So I’ve got three new story ideas, and I need names for the last of them. (After months of not writing, now I’ve got my handsfull with plot bunnies). This one is a story about that mental health and feeling like you’re behind for your age–something I think a lot of people in their twenties feel especially. It’s focusing on a community college student, who is about twenty years old. He has red hair, I think will be interested in some form of creative hobby, but doesn’t know what to do with his life at the start. He dropped out of his previous four year college due to mental health and addiction problems, and now is getting back on track, going to a community college. The genre is new adult.
I like unusual but not totally rare names. Ones I’m considering: [name_m]Alistair[/name_m] [name_m]Lundy[/name_m] (the only one I have a last name for atm), [name_m]Alvin[/name_m], [name_m]Luke[/name_m], [name_u]Dean[/name_u], [name_m]Ludo[/name_m], [name_m]Walden[/name_m], [name_m]Fishel[/name_m] nn [name_m]Fish[/name_m], or maybe a name that means bear with the nn Cubby. Maybe even just [name_m]Bear[/name_m]. Other surnames besides [name_m]Lundy[/name_m] I might use are Sewall, [name_u]Rosamel[/name_u], [name_m]Seaborn[/name_m], and Mundy. [name_m]Feel[/name_m] free to uggest combos or other names!
I’ll also need names for his fathers and friends, although I haven’t developed them much yet (as this idea only came together yesterday). So names for other characters are also appreciated! It’s set in modern day in an industrial town that used to be centered around railways and trains.
Your story sounds so cool so far! And the subject matter is so important.
I like [name_m]Fishel[/name_m] nn [name_m]Fish[/name_m] the best, but I’ve found that nicknames stick better when they have something to do with last names instead of first names. I like [name_m]Ludo[/name_m] [name_m]Fishel[/name_m]/Fischer nn [name_m]Fish[/name_m] much better, but [name_m]Ludo[/name_m] could easily be replaced with [name_m]Luke[/name_m], [name_m]Alvin[/name_m], [name_m]Walden[/name_m], ect.
I like [name_m]Walden[/name_m] a lot, but probably [name_m]Walter[/name_m] better. Especially if [name_m]Walden[/name_m]/Walter is a family name. Some middle names I like with [name_m]Walter[/name_m]/Walden are [name_m]Phillip[/name_m], [name_u]James[/name_u], [name_m]Humphrey[/name_m], [name_u]Augustine[/name_u], [name_u]Dean[/name_u], and [name_m]Barnaby[/name_m]. [name_m]Walden[/name_m] [name_u]Dean[/name_u] is dreamy, as is [name_m]Walden[/name_m] [name_m]Barnaby[/name_m]!
Sullivan ([name_u]Sully[/name_u]), [name_m]Gage[/name_m], [name_u]Miles[/name_u], [name_u]Emerson[/name_u], and [name_m]Kent[/name_m] are all names that randomly make me think of industrial (railways and trains) things. [name_u]Sullivan[/name_u] [name_m]Seaborn[/name_m] and [name_u]Sullivan[/name_u] Sewall are the coolest.
Arte is my favorite name that means “[name_m]Bear[/name_m]”. It’s a bit industrial, too.
How about [name_u]Rory[/name_u] it means red haired king?
Or [name_m]Ronan[/name_m] is cute it means little seal.
[name_m]Orson[/name_m] means bear cub
@Johannaa thank you! @anon25197097 thank you! [name_u]Rory[/name_u] is cute! [name_m]Orson[/name_m] is actually one of my all time favorite names, but I have a habit of giving my protagonist names starting with O ([name_u]Owen[/name_u], [name_m]Orin[/name_m], etc) so I should probably diversify a bit. Plus, that’s a name I want to save for if I have a son one day. Otherwise, I’d probably use it. @junot thank you so much! I really appreciate your feedback; all of your suggestionsare wonderful. I like them all so much, I’m not even sure which is my favorite! You’ve been very helpful
I started calling him [name_m]Luke[/name_m] as a placeholder but now I think it’s stuck. So now he needs a last name and I’ll decide if he still gets a nickname like [name_m]Fish[/name_m] or not. I’ve since decided that one of his hobbies is making ships in a bottle, so not sure if the sea themed last name would be too much with that?
If you think about it, like if your characters were real, then your characters are named by their parents. They get names from their parents. So, whatever his last name is comes from a parent/parents. His parents name him, maybe because they liked the name, because he’s named after someone, etc. So, if he has a sea-themed last name, then that means at least one of his parents did. Where did he get the ships in a bottle hobby from? Did he get it from a parent? In that case, where did the parent get it from?
Personally, I find a sea-themed last name a little too much. Maybe he gets the nickname [name_m]Fish[/name_m] because he likes making ships in a bottle, not because of his last name. That way–to me at least–it is more realistic.
I hope this helps!
I’m late to this thread but the names [name_u]Thaddeus[/name_u] and [name_m]Tobias[/name_m] also come to mind! [name_u]Linden[/name_u], [name_f]Afton[/name_f], and [name_u]Park[/name_u] all make good last (and first, I guess) names. Best of luck with your story!
