Ideas for Character Name Ideas and Story Titles

I’m kind of new to Nameberry, but I’d like advice and input for character names. I have a bunch of names already, but still would welcome any new name suggestions. I especially need names for the parents.

I haven’t thought of a title yet (suggestions on that would be nice too), but my story is about a group of teenage girls living in today’s world. They all have different personalities, but they still enjoy being together. One of their group members just passed away from a sudden illness, and the girls aren’t sure with how to deal with it. One of them becomes depressed, another begins fighting with everyone, and yet another actually leaves the group. It’s kind of sad, but I enjoy writing stories like this.

So far my characters are:

Esme Marie Thorton (15): The main character and narrator of the story. She has a very warm, quiet, and compassionate personality, and a great talent for listening to people.
Nova Alexandra Thorton (13): Esme’s younger sister. She is outgoing, friendly, and strong, hence why she plays four different sports.
Aidan Mateo Thorton (12): Esme’s younger brother. He is more like his oldest sister Esme, more quiet, patient, and calm, and enjoys reading.

Madeleine “Maddie” Claire Fournier (16): Esme’s friend. She is very quiet and thoughtful. She is also an excellent artist.
Olivier Marcus Fournier (20): Maddie’s older brother. He is very intelligent and thoughtful, but his personality is more outgoing than his sister’s.

Lucy Mei Cheng (15): Esme’s friend. She has quite an artistic and creative personality, proven by her talents in writing, drawing, and playing piano and flute.
Lyla June Cheng (8): Lucy’s younger sister. She is very shy and quiet, but a very cute and sweet little girl.

Chloe Victoria Martin (15): Esme’s friend. She has a friendly, outgoing, and nurturing personality, making her the glue that holds their group together.

Juliette “Juli” London Gardner (16): Esme’s friend. She is very outgoing and can be quite stubborn, but is a loyal friend.
Jasmine Nicole Gardner (18): Juli’s older sister. She is quiet and artistic, a stark contrast to her siblings.
Jaylen Anthony Gardner (20): Juli’s older brother. He is outgoing and friendly, and is a natural leader.

Helena Lily Zhang (15): Esme’s friend. She is more withdrawn than some of her friends, but she is the type of person who will make their own life miserable to be able to help others.
James Bruce Zhang (21): Helena’s older brother. He is very intelligent, thoughtful, and straightforward. He likes things done his way.

Josephine “Josie” Belle Meyers (15): Esme’s friend (this was the girl who died). She was sweet, patient, and she loved everybody.
Thomas Andrew Meyers (17): Josie’s older brother (bonus points bcs he’s Helena’s boyfriend). He is basically the outgoing version of Josie.
Eleanor “Ella” Mary Meyers (13): Josie’s younger sister. She is sweet, quiet, and shy, and the death of her sister really rocks her emotionally.
Charles David Meyers (12): Josie’s youngest sibling. He is outgoing, playful, and just a little boisterous.

Natasha “Tashi” Lynn Shen-Eleck (15): Esme’s friend. She is cheerful, patient, and friendly, a bit like Chloe.
Alyssa “Lyssa” May Shen-Eleck (15): Tashi’s twin sister. She is outgoing, spirited, and very passionate about the things she wants done.
Samantha “Sami” Grace Shen-Eleck (14): Tashi’s younger sister. She is thoughtful, artistic, and even a little shy.
Lindsay Emma Eleck (24): Tashi’s older half-sister from her father’s first marriage. She is calm, thoughtful, and practical.

Sydney Marie Swenson (15): Esme’s friend. She is passionate, outgoing, and demanding; you better do what she tells you to do or else.
Addison “Addie” Louise Swenson (17): Sydney’s older sister. She is free-spirited, bright, and very friendly and open.
Morgan Grace Swenson (19): Sydney’s oldest sister. She is mature beyond her years and a great friend, as well as a Division I volleyball player.

And of course I had to save my favorite names for last :).

Vivienne Elizabeth Marks (16): Esme’s friend. She is warm, friendly, patient, and basically the perfect friend.
Genevieve Eloise Marks (18): Vivienne’s older sister. She is just like her younger sister, plus high standards and a great work ethic.
Theodore “Theo” Everett Marks (13): Vivienne’s younger brother. He is friendly, playful, and cheerful.

Any thoughts and suggestions would be welcome.

