trend for common folk to name their kids in hopes of luck and prosperity.

Middle names should be simple as you might only use it once when a parent says the child’s full name. Names to consider might be [name_m]Ben[/name_m], [name_u]Harry[/name_u], [name_m]Matthew[/name_m], [name_u]Francis[/name_u], [name_m]Thomas[/name_m] etc for boys, and [name_f]Ann[/name_f], [name_u]Maria[/name_u], [name_f]Beth[/name_f], [name_f]Eve[/name_f], [name_f]Rebecca[/name_f] for girls. [name_f]Mary[/name_f] isn’t a bad one either as many folks from the 1700s [name_f]England[/name_f] were choosing biblical names. Which means throwing [name_m]Paul[/name_m] and [name_m]Abram[/name_m] out as possible boy names isnt a bad idea.

For last names, I’d look into things like [name_u]Baldwin[/name_u] or [name_u]Alder[/name_u], something old and simple. [name_m]Even[/name_m] a [name_m]Smith[/name_m] wouldn’t be a bad idea. If you want to follow the medieval -Son names, [name_u]Mason[/name_u], [name_m]Pierson[/name_m], [name_m]Fredrickson[/name_m], [name_m]Thomason[/name_m] are great ideas. If their ancestors came from france you could consider names like Dupoint or Deluka or [name_u]Delaney[/name_u]

Thank you for the ideas! I usually doesn’t write historical fiction, so naming is hard because of the limitations. I have personal connections with most of these names. ex. I’m related to a [name_f]Nora[/name_f], [name_f]Lucy[/name_f], [name_m]Thomas[/name_m], Peter…

Anyways, I do like the suggestions of [name_f]Agnes[/name_f], [name_f]Violet[/name_f], [name_u]Marie[/name_u], [name_f]Lottie[/name_f], [name_m]Nate[/name_m], [name_m]Hugh[/name_m], [name_m]Emil[/name_m], [name_m]William[/name_m], [name_f]Eve[/name_f], and [name_f]Beth[/name_f].

@Missing_Linc [name_f]My[/name_f] last name is [name_m]Smith[/name_m], so I can’t use that :joy:

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I’ve got an Emmeline too! One thing I would suggest is maybe looking into virtue names like Faith and Hope. Some of them got really wild. Probably won’t end up making it into your character’s actual name, but could be good for inspiration. Or a middle name!

Some examples from this website:

Modesty
Innocence
Temperance
Fidelity

Another website

And one somewhat long list from our very own Nameberry

If it were me, I’d have her named something that is the exact opposite of her personality, and gets called that when she’s being too whatever. Just for laughs

Thank you! I really like that idea.