Choosing a character name for your novel is as pressure-filled as
picking a name for a baby. It has to suit the character’s personality,
makes sense for the era and, most important, be super awesome (sorry
friends, the awesome name of Brian A. Klems is already taken by this
guy). Names like Harry Potter, Holden Caulfield and Stephanie Plum are
memorable not just because of the amazing stories they navigate, but
also because these names “fit” those characters so well. You need a name
that “fits” your character too.I stumbled upon these seven great rules for choosing character names offered up by popular mystery writer Elizabeth Sims (the Rita Farmer Mysteries). When developing characters—no matter what sort of characters you’re pursuing—heed common sense and consider each of these tips before choosing a name.
1. Check root meanings.
It’s better to call a character Caleb, which means
“faithful” or “faithful dog,” than to overkill it by naming him Loyal or
Goodman—unless you want that for comic/ironic purposes. Some readers
will know the name’s root meaning, but those who don’t might sense it.
2. Get your era right.
If you need a name for an 18-year-old shopgirl in a
corset store in 1930s Atlanta, you know enough not to choose Sierra or
Courtney, unless such an unusual name is part of your story. Browse for
names in the era you’re writing. A Depression-era shopgirl who needs a
quick name could go by Myrtle or Jane; it will feel right to the reader.
Small public libraries will often have decades’ worth of local high
school yearbooks on the shelves. Those things are gold for finding name
combinations from the proper era.
3. Speak them out loud.
Your novel might become an audiobook or an e-book with
text-to-speech enabled. A perfectly good name on paper, such as Adam
Messina, may sound unclear aloud: Adam Essina? Adah Messina?
4. Manage your crew appropriately.
Distinguish your large cast of characters by using
different first initials, of course, and vary your number of syllables
and places of emphasis. Grace Metalious (a great name right there)
demonstrates this in her blockbuster Peyton Place, as do any of the successful epic writers like James Michener and Larry McMurtry.
5. Use alliterative initials.
Employ this strategy to call special attention to a character: Daniel Deronda, Bilbo Baggins, Ratso Rizzo, Severus Snape.
6. Think it through.
You might notice that in most crime fiction the murderer
rarely has a middle name or initial. Why? Because the more you
explicate the name, the more likely there’s a real person out there with
it. And reading your story they might become upset and try to sue you
or come after you some night with a bayonet.
7. Check ’em again.
When writing my novel The Actress, I needed a
name for a Japanese-American criminal defense attorney, and the name
Gary Kwan burst upon me. I loved the name and used it in the book. Only
thing was, as soon as the thousands of copies of hardcovers were printed
and shipped to stores, I heard from a reader who pointed out the simple
fact that Kwan is a Chinese surname. I cursed loudly and
decided: a) that I would ALWAYS check name origins, and b) that Gary
Kwan had a Chinese grandfather who adopted a Japanese orphan who became
Gary’s father. Or something like that.
Naming characters just right is a challenge, but give it
some time and thought, and you’ll start to find the fun in it. Study
the names great authors have come up with, let your mind loose to play,
do your research, and above all, trust your ear.
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