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Naming Characters, is it just me?
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message 51:
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Edward
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Jun 28, 2015 11:15PM
Parents name their children. How many use name generators? These are our children. The difference is that we can change the names of these particular children once they develop into beings we hadn't anticipated.
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For naming my characters for the part of my story set in India, I used a Meanings of Names site, and found one where the meaning suited the story, and whose name I actually liked.For the parts set in NZ and England I pilfered the surnames of friends, or old family names. Seemed to work. The only stumbling block was when I realised I already used the name Andrew twice. So one poor sod had to be renamed Samuel.
Good idea. I will often consider the meaning, not just the feel of the name. It kinda serves like backstory; you know what's going on within the name, a few readers MIGHT kind of feel some of that, but ultimately it doesn't matter if it breathes life into the story.
For aliens, I take a normal name and corrupt it. George became Grodge the Merciful in Apocalypse Makers.When I wanted a name that meant something, I looked it up and chose a non-English language name for a meaning (Erin means Protector in... some language, I forget which one).
All my other names are common and hopefully easy to remember. I deliberately use only first names, and only for main characters. Minor characters are mostly "Old man" and such -- just the way I like to do it. I dislike books that list out a dozen characters, first and last names, in the course of a couple of chapters. I get lost in the names and can't remember who's who -- that's why I try to make it simple and limit names to major characters.
Matt wrote: "For aliens, I take a normal name and corrupt it. George became Grodge the Merciful in Apocalypse Makers.When I wanted a name that meant something, I looked it up and chose a non-English language ..."
Erin means protector in Gaelic.
Matt wrote: "For aliens, I take a normal name and corrupt it. George became Grodge the Merciful in Apocalypse Makers.When I wanted a name that meant something, I looked it up and chose a non-English language ..."
The best thing with alien names is you can pretty much come up with something so ridiculous and it fits because well..they're aliens! lol
The best thing with alien names is you can pretty much come up with something so ridiculous and it fits because well..they're aliens! lol I like "ridiculous but reasonably pronounceable". I don't want Tkqgurey'vfhekl or something like that.
Mod
When I wanted a name that meant something, I looked it up and chose a non-Engl..."
At the same time if you take it to far, you chase away readers like my wife. I KNOW she would love scifi if she could get over some of the names that drive her insane because she can't figure out how to pronounce them.
Matt wrote: "I like "ridiculous but reasonably pronounceable". I don't want Tkqgurey'vfhekl or something like that..."Tkqgurey'vfhekl aka "Tink". ;-)
Mod
Tkqgurey'vfhekl aka "Tink". ;-)"
Awesome.
Always a puzzlement and always fun! I like to use first names of people from the past and then give them last names that fit my setting.
Mod
Tkqgurey'vfhekl aka "Tink". ;-)"
Easily one of those Foreign Exchange Students (Aka F.E.S.) situations.
Tkqgurey'vfhekl aka "Tink". ;-)"Heh heh.
Ahh nuts... Now I'll actually have to use that name with the confused human saying, "Yeah... I'll just call you 'Tink'."
Justin wrote: "The best thing with alien names is you can pretty much come up with something so ridiculous and it fits because well..they're aliens!"That's actually the attitude that makes me find most names used for aliens to be really annoying.
First, whose name is it for the aliens? Is it what the aliens call themselves? In that case, there is no way to translate it into any Earth language. What do dolphins call themselves? We don't know. But if we did it would be clicks and whistles and clacks.
There are words and phrases in every human language that cannot be directly translated into any other human language. Why would we assume that we'd be able to translate an alien race's own name?
So...an author either has to give what humans call the alien race (in which case, silly names only make sense if they are nicknames commonly used by people and not the official names given by biologists), or you should be naming them what biologists or xenopologists or whoever comes up with official names calls them.
I somehow doubt that Klingons and Xeelee and Tkqgurey'vfhekl are going to be what we officially call other races.
I also suspect that most people aren't going to stick to the official name. They'll give nicknames--probably derogatory or just boringly descriptive--such as what we already see in the Ufology world: Greys, Andromedans, Hairy Dwarves, Little Green Men, Nordics, Reptilians, Sirians...etc.
So far I've not used aliens in most of my book projects. The one I have included aliens in, I have the official names given as Latin or Greek names derived from the constellation from which the aliens come. But commonly nicknames like Big Blue Meanies (a race of large blue grub-like beings who get extremely violent when they hear certain frequencies of sound common in human speech), are used by ordinary people. That's a reference to Yellow Submarine of course, but I figure people will draw from our own cultural, mythological, and literary heritage when giving nicknames to extraterrestrials.
