Nina...?

I’ve started working on naming characters for a [name]Young[/name] Adult fiction novel. I’ve got my MC and her family locked down and am working on a male protagonist and the MC’s best friend.

My MC is a 15 year old girl named [name]Joanna[/name], who prefers just [name]Jo[/name]. Her best friend is a girl I would like to call [name]Nina[/name]. I love the name for this character. It’s simple but it’s not super popular. She’s also 15. So far I have her full name as [name]Nina[/name] [name]Maria[/name] [name]Vargas[/name] Rivera. She is of Mexican decent, very pretty, and a very kind person. The name doesn’t have to go with her personality, but I want it to have a vaguely Spanish flare. I’m pretty set on the name, but I welcome opinions and perhaps names that [name]Nina[/name] could be a nickname for.

As for the male protagonist, I haven’t gotten anywhere in naming him thus far. He’s very practical and comes from a very practical family. Intelligence, education, and having a steady, well paying job in the future are things he’s been brought up to value and work hard for. Any suggestions welcome. ([name]Just[/name] not [name]Charles[/name]/[name]Charlie[/name], [name]Thomas[/name], or [name]Michael[/name], please!)

Also, I would love any suggestions you have for [name]Nina[/name]'s older siblings. Brother 1, Brother 2, [name]Sister[/name], Brother 3. Thank you!!

[name]Male[/name] Protaganist: [name]Jonathon[/name]. [name]Drew[/name]. [name]Andrew[/name]. [name]Jordan[/name]. [name]Timothy[/name]. [name]Jesse[/name] (but it’s such over kill imo.). [name]Matthew[/name]. [name]Marcus[/name]. [name]Elliot[/name]. [name]Wesley[/name].

[name]Nina[/name]'s siblings:
[name]Mercedes[/name]. [name]Alexandra[/name]. [name]Gianna[/name]. [name]Marco[/name]. [name]Carlos[/name]. [name]Diego[/name]. Tiego. [name]Luca[/name]. [name]Dante[/name].

[name]Male[/name] protagonist – [name]Christopher[/name], [name]Matthew[/name], [name]Elliot[/name], [name]Hugh[/name] (?), [name]Alexander[/name]

[name]Nina[/name]'s family – [name]Nina[/name], [name]Esperanza[/name], [name]Mariana[/name], [name]Santiago[/name], [name]Miguel[/name], [name]Orlando[/name], [name]Matias[/name]

Nina could just be a pet name for Penina. It’s a name of Hebrew origin but it sounds lovely to me.
Penina Maria Vargas Rivera.

For your male protagonist, do you have a specific ethnic and cultural background in mind?

Nina’s older siblings could be…

Brother 1: Mathias aka “Matt” Ivan
Brother 2: Julian Hector
Sister: Elisa Estrella
Brother 3: Gilberto Emmanuel

Thanks for all the suggestions! :slight_smile:

@Scribe: No, I don’t have a specific ethnic/cultural background for him. I kind of think he might have red hair and brown eyes, though. But it comes from his mother’s side, so his mom may be Irish or Scottish, but his father is up in the air honestly…