What's in a Name?
When we create fictional characters they have to become real to us. We see them in our minds, hear their voices, and notice their personal habits. To know them well we decide where they’re from, what they do for a living and every aspect of their lives. Of all those details, how important is the character’s name? And if names matter, how do you choose them?
For most writers names aren’t random choices. That’s good because as superficial as we are, we draw a lot of meaning out of a person’s name. That means you can pack a lot of meaning INTO a character’s name. For example, my detective Hannibal Jones has a very common last name, indicating an everyman. His father named him after the only African military conqueror he could name, the man who led elephants in his army and almost defeated the Roman legions.
So when you have a significant character to name, who is your character named after? Who named him, mom or dad? Does she have a name that indicates parental personality expectations, like Chastity or Felicity? And that is the case, has your character grown into her name, or taken a stance in opposition to it, like fictional adventurer Modesty Blaise?
Last names are revealing too, because they often indicate nationality with all the assumptions they bring. If you have a fellow named Patrick O’Connor in your book, and he ISN’T Irish, you’d better tell us right away because your readers will have already slotted him. And in fact if he isn’t, there’s probably a great story there that will tell us a good deal about him.
Similarly, nicknames tell us a lot about your character. If you give your character a nickname, you’ll need to know if he took the nick himself or if someone stuck him with it. Some choices are obvious. If you introduce me to Tiny I expect a giant. But if her pals call her Brain, she might be the one who always has a plan, OR she might be an idiot. Either way, the fact that she accepted that nickname tells us about her confidence level and self-image.
So how do you find the right name for that imaginary person? The phone book? Names of people you know? Or some gut instinct? Let me know YOUR method, and how important names are to your fiction.
For most writers names aren’t random choices. That’s good because as superficial as we are, we draw a lot of meaning out of a person’s name. That means you can pack a lot of meaning INTO a character’s name. For example, my detective Hannibal Jones has a very common last name, indicating an everyman. His father named him after the only African military conqueror he could name, the man who led elephants in his army and almost defeated the Roman legions.
So when you have a significant character to name, who is your character named after? Who named him, mom or dad? Does she have a name that indicates parental personality expectations, like Chastity or Felicity? And that is the case, has your character grown into her name, or taken a stance in opposition to it, like fictional adventurer Modesty Blaise?
Last names are revealing too, because they often indicate nationality with all the assumptions they bring. If you have a fellow named Patrick O’Connor in your book, and he ISN’T Irish, you’d better tell us right away because your readers will have already slotted him. And in fact if he isn’t, there’s probably a great story there that will tell us a good deal about him.
Similarly, nicknames tell us a lot about your character. If you give your character a nickname, you’ll need to know if he took the nick himself or if someone stuck him with it. Some choices are obvious. If you introduce me to Tiny I expect a giant. But if her pals call her Brain, she might be the one who always has a plan, OR she might be an idiot. Either way, the fact that she accepted that nickname tells us about her confidence level and self-image.
So how do you find the right name for that imaginary person? The phone book? Names of people you know? Or some gut instinct? Let me know YOUR method, and how important names are to your fiction.
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