Hey, guys! It’s been a while since I’ve been on the writers forum (because it’s been a while since I’ve written anything) but I really need help renaming a character. I’ve been wrestling with this for a while, and I’ve finally decided to at least change the spelling of her name.
A little about her: She’s 15/16 and has red hair and amber eyes. She’s an ESTP and has fire superpowers. Her middle name is currently [name_u]Ember[/name_u], but that can change to flow with her new first. She has a twin named [name_f]Lila[/name_f] (prn. LIE-la).
So, her full name now is Kaeli [name_u]Ember[/name_u] [name_u]Hadley[/name_u]-[name_m]Gaines[/name_m]. I’m considering [name_f]Kailey[/name_f], [name_f]Kaley[/name_f], and [name_f]Kaleigh[/name_f] as a new spelling (I originally arrived at the Kaeli spelling because I dislike most spellings of [name_f]Kaylee[/name_f], but now I don’t really like Kaeli either. I enjoy the sound, though, and think it works with the character.) My criteria for new names are that it has to start with a K/C and contain at least one L. Also, anything fire related is a bonus, but not necessary. The other names I’m considering are:
[name_f]Clara[/name_f]
[name_f]Callie[/name_f]
[name_u]Keely[/name_u] (my roommate’s name. Would that be weird?)
[name_f]Camille[/name_f]
[name_f]Kathleen[/name_f]
[name_u]Kelly[/name_u]
[name_f]Colleen[/name_f]
[name_f]Caroline[/name_f]
[name_f]Carolina[/name_f] (but I’d like the -leena pronounciation, so I’m not sure if a different spelling would be better?)
[name_f]Cleo[/name_f]
[name_f]Katalina[/name_f]
[name_m]Favorite[/name_m] of these? Any other suggestions? I’ve been obsessing over it too much, I think I need other opinions. Thanks!
Hmm, I don’t really like the sound of [name_f]Kaylee[/name_f] but I actually like the look of Kaeli. Of the spellings you’re considering, I’d avoid [name_f]Kaleigh[/name_f] because I’m never sure if that’s supposed to be [name_f]Kaylee[/name_f] or [name_f]Callie[/name_f]. My favorite is [name_f]Kaley[/name_f] but I’m going to suggest [name_f]Kaylie[/name_f] as well. It’s how one of my best friends spells it and I think it’s softer and more feminine than [name_f]Kaylee[/name_f] (which, I agree with you, I dislike).
If you choose to rename her, my favorites of yours are [name_u]Keely[/name_u], [name_f]Clara[/name_f], and [name_f]Camille[/name_f]. I don’t know about the roommate thing… I think it would be weird for me personally, but I don’t usually use names of people I’m close with for characters so that’s just me. Of your options, I’d avoid [name_f]Kathleen[/name_f], [name_u]Kelly[/name_u], and [name_f]Colleen[/name_f] (all three are a bit dated), and I’d have trouble pronouncing [name_f]Carolina[/name_f] with the -leena ending unless she was Hispanic. I live in South [name_f]Carolina[/name_f] though so maybe that would be different if I didn’t?
Other ideas:
[name_f]Camila[/name_f]
[name_u]Carlin[/name_u]
[name_f]Carly[/name_f]
[name_f]Chloe[/name_f]
[name_u]Kendall[/name_u]
[name_f]Clarissa[/name_f]
Thanks for your help! [name_f]Kaylie[/name_f] is another spelling that I considered, but for some reason I really have trouble with the internal y? I don’t know why. That’s actually what lead me to the Kaeli spelling in the first place. My friend reminded me that I don’t have to actually like every character’s name, though, and that’t true, so I think I could get used to [name_f]Kaylie[/name_f].
However, since the spelling is such an issue, I think changing it might be the best bet anyway. I think [name_f]Clara[/name_f] is becoming my favorite. I’ve always loved [name_f]Clara[/name_f]. My only concern is that it may be too close to [name_f]Lila[/name_f]? [name_f]Do[/name_f] you think that [name_f]Clara[/name_f] and [name_f]Lila[/name_f] are too close for twins? They are twins, so their parents could’ve gone matchy on purpose, I guess. [name_f]Do[/name_f] the two names go well together? Thanks!
You could alter it just slightly to [name_f]Kali[/name_f]! She’s a Hindu [name_f]Goddess[/name_f] (as well as a Stranger Things s.2 character).
