How to avoid stereotypes when creating and naming a character?
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I’d say define the stereotypes, and then pick and choose which aspects of these you want your character to have.
Let’s say you want to write a nerd girl.
List all associated stereotypes you can think of:
Unkept
No fashion style
Glasses
Introvert
[name_u]Super[/name_u] smart
…
Then you twist them. You can choose your character to be a nerd, but just regularly smart, or asp have a very classy style, or have a passion for danse…
Basically, think of your character as meeting a new friend: who are they?
The first time you saw that girl, you might have thought, she’s a nerd, because of something or another. But then you talked to her, you saw her more often, and you discovered other aspects of her that you didn’t suspect she had. You started to know her better as a person.
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Then once you know them, you can start thinking about names. Write down a few you think are fitting. Then think about your character, and why you think the name does or not fit them. I personally like the names etymology fitting the character’s persona, but that’s kind of a stereotype in itself.
If you really want to know how your character would be named, try to know their parents and decide what they would have projected on their kid.