Timeless names that aren't boring

Writers' Corner
1

Hey friends! I’m starting a fantasy/historical fiction/romance project with a reincarnation element. Essentially, it’s about a semi-immortal witch who can only age when she is united with her soulmate which is a bit of a problem because he keeps freaking dying on her.

I’m looking for names that work throughout every or nearly every period in American history for my protagonist, her love interest, and her sister, however, I really want to avoid [name_m]Matthew[/name_m], [name_m]William[/name_m], [name_u]James[/name_u], [name_f]Mary[/name_f] and [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f], etc. ([name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f] isn’t boring. I just want to save it for my real child.)

Here’s some super basic descriptions:
PROTAGONIST: female; b. 175?; nurse/battle medic. I kinda feel like she’s a [name_u]Kit[/name_u]/ty??

[name_u]LOVE[/name_u] INTEREST: male; soldier/maybe other military positions?; b. 20 years before every major American war, d. in every major American war. I think it would be cool if each reincarnation had a different nickname that suited the period, but???

[name_f]SISTER[/name_f]: b. 175? (Older than protag); d. 2000s; has 3 kids but was the “mom” at least 100 years before they were born. Her name can be a little more out of place in the mid-late 1900s.

Thanks in advance for your help!

2

I like the idea of [name_u]Kit[/name_u]! The obvious full name would be [name_f]Catherine[/name_f]/[name_f]Katherine[/name_f], which would work because it’s a classic name that fits in every time period. However, I’m guessing you’ve already though of [name_f]Katherine[/name_f] so other potential ideas could be [name_f]Katerina[/name_f], [name_f]Kirsten[/name_f], [name_f]Christine[/name_f]/[name_f]Christina[/name_f], or [name_f]Kathleen[/name_f]. Or, the American girl doll [name_u]Kit[/name_u]’s full name is [name_f]Margaret[/name_f] [name_f]Mildred[/name_f] Kittredge, [name_u]Kit[/name_u] coming from her surname so you could go that route.

For the love interest, I looked at the most popular names of the 1750s and thought of as many nicknames as I could for them. Not sure when these started being used, but if you find one you like, maybe you can find that out!

[name_m]John[/name_m]- [name_m]Jack[/name_m], [name_m]Johnny[/name_m], [name_m]Joe[/name_m], [name_u]Joey[/name_u], [name_u]Jay[/name_u], or initials, such as JT or [name_m]JR[/name_m]
[name_m]William[/name_m]- [name_m]Liam[/name_m], [name_m]Will[/name_m], [name_m]Bill[/name_m], [name_u]Billy[/name_u], [name_m]Willy[/name_m], [name_m]Wiley[/name_m], or [name_u]Lee[/name_u]
[name_m]Thomas[/name_m]- [name_m]Tom[/name_m], [name_m]Tommy[/name_m], or TJ
[name_m]Richard[/name_m]- [name_m]Rich[/name_m], [name_m]Rick[/name_m], [name_u]Ricky[/name_u], [name_m]Dick[/name_m], [name_m]Richie[/name_m], or initials like RJ
[name_u]James[/name_u]- [name_m]Jim[/name_m], [name_m]Jimmy[/name_m], [name_u]Jamie[/name_u], [name_u]Jay[/name_u], [name_m]Jase[/name_m], or initials
[name_m]Robert[/name_m]- [name_m]Rob[/name_m], [name_u]Robby[/name_u], [name_m]Bob[/name_m], [name_u]Bobby[/name_u], [name_u]Bert[/name_u], [name_u]Bertie[/name_u], or initials
[name_m]Joseph[/name_m]- [name_m]Joe[/name_m], [name_u]Joey[/name_u], [name_u]Jay[/name_u], [name_f]Josy[/name_f], or initials
[name_m]Edward[/name_m]- [name_m]Ed[/name_m], [name_m]Eddie[/name_m], Ted, [name_u]Teddy[/name_u], [name_m]Ward[/name_m], or [name_m]Warden[/name_m]
[name_m]Henry[/name_m]- [name_m]Hal[/name_m], [name_m]Hank[/name_m], [name_m]Harry[/name_m], [name_m]Hayes[/name_m], or [name_m]Hale[/name_m]
[name_m]George[/name_m]- [name_u]Georgie[/name_u], and that’s all I got
[name_m]Benjamin[/name_m]- [name_m]Ben[/name_m], [name_m]Benny[/name_m], [name_m]Benji[/name_m], [name_u]Jay[/name_u], or initials
Here’s the full list, girl names included if you want more ideas for MC or MC’s sister: Gorgeously Georgian - British Baby Names

MC sister:
[name_f]Agnes[/name_f]
[name_f]Augusta[/name_f]
[name_f]Dinah[/name_f]
[name_f]Dorothea[/name_f]
[name_f]Dorothy[/name_f]
[name_f]Euphemia[/name_f]
[name_f]Fanny[/name_f]
[name_f]Georgiana[/name_f]
[name_f]Henrietta[/name_f]
[name_u]Joan[/name_u]
[name_f]Margery[/name_f]
[name_f]Theodosia[/name_f]

3

Hmmm…
[name_u]Josie[/name_u] (Short for [name_f]Josephine[/name_f])
[name_f]Cora[/name_f]
[name_f]Alice[/name_f]
[name_f]Louise[/name_f]
[name_u]Eloise[/name_u]

[name_m]Luke[/name_m]
[name_u]James[/name_u] (nn [name_u]Jem[/name_u])
[name_m]Mark[/name_m]/[name_m]Marc[/name_m]

[name_f]Frances[/name_f] (nn [name_u]Fran[/name_u], [name_f]Franny[/name_f])
[name_f]Margaret[/name_f] ([name_f]Maggie[/name_f], [name_f]Meg[/name_f], [name_f]Margie[/name_f], [name_f]Daisy[/name_f])
[name_f]Jane[/name_f]

4

Thanks for all the suggestions! I’d forgotten that I was considering [name_f]Margaret[/name_f] for awhile. I’d also like to hear some thoughts on [name_f]Rebecca[/name_f]/[name_f]Rebekah[/name_f] for the sister?

I’m still not sold on any names for the love interest. [name_m]Henry[/name_m] sounds alright but I’m still not sure. I think I had something more like [name_f]Madeline[/name_f] L’engle’s A Swiftly Tilting Planet in mind-using one name with several variants (Zylle, [name_f]Zillah[/name_f], [name_f]Zylla[/name_f], etc.)

5

[name_f]Cora[/name_f], [name_f]Margaret[/name_f] ([name_f]Maggie[/name_f]) and [name_m]Johnathan[/name_m] ([name_m]John[/name_m], [name_m]Johnny[/name_m]) could work.

6

[name_f]Julia[/name_f]
[name_f]Edie[/name_f]
[name_f]Marjorie[/name_f]
[name_f]Beatrice[/name_f] “[name_f]Bea[/name_f]”
[name_f]Clementine[/name_f] “[name_u]Clem[/name_u]”
[name_f]Lydia[/name_f] / [name_f]Lidia[/name_f]