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You have some really strong names so far, im not sure you need much help. But my only suggestion would be regarding the parents names. Given the ages of your characters, the parents would have likely been born in the 1970’s. So one idea could be to look up popular names from that era. Boys names were things like Eric, Mark, Tim, Jeff, Chris, Brian, Jason, etc… Girls were Jessica, Jennifer, Lauren, Lindsey, Katie, Amy, etc… all in all somewhat generic. But there were some that were not necessarily frequent, but certainly more common than they have been at any other time, and therefore could work for the parents in the story but still have a unique quality. Names like Gretchen, Mallory, and Sabrina, for example. Or, Jeremy, Kyle, Corey for boys. Hope this helps!

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I agree that the kids’ names are pretty great and don’t really need changing.

I’m around the age that some of the parents would be, and these are the names of some people I know who around are the same age:

[name_m]Damian[/name_m]
[name_u]Daniel[/name_u] “Dan”
[name_m]Christopher[/name_m] “Chris”
[name_u]James[/name_u] “Jamie”
[name_m]Gavin[/name_m]
[name_m]Stephen[/name_m]
[name_m]Mark[/name_m]
[name_m]Brendan[/name_m]
[name_u]Benjamin[/name_u] “Ben”
[name_m]Richard[/name_m] “Rick”
[name_u]Robert[/name_u] “Robbie”
[name_m]Byron[/name_m]
[name_m]Nicholas[/name_m] “Nick”
[name_m]Matthew[/name_m] “Matt”
[name_u]Sean[/name_u]

[name_f]Fiona[/name_f]
[name_f]Sarah[/name_f]
[name_f]Rebecca[/name_f] “Bec”
[name_f]Cheryl[/name_f]
[name_f]Laura[/name_f]
[name_f]Christina[/name_f]
[name_f]Natasha[/name_f] “Tash”
[name_f]Natalie[/name_f] “Nat”
[name_f]Paige[/name_f]
[name_f]Melissa[/name_f] “Mel”
[name_f]Megan[/name_f]
[name_u]Louise[/name_u]
[name_f]Taryn[/name_f]
[name_u]Erin[/name_u]
[name_f]Danielle[/name_f]
[name_f]Katherine[/name_f]
[name_f]Michelle[/name_f]
[name_u]Kelly[/name_u]

I hope that helps! There’s also a few names that you’ve used as middles that could plausibly be the parents’ name: [name_f]Nicole[/name_f] and [name_m]Anthony[/name_m] especially, but also [name_f]Claire[/name_f], [name_m]Andrew[/name_m] and [name_u]David[/name_u], and perhaps [name_f]Alexandra[/name_f].

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Thank you for the help!

Here are the final character names.
(warning: several mentions of death)

[name_u]Esme[/name_u] [name_u]Marie[/name_u] Thorton (15): The main character. Mn [name_u]Marie[/name_u] is after her grandmothers
[name_u]Nova[/name_u] [name_f]Alexandra[/name_f] Thorton (13): Esme’s younger sister. Mn [name_f]Alexandra[/name_f] is after her aunt.
[name_u]Aidan[/name_u] [name_m]Mateo[/name_m] Thorton (12): Esme’s younger brother. Mn [name_m]Mateo[/name_m] is a spin on his father’s first name.
[name_f]Julia[/name_f] [name_u]Louise[/name_u] Thorton (44): Esme’s mom. Mn [name_u]Louise[/name_u] is feminine version of her father’s name.
[name_m]Matthew[/name_m] [name_u]John[/name_u] Thorton (46): Esme’s dad. Mn [name_u]John[/name_u] is after his dad.
[name_f]Alexandra[/name_f] [name_u]Louise[/name_u] Keator (37): Esme’s paternal aunt. Mn [name_u]Louise[/name_u] is after her mother.
[name_u]Benjamin[/name_u] [name_m]Richard[/name_m] Keator (39): Esme’s uncle and Alexandra’s husband.
[name_f]Lila[/name_f] [name_f]Victoria[/name_f] Keator (12): Esme’s oldest cousin
[name_u]Liam[/name_u] [name_m]Andrew[/name_m] Keator (9): Esme’s cousin
[name_m]Patrick[/name_m] [name_u]John[/name_u] Keator (9): Esme’s cousin. Mn [name_u]John[/name_u] is after his grandfather.
[name_f]Poppy[/name_f] [name_u]Louise[/name_u] Keator (5): Esme’s cousin. Mn [name_u]Louise[/name_u] is after her mother and grandmother.
[name_f]Mary[/name_f] [name_u]Louise[/name_u] Thorton (71): Esme’s paternal grandmother
[name_u]John[/name_u] [name_u]Robert[/name_u] Thorton (73): Esme’s paternal grandfather
[name_f]Helene[/name_f] [name_u]Marie[/name_u] Tremblay (68): Esme’s maternal grandmother
[name_m]Philippe[/name_m] [name_m]Louis[/name_m] Tremblay (70): Esme’s maternal grandfather

