How do these sound with Grace (and Samuel)?

Writers' Corner
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I’m still trying to come up with a surname for my leading lady in the story I’m working on–her FN is [name_f]Grace[/name_f]–although I think I’ve made some progress.

Right now, Rasmussen and [name_m]Tomlinson[/name_m] are my two top picks, although I have serious qualms with both, leaving me thinking that neither one is really “the one”. I already have another (unrelated) character in the story named [name_m]Christian[/name_m] Rasmussen, so I feel like [name_f]Grace[/name_f] Rasmussen would just be too confusing. I suppose I could use a different LN for [name_m]Christian[/name_m], but [name_m]Christian[/name_m] Rasmussen just feels like “him”. And while I like [name_m]Tomlinson[/name_m] a lot, I’m afraid it’s too reminiscent of [name_m]Louis[/name_m] [name_m]Tomlinson[/name_m] (I admit to having a–rather lame and long!–crush on him, but I wouldn’t want people thinking of One Direction as they’re reading my novel…). I’m tossing around a few others–Guzman, [name_f]Capella[/name_f], [name_m]Donovan[/name_m], Rohman, Townsend–but I find them much less appealing ([name_f]Grace[/name_f] [name_f]Capella[/name_f] might have merit, though).

Would you opt for either one of them, knowing my hang-ups? And if not, what last names can you suggest to go with [name_f]Grace[/name_f] (also her brother, [name_m]Samuel[/name_m])? I’d like something a lot less predictable than [name_m]Miller[/name_m], [name_m]Anderson[/name_m], or [name_m]Smith[/name_m], but not quite as unusual as Wlasniewski or Podguski, if that makes sense. :slight_smile: Rasmussen and [name_m]Tomlinson[/name_m] seemed to hit the sweet spot, but I feel like I’ve run out of good, viable options. There are several surnames I like–St. [name_u]James[/name_u], [name_u]Gray[/name_u], etc.–but I feel like they don’t really sound right with [name_f]Grace[/name_f]…

Thanks, writer berries!

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Where is she from etc and what’s her family background?

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She’s from the United States (probably somewhere on the Eastern Shore area–Pennsylvania, Maryland, Massachusetts, etc. somewhere with a lively music community, as she’s a classically trained pianist, and will have probably played for a big-city philharmonic orchestra, like in [name_m]Boston[/name_m] or [name_u]Philadelphia[/name_u] or [name_m]New[/name_m] [name_m]York[/name_m] City). I’m thinking she’ll some sort of mix of [name_m]German[/name_m], English, Italian, Jewish, and Scandinavian (Norwegian?), and depending on what the surname is, that’ll be the more prominent nationality. I can see [name_m]German[/name_m]/English being more predominant on her dad’s side, and Italian (or Jewish) on her mom’s, if she has a surname like [name_m]Tomlinson[/name_m] or [name_m]Donovan[/name_m], or Scandinavian and [name_m]German[/name_m] on her dad’s (to explain a surname like Rasmussen, Johanssen, or Magnussen), and Italian/Jewish/English on her mom’s side.

I found a photo online of what I sort of envision her looking like (only with dark brown/sable hair, and slightly more tanned skin), and I’ll attach that, if that gives any help.