Opinion Time: What Makes A Good Character Name?

[Lily_Anarchkitty]

I know this is highly subjective topic that contains multiple different answers spanning countless genres, but I measure the quality of character names by three factors:

1. How realistic the name is.
2. How appropriate (time & setting-wise) the name is.
3. How befitting of the character the name is.

Granted, there are times when I’ve created character names that didn’t align with my above criteria, but I kept it anyway because I loved the sound or vibe or whatever of it so much.

My genre of storytelling is almost exclusively realistic fiction, so names that sound ordinary and easygoing are generally my forte. For example, my primary story centers around this middle-class family of five living in rural Arkansas. They come from a very religious background and their ancestry comprises Celtic, Angelo-Saxon, Scandinavian and Germanic DNA. Taking all these facts into consideration, I painstakingly researched and tried out various name combinations that suited the backstory of the family, and these were the eventual results are as follows:

1. Skyla Blythe Mortenson: the youngest child and second daughter of the family. Skyla is adopted, and her parents considered their religion and their heritage when renaming her. Her father, Henry, had a paternal uncle named Schuyler Mortenson, who, alongside his three other uncles, died in the Vietnam War. Wanting to honor his fourth uncle, he and his wife, Elizabeth, feminized the English version of Schuyler, “Skylar,” into the cute and palatable Skyla. Elizabeth, the more religious of the two, wanted Skyla’s middle name to be religious, which Henry conceded. As a result, her middle name is Blythe, meaning “happy, carefree.” Quite fitting of Skyla’s personality, as a matter of fact.

2. Harper Annamarie Mortenson: the middle child and first daughter of the family. “Harper” was chosen as her name by her parents due to its contemporary value and its place as a maternal family surname. Plus, it has some history in Christianity, so that was extra points. Her middle name, Annamarie, is a combination of “Anna” and “Marie”, both of which originate from the Bible.

(Fun fact: “Anna” was Harper’s beta name, but I thought it was too plain and changed it once I found a better option. When deciding her middle name, I thought making it “Anna” would be a cute reference, but I still thought it was too plain, so I added the equally pedestrian “Marie” to the mix. Ironically, I think “Annamarie” has more pzazz than Anna or Marie alone.)

3. Sebastian Torquil Mortenson: the only son and eldest child of the family. “Sebastian” is a name that’s universal across many, many cultures and countries, so it’s fitting for his parents’ broad European heritage. Additionally, it’s a name originating in Christianity, so that appeased the required religious connection. “Torquil” is actually a name of Scottish origin derived from the Scandinavian name “Torkel”, meaning “Thor’s helmet.” Once I discovered this name’s multicultural origins, I knew it would be the perfect middle name for Sebastian (his parents thought so as well).

4. Elizabeth Theophania Mortenson (nee Bermingham): the wife and mother of this family. She was born the second child and eldest daughter of her parents, who were both high-ranking religious figures in her hometown and their religious devotion and domineering personalities passed onto Elizabeth, making her into a cold, controlling, emotionally unavailable mother and wife and a devout Christian.

I’ve made a post titled “The Enthralling Flexibility of ‘Elizabeth’” that is about exactly that. For me, Elizabeth is name that carries endless connotations and associations, both good and bad. I thought this regal, ancient, beautiful and timeless name would be perfect for Mrs. Mortenson, as she encompasses the ultimate struggle of choosing between faith and family culminating into a stale, unsatisfying resolution. Her middle name, Theophania, means “God’s appearance”, befits her family’s highly Christian origins.

5. Henry Ingmar Mortenson: the husband and father of this family. He is subdued and quiet in personality, and while he doesn’t always agree with her, Henry usually concedes to the will of his wife to keep the peace, even at the cost of his children’s happiness and well-being. His first name is derived from his late uncle’s name, Henrik Mortenson, who died in the Vietnam War alongside his three other uncles. His middle name, “Ingmar”, can be found across Scandinavian and Germanic cultures, making it the ultimate culmination of all Henry’s heritage.

