So this is kind of a unique question, I guess, but I’m hoping the berries can help me out. I’m working out a story in my head and need surnames for my two main characters.
The first is the man. His first name is [name]Henry[/name], and I’m looking for a last name for him that starts with W. The reason for this is he is tall and lanky and works in the publishing business, so his nickname among his literature-savvy friends would be [name]Longfellow[/name], like [name]Henry[/name] Wadsworth [name]Longfellow[/name]. I don’t want to use the actual name Wadsworth though, because it’s a bit too obvious for me. [name]Wolf[/name] or any variant is also out, but anything else is fair game. I also need a middle name for him if anyone has any thoughts on that.
The second is the woman, whose name is [name]Cressida[/name] [name]Jane[/name] but is always called C.J. Her original surname was [name]Bray[/name], but I’d really love it if she also had a writer or poet’s surname. Ideally it would be one syllable, but I’m open to suggestions. The other wrench in her works is she’s a single parent to a 4 year old boy named [name]Mason[/name] [name]Julian[/name], so the last name would also have to go with [name]Mason[/name].
Any suggestions? Thoughts on the names so far? [name]TIA[/name] 
What about Watsky or Wadlow? [name]Watson[/name] is awesome too but it’s super common so it might not stand out as well. Good luck 
[name]Warren[/name]? [name]How[/name] common is it?
What ethnic background is [name]Henry[/name]? Is he from an old New [name]England[/name] family? If he is, being from that background myself, I can offer: [name]Merrill[/name], Larrabee, [name]Prence[/name], Allerton, [name]Lyman[/name], [name]Bradford[/name], [name]Brewster[/name], Hopkins, [name]Knight[/name], [name]Dow[/name], [name]Moore[/name], [name]Meade[/name], Cushing, Cushman, Wait(e), [name]Chadwick[/name], Ludlum(Ludlam)…
So: [name]Henry[/name] [name]Alden[/name] [name]Prence[/name], [name]Henry[/name] [name]Wystan[/name] Larrabee, [name]Henry[/name] [name]Knight[/name] [name]Moore[/name], etc.
[name]Cressida[/name] [name]Jane[/name] [name]Lowell[/name], named after poet [name]James[/name] [name]Russell[/name] [name]Lowell[/name]. [name]Mason[/name] [name]Lowell[/name] works just fine.
If you want, surnames.behindthename.com and names.mongabay.com are fantastic resources for any and every last name possible.
For [name]Henry[/name], I like Wickham or Wiedl (Whee-dull), maybe Wolden?
For C.J., I also really like the name [name]Lowell[/name]. What about [name]Bronte[/name], after [name]Emily[/name] and [name]Charlotte[/name] [name]Bronte[/name]? It still has the Br- beginning that you originally liked.
[name]Hope[/name] I helped!
[name]Love[/name] the suggestions of [name]Warren[/name] and Wolden for [name]Henry[/name]… hoping the [name]Longfellow[/name] reference isn’t too tacky!
For C.J., I love the suggestion of [name]Lowell[/name]. I thought about [name]Bronte[/name], but I really like a one-syllable last name since she goes by her initials. I know [name]Lowell[/name] is technically 2 syllables, but it sounds like one, if you kwim.
I also found these for C.J., wondering if anyone has any thoughts on them?
Becke (after [name]George[/name] L. Becke)
[name]Blake[/name] (after [name]William[/name] [name]Blake[/name])
Brecht (after Bertolt Brecht)
[name]Doyle[/name] (after Sir [name]Arthur[/name] [name]Conan[/name] [name]Doyle[/name])
[name]Frost[/name] (after [name]Robert[/name] [name]Frost[/name])
Grimm (after the Brothers Grimm, but it’s a supernatural storyline so I’m afraid it might be a bit tacky to use Grimm, no?)
[name]Holmes[/name] (after [name]Oliver[/name] [name]Holmes[/name], but also [name]Sherlock[/name] [name]Holmes[/name])
[name]Keats[/name] (after [name]John[/name] [name]Keats[/name] and [name]Ezra[/name] [name]Jack[/name] [name]Keats[/name])
[name]King[/name] (after [name]Stephen[/name] [name]King[/name])
[name]Lowell[/name] (after [name]James[/name] [name]Russell[/name] [name]Lowell[/name])
So far I’m liking [name]Lowell[/name], [name]Blake[/name], [name]Holmes[/name], [name]Doyle[/name], and [name]King[/name] the best. Thoughts?
They all sound good. I like C.J. [name]Frost[/name] the best.