A Rose With Any Other Any Name...

Names.

There are so many.

And they’re all so different!

Ever feel like naming your characters in books is harder than it is for parents to find their own children names?

Well, you’re not alone.

Naming characters can be one of the hardest parts of writing. Some names are too soft; others have too many syllables. Sometimes you find the perfect sounding name and then realize the meaning is completely opposite of your character. It can be a struggle.

But I’m here to help you with that today.

The first thing to note when picking a name is whether you want to pay attention to the meaning of the name or not.

For example, maybe you want to name the villain in your story Duscha. But Duscha means happy and your villain is not.

Okay, here’s the thing.

Most people, when reading a book, are not going to go onto their computer, type in their favorite character’s name, and look it up. I mean, have you ever done that?

You don’t have to care about whether the meaning of the name matches the character.

If you’re picking a name, I think the very first thing you should consider, is the sound of it.

How does the sound fit the character?

You might want two syllables or maybe three.

Sometimes when you’re picking a name, you already have a last name and so a certain number of syllables goes well with that.

For example, you’ve decided on the last name Benson and you feel like a one syllable name just goes well with it.

Just start going down the alphabet and think of a one syllable name to go with every letter.

You could also look up names with one syllable.

I recommend trying nameberry.com.

You can type in almost anything, including how many syllables you want in the name. One syllable names. Two syllable names.

Anything you want.

When finding names, the sound matters.

The way I normally find names, is I find names based on how well they fit the character’s personality.

For example, I wouldn’t call a hardened criminal Milo. I’d probably lean towards Colt, Vin, Bruce, or Burke. To me, those names just fit the character better.

If you were naming someone soft, find a name that is soft.

If you are naming someone sassy, find a name that’s sassy.

Again, you don’t have to worry about the meaning of the name unless you really care about that. Just find a name that sounds right.

Names give the very first impression on your character.

They are so important.

Soft names are also good at disguising villains. If you are going to be hiding your villain throughout the story and revealing them in the end, whether they’re an actual murderous villain or just someone who stabs your main character in the back—literally or figuratively—it works.

If you hear about a character named Lilly, what will your first impression be? Probably a sweet, unassuming person, right? The name Lilly just sounds that way.

So, what if you get to the end and Lilly is revealed to be the villain?

It might be more surprising than if you’d named her Jezebel.

The name gives the first impression on the character, as I’ve said. So if you are trying to disguise a villain, it’s best to use a sweet sounding name.

Made up names?

Depending on what genre you are writing for, making up names is also fun.

This is also helpful for a fantasy piece.

You know how mystical places or people always have awesome names? Like Galadriel?

An easy way to come up with names like that is to make them up.

Do you have writer’s block on names?

Look around you.

What’s on the shelf by your desk? Or under your kitchen cabinet? Find an item. Any item.

Find an item and use it.

Need a name? How about Bookarie? Or Bookana? A simple way to create a name is to find an item around you and use it.

How about if you found a lamp? What’s a name you could come up with for that? Lamporino (pronounced Lamp-or-e-no)?

What about the mug on the coffee table? Mugario (pronounced Moo-ga-reo)?

You can have fun with it!

Let’s put our newfound name skills to use.

I’m going to give you three basic character outlines. One will be a fantasy character which I want you to make up a name for, one will be a personality which I want you to find a name to match, and one will be a last name to pair with a name of a certain number of syllables.

You can use anything at your disposal for names.

But you are not allowed to look them up.

Feel free to make up names.

Use items around your house if you want.

Have fun with it!

1. This character is fun, quirky, and loves to stand out. She/he’s unique in every aspect. Find a name to match that.

2. The ruler of a kingdom. Queen/king _____. Find a name for them.

3. Find a two syllable name to go with the last name Ross.

What names did you come up with? Did you find it hard to come up with them? Which ones were hardest?

There is no specific art to naming characters. There's nothing I can say that's an "end all be all" and is a sure way to always come up with the perfect name.

This is something in writing, that's all up to you. Nobody can name your characters for you.

But what I can do is help you figure out how to get that name, or what type of name your character should have.

Again, if coming up with names in your head is hard, Google them.

Nameberry.com is also a great website for looking up names. So is ohbabynames.com. There are so many others so if you are looking for a broad spectrum of results, just Google what type of name you want and choose from those.

I hope you all learned a bit about picking out names for characters. If you have any questions or subjects you’d like me to give my take on, message me in the contact box below!

Happy holidays! And as always, happy writing!

-Jocelyn