Do These Names Go Together?

Writers' Corner
1

You know how some books have characters whose names just go together, and some don’t? I’d like to create a thread where people can post names of characters who aren’t necessarily related, and have the next person comment on whether or not they all sound like the come from the same place/town/time period/etc.

So here’s how it goes:

Person A gives a brief description of the genre and story they are writing, as well as any relevant details about their naming convention, and a list of names.

Person B responds to the list of names, offering critique/suggestions, then posts a brief description of their genre/story/naming convention and a list of names.

So on and so forth.

2

For an example, I’ll start:

YA urban post-apocalyptic fantasy. Runaway [name_u]Chris[/name_u]-[name_f]Anne[/name_f] returns home after 6 years, just as ancient gods return to earth and wreak havoc. Her own brothers have all been possessed, and [name_u]Chris[/name_u]-[name_f]Anne[/name_f] teams up with old friends she hurt when she left and strange newcomers in order to find out what happened to the world.

[name_u]Chris[/name_u]-[name_f]Anne[/name_f]’s family is mainly of Irish, [name_m]French[/name_m] and Spanish descent. I haven’t included all her brothers on this list, because there’s a lot of them. The story is set in western United States. I also need to fill in some last names and some middle names. Any suggestions would be welcome! Thanks.

[name_m]Henry[/name_m] [name_m]Reyes[/name_m] & [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f] Ravelle (maiden name), [name_m]Alec[/name_m] [name_m]Pierre[/name_m] [name_m]Reyes[/name_m], [name_u]Chris[/name_u]-[name_f]Anne[/name_f] [name_f]Alice[/name_f] [name_m]Reyes[/name_m], and [name_m]Hector[/name_m] [name_m]Preston[/name_m] [name_m]Reyes[/name_m]. [name_u]Rowan[/name_u] and [name_f]Bellatrix[/name_f] ([name_f]Bella[/name_f]) (need a last name???). [name_f]Tara[/name_f] Metaxas. [name_u]Courtney[/name_u] ([name_f]Coco[/name_f]) [name_m]Benoit[/name_m]. [name_m]Eros[/name_m]. [name_f]Ismene[/name_f]. [name_f]Aurora[/name_f] ([name_u]Rory[/name_u]) and Loveday ([name_f]Lovie[/name_f]) (need a last name???).

3

*Person A:

I am writing a children’s fantasy novel, about a young orphaned boy who attends a mysterious boarding school for magical students, where hijinks ensue. It’s set in the UK in the 1970’s.

[name_m]Harry[/name_m] [name_m]Potter[/name_m]. [name_m]Ron[/name_m] and [name_f]Ginny[/name_f] Weasley. [name_f]Hermione[/name_f] [name_m]Granger[/name_m]. [name_m]Draco[/name_m] Malfoy. [name_f]Luna[/name_f] Lovegood. [name_m]Neville[/name_m] Longbottom.

**Person B: Most of your names are simple/accessible, except for [name_f]Hermione[/name_f], which might be hard to pronounce, especially for a children’s book. Maybe change it to a simpler name that’s still ‘out there’, like [name_f]Hazel[/name_f], or simplify the name while maintaining the sound, to something like [name_f]Harriet[/name_f] or [name_f]Henrietta[/name_f] (I think this choice fits better with the names of you other characters). The last names aren’t very diverse, with two occupational last names ([name_m]Potter[/name_m], [name_m]Granger[/name_m]), two compound word last names (Lovegood, Longbottom), and the very Latin-sounding Malfoy. Weasley stands out a bit, but not too much. All in all, I think these characters sound like the exist in the same universe.

YA Contemporary [name_f]Mystery[/name_f]. Wicket [name_u]Tate[/name_u] is a hacker whose father is fugitive. She’s just received a mysterious message from a girl who went missing, and has been roped up into criminal activity by one of her father’s old contacts—all while a seasoned police detective is watching her every move, hoping she’ll lead him to her father. No real naming convention, but its set in contemporary west coast US.

[name_f]Tessa[/name_f] and [name_u]Tally[/name_u] Waye. Wicket and [name_f]Lily[/name_f] [name_u]Tate[/name_u]. [name_m]Griff[/name_m]. Detective [name_u]Carson[/name_u].

*Person A is writing [name_m]Harry[/name_m] [name_m]Potter[/name_m] and the Sorcerer’s [name_m]Stone[/name_m] by J.K. Rowling
**Person B is writing Find Me by Romily [name_m]Bernard[/name_m].

4

I think this is a great idea! Almost like the quick question thread, but for characters names!

I think that maybe [name_u]Chris[/name_u]-[name_f]Anne[/name_f] is a little hard to say. My mind kinda trips when I read it? I’m not sure how to describe it, sorry. Does she go by a nickname? It definitely isn’t a problem, it wouldn’t really bug me if I was reading the story. If you think it fits the character, then, great! I’m probably just weird, lol.

