This is actually a question about a character. I had a publisher look at my manuscript recently and they advised me to change the name of my main character into something more believable for her and I’m having the hardest time choosing. I”m looking for a name that speaks of class and sophistication, but has a slight vulnerability.
Her name needs to stand out, but not seem clich”d or forced. I was thinking 3 syllables, but that isn”t necessary. It would be nice if the name had a fun nickname that her new friends could call her by, something more playful to show the progression in the character.
Additional info: the genre is young adult supernatural thriller. Last name is Kerrington. She’s 17, a senator’s daughter from Connecticut. She’s well versed in all social graces and plays well in the political arena. She”s petite with straight blonde hair, pale skin, and deep blue eyes.
The first thing that came to mind was [name]Vivien[/name] but I think it might help to know what year she was born and if here parents are religious in anyway since these things would definitely play into what name they would have given her.
Here are a few others that may work:
[name]Margaret[/name] nn [name]Maggie[/name], [name]Margot[/name], [name]Mags[/name]
[name]Abigail[/name] nn [name]Abby[/name], [name]Gail[/name]
[name]Juliana[/name] nn [name]Julie[/name]
[name]Catherine[/name] nn [name]Cat[/name]
[name]Gillian[/name] nn [name]Gilly[/name], Gills
[name]Joanna[/name] nn [name]Josie[/name], [name]Joan[/name]
Her parents aren’t very religious, more for appearances sake so it wouldn’t have played a factor. Her mother died when she was young but she was meek and completely influenced by her husband. The Senator is very overbearing, he uses my character as a pawn in his political career. He would have likely wanted to name her after his mother (not a character in the book, but I could work it in as backstory). It takes place in the not too distant future, never pinpointing an exact date but I invision it around 2018 or so, which puts her born around 2000 or 2001.
Orignally I was trying to appeal to my teenage girl readers and named her [name]Skye[/name], but the publisher is right her parents wouldn’t have named her anything like that at all so it felt phoney.
[name]Barbara[/name].
It sounds like her senator Dad would have probably waited until he was about 40 to have a child, and if his mother were 25 years older than him, she would be 65 when your character was born in 2000 - meaning the grandmother would have been born in 1935 when [name]Barbara[/name] was extremely popular, so your character could easily be named for her grandmother.
You couldn’t write it in that her mother’s one act of strength was to give her daughter the name she really wanted which was [name]Skye[/name]?
It must be frustrating having to go through a whole manuscript catching every use of the name.
What about [name]Felicity[/name], [name]Claudia[/name], [name]Charlotte[/name], [name]Maria[/name], [name]Bernadette[/name], [name]Louisa[/name] or [name]Alexandra[/name]?
I like the idea of your character being named after her grandmother. I think it provides interesting backstory and would totally make sense that an overbearing Senator with a meek wife would be a Momma’s boy with a very strong/over-bearing mother. I think going with a name from the 60’s could be particularly interesting as they are kind of simple yet classic but a lot have fun nicknames. Some I can think of are:
[name]Kimberly[/name] ([name]Kimmy[/name], [name]Kim[/name])
[name]Susan[/name]/[name]Susannah[/name] ([name]Suzie[/name])
[name]Elizabeth[/name]
[name]Julie[/name]
[name]Michelle[/name]
[name]Teresa[/name] ([name]Tess[/name])
[name]Nancy[/name] (makes me think of [name]Reagan[/name] which works)
[name]Kathleen[/name]/[name]Katherine[/name] ([name]Kate[/name], [name]Katie[/name], [name]Kathy[/name])
[name]Robin[/name]
[name]Andrea[/name] ([name]Andy[/name])
[name]Annette[/name]
[name]Rebecca[/name]
[name]Diane[/name]
Dont ask me why but the name that came into my mind was
“[name]Araminta[/name]” to me it is very upper class and strong but also has the vulnerability more than [name]Arabella[/name]…nn could be minnie or minty to joke around…
I think it features slightly in the [name]Harry[/name] potter books which might appeal to the teenage crowd??
the first name i thought of was [name]Charlotte[/name] nn [name]Lottie[/name].
When I think of Conneticut and politics I think of old money. Classic old fashioned names passed down for generations. I am not sure I succeeded, but a more old fashioned classic name with a more modern nickname I think would be appropriate.
[name]Eleanor/name “[name]Ellie[/name]” or “[name]Nora[/name]”
[name]Margaret[/name] “[name]Maggie[/name]” or “[name]Greta[/name]” or “[name]Maisie[/name]”
[name]Katherine[/name] “[name]Kat[/name]” or “[name]Kitty[/name]”
[name]Louisa[/name] “[name]Lulu[/name]”
[name]Caroline[/name] “[name]Carly[/name]” “[name]Calla[/name]”
[name]Amelia[/name] “[name]Mila[/name]” or “[name]Milly[/name]”
[name]Virginia[/name] “[name]Ginny[/name]”
[name]Frances[/name] “[name]Frankie[/name]” or “[name]Franny[/name]”
[name]Wilhelmina[/name] “[name]Willa[/name]”
I went to prep school in CT and college in DC so I think I know your context… [name]How[/name] about:
[name]Josephine[/name] nn [name]Joey[/name]
[name]Bernadette[/name] nn [name]Birdie[/name]
[name]Elizabeth[/name] nn [name]Libby[/name]
[name]Whitney[/name] nn [name]Whit[/name]
[name]Agnes[/name] or [name]Agatha[/name] nn [name]Aggie[/name]
[name]Adelaide[/name] nn [name]Addie[/name]
[name]Adrianna[/name] nn [name]Addie[/name]
[name]Lorelai[/name] nn [name]Rory[/name]
[name]Lorraine[/name] nn [name]Rainy[/name]