How do choose a name that best fit your characters? [name_f]Do[/name_f] you chose by the meaning of the name?
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It really depends on the character. Sometimes I hear a name that I think fits their vibes and give it to them, or I pick a name off of a list of ones I keep that I think are cool. If theyâre an important character, like a royal or a god for a fantasy religion, I generally pick a name based off a meaning thatâs important to their story. For example, in one of my stories, thereâs a fictional goddess of nature named [name_f]Calantha[/name_f], and her name means âbeautiful flower.â
[name_f][/name_f]Most of the time though, I just scroll through lists upon lists of names until I find one that just feels right. I would just pick a vibe or a guideline (long names, names starting with e, girly names with tomboy nicknames etc.) and I would just look it up and see what you can find.
[name_f][/name_f]Naming characters can be difficult but fun as well. I wish you luck and hope you find this somewhat helpful!
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I think about the time period and setting and try to pick something thatâs accurate or suits that. Sometimes I think about what kind of names the characterâs parents would like. A lot of it is also just vibes. Names give off certain personalities to me, so I have to find one that gives off the right vibe.
[name_f][/name_f]I basically never chose based on meaning because it feels too coincidental to me that their parents would just happen to choose such a relevant name without knowing the future. [name_f]My[/name_f] one exception to this is a story my friend and I have about prophecies in Greek tragedies, so those characters have meaningful names. If I were a fantasy writer, I think Iâd be more open to names with important meanings.
[name_f][/name_f]I also like all of my names in a story to be cohesive together for the sake of the storyâs aesthetic.
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I have a spread sheet of potential names for every character, then pick the one from the spread sheet I like best.
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Heh, now thatâs a broad question. It usually comes down to three factors: vibe, heritage, and time period.
[name_f][/name_f]Time Period [name_f][/name_f]- [name_f]My[/name_f] characters all exist between the time zone of the 2000s, so Iâve not many classic names and instead lean more towards timeless/modern names. However, if Iâve an older character, I typically use a more dated name.
[name_f][/name_f]Vibe [name_f][/name_f]- Although pretty broad, âvibeâ for me classifies as a name that fits the characterâs personality. For example, a nerdy character being named [name_f]Gretchen[/name_f] or [name_m]Jeffrey[/name_m], or a popular girl being named [name_f]Chelsea[/name_f] or [name_f]Sloane[/name_f]. You get the idea.
[name_f][/name_f]Heritage [name_f][/name_f]- Now, I classify this as two categories: physical ancestry, and culture. For example, my protagonists belong to a puritanical cult that emphasizes giving children well-meaning names as a symbol of good fortune. This includes Biblical names, given their religion, but also names that simply have good meanings, like [name_m]Theodore[/name_m]: âGodâs gift.â Ancestrally, my protagonists are of maternal Anglo-Celtic descent and paternal Nordic and Germanic descent, and I wanted their names to reflect as such.
[name_f][/name_f]The best example I can use is [name_m]Sebastian[/name_m] [name_m]Torquil[/name_m] Mortenson. [name_m]Sebastian[/name_m] is a name with Greek roots meaning âvenerable,â so we have the âgood meaningâ box checked off. Plus, âSebastianâ is associated with Christianity via [name_m]Saint[/name_m] [name_m]Sebastian[/name_m], so thereâs an added bonus. [name_m]Torquil[/name_m] is a name of Scottish origin derived from the Scandinavian name [name_m]Torkel[/name_m], meaning either âThorâs cauldronâ or âThorâs helmet.â While it doesnât necessarily hold a positive or negative meaning, its dual European origins reflect Sebastianâs heritage extremely well!
[name_f][/name_f]Also, I sometimes just have a particular letter in mind for a character name; a staple letter is âKâ for me. Unfortunately, this usually leads me on a wild goose chase for names that fit that incredibly specific criteria, with it often leading me to finding no satisfactory results.
[name_f][/name_f]But yeah, character naming is extremely subjective, and despite everything Iâve just said, I honestly recommend just going with whatever you feel best fits the character, regardless of meaning or origin.
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knowing a characterâs name is a big part of me connecting with them, so I try to find a name for them as quickly as I can.
[name_f][/name_f]at the beginning of a project, sometimes this means choosing a name which feels interesting to me and then letting the character develop from there. id reckon at least 80% of the time, the name I choose ends up fitting the character, although if it doesnât, the right name will usually show itself pretty quicklyâI guess thatâs a benefit to surrounding myself with names constantly by being a member of this site lol. many times, the name I end up using is a recent name crush or a name which I love but canât/wonât put on my shortlist for whatever reason: popularity, origin, similarity to family memberâs name, mismatch with my usual style, etc. (of course, sometimes this backfires and I end up falling for the name after ive given it to a character, but thatâs a risk I take lol). sometimes, Iâll have an idea of what kind of name im looking for based on what I know of the story so far. for example, if itâs a fantasy story, if the character is royalty, if the character is from a certain place/region, etc.