I think the other names form a very cohesive set! They mesh enough that it’s easy to believe they come from the same region/era, but they’re different enough to be distinctive and believable. I especially think [name_m]Hector[/name_m], [name_m]Alec[/name_m], and [name_u]Chris[/name_u]-[name_f]Anne[/name_f] go together. Here are some last names:

[name_u]Rowan[/name_u] and [name_f]Bellatrix[/name_f] [name_m]Flanagan[/name_m]
[name_u]Rowan[/name_u] and [name_f]Bellatrix[/name_f] [name_m]Connor[/name_m]
[name_u]Rowan[/name_u] and [name_f]Bellatrix[/name_f] Torres
[name_u]Rowan[/name_u] and [name_f]Bellatrix[/name_f] Keridan
[name_u]Rowan[/name_u] and [name_f]Bellatrix[/name_f] [name_u]Lane[/name_u]

Loveday [name_u]Lane[/name_u]
Loveday [name_m]Adams[/name_m]
Loveday [name_m]Lynch[/name_m]
Loveday [name_m]Turner[/name_m]

PS: The more I think about [name_u]Chris[/name_u]-[name_f]Anne[/name_f] the more I’m on board with it. Maybe I just needed to get used to it?

My story is a YA [name_f]Fantasy[/name_f]/Romance. It takes place in the modern real world, but certain people, including the main family, have superpowers. The main character and her family lives in a small semi-isolated southern town (in the US). Two reporters come to town and cause trouble.

The family:
Kymberli [name_u]Hadley[/name_u] [name_m]Gaines[/name_m]-mother

[name_m]Ethan[/name_m] [name_m]Edward[/name_m] [name_m]Gaines[/name_m]-father

[name_m]Landon[/name_m] [name_u]Elliot[/name_u] [name_u]Hadley[/name_u]-[name_m]Gaines[/name_m] -oldest brother living 2hrs from hometown

[name_f]Willa[/name_f] [name_f]Marie[/name_f] [name_u]Hadley[/name_u]-[name_m]Gaines[/name_m] -oldest sister attending University 2hrs away, not really in the story other than mentioned.

[name_f]Ella[/name_f] [name_f]Ann[/name_f] [name_u]Hadley[/name_u]-[name_m]Gaines[/name_m] - main character, living at home.

[name_f]Lila[/name_f] [name_u]Brook[/name_u] [name_u]Hadley[/name_u]-[name_m]Gaines[/name_m] - Kaeli’s twin

Kaeli [name_u]Ember[/name_u] [name_u]Hadley[/name_u]-[name_m]Gaines[/name_m] - [name_f]Lila[/name_f]'s twin

[name_u]Luca[/name_u] [name_m]Thomas[/name_m] [name_u]Hadley[/name_u]-[name_m]Gaines[/name_m] - youngest boy

[name_f]Azalea[/name_f] [name_f]Grace[/name_f] [name_u]Hadley[/name_u]-[name_m]Gaines[/name_m] - 2nd youngest

[name_f]Lorelei[/name_f] (middle name?) [name_u]Hadley[/name_u]-[name_m]Gaines[/name_m] - youngest.

Others:
[name_f]Maddalena[/name_f] [name_f]Katherine[/name_f] [name_m]Scott[/name_m]- [name_m]Landon[/name_m]'s fiance, goes by [name_f]Maddie[/name_f]
[name_u]James[/name_u] (middle name?) [name_m]Whitman[/name_m]- one of the reporters; love interest.
[name_m]William[/name_m] (middle name?) [name_m]Whitman[/name_m]- reporter; antagonist
[name_f]Dorothy[/name_f] [name_f]Anne[/name_f] [name_u]Hadley[/name_u]-grandmother
[name_f]Seraphina[/name_f] ‘[name_f]Serana[/name_f]’ [name_f]Hestia[/name_f] [name_m]Gaines[/name_m]- other grandmother

My concerns: Does the sibset match? I’m especially concerned about Kaeli. Her name seems like an outlier to me, but I’ve gotten so used to her being Kaeli, that I don’t really want to change it. I spelled the mom’s name Kymberli so it kind of matches and makes Kaeli seem less strange.
Are [name_m]William[/name_m] and [name_f]Willa[/name_f] too close? [name_f]Willa[/name_f] isn’t really mentioned at the same time [name_m]William[/name_m] is in the picture, only before he comes and after he leaves. If I had to change one, though, I’d change [name_m]William[/name_m].
Does the hyphenated last name work? I could also have the girls’ last name be [name_u]Hadley[/name_u] and the boys be [name_m]Gaines[/name_m] (it’s a big deal that the [name_u]Hadley[/name_u] stay in at least the girls’ names)