be realistic
There are plenty of mary’s in the world, which is precisely why your novel may need one. When creating the world for your novel, your naming choices must be authentic to the kinds of characters that live within them.
Consider the following:
You are reading: Names for main characters in books
the age of the character
When was the character born? Velma is perfectly acceptable for a character born in 1920, but born in 2003? Not so much unless the character’s parents had a particular fascination with Scooby Doo.
If you need help looking up common names for a specific year, check out the Social Security Administration’s list of popular names. use this list to find the 10 most used names for both boys and girls.
Image Courtesy of Social Security Administration
The names of the characters must conform to the rules of when they were born. Of course, you can have a character that has an unusual name that stands out from the crowd, but that should never be the rule.
This brings me to the next point:
the character’s parents
characters don’t name themselves; this is the job of your character’s parents. With few exceptions, your character’s parents will be conventional people who follow the trends of the moment. they can also give a surname to their child.
However, there is always a logic behind the choice of its name that is easily explained or understood by the reader.
location
Names vary by location. mary in canada is maria in peru, maryam in iran and marie in france. their names should honor the location and fit.
beware of gender
Quick! Your novel is set in Victorian era England. What names do you think of first? George, John, Margaret, Rose, Charles, Samuel, and Edith are the names that popped into my mind.
Now, let’s make the challenge a little more difficult. your novel is set in the colonization of mars around 2089. what names do you give it? definitely harder to answer, but I’m assuming there are no ediths listed. maybe kel, ambrose, stone, finn or caris. because it’s set in a future no one knows about, it has more wiggle room to predict trends.
No matter what, gender will directly affect the choice of name. Whether you’re writing a historical romance, adventure-driven sci-fi, or moody dystopian commentary, your character names should make sense within the context of the time and theme.
be consistent
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a character named john one minute, jonathan the next, and mr. puncturing from time to time is bound to confuse readers. Sure, many of us answer to more than one name, but in the short space of a novel, there’s simply no way to use multiple names for a character without confusing readers.
The simple solution is to avoid it at all costs. With few exceptions (perhaps your employees call John Mr. Pierce from time to time), you should always refer to him by name.
be different
Whether it’s three characters or 30, give each one a unique and different sounding name. that means there is no bob and no ben. not laurie and lauren. not adam and aden.
why?
readers don’t actually read the whole word. they will stop at l, for example, understanding that it is laurie. But, if it introduces a new character, Lauren, now the reader must read the whole word and then take some time to remember the differences between the two characters. it’s exhausting and takes away the pleasure of reading your book.
This advice applies to everyone in your story, even twins.
naming tips to keep in mind
don’t give two characters in the same story:
names that start with the same letter. example: tim and tom
names that sound alike. example: chelsea and kelsey
a name of similar form. example: daren and karen
avoid name associations
Elvis is questionable. Beyonce is pushing it. Adolf is not okay.
some names should be retired from use, even in fiction.
Avoid choosing names that have become famous in pop culture or infamous in the annals of history. unless you have a good intentional reason for using these names, don’t.
Otherwise, you could end up turning your character into a caricature of a historical figure.
choose names that are easy to pronounce
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keep names as simple as possible. no d’ekjfa or um’ro’a or qwghapfe please. your name should be easy to pronounce because readers often read names out loud (if only in their minds).
reinforce character qualities
The character’s name usually determines who they become. With a hippie name like river, your character can be an apologist for her parents. with a strong name like stone, it can be a solitaire that is rough around the edges.
use names to give a special idea of the character.
When choosing names, keep in mind the meaning of their roots. use it as an opportunity to become symbolic, though you don’t need to spell it out for the reader. Years later, when his novel becomes required reading in school, students will discover and delight in these hidden meanings.
re-evaluate character name
Last but not least, remember that you can change your character’s name at any time during the editing process. if you don’t feel like the current name fits the character, get rid of it and think again. Use these tips to help you find a better option.
other ways to find names
a name generator
name generators can help you get your creativity flowing. with a couple of clicks, you might get a brand new and interesting name.
Image Courtesy of Character Name Generator
here are a few you can try:
the character name generator
random name generator
quick character names
pick up a book of baby names
Go to a baby naming website and search for names by gender, popularity, and alphabet. remember, don’t choose names that start with the same letter.
the phone book
hey! finally something you can do with it. if you still have access to a phone book (check your grandma’s house), let your fingers walk until you find some good-sounding names for your characters.
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