Sometimes the hardest part of writing is coming up with character names. I have long since exceeded my personal knowledge of names in creating characters. It sent me searching for new options. At first, I collected baby name books. Wonderful resources. However, I have been asked more times then I want to admit if I was pregnant because I was sitting somewhere with my nose in a baby name book. I’m not saying they are a bad idea. I have gotten many wonderful name options, and opinions on name choices, from baby name books. Whether the name book is a tiny $1.29 copy from a grocery store check-out aisle or a five pound book containing 10,000 names from the library, they are wonderful resources. I do suggest not reading them in public, however. Then I discovered baby name websites. Instead of 1,000 baby names in one place, I now had access to 10,000. I was even playing happily with one website that claimed 100,000. And not only could I view them, I had search criteria. I now could select “African” and find a variety of names associated with Africa, instead of having to page through a book trying to find an African origin. With this discovery came a more accessible means to use name-based symbolism. I could easily locate a name that meant “king” or “leader” or “faith” or any number of things I could use for subtle character symbolism. Even if I wished to convey sarcasm, I had many options. A weak-willed Prince, for example, whose named means “strong,” or an ignorant bigot whose name means “wise.” My options expanded wonderfully. With my ever growing access to name choices came an informal education in naming practices, cultural opinions, personal perception, and on and on the list went. I will mention that I love psychology. Names and psychology go hand-in-hand. Fitting a name to a character There is always the chance of over thinking a character’s name. I do not always write with a baby name site open to use search criteria. Sometimes I simply sit down and start writing a story or notes. Sometimes I open up my computer spreadsheet filled with baby names and use the random generator I set up to randomly select names. (I will get into this later.) It varies by story, and often mood. Regardless of method, there are some things to consider. Ethnicity, country of origin, cultural perception (include historical and literary references here,) religious variations, gender, ease of pronunciation, possible negative connotations, and inadvertently using the name of a famous person. And yes, that’s a lot of things to consider. Writing is not a simple task. Ethnicity: For anyone who has ever interacted with individuals of different racial backgrounds and religious beliefs, names varying by ethnic group should not be surprising. Some names cross ethnicity, especially Biblical names. Other names, such as Tyrone and Jose, tend to suggest a specific ethnic heritage. If I wanted to present a character whose name is undeniably Scandinavian, I might chose Ingrid Andersson, for example. Now at the same time, there are reasons the fictitious Ingrid Andersson might not be Swedish. She could have been adopted. She could have come by Ingrid for a reason other then her family being Swedish, such as her mother liked the name, and then happened to marry a Swedish man. I knew an exchange student in high school whose name is Ingrid; she was not Swedish; in fact, she was from Venezuela and had very dark hair and eyes. Its not an absolute. But an explanation for a very Swedish name and not being Swedish does help to avoid reader confusion. Country of Origin: In the United States of America, names come from various places. A couple immigrates to the United States from any number of Asian countries and may opt to give their child an “American” name rather then a name associated with their original country. I can think of one famous, former ice skating champion whose family origin is Japanese and Filipino. Her name is Kristine Tsuya "Kristi" Yamaguchi-Hedican. In my opinion, a character in America could realistically have a culturally-specific given (first) name or a name common in America with a culturally specific surname. (Please note that not every country puts the give name before the surname.) For other countries, it would vary by that country. It is my understanding, having read somewhere, that some countries have an official list of appropriate names. One country, for example, could fine a family for a name choice not on the approved list. Another article spoke of a judge renaming a child because a name was determined inappropriate, or perhaps detrimental, to the child. (An example of a judge awarding a name change is in this article on nine year old Talula-Does-The-Hula-From-Hawaii in New Zealand. http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/53968/Name-change-ruling-for-Tula-Does-The-Hula.) Not generally as important, but often good to know, is whether or not a name is common or unusual in a specific place; it can affect how a person is perceived. In the United States, particularly