Name a Main Character

Main characters are the central part of every story, and designing them can be a marathon. So many different options; how do you choose just one? If you name your character right, you will choose a name that is unique to your character and memorable to your story. The names you choose should reveal something about your characters: who they are, where they come from or where they are going.

Steps

  1. Name the character appropriately for their time period and age. Many authors make the mistake of choosing a name that is popular now for an adult character, but rarely been used around the time of that character's birth.
    • Decide the age of your character and then calculate the year your character was born. If your character was born in the U.S., browse the Social Security Administration Name Popularity List for that year.
    • You will also want to take into account the character's ethnic background and the ethnic background of his/her parents.
  2. Choose a name based on what it or its derivative means. Many writers give their characters names that have significance in the story. It could reflect major personality traits, or the character's role in the story.
    • You may want to search by literal meaning, or think of ways to incorporate other meanings into your character's name. For example, if your character is a botanist, you may not want to name her Flower (too literal), but you may want to consider the names Linnea or Sage.
    • Even if you choose not to name a character by meaning, you should look up the meaning of all your characters' names so you are aware of it. There may be something that inspires you or, on the other hand, conflicts with your message.
  3. Don't go overboard in creating science fiction characters. It's difficult to predict what names will be popular in the year 3000, but you don't have to make your science fiction characters sound like they are from Mars (unless they are). When a person reads (or watches) your story, you don't want them to stumble over a name. The name Zyxnrid, for example, would be difficult to read or listen to every time the character is referenced—and may detract from your overall story. If you do choose to create your sci-fi name, you may want to:
    • Combine two common names to make a less common, but pronounceable name. Example: Donica (Donna and Veronica).
    • Use ancient mythological names, or combine two of them. Example: Ceres or Evadne.
    • Make it easy to pronounce and spell. Example: Bilbo Baggins from Lord of the Rings
  4. Remember the characters' relationships when deciding how they address one another. When writing your story, be aware that people who are close rarely use each other's full names.
    • Couples will use nicknames, terms of endearment (honey, dear, boo).
    • Parents rarely call their children by their full names--unless they are admonishing them for bad behavior or testifying in court. If you have loving parent characters that are addressing their kids, use a nickname or term of endearment (sweetie, baby, D.J.). An exception to this would be if you want to show the parent character being cold and distant to their child.
  5. Be creative. Don't incorporate the same overused names in your stories. For some reason, every writer loves to name his hero Jack. It may be a tough-sounding, honest-working name, but naming your hero Jack is like naming your son Aidan. It's overdone. Be a little more creative, so your reader will remember your particular protagonist as opposed to the umpteen-million other books they've read about Jack.
  6. Watch out for "loaded" names--names that have a popular association. These could be names associated with celebrities, historical or infamous people like Adolf, Oprah, or Kobe. They could also be names of famous literary, TV, or movie characters: Hannibal, Scarlett, Romeo, Bart.
    • If you do choose to use "loaded" names, then you really should make it part of the story, part of the character. Your character's mother was obsessed with Gone With the Wind, so she was named Scarlett--how has it affected her throughout her life? How does it affect her in the story? Names are such an important part of one's identity, don't take it lightly with your story!
  7. Have fun with naming your characters and take time to see what "fits."
    • What was your character's childhood nickname? Is that an embarrassment when his parents address him in front of his friends?
    • Did your character change his name at any point in his/her life? If so, why?
    • Does your female character want to change her surname when she gets married? Why or why not?

Tips

  • Though it is not a good idea to use something that is overused in literature, and an unusual name helps a character stick in the reader's mind, not all protagonist's names have to be as distinctive as Odd Thomas or Lyra Silvertongue. If, say, Annabelle seems to fit, don't fret because you know two people called Annabelle in real life. If you've only read about one Annabelle or none at all, just go ahead and use it. Names are important, but an author doesn't live and die by choice of names.If it really bugs you, just give them a really unusual surname.
  • Don't make a name sound too artificial. While unusual names are a good thing, you do have to regain a certain degree of subtlety. For example, you could get away with naming a character Suzanne LeBeau, but not Daphne Snoxnap. Well, you could if writing a humorous story for children, but if your names sound like you've been using a random name generator, your writing won't be taken seriously.

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