[name_f]Kali[/name_f] [name_u]Ember[/name_u] sounds good, and [name_f]Kali[/name_f] and [name_f]Lila[/name_f] fit each other pretty well. If you were willing to budge on the sister’s name, [name_f]Kali[/name_f] and [name_f]Leila[/name_f] (or [name_f]Layla[/name_f]) sound amazing to me.
Thanks so much! I really love [name_f]Kali[/name_f]! I like [name_f]Callie[/name_f] a lot but felt like it’s too nickname-y, but [name_f]Kali[/name_f] doesn’t seem that way at all, and I enjoy that it’s four letters like [name_f]Lila[/name_f] (and 3 of the same letters) without sounding/looking too close. Thanks!
My name is [name_u]Keely[/name_u], but I don’t really like my name. It is Gaelic and Irish and means slim and beautiful. The Irish relations might be good because of the fiery red hair. I love [name_f]Clara[/name_f] too, but I just don’t think it flows well with [name_f]Lila[/name_f]. I imediately thought [name_u]Caro[/name_u]-leena when I saw that name, but only because I have good friends who are Polish and one of their names is [name_f]Karolina[/name_f] pronounced the way you liked. However, as I live in [name_f]Georgia[/name_f], if I asked one of my friends that they would probably say [name_f]Carolina[/name_f] as in South [name_f]Carolina[/name_f]. But that might just be a Southern thing. [name_f]Hope[/name_f] this helps!
Thanks! I decided that [name_u]Keely[/name_u] wouldn’t work because it’s my roommate’s name (funnily enough, she doesn’t like it either) even though I really like it. I’m starting to agree that [name_f]Clara[/name_f] isn’t right for the character, no matter how much I love the name. My characters live in the south, so I should probably avoid [name_f]Carolina[/name_f] as well, since I wouldn’t get the pronounciation I’d want (plus I don’t think it goes well with [name_f]Lila[/name_f] either). Right now [name_f]Kali[/name_f] is my favorite option, but I’m going to mull it over for a while. Thanks for your feedback!
Please tell us what your books name is going to be! It sounds incredibly interesting! What state are they living in ( I know you said the South, but I was just wondering)?
I don’t have a title set in stone yet, but I’m thinking The Unnatural. I don’t specifically say what state they’re in because I don’t want it to accidentally seem like a real town, but they live in a small town in [name_f]Alabama[/name_f]. I’m glad you think it sounds interesting!
Hello! I just wanted to point out a potential issue with using the name [name_f]Clara[/name_f] (which I love btw). The teen heroine in The Mortal Instruments series is called [name_f]Clary[/name_f] (full name [name_f]Clarissa[/name_f]), and it seems like your story might be similar in that it’s fantasy based. So might be too close imo.
I hadn’t thought about that! That’s a good point. Thanks! It does seem like [name_f]Kali[/name_f] is the best option unless I pick another spelling of Kaeli.
I know a [name_f]Kayli[/name_f] but I like [name_f]Kyli[/name_f] ([name_f]Kylee[/name_f]) better because [name_f]Kayli[/name_f] is too close to [name_f]Katelyn[/name_f] which is way too common.
Thanks for your input! I agree, K names are really popular, and because there are so many they seem even more so. You don’t have to tell me how popular [name_f]Katelyn[/name_f] and her variations are, my name is [name_f]Kaitlin[/name_f]! I originally named the character Kaeli because I wanted something popularish and trendish because I felt it fit with her character. Now, I don’t think it fits with the style of the parents as much as I did, so I’m changing it. [name_f]Kyli[/name_f] is a good option, but I think it’s a little too close to [name_f]Lila[/name_f] with the long I sound at the beginning. Thanks, though!
Wow, in all this I thought [name_f]Lila[/name_f] was pronounced [name_u]Lee[/name_u]-luh not Lie-luh. My apologies if you mentioned that before and I just didn’t catch it. But you may want to consider changing the spelling as well to [name_f]Lyla[/name_f] if all the previous information I said is correct. [name_f]Hope[/name_f] this helps!
Oh, sorry I didn’t specify [name_f]Lila[/name_f]'s pronounciation. It’s Lie-luh. I didn’t think about people pronouncing it differently. I know it can be pronounced a variety of ways ([name_u]Lee[/name_u]-luh, Lie-luh, [name_f]Lil[/name_f]-a), but I prefer to spell it [name_f]Lila[/name_f] since I like the way it looks more than [name_f]Lyla[/name_f], and I’m willing to accept people pronouncing it wrong. Thanks for pointing it out, though, I hadn’t considered it before!