Overall, all five of these names represent all I like about character names: realism, appropriation, and fittingness. As the cherry on top, I made these names with the intention of blending familiar and unique elements in accordance with their family history and religion; a task that was as time-consuming as it was delightful! I understand that not everybody will agree with my perspective. Hell, some people might even find realistic character names to be boring, which I understand why- why not go for something wild and adventurous when exploring the realm of fiction? But at the same time, I feel like grounding character names in the realm of familiarity helps to better integrate them into the audience’s attachment and relatability, but I could be far off the mark here, so who knows?

Regardless, I’m super curious as to what others think a good character name constitutes, and I’d like anyone and everyone to share their thoughts below, whether they agree with me or wholeheartedly disagree with me. Thanks for sticking around this long!

[GeographyDragon]

Wow, you put a lot of thought into these names! They are gorgeous!

For me, it’s important that a name feels right. [name_f]My[/name_f] character [name_m]Donny[/name_m] [name_m]Andrews[/name_m] almost had a different name, but my brain kept calling him [name_m]Donny[/name_m]. So, that became his name (his full name is [name_m]Donovan[/name_m] “Donny” [name_m]Windsor[/name_m] Andrews).

I do pay attention to different factors on a case-by-case basis.

Meaning: It’s a bonus for me if the name has a fitting meaning, though I don’t always aim for one anymore.

Origin: Since most of my books take place in made-up realms, name origin is often not really a priority. Though, I do seem to lean towards certain name origins for certain characters.

Fittingness for the time period: I do tend to gravitate towards less modern names for less modern time periods, though not always.

Formality: I tend to go for more ornate and flowery names for characters of noble heritage, especially girls.

This is just what works for me, though🙂.

[Lily_Anarchkitty]

Thank you! I was starting to think nobody ever even glanced at this post! I agree that, above all else, I want my character’s name to feel right for them, even if they may contradict my general three rules. ‘Donovan’ is a name I’ve always adored but never found the right character for, so it’s nice to see it being used by someone else! I agree with everything else you’ve said as well: meanings can be helpful, but aren’t always a priority; origin is very important to me, as I can’t imagine give a character a name from an ancestry they don’t have unless it’s for necessary reasons (for example, I have a [name_m]Cherokee[/name_m] character named “Robert Kingfisher” because I kept thinking the name “Bobby Kingfisher” was cute, even if the name itself was English); time period is also a factor, if pretty minor one; Formal names I usually reserve for serious characters or characters of elite/aristocratic background, such as “Victoria”, “Millicent”, “Cornelia”, Venetia", etc.

Overall, it’s great to hear from a like-minded writer!

[Indigo-Jasper]

When I’m deciding on a name for my characters i like to pick more unique names when i can because it makes them more recognizable by their name alone i also think about the meaning and origin of the names as well as how it sounds all together of course the time period and setting and if the family has any family members that they might want to honor with their naming and also sometimes the characters relationship with their name and their family becase i know a lot of people including myself have chosen names to go by instead of the given name so if they dont like their name or family associated with that name and i think about their personality and what might they change their name to if they do choose to change it

[Lily_Anarchkitty]

Almost exactly my thoughts! Good to hear from another writer on the matter! A name doesn’t always need an elaborate meaning or origin behind it; if it just sounds right, then I’ll go for it.

[Leo_May_Morgenstern]

Apologies for how long this is (I have a tl;dr):

I like a mix of both vibe and meaning. Almost a feeling that means something in and of itself as well as the meaning and if that meaning connects to other characters. I’m writing a story that takes place in a fictional kingdom of artists so my goal was to make somewhat fancy names, but there’s also a class system of sorts in this universe so I used that as well.

I also tend to name characters after people I admire as long as I feel those names would fit in the universe well enough.

