Loads of Character Names!

Hey everyone! I am currently to writing a novel featuring a tight-knit group of friends. I’m really struggling to name these guys. I have a few names I like for some of them, but I’m not sure if those names are the right ones. Sorry if this is a lot to read (I am a writer after all). Thanks for your help! :smiley:

Character #1
He is a 19-year-old college student (film student but specifically cinematography) at the U of Chicago. He was raised in Wisconsin in a traditional catholic family. He has four older sisters and a younger brother. He’s a white American with an Italian background. He has quite traditional values instilled in him by his parents, but he’s open-minded and keeps his opinions to himself. He loves the water.
Appearance: [name_m]Brown[/name_m] hair and brown eyes
A few traits: Thoughtful, intelligent, dramatic, compassionate, creative, optimistic, push-over, curious but cautious

I like [name_m]Jonah[/name_m] for him, but I’m not sure. I would like to have a name with religious connections since religion is very important to his family. I also like [name_m]Gabriel[/name_m]. The thing that makes me hesitate is that I want something a bit more distinctive (but not too out there). If anyone has suggestions for his siblings’ names that would be great too! One sister will be named [name_f]Anna[/name_f]-[name_f]Grace[/name_f].

Character #2
He’s the uncle of one of my other characters and he plays an important role in the novel. His niece is named [name_f]Francesca[/name_f] (she goes by [name_u]Frankie[/name_u]) and is also a student at U of Chicago. He is 57 years old and is the primary care provider for [name_u]Frankie[/name_u]. He and [name_u]Frankie[/name_u] live in a small home in Chicago. He is very Italian. He works in management at a local company. He was never married but has frequent flings. He also tries to spoil [name_u]Frankie[/name_u] as much as possible. His sister ([name_u]Frankie[/name_u]'s mom) is named [name_f]Beatrice[/name_f].
Appearance: Balding with black hair and dark brown eyes (he also looks older than he is because of smoking in his younger years)
Traits: Supportive, loud, outspoken, decisive, loving, family man, hard-working, a bit awkward, hugger, terrible cook

No ideas for him yet, but he’s my favorite :wink:

Character #3
She is a tall girl with Puerto Rican heritage majoring in gender studies at the U of Chicago. She’s 19 years old. She misses her family and is very nervous about college. Her grades are suffering due to her difficulty focusing and anxiety over school. She has a very good eye for fashion and loves to find unique pieces. She’s also vocal about many social issues. She has an active social media presence and often attends protests/rallies/fundraisers. Her father (Marcos) taught her to carve and she loves to do it.
Appearance: [name_m]Long[/name_m] black hair and brown eyes
Traits: Anxious, talkative, hard-working, really funny (with surprisingly dark humor), kind, resourceful, artistic

A friend suggested [name_f]Veronica[/name_f], but I’m not sure it fits. [name_f]Sofia[/name_f] was another suggestion I got, which I am leaning towards.

Character #4
He is a short stocky boy studying film (cinematography) at the U of Chicago. He and Character 1 quickly become friends. He’s 20 years old. His mother is a [name_f]Haitian[/name_f] immigrant and his father is a white American with Irish roots. He was born and raised in Oregon. He would have loved to study musical theatre but he can’t sing or act (lol). He takes classical dance classes at a gym near his apartment. He and [name_u]Frankie[/name_u] have dated in the past but are no longer together. He likes to go out once in a while but he prefers to stay home.
Appearance: [name_m]Light[/name_m] brown eyes and very curly brown hair
Traits: Mellow, studious, creative, intelligent, friendly, emotional, dog-lover, history junkie, calm, passionate

This boy has been giving me so much trouble! I can’t decide what style of name I want for him. I want to incorporate his mixed background but I also want his name to fit him and sound nice.

That’s all! If it helps, here are the names of some characters I have already named:

[name_u]Lou[/name_u] (girl)
[name_f]Anna[/name_f]-[name_f]Grace[/name_f] (double barrel first name, still deciding if I want the hyphen)
[name_f]Francesca[/name_f] “[name_u]Frankie[/name_u]”
[name_f]Beatrice[/name_f]
[name_m]Hector[/name_m]
[name_m]Damian[/name_m]
Marcos

If you got through all of that, thanks so much! I appreciate all comments/suggestions/opinions, but please keep it respectful. :smiley:

Lucida[/name_f] Sans Unicode]Character 1- I tried looking up Italian saints and came across the name [name_m]Benedict[/name_m]. It’s the name of several saints (and popes) plus I thinking the meaning, “blessing”, is perfect for the religious connection. If you’re not sure of [name_m]Benedict[/name_m], how about [name_m]Bennett[/name_m], which is a variant of [name_m]Benedict[/name_m]? Or [name_m]Benedetto[/name_m], the Italian form of [name_m]Benedict[/name_m]?