Micah wrote: "What do dolphins call themselves? We don't know..."Who wrote that awesome line about cats not having names? Something like: Cat: "We don't have names becuase we know who we are. You humans need names because you don't know who you are."
I believe Gary Larson solved this case for dogs. ;-)
Usually cultures within our own race keep their names to one or two syllables. I try to stick with that rule. And we still call the French the French, the name they gave themselves, although we have derogatory names for them. I try to approach any aliens or alien names in the same way. Even the most elaborate human names generally have 3 syllables or less. And sometimes we even shorten two syllables and larger to one. Michael to Mike for example.I can't really think of any of our cultures that use more than 3 syllables as a name for themselves unless they use two words. Canadians do come to mind. That's 4 syllables. Italians too. Longer than that? I dunno.
Mod
Every dog word translates to 'Hey!'.
(Every cat word translates to 'Me!'.)
When naming characters, I'm more concerned with names that will stand out in the character's mind. It all depends on what the characters tell me their names are.Sometimes that will be an out of the ordinary first name with an ordinary last name, as in Mandalay Jones (just don't call her Manda).
Sometimes there will be a variation of a common name with an out of the ordinary last name, as in Caralynn Adrasteia (Caralynn is a variation of Carolyn, and Adrasteia is from Greek mythology).
Sometimes it'll just be whatever sounds good together, like Artemis Xian or Andromeda Reyes.
One thing though, I don't like repeating names. My vampire/author Brynna Alexander was going to be named Brianna except that I already have a character named Brianna. So I checked around some baby name sites for Welsh female names and came across Brynna.
Matt wrote: "Ahh nuts... Now I'll actually have to use that name with the confused human saying, "Yeah... I'll just call you 'Tink'.""Tink is infinitely easier to pronounce than Tkqgurey'vfhekl!
The worst thing about scifi or fantasty is not having a clue about how to pronounce a characters name.
I like what you wrote about the characters telling you what their names are. It is a fascinating process, to sit down and follow the stream of your mind and watch as these things, these "characters", these people (?) create themselves before your very brain. I don't change them when they tell me their names even if I don't really like their names. It's not about me. My problem esp with finishing my second novel, is I think about my characters (a lot--am I insane?) as if they are real people. I also think about them as if they are my friends. I wonder how they are doing. I have written before that I think fiction writers are or have to be kind of insane anyway.
Virginia Arthur, Birdbrain
Virginia wrote: "I like what you wrote about the characters telling you what their names are. It is a fascinating process, to sit down and follow the stream of your mind and watch as these things, these "characters..."I know exactly what you are talking about Virginia. You worry what the characters will think of YOU if you make something bad happen, or break their heart!
Name Generator? Oh my God. This sounds like something out of, I don't know, Science Fiction?
Some of you have already said this but my characters channel me and I dictate whatever it is they have to say. They write the story, not me. They tell me their names.
Charles wrote: "...we still call the French the French, the name they gave themselves, although we h..."Uh...don't the French call themselves "français?" Germans call themselves Deutsch. Japanese call themselves Nihonjin. (Or at least that's what Google Translate tells me.)
So we actually do use different names for other nationalities. We certainly wouldn't call aliens by their own chosen name.
I agree we'd use two to three syllable names for an alien race's common name, but assuming that their own name for themselves would conform to that convention is rather too anthropomorphic for me. Assuming they'd use language in the same way as us is too anthropomorphic as well. But that's a whole other topic.
I was speaking from perspective without thinking about that. But assuming the book is written in English, everything else stands.But of course, an alien language may not even have syllables.
All I'm saying is I use the K.I.S.S. rule.
Oh...and 5 syllable names:Alexandria
Ekaterina
Maximilian
Michelangelo
Aristophanes
Cassiopeia
Desiderio
Dionysius
Evangelina
Theodosia
Victoriana
Anastasia
;D
Nice. I noticed you slipped Eva Angelina in there. :DBut I'm sure Cassiopeia was shortened to Cassie, etc, in exchange and communication. They all come across as pretentious though, something I try to avoid.
Charles wrote: "All I'm saying is I use the K.I.S.S. rule. "I'd agree with that.
I'd still avoid even short names that sound like an author sat there and went, "Hmm...I need an exotic sounding name..." They're dead easy to spot, end up sounding and looking forced, and I guess I have a pet peeve about them!
A blend works best I think. Just because a character is referred to as Sothu doesn't mean their name isn't Sothudantan'dalastarravatta Del Goldaldadoldo the 3rd.