[name_f]Madeleine[/name_f] “Maddie” [name_f]Claire[/name_f] Fournier (16): Esme’s friend. Names [name_f]Madeleine[/name_f] and [name_f]Claire[/name_f] are after the desserts madeleines and eclairs, a nod to her [name_u]French[/name_u] heritage.
[name_m]Olivier[/name_m] [name_m]Marcus[/name_m] Fournier (20): Maddie’s older brother
[name_u]Maria[/name_u] [name_u]Anne[/name_u] Fournier (48): Maddie’s mom
[name_u]Daniel[/name_u] [name_m]Andres[/name_m] Fournier (48): Maddie’s dad

[name_f]Lucy[/name_f] [name_f]Mei[/name_f] [name_m]Cheng[/name_m] (15): Esme’s friend
[name_f]Lyla[/name_f] [name_u]June[/name_u] [name_m]Cheng[/name_m] (8): Lucy’s younger sister
Yifan [name_u]Li[/name_u] [name_m]Cheng[/name_m] (45): Lucy’s mom. Fn Yifan is after one of my friends.
[name_u]John[/name_u] Ma [name_m]Cheng[/name_m] (49): Lucy’s dad

[name_f]Chloe[/name_f] [name_f]Victoria[/name_f] [name_m]Martin[/name_m] (15): Esme’s friend
[name_f]Danielle[/name_f] [name_f]Jessica[/name_f] [name_m]Martin[/name_m] (44): Chloe’s mom
[name_m]Christopher[/name_m] [name_m]Bryan[/name_m] [name_m]Martin[/name_m] (46): Chloe’s dad

[name_f]Juliette[/name_f] “Juli” [name_u]London[/name_u] [name_u]Gardner[/name_u] (16): Esme’s friend. Fn [name_f]Juliette[/name_f] after her grandmother [name_f]Julia[/name_f] (not mentioned in story. this is why her name doesn’t exactly fit stylistically with her family’s names)
[name_f]Jasmine[/name_f] [name_f]Nicole[/name_f] [name_u]Gardner[/name_u] (18): Juli’s older sister
[name_u]Jaylen[/name_u] [name_m]Anthony[/name_m] [name_u]Gardner[/name_u] (20): Juli’s older brother
[name_f]Tamika[/name_f] [name_f]Mae[/name_f] [name_u]Gardner[/name_u] (45): Juli’s mom
[name_m]Deshawn[/name_m] [name_u]David[/name_u] [name_u]Gardner[/name_u] (46): Juli’s dad

[name_f]Helena[/name_f] [name_f]Lily[/name_f] Zhang (15): Esme’s friend. Mn [name_f]Lily[/name_f] after her mother.
[name_u]James[/name_u] [name_m]Bruce[/name_m] Zhang (21): Helena’s older brother. Mn [name_m]Bruce[/name_m] after his father.
[name_f]Lily[/name_f] [name_u]Ming[/name_u] Zhang (46): Helena’s mom
[name_m]Bruce[/name_m] [name_u]John[/name_u] Zhang (48): Helena’s dad

[name_f]Josephine[/name_f] “Josie” [name_f]Belle[/name_f] Meyers (15): Esme’s friend (the girl who sadly passed away). Fn [name_f]Josephine[/name_f] after her father
[name_m]Thomas[/name_m] [name_m]Andrew[/name_m] Meyers (17): Josie’s older brother. Fn [name_m]Thomas[/name_m] after his father.
[name_f]Eleanor[/name_f] “Ella” [name_f]Mary[/name_f] Meyers (13): Josie’s younger sister. Mn [name_f]Mary[/name_f] after her mother.
[name_u]Charles[/name_u] [name_u]David[/name_u] Meyers (12): Josie’s younger brother. Fn [name_u]Charles[/name_u] is male version his mother’s middle name.
[name_f]Annemarie[/name_f] [name_f]Charlotte[/name_f] Meyers (46): Josie’s mom
[name_u]Joseph[/name_u] [name_m]Thomas[/name_m] Meyers (47): Josie’s dad

