You kind of expect odd names in fantasy or science fiction. Different races, different worlds, different names. Makes sense and adds to the fantasy.
But in a romance where the hero is above the age of 25?
How many guys do you know in real life who have names like Blaise, or Deek, or Rafe, or Jase, or Zak with just the k, or Derk with an e, or Chance...
Okay, I do have a cousin named Chance. But he's ten years old.
And heroines? They all seem to have fancy names and saucy nicknames. Personally, I know there are more Emmas and Emilys and variations of Kathy in my kid's high school than there are Anastasias, and half of the moms seemed to be named Susan. In fact, there aren't any girls named Anastasia at the high school. But I've read two books in the last month where the twenty-something heroine's name was Anastasia. And none where there's a character named Susan.
My point is, I think sometimes authors try a bit too hard to find a "unique" name for a character, without thinking about how "real" it sounds. Then again, in today's multicultural world, maybe these names are more common than I think they are and I'm living a sheltered New England life.
What do you think about recent trends with names? And how do you go about choosing a name for your hero? Your heroine? Your secondary characters? Is it all the same process or different formulas for different types of character?
What does your character's name mean to you?
I usually do two things when I'm naming characters. One, I check with popular names that were at the time my hero/heroine were born. I write contemporary, so I go online and look at the top 50 names and see if anything hits me. The other thing I do is look at name meanings. If my hero is super strong (physically, emotionally, etc), I look at names that mean strength, for example.
ReplyDeleteThat's a great idea to look at the year your character was born. I've seen those lists, e.g. "most popular names from 1975" or whatever. Thanks for sharing!
DeleteMy hero and heroine's names come to me about the same time the story idea does. It's like they tell me their names and I don't usually change them. However, in my first historical set in 1858, the hero who's an earl was originally named Trent. After researching that name, I discovered it wasn't used much prior to 1950 so I changed his name to Chas, which dates back to the 7th century.
ReplyDeleteIn my 1st paranormal, my vampire hero was Victor, but when the heroine learns his secret, she thinks to herself: Victor the Vampire. That's when I realized his name was wrong. It didn't fit him. So I changed his name to Vincent. Vincent the Vampire. The heroine was named Megan so I named her BFF Tina.
If I want my readers to care for my characters and the world I've created, it should be as believable of a world as possible, even if Vampires inhabit that word. So I make a point of naming secondary characters and even my H/H on occasion, normal, every day named. And in historicals, I always check the origin of the name.
BTW, I've read several Regencies were the heroine was named Heather, which was not used until the late 1800's and not commonly used prior to the mid 1900's. Prior to that, the name was Hathernit Heather.
I change Trent's name to Chad, not Chas. Sorry. Typing on my phone
DeleteAnd the name was Hather not Heather. Stupid fat fingers and no edit button
DeleteThanks for sharing, Lilly! I guess it first came up because my husband and I are watching The White Princess and he made a joke about how few names there were back then - everyone seems to be named Henry or Edward or Richard and he gets confused. But it's also historically accurate. I guess there are only so many approved names for royal babies.
DeleteI know what you mean. Character names are trendy just like people's names in real life. I usually try to pick a name that's slightly different, but not too out there. It's always a challenge.
ReplyDeleteI read a lot of New Adult over the winter, and those names tend to all be trendy. Which makes sense for younger, college-aged characters. My son who's at college in Chicago rattles off all of those type names in every phone call. I don't think there's a single old-fashioned name in his dorm.
DeleteExcept Ted. He recently made friends with a boy named Ted. That's pretty old-fashioned.
DeleteI have to agree that I prefer "normal" names unless reading paranormal or sic-fi, too. As a former teacher, there were names I loved and named my children. And then there were those OTHER names. They're all nicely catalogued and saved, waiting to fit one of my characters. :)
ReplyDeleteoooh, what a fun idea. I wish I still had those lists...
DeleteBeing a writer of historicals--and medievals, to boot--I sympathize with your and your husband's confusion over the same names back then. When I search for a name I check various tax rolls from the period and other historical documents of the period. And for variations, I try to come up with something that's near one of the old names, but maybe with a little difference. It's hard to be name-creative, no matter what the year! But it's always illuminating to know how writers choose all their different characters' names! Good discussion!
ReplyDeleteI'll admit that I tend to name my secondary characters after real people - other kids on the soccer team, that teacher from second grade, that kind of thing. Some names just stick in your head, and I think that's the kind of name I look for - it sounds right, for whatever reason. It is hard to be name creative :-)
DeleteOne of my favorite tasks is to find appropriate names for my characters. Sometimes they're just /name/ for the first 3 chapters. I even keep a list of names I like, but that have to be appropriate to the character's personality or it doesn't work. For secondary characters I like to use names with meaning--in Whirlwind Romance all the pirates had Basque names, and each inhabitant of the fictional island of Paraiso had 4 names for the 4 ethnic groups that settled it. Agree totally that "Rafe" and "Zak" type names are icky, but you can find good, solid names that are uncommon. Another point about names is to be very careful not to have too many names that sound alike because it can be confusing to readers. I keep a running list of names used for every person, so you don't have the heroine & her sister Carol and Caroline or something. :)
ReplyDeleteAll great ideas and great points - I've fallen into that names sound alike trap a few times and had to rename characters. Thanks for stopping by and sharing your tips!
DeleteAnother great post with great points. For my debut, the hero's name just popped into my head--Nicholas Morgan. How can you go wrong with Nick? Sophie was easy too, but had a tough time with her last name. I started with Bradshaw and realized it was the lead in Sex and the City. Oops. I agree with you on the far-out names, but I also like a little uniqueness if possible. So, not a totally generic name, one that evokes something in my mind. Does that make sense? I do think it's really important in historicals to check the popular names of the era!
ReplyDeleteI'm not saying every name should be ordinary - like Sophie is a "regular" name but it's not one you hear often. While I went to high school with a girl named Sophie, I don't think I met another until recently. I'm not advocating naming every heroine Mary or Jane, but no one seems to name characters that anymore.
DeleteGreat post!!! I hate far out names and I think even something as simple as EMMA can be unique to the character.
ReplyDeleteI love the name Emma, actually. It was at the top of my baby name list the first two times I was pregnant, but didn't get used. Which us a good thing, as there are soooo many Emmas between 16 and 21 right now!
DeleteI know this is going to sound strange. But usually my characters come to me already named, and some with a back story. I guess my brain works over time when an idea hits me. That being said, I had to mention that there was an old special series that starred Elizabether Montgomery, it was a three part mini series probably 25-30 years ago about a pioneer woman that met and married a lawyer. There final son was named Chance. I thought at the time, it was a different name. Your mention of the name brought that memory to the surface. Have a great day!
ReplyDeleteI too make sure the name makes sense to the time and location. But with two teenagers, I know different names these days are abundant. I find myself counting back the years by the age to find out where they came from. It's interesting. Often times it springs to mind a popular show from that error or a well known performer.
ReplyDelete