Other possible names:

[name_m]Dominic[/name_m] or [name_m]Domenico[/name_m]
[name_m]Peter[/name_m]
[name_m]Phineas[/name_m]
[name_m]Thaddeus[/name_m]
[name_m]Hezekiah[/name_m]
[name_m]Nehemiah[/name_m]
[name_m]Matthias[/name_m]
[name_m]Matthew[/name_m]
[name_m]Daniel[/name_m]
[name_m]Ezra[/name_m]
[name_m]Gideon[/name_m]
[name_m]Salvatore[/name_m] “[name_u]Sal[/name_u]”
[name_m]Christian[/name_m]
[name_m]Pasquale[/name_m]

*I’m afraid I don’t know much about saints or Catholicism, but I looked for names that were used in the Bible or had Biblical impressions.

Character 2- For this character, since he’s very Italian, I looked for names that were very Italian as well

[name_u]Luca[/name_u]
[name_m]Angelo[/name_m]
[name_m]Valentino[/name_m]
[name_m]Mario[/name_m]
[name_m]Vincenzo[/name_m] “[name_m]Enzo[/name_m]”
[name_m]Arturo[/name_m]
[name_m]Antonio[/name_m] “[name_u]Tony[/name_u]”
[name_m]Lorenzo[/name_m] “[name_m]Enzo[/name_m]”
[name_m]Gino[/name_m]
[name_m]Gennaro[/name_m]
[name_m]Ciro[/name_m]
[name_m]Alessio[/name_m]
Gianfranco
[name_m]Fortunato[/name_m]
[name_m]Marcello[/name_m]
[name_m]Nunzio[/name_m]
[name_m]Paolo[/name_m]
[name_m]Raul[/name_m]
[name_m]Ezio[/name_m]
[name_m]Giuliano[/name_m]
[name_m]Durante[/name_m]
[name_m]Cosimo[/name_m] or [name_m]Cosmo[/name_m]

Character 3-

[name_f]Nura[/name_f]
[name_f]Odalis[/name_f]/[name_f]Odalys[/name_f]
[name_f]Raquel[/name_f]
[name_f]Zoe[/name_f]
[name_f]Ivonne[/name_f]
[name_f]Ramona[/name_f]
[name_f]Sarita[/name_f]
[name_u]Alexis[/name_u]
[name_f]Michelle[/name_f]
[name_f]Alicia[/name_f]

Character 4-

[name_m]Etienne[/name_m]
[name_m]Oliver[/name_m]/[name_m]Olivier[/name_m]
[name_m]Marius[/name_m]
[name_m]Thomas[/name_m]
[name_m]Victor[/name_m]
[name_m]Edgar[/name_m]
[name_m]Louis[/name_m] or [name_m]Louie[/name_m]
[name_m]Henry[/name_m]
[name_m]Charles[/name_m]
[name_m]Leon[/name_m]
[name_m]Lucien[/name_m]
[name_m]Joseph[/name_m]
[name_m]Antony[/name_m]/[name_m]Anthony[/name_m]
[name_m]Milo[/name_m]
[name_u]Elliot[/name_u]

Character 1
I picture this family with a lot of traditional names—saints’ names, or names that were passed down from previous generations. It’s hard to be both traditional and distinctive, but maybe:

[name_m]Damien[/name_m] (a saint)
[name_m]Dominic[/name_m] – seconding this suggestion
[name_m]Isaac[/name_m]
[name_m]Paul[/name_m] (less popular now than in 2000)
[name_m]Zachary[/name_m] (not super distinctive, but a traditional name that’s also a pope/saint name)

For his sisters, along with [name_f]Anna[/name_f]-[name_f]Grace[/name_f]…

[name_f]Abigail[/name_f]
[name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f] (or maybe [name_f]Mary[/name_f] [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f] nn. [name_f]Mary[/name_f] [name_f]Beth[/name_f] / [name_f]Sarah[/name_f] [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f] nn. [name_f]Sarah[/name_f] [name_f]Beth[/name_f])
[name_f]Glory[/name_f] (possibly double-barreled—[name_f]Glory[/name_f] [name_f]Joy[/name_f]?)
[name_f]Katherine[/name_f] (or maybe [name_f]Mary[/name_f] [name_f]Katherine[/name_f] nn. [name_f]Mary[/name_f] [name_f]Kate[/name_f] / [name_f]Sarah[/name_f] [name_f]Katherine[/name_f] nn. [name_f]Sarah[/name_f] [name_f]Kate[/name_f])
[name_f]Mariah[/name_f]
[name_f]Natalie[/name_f]
[name_f]Rebecca[/name_f]
[name_f]Sarah[/name_f]
[name_f]Valerie[/name_f]

Character 2
I went back to popular baby names in the early 60s to see what might fit best with [name_f]Beatrice[/name_f], style-wise and trendiness-wise. [name_u]Love[/name_u] the suggestions of [name_m]Angelo[/name_m] and [name_m]Antonio[/name_m].

[name_u]Michael[/name_u] nn. [name_u]Mickey[/name_u] or [name_m]Mitch[/name_m] (for some reason I just picture this guy going by a nickname)
[name_m]Dominic[/name_m] nn. [name_u]Nicky[/name_u] or [name_m]Dom[/name_m]
[name_m]Monty[/name_m]
[name_m]Gordon[/name_m]
[name_m]Hubert[/name_m] nn. [name_m]Hugh[/name_m], [name_m]Huey[/name_m]