[name_u]Sydney[/name_u] [name_u]Marie[/name_u] [name_m]Swenson[/name_m] (15): Esme’s friend
[name_u]Addison[/name_u] “Addie” [name_u]Louise[/name_u] [name_m]Swenson[/name_m] (17): Sydney’s older sister
[name_u]Morgan[/name_u] [name_f]Grace[/name_f] [name_m]Swenson[/name_m] (19): Sydney’s oldest sister
[name_f]Amy[/name_f] [name_f]Michelle[/name_f] [name_m]Swenson[/name_m] (46): Sydney’s mom
[name_u]Dean[/name_u] [name_m]Andrew[/name_m] [name_m]Swenson[/name_m] (47): Sydney’s dad

[name_f]Vivienne[/name_f] [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f] [name_m]Marks[/name_m] (16): Esme’s friend
[name_f]Genevieve[/name_f] “Gemma” [name_f]Eloise[/name_f] [name_m]Marks[/name_m] (18): Vivienne’s older sister. Nn [name_f]Gemma[/name_f] after her initials G.E.M.
[name_m]Theodore[/name_m] [name_u]Everett[/name_u] [name_m]Marks[/name_m] (13): Vivienne’s younger brother. Fn [name_m]Theodore[/name_m] after his father.
[name_f]Gina[/name_f] [name_f]Marianne[/name_f] [name_m]Marks[/name_m] (43): Vivienne’s mom
[name_m]Theodore[/name_m] [name_u]James[/name_u] [name_m]Marks[/name_m] (47): Vivienne’s dad

This part of the post is kind of sad

[name_f]Natasha[/name_f] “Tashi” [name_u]Lynn[/name_u] Shen-Eleck (15): Esme’s friend. Mn [name_u]Lynn[/name_u] after her older half-sister [name_u]Lindsay[/name_u].
[name_f]Alyssa[/name_f] “Lyssa” [name_f]May[/name_f] Shen-Eleck (15): Tashi’s twin sister. Mn [name_f]May[/name_f] after her older half-sister Lindsay’s best friend [name_f]Mayleigh[/name_f] (not mentioned in story).
[name_f]Samantha[/name_f] “Sami” [name_f]Grace[/name_f] Shen-Eleck (14): Tashi’s younger sister
[name_u]Lindsay[/name_u] [name_f]Emma[/name_f] Eleck (24): Tashi’s older half-sister. Fn [name_u]Lindsay[/name_u] and mn [name_f]Emma[/name_f] after her grandmothers [name_f]Linda[/name_f] and [name_f]Emma[/name_f].
[name_f]Amy[/name_f] [name_f]Ann[/name_f] Shen (46): Tashi’s mom
[name_u]Michael[/name_u] [name_m]Steven[/name_m] Eleck (51): Tashi’s dad
[name_f]Susanna[/name_f] [name_f]Mari[/name_f] Wang: Lindsay’s mom. She tragically passed away when [name_u]Lindsay[/name_u] was seven. She was thirty years old.
[name_u]Benjamin[/name_u] [name_u]Robert[/name_u] [name_u]Wilson[/name_u] (26): Lindsay’s husband
[name_f]Liliana[/name_f] [name_f]Joy[/name_f] [name_u]Wilson[/name_u]: Lindsay’s daughter. She sadly passed away shortly after birth.
[name_f]Eliana[/name_f] “Ella” [name_f]Grace[/name_f] [name_u]Wilson[/name_u] (2): Lindsay’s daughter and Liliana’s surviving twin sister. Mn [name_f]Grace[/name_f] because she miraculously lived even though her sister didn’t.
[name_u]Evelyn[/name_u] “Evie” [name_f]Hope[/name_f] [name_u]Wilson[/name_u] (1): Lindsay’s daughter. Mn [name_f]Hope[/name_f] for obvious reasons.

Thank you to @kitkat and @Chococat for their help!

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