[name_f][/name_f]when ive already started a project, the process can look different and honestly can feel harder. I see naming my characters as like naming a baby: I find that most of the time, people tend to grow into the names which theyâre given (emphasizing most of the time). and I find this to be true for my characters, as I stated earlier. when weâre naming babies, weâre naming someone we donât know much aboutâa blob of a human being, if you will. I name characters the same way, when theyâre a blob of a human being.
[name_f][/name_f]if im adding a character to a project tho, this process doesnât always work because thereâs often more variables. for instance, if im naming a characterâs sibling then I canât really just choose any name I want (I mean, I could, but I wonât because I like sibsets). I ran into this issue when naming the sister to my characters [name_f]Sage[/name_f] and [name_f]Opal[/name_f]. their moms clearly have a specific taste: they like short, punchy, natural names. which means they probably wouldnât go for something like [name_f]Kate[/name_f] because itâs not a nature name; [name_f]Chrysanthemum[/name_f] isnât short or punchy; [name_f]Gaia[/name_f] wouldnât work because thereâs no concept of god/religion in the charactersâ world. basically, ive found that there are a lot more âperfectâ names when the criteria is just finding a name which I like (I prefer to at least like all of my character names), which doesnât feel out of place for the genre, and which fits a character whom I havenât developed yet. this pool narrows significantly when I also have to find a name which is a certain length, origin, style, meaning, starts/doesnt start with certain letters, works with other character names, works with a set surname, and so one.
[name_f][/name_f](Sage and Opalâs sister is named [name_f]Fern[/name_f], btw)
[name_f][/name_f]I donât often use names that have meanings which relate to a character. I donât mind when authors do this (except if it becomes too obvious⊠I think people can guess who im speaking of) but itâs another instance of narrowing the pool of perfect names and tbh, itâs more of an easter egg for me than for the readers.
[name_f][/name_f]I will make up names from time to time, but I usually do this only if the name comes naturally. even tho I mostly write fantasy, I dont want to use anything which feels too much like a key smash. I find it can be distracting. while I try to avoid obvious anachronisms with names in fantasy worlds, I try to find names which are in the sweet spot of familiar but not basic.
[name_f][/name_f](although, I acknowledge that whether a name is anachronistic or not is purely subjective. I have a character named [name_f]Theodora[/name_f] even tho thereâs no god or religion in her world, but I assume her name would have another meaning in her world. I also wouldnât assume the average reader would know of or care about the meaning of her name. however, I wouldnât use something like [name_f]Asia[/name_f] because thereâs no place called [name_f]Asia[/name_f], or [name_f]Avalon[/name_f] because thereâs no version of Arthurian legend.)
[name_f][/name_f]oof, you got me monologuing there! naming characters is such a unique process for each writer. dont let anyone try to tell you that thereâs a right or wrong way of doing it!
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Good question! For me it varies each timeâŠsometimes a name will come to me and Iâll think âwhat a great name! I should write about him/herâ and go from there. But if I start with an idea for a story and have to come up with a name, it depends on lots of different factorsâŠIâll look into their background, ethnicity, what their heritage is, what their personality is, the era they were born into, the personality of their parents, even what the story is about. Often I will choose a name based on meaning, but definitely not always. For one of my childrenâs books I chose the name because it sounded well in the title & was familiar and easy for kids to pronounce! 
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Generally, I know what my character will be like and I choose a name that I think will fit them. You do have to be careful that way, though, as you donât want to fall into a clichĂ©d way of naming them. For example, I had a common council estate girl called [name_f]Tiffany[/name_f] in one story, but then renamed her [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f], as I wanted her to have a name that worked across all backgrounds.
[name_f][/name_f]I have an [name_f]Audrey[/name_f], she is an older lady who is very refined and elegant, so I named her after [name_f]Audrey[/name_f] Hepburn. A [name_m]Patrick[/name_m], who is a mature man, too. He is named after actor [name_m]Patrick[/name_m] [name_m]Stewart[/name_m], as I consider him to be a refined gentleman, as is my character. I have a [name_f]Katrina[/name_f], a younger woman, escaping the clutches of her wealthy family and her coldhearted fiance [name_f][/name_f]. With her [name_f]Katrina[/name_f] just seemed to fit and it isnât after anyone in particular. And so on. The characters seem to suggest their name to me, rather than a name shaping a character.
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