7 Tips for Finding Perfect Character Names

How much time do we spend thinking up character names?

Too much.

That name will represent the character we love, so the pressure���s on to get it right. And no one wants to get halfway through a manuscript and realize they have to make a change. Find and replace on that scale, with something that important? No thank you.

Resources abound on the common problems we see with character names (impossible pronunciations, contrived spellings, too many similar-sounding names), so I don���t need to cover that ground. Instead, I���d like to provide some tricks for finding a name that���s perfect for your character.

1. Don���t Reinvent the Wheel

Sometimes, a simple name is best. One that���s invisible to the reader and doesn���t call attention to itself. In this case, don���t go through mental gymnastics to come up with something new when there are thousands of names that already exist. Here are some resources for finding those.

Baby Name BooksEncyclopediasObituaries. Agatha Christie liked these.Your Own Family TreeMaps and Atlases. Paris, Jordan, Brooklyn, Asia���get inspired by names of other places.Graveyards. If it was good enough for Rowling���. This can be helpful if you���re writing a period piece and want to find a popular name, you want to avoid something that���s too common, or you���re looking for inspiration.Name generators. I like , which lets you search up fantasy and medieval names, as well as those based on certain languages.

These are helpful for brainstorming real names. But if you���d like a moniker with more gravitas that fits your character and story, keep the following tips in mind.

2. Know the Character���s Role

The more important a character is to the story, the more memorable or purposeful their name can be. The opposite is true for background characters, because a peripheral character with an interesting or attention-grabbing name could pull the reader���s attention where you don���t want it and make them think there���s more going on back there than there really is. For those characters, consider a more common name, just a first name, or no name at all.

3. Choose Something that Characterizes

Think about what a character���s name could reveal about them. The obvious tells point to a character���s race, religion, gender, or the time they live in. In some cultures, it could identify their profession.

Also, consider what the character does with their name. Do they shorten it or use it in its entirety in the most pretentious way (Charles Emerson Winchester the Third, anyone)? Do they use a nickname that says something about their preferences, ideals, or attitude? If the character came up with it themselves, it often will say something about them.

4. Explore the Root Meaning

One way to subtly characterize is to choose a name with deeper meaning.

Beorn, the shape-shifting warrior in The Hobbit, comes from an Anglo-Saxon word meaning warrior/chieftain and an Old Norse word for bear.Kreacher���sniveling house elf to the Regulus family in Harry Potter���comes from the German word kriecher: to creep, crawl, grovel, cringe, or fawn upon.Shrek is Yiddish for fright.And then there���s Percy Wetmore, The Green Mile���s bullying, cowardly antagonist who���s such a wuss he ends up peeing his pants in fear.

is a great tool that provides the etymology and history of many names. Even if readers don’t know the underlying meaning, a name with significance will often work because of the way it sounds or the connotations it evokes. And that brings us to the next tip:

5. Utilize Sound Devices

Did you know that explosive consonants have a jarring and unsettling effect to the hearer? These sounds (p, b, d, g, k, ch-, sh-) can work well for a villain���s name���Gordon Gekko, Krampus, Count Dracula, and the like. On the flip side, harmonious/soft consonants (l, m, n, r, th, wh, soft f, soft v) may be good for peaceful or nurturing characters, such as Luna Lovegood or Melanie Wilkes (Gone with the Wind). There are obvious exceptions, but the sound of a name is a good place to start when you���re trying to figure out the right handle for a character.

6. Evoke a Desired Response

To build on the last point, devise a memorable name by making the whole thing alliterative, musical, lilting, quirky, unnerving, or unsettling���whatever you���re going for. Inigo Montoya, Sam Spade, Boo Radley, Scheherazade, and Ponyboy Curtis are good examples. What do you want your character���s name to bring to the reader���s mind? Create an overall sound that fits.

7. Tie it to the Story���s Theme

What message do you want to convey, and how does the character relate to it? One of the themes of Watership Down circles leadership. Hazel must lead his band of reluctant rabbits to a new home, but he has no special skills; he���s not fast like Dandelion or strong like Bigwig. He���s just a regular guy. The rabbits in this story are all named after plants, so you���d expect the leader to have a grand, inspiring name, but Hazel, in lupine, simply means ���tree.��� His name reflects the story���s thematic message, that leadership doesn���t require flash and charisma; it often just means being willing to do what must be done.

There are so many tips for coming up with the perfect name for a character. But as always, the name needs to fit both them and the story. If readers are pulled out of the narrative because they���re enamored with (or confused by) them, we���ve led them astray. So have fun digging into those names, but remember that they���re just one part of the bigger picture.

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