I must admit, living in India, there are some amazing names of villages and towns. When I'm travelling south for the winter I often sit on the train and write down names of small villages. I always look up the meanings of names, and half the time they fit perfectly with the character. They are my friends as well, and I usually printout a photo of a friend, a public figure, or someone that looks like my character for their profile to give them a realistic form in my mind. At the end of the day, I must enjoy the person I've created - their personality, their problems, their successes and failures, and their name.
I can't wait to visit India Ben! I wrote about it in my book, so researched it extensively, but nothing like going there. Next year it's on the travel plan. Trying to choose the right Indian names for my characters was one of my favourite parts of writing!
I hope you enjoy your journey Kirsten. My characters aren't Indian, nor do I usually write much about India. I found a town called Veer (a character for my fantasy novel), and another called Quilon (possibly a town, or character), and Kalida (the daughter of a local baron). There are such beautiful combinations of letters in any country.
Indian names are so musical. They lend themselves beautifully to literature!
Meso-American languages offer a lot of interesting sounds and concepts. They're worth exploring, especially if you want to try to think a bit outside of the Indo-European linguistic box.
I'm absolutely obsessive about naming characters and places. I'll do loads of research on etymology and names is different cultures. It's one of my favorite parts of worldbuilding.We grow up thinking that names reflect who we are, so I think it's important to put thought into it since the reader definitely will. I had a contest judge tell me the protagonist's name in my novel didn't "sound like a warrior" but they didn't know why. I agree that it didn't, though I did that on purpose, but it was interesting that the judge thought it was important to mention.
Micah wrote: "Oh...and 5 syllable names:Alexandria
Ekaterina
Maximilian
Michelangelo
Aristophanes
Cassiopeia
Desiderio
Dionysius
Evangelina
Theodosia
Victoriana
Anastasia
;D"
***very exotic***
I love this stuff. I usually try to find names that fit my characters and pick by that route. Depending on local flavor I'm basing my universe on, then the name choices change. This one fantasy book I'm working on I decided (for some insane reason, I don't know why), that in this universe the spells and character names are in Esperanto. Yeah... -__-
C.B.wrote: “...Now no main characters start with the same letter of the alphabet. The names are all varied and sound different when read and have different 'feels' to them (except the twins that have similar names on purpose). It helped the second group of Beta readers track the characters better.On tracking the characters: If you introduce to many unique character names [that I can’t even pronounce], locations, products, what have you; without giving my mind time to assimilate, I will drop them all. I remember a comment about “chi” in writing, don’t make me backup and reread, keep me moving forward.
Edit to clarify - C.B. this is not in reference to you, I haven't read your work, just comment in general.
Mod
It is okay, I didn't think it was meant just for me :)
I will however defend myself! ^-^
I try to introduce characters at least once before they are part of the big narrative.
When new people do show up to stay, they tend to get separated from the action for a bit for people to get used to them. It is easier to meet a new character when only one other character is around, and they have been established already.
My book makes fun of the silly long fantasy names people are supposed to remember. The city in my novel has such a crazy made up fantasy name... that the characters can't even remember what it is. The reader never actually knows what it is called, because it really isn't that important anyway. (It starts with a C though, they know that)
C.B. wrote: "It is okay, I didn't think it was meant just for me :)"The only connection was your mention of "tracking characters" I tried to make that clear.
I like your insight into the twins having like sounding names.
I'll have to take a look at your previews - for interest, not critique.
Mod
The only connection was your mention of "tracking characters" I tried to make that clear.
I like your insight into the twins h..."
It was very clear! No worries. :)
I just had more fun things to say, so I used that as an excuse to talk more!
Mod
Yeah, but I don't like to brag. ;)
edit: My mistake - had you confused with someone else.Initials can do that.
You do have a good sense humor
I pick names based on sound, mood, a joke-to-myself, a street name, or whatever else I encounter while on the road.
i currently have a baby name book from the 90s that i use since most of my works were written in that decade and i needed something more fitting/meaningful for my characters than the ones i pulled out the air or borrowed from books i was reading at the time.for my short stories or video games i whip out gygax's book of names. roll some dice and see what hits lolz
I use a baby name book as well. I try to find names that mean something as well. Names that have a hidden meaning about the character.
I can’t remember where I read someone ask what's in a name? A person's name identifies that person, we name things, to identify and to distinguish, the name of something identify that thing. The naming of a book one know the book by its name. Names are significant in the scheme of things and in life.
