Pronunciation of Character Names

Helllllllo!
I’ve compiled a list of names, and I’d just like to know which ones people have a hard time reading/pronouncing? :slight_smile: It’s for a story idea; I want my character’s names to be weird, but not completely unreadable or something! (Also, if you have any other names you’d like to suggest I can add, that are in this kind of theme, including surnames, it’d be incredibly helpful!!) <3 The novel will be in a dystopian world.

    • Girl’s Names
      Andromeda
      Bellamira
      Cressida
      Galatea
      Hero
      Lilith
      North
      Ophira
      Persephone
      Sansa
      Sparrow
      Nymphadora
      Thisbe
      Morwenna
      Nerissa
      Odessa
      Poet
      Saskia
      Eyrie
      Saffia
      Helia
      Seraphim
      Boheme
      Maelys
      Ophelie
      Ottoline
      Reverie
      Saffron
      Salome
      Whimsy
      Wisteria
      Twila
      Lunara
      Araluen
      Soraya
      Eowyn
      Rania
      Serenei
      Tamsin
      Harmonia
      Lena
      Soleia
      Belladonna
      Forysthia
      Iolanthe
      Aracelia
      Tetley
      Olivet
      Isolde
      Sidonie
      Thessaly
      Melicent
      Salome
      Persis
      Ondine
      Signy
    • Boy’s Names
      Denali
      Enoch
      Jesper
      Lapidoth
      Lazarus
      Salem
      Caspian
      Hollow
      Ignatius
      Caedmon
      Ransom
      Ronan
      Arius
      Kaelan
      Arken
      Tyberon
      Evander
      Gable
      Olivander
      Gideon
      Boniface
      Carbry
      Embry
      Fletcher
      Lysander
      Pippin
      Saxon
      Samhain
      Thackeray
      Cassius
      Bodhi
      Cerulean
      Zephyr
      Perseus
      Viktor
      Holland
      Casimir
      Fitzwilliam
      Draco
      Alaric
      Matthias
    • Last Names
      Everlast
      Marsolet
      Sarrakin
      Snicket
      Darkholm
      Winterberry
      Junyroth
      Fair
      Lovegrove
      Heathers
      Toothaker
      Harcourt
      Raffle
      Gryffith
      Kennicot
      Pendragon
      Sweeney
      Glask
      Galbraith
      Peloquin
      Quirk
      Elsmore
      Sorrow

Right off the bat, I [name_u]LOVE[/name_u] your names! I think they’re absolutely beautiful, very suited to the genre but still pronounceable. I’m probably just going to go through, find names that are more difficult, write phonetically how I (as a reader) would say the name, and why it’s a little more difficult to pronounce and/or any immediate associations that I have with the name.
[name_m]Just[/name_m] letting you know as well; us Berries are probably going to know some more obscure names than most average readers. So I’m going to do my best to look at the names as a general reader rather than a [name_u]Berry[/name_u] who’s been exposed to more names than the average person. :slight_smile:

LADIES:
[name_f]Ophira[/name_f] - [name_m]Just[/name_m] a note, oh-fear-uh or oh-fire-uh? I immediately thought oh-fear-uh. But I’m going to reference the classic Eragon fan dilemma here: [name_f]Saphira[/name_f], pronounced suh-FEAR-uh in book canon, is very similar to the Hebrew name [name_f]Sapphira[/name_f], pronounced suh-[name_m]FIRE[/name_m]-uh, which caused a great deal of argument and consternation over just what was the right way to pronounce it. [name_m]Just[/name_m] something to think about.
Nymphadora - This name I took one look at and thought, “Hey, Tonks!” I don’t know if that’s just me, but, in my opinion, it’s such a unique name with such an iconic character that this name is probably better suited to a side character rather than a protagonist. Again, I’m not sure if it’s just me, but I associate this name automatically with the [name_m]Harry[/name_m] [name_m]Potter[/name_m] character, and it would be kind of confusing to have another Nymphadora.
[name_f]Maelys[/name_f] - I looked up this name, and the traditional [name_m]French[/name_m] adds an umlaut (Maëlys)? Also the pronunciation could be just the tiniest bit unclear. ([name_f]May[/name_f]-liss or my-liss?)
[name_f]Eowyn[/name_f] - Another one of those names with a very iconic character in a widespread series. That being said, LOTR is a bit more obscure than [name_m]Harry[/name_m] [name_m]Potter[/name_m], but it’s still my immediate association.

GENTLEMEN:
Olivander - Why oh why does JK Rowling have to take all the great names?! Again, a fabulous name with the immediate [name_m]Harry[/name_m] [name_m]Potter[/name_m] association for me. I’m just going to say, I’m not sure how much having a same-named character will bother you, but it might bug me just a bit so I’m adding my associations with particular names just in case you’d rather not have a match.
[name_u]Carbry[/name_u] / [name_u]Embry[/name_u] - Beautiful, but really similar. I’d choose one of these names (I personally prefer [name_u]Embry[/name_u]) especially for a main or secondary character, just to avoid confusion.
[name_m]Draco[/name_m] - JKR why?! This is another one with the [name_m]Harry[/name_m] [name_m]Potter[/name_m] association for me.

I’m just going to say now: I’m bothered by name association in my personal writing, but most people aren’t. So if you aren’t, just ignore all of the association comments. I think it’s just something to be aware of. :slight_smile:

SURNAMES:

[name_m]Just[/name_m] going to say, surnames are by far the hardest for me to come up with, and I [name_u]LOVE[/name_u] all of yours. [name_m]Job[/name_m] well done. :slight_smile: