Lets say hypothetically that you are witnessing a birth and that you somehow gained psychic premonition powers out of the blue and knew all of a sudden that this tiny puny human girl that is being born will be the one to change the world for the greater good. This girl will go on to do what we would call impossible today, challenge authority and expose their lies to the world, and create the very thing that will save humanity from destroying the planet… and mankind as we know it. What would you name this girl?
Haha, yeah- sorry I’ve had entirely too much coffee this morning and whenever my brain is overly stimulated I tend to get… creative. But no matter how creative I am with weird plot lines, it stops when I get to naming the people within those plot lines.
So, lets see how creative you are and what you would name a girl who’ll… deep dramatic voicesave the world.
I think [name_f]Veronica[/name_f] fits well, personally. I mean I’m most likely biased but I think it’s a beautiful yet strong name that can work on so many different types of people.
Your daughter’s name, [name_f]Juno[/name_f] [name_f]Matilda[/name_f] is absolutely stunning and the meanings behind them make the entire name 10x better. I love a name with a strong meaning- especially when the meanings compliment each other.
[name_f]Endellion[/name_f] is also beautiful, how do you even pronounce this one? I see some people pronouncing it “En-dell-on” but I instinctively want to say “En-dell-ee-on” which I think I might prefer a tad more.
They sure can but if you read my post you’d know that I’m looking for names with a specific feel to them, names that sound like they’d be in a story/movie with a strong female heroic lead.
I did read your post. I do not feel certain names are more destined for greatness over others. I do not get a feeling of greatness or power from specific names. It’s the person, the way they carry themselves, the way they speak, etc. The heroic lead could be given just about any name. What will make a break the feeling is the personality. If the character’s personality is not well written and not written with a personality of someone with greatness no one watching the movie or reading the book will view her as powerful, no matter the character’s name.
It seems we’re going to have to agree to disagree then. While yes, the personality plays a big part when writing a story, the name of a character matters just as much. When naming someone in a story you want it to be memorable as well as meaningful. You want the name to stick in the reader’s heads. Wilhelm Stekel and Carl Jung- who are both professional psychoanalysts asserted that the “compulsion of the name” not only reflects but determines one’s future: that we’re all engaged, from birth, in a nominative determinism.
Some names do in fact elicit a certain emotion, whether that be in the form of an image, a fleeting thought or feeling, & sometimes even a scent. If you do not, nor have ever experienced this response, then I’m afraid you are in the minority. There have been numerous threads on Nameberry that have asked for name suggestions based upon a certain “feeling”, all you have to do is search to confirm this.
Your character can’t just have “any name”. First and foremost you want a name that fits your character. You don’t name someone who consumes the flesh of humans Hannibal by choosing a name from a random name generator. The connotations, letters, & sound of the name can help offer greater insight into the character’s personality and their characteristics.
Before choosing a name you must first look into the background of the character. Where are they from? When are they from?
There’s a reason George R.R. Martin didn’t name any of the main characters from Game of Thrones “Jake” or “Bob”. Daenerys Targaryan (Khaleesi), Jon Snow, Arya Stark were all very memorable names and created trends all across the globe. The names didn’t make the person but they went with the person. They complimented the character’s personality so well that you really can not imagine them having any other name.
Katniss Everdeen’s name was just as iconic as her personality. You can’t sit there and tell me it would have been even remotely the same if her name had been “Britney”.
Lets take a look at these two names: Mary-Alice Louise Whitaker and Mikayla Diaz. If I was writing a story about a southern girl in the mid 1900s which name sounds like it would be in that type of setting? This is a no-brainer here.
You also have to factor in the theme of the story you are writing. The Genre. A futuristic time period might have more sharp sounding names that give off a cyberpunk vibe.
The book 50 Shades of Grey creates a color aesthetic with their characters who are named Grey and Steele.
Anastasia is a flowery, long, graceful name that exudes an innocent, regal, princess-y type imagery. The character Anastasia is very naive and innocent in the book. The name fits the character.
So yes, the name of the character in a story matters just as much as their personality and in my case, I was looking for names that provoke feelings of strength & power.