(Although to be honest for last names I did just google “pretty last names” at first. Although I still chose ones from that list that would work for the characters individually as well.)

Examples:

I think my best example is my character [name_f]Caprise[/name_f] [name_m]Rosewood[/name_m]. To be fair, the meaning of her name somewhat influenced the writing (Caprise: “an impulsive change of mind”) but I really think that it was a fire that she’d always had within her, that it took figuring out her name to come out (I know that sounds kind of corny but you get what I mean).

Technically the more common spelling is “Caprice” with a ‘c’ but I felt that the ‘s’ made it smoother in a way, like the ‘s’ in “satin.” while the ‘c’ makes her seem colder than she is.

I’m not sure if the ‘s’ would make her name be pronounced more like “Cuh-preez” rather than “Cuh-prees,” and in a way I like to imagine a sort of mix of the two. As for [name_m]Rosewood[/name_m] I think the idea of scented wood works well for her as a sort of strong and warm person. Together it doesn’t sound as conventionally fancy as the other names but it’s still pretty while, in my opinion, conveying her character.

I also have a character named [name_f]Hyacinth[/name_f] [name_m]Malloy[/name_m]. His last name comes from songwriter [name_m]Dave[/name_m] [name_m]Malloy[/name_m], my biggest inspiration to become a lyricist. His first name betrays a delicateness, like, well, a flower. His name compliments that of his lover [name_m]Orpheus[/name_m] since they are both derived from Greek language and myth (and, an effect of that which was unintended but much appreciated is that they are specifically named after characters in Greek myth whose love stories end tragically, while what I desperately wanted was to show that for once, this was a love story that wouldn’t).

Speaking of [name_m]Orpheus[/name_m], it’s specifically derived from a myth that involves music (Orpheus and Eurydice), and the character is a musician (like many of the people he knows). It’s melodic and soft, yet almost cold, which makes sense for a character who doesn’t have many friends. His last name is [name_f]Nightingale[/name_f], also music-related and pretty dramatic. He’s a prince so that’s another reason I had to make sure his name was fancy. I also found the meaning of the name (“the darkness of the night”) interesting, and although I didn’t know why at the time, maybe it’s because that the most joy he finds is under cover of darkness.

[name_m]Aurelius[/name_m] [name_f]Bell[/name_f] was originally named [name_m]Anthony[/name_m] because he was very vaguely inspired by someone whose name was spelled similarly to a nickname for a different language’s version of [name_m]Anthony[/name_m] (long story). [name_f]Bell[/name_f] was after [name_f]Gelsey[/name_f] [name_f]Bell[/name_f], who was part of some of [name_m]Dave[/name_m] Malloy’s (see [name_f]Hyacinth[/name_f] Malloy) shows.

Then I told one of my friends about “Anthony” and they were…not impressed. This was someone whose opinion I particularly valued for no particular reason. They said they liked names so they’d search some and let me know later. I was glad for the extra help because even had trouble with finding “Anthony” despite what I said earlier. I wanted something protective with a slight bit of vulnerability, as “Anthony” as a character was both a traumatized young man and a stable older brother figure to [name_m]Orpheus[/name_m]. I decided to search some names up myself as well, clicking on names I thought were close so I could look at a list of similar ones. I then found [name_m]Aurelius[/name_m], a name related to the sun, a warmth that befitted him very well. It was a happy accident that not only did his and [name_m]Orpheus[/name_m] names end in the same “us” sound that connected them, but also that they had opposite meanings, showing how [name_m]Orpheus[/name_m] would go about life in a way that [name_m]Aurelius[/name_m] never could and how fear operated inside each of them.

