You have a great idea for a story!
Now you just have to give those characters names!
Name them with purpose!
Names are important! Why?
A name can:
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identify 1) personality; 2) temperament; 3) a physical trait; or 4) a character flaw or strength.
- be symbolic for theme or plot
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reference or be an allusion to a well-known literary character, famous person, or mythical figure. For example: If you name a character Daisy many readers will immediately think of the ditsy socialite in Great Gatsby
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foreshadow a character’s troubles or triumphs
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be ironic. For example: Naming a reckless character Prudence.
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poke fun or satirize the character’s profession, personality, social status, proclivities etc. For example in The Crying of Lot 49, Thomas Pynchon gives his characters the following names: Oedipa Maas, Mucho Maas,Pierce Inverarity,Mike Fallopian,Many di Presso, Randolph Driblette, Clayton Chiclitz, Dr. Hilarius, Stanley Koteks, Emory Bortz, Ghengis Cohen
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Names act subliminally on readers
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Beware of androgynous names like Lee, Pat, Kelly, or Chris unless you’re revealing some aspect about the character. (Remember that funny shtick on Saturday Night Live about Pat–whose coworkers could never determine Pat’s gender?)
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Beware of cliche names fraught with stereotype or symbolism. Examples are: Barbie, Daisy, Lance, Jane, Peter—which may refer to Peter Pan, Apostle Peter, or the male body part—or Dick—jerk or player or both.
- My go-to site is organized by gender, culture, or specialized categories. It provides the name’s meaning and origin.20,000 names.com
In Merkabah Series, the protagonist is named Daphne after the mythological huntress. In the Greek myth her father turns her into a tree as a way to escape the sexual attentions of Zeus. The tree she turns into—a laurel tree—is also rife with symbolism. Daphne’s sister Rose is voluptuous but has a thorny temperament. Her other sister, Ivy, much like the plant, takes over if left unchecked.
Naming characters is fun!
In the historical fiction The Emperor’s Assassin (in final edits), I use Greek and Roman. To avoid name confusion—those names can be tricky—I made sure each name began with a different letter.
Of course, if you want your readers to confuse the characters because of a specific plot issue by all means have at it!
Have fun naming your characters!
