Help with Names of Characters in Story Set in 1940s?

Writers' Corner
1

Right now I am working on a romance/drama story set sometime in the 40s in [name]England[/name]. It is about a girl a named [name]Vera[/name] [name]Bly[/name], who lives with her mother [name]Susannah[/name] “[name]Sukie[/name]”, and sister [name]Rosemary[/name]. Her father is fighting in World War II and so is [name]Rosemary[/name]'s husband.

I need help with the [name]German[/name] characters in the story. The man is named [name]Rainer[/name] [name]Horst[/name], and I was planning on calling his sister [name]Pia[/name], but I’m not sure if that is a good idea.

So, is [name]Pia[/name] a good name for a [name]German[/name] girl living in the 1940s? Is it believable, or accurate?

Thanks so much to everybody!

2

I am not sure about [name]Pia[/name]. It doesn’t sound especially [name]German[/name], but I could be wrong. [name]How[/name] about:
[name]Anna[/name]
[name]Elsie[/name]
[name]Ingrid[/name]
[name]Gerta[/name]
[name]Maria[/name]
[name]Hannah[/name]

Are these characters Jewish? That would create a whole other list of possibilities.

3

No, they’re not Jewish. [name]Pia[/name] is used in Germany, but I’m not sure on how popular it is.

4

[name]Pia[/name] is a [name]German[/name] name, but I think it’s more modernly used. At least according to this website: German Names - The comprehensive site for German name pronunciation

From what it reports, [name]Pia[/name] is mostly likely under 20 years old. However, this page might be a good reference for your story. Good luck!