[name_m]Samuel[/name_m] [name_m]Ashford[/name_m]. Oh my goodness [name_m]Samuel[/name_m] [name_m]Ashford[/name_m]. This boy’s name was the bane of my existence for at least an entire day. Since a little after the very start of the process, I knew his surname had to be [name_m]Ashford[/name_m], after yet another singer, a woman named Brittain [name_m]Ashford[/name_m] who was in some of [name_m]Dave[/name_m] Malloy’s (again, see [name_f]Hyacinth[/name_f] Malloy) shows. But I had no idea what to name him, especially since in the very early days I saw him as more of a figure of tragedy rather than the beautiful character he really was. He was barely starting to develop a personality so how could I choose a name?

In hindsight, I could have waited, but instead I decided to pore over this very website (been using it before I even had an account) with my best friend for about an hour, if not more. We thought of things like “Theodore” (too fragile), “Alistair” (according to my BFF, to reminiscent of Hazbin Hotel. Also both had been names of scrapped characters of mine), “Lysander” (okay that was mainly a joke. He was NOT a Lysander). We decided to go through the alphabet, a name for each letter, and stumbled across the names “Eliot” and “Samuel.” I can’t exactly recall if I had been vaguely considering the latter before or not, but I liked it, that same, lingering, softness I wanted all my names to have just a bit of, in a way that was scruffily handsome. I could imagine him clearer than I ever could, and I know that sounds dramatic, but that tone is fitting for someone like him.

What else could you expect from [name_m]Samuel[/name_m] [name_m]Ashford[/name_m]?

Hopefully that was easy to understand, my brain works slightly weird when it comes to these sorts of things. But essentially when I name a character, I want that name to feel right, in the same way you talk to someone who says their name is “Tiffany” and you think that they look just like a “Tiffany,” my goal was for you to see for yourself Caprise’s capriciousness, Hyacinth’s fragile yet sweet nature, Orpheus’ music, Aurelius’ warmth, and Samuel’s roguishness and to think, if you even give it a thought: “yep. That makes sense.”

TL;DR: I choose names based off of a feeling, the way the syllables and letters feel. If someone is sharp in personality, they’ll be sharp in name, for example. But I also choose based off of meaning, both general and personal, and of course I look for pretty names that vary in fanciness but have that air that names of citizens of a [name_m]Kingdom[/name_m] of [name_m]Art[/name_m] should.

[Lily_Anarchkitty]

No need to apologize, I type/talk a lot too! [name_m]Just[/name_m] a bonus of our active imaginations, y’know? Otherwise, I completely agree with your take on the matter, even if vibe is ultimately more important to me than actual meaning. I also did just google terms like “pretty”/“sophisticated”/ “meaningful” surnames and first names in the beginning until I found sites like Nameberry and Forebears.io. I think that’s a steppingstone nearly all writers go through initially. [name_f]Caprise[/name_f] [name_m]Rosewood[/name_m] is also a very pretty character name, even better when compounded with its history! [name_m]Orpheus[/name_m] [name_f]Nightingale[/name_f] is also a banger of a character name, and I like that you drew inspiration from its real Greek mythological roots to bring him to life! You clearly did your research on the matter, and [name_f]Nightingale[/name_f] is a surname I’ve always loved, but sadly never found a use for it.

Regarding [name_m]Samuel[/name_m] [name_m]Ashford[/name_m], an entire day is the least amount of pain a character name can cause you. I sometimes spent several days trying to hunt down the perfect name for my character(s), and it was exhausting! Well worth the effort, though- I’ve now got a heap of names I’m pretty proud of! “Alistair” is a fantastic name- the [name_m]Alastor[/name_m] association from Hazbin Hotel is actually a bonus in my eyes; who wouldn’t want to be associated with the only and only Radio [name_m]Demon[/name_m]?

Overall, I agree that a name should suit the person bearing it, like how you said you just want the name to look like it belongs to that specific character.

P.S: [name_m]Anthony[/name_m] [name_f]Bell[/name_f] is not a bad character name, even if I do prefer [name_m]Aurelius[/name_m] [name_f]Bell[/name_f]. I hope you didn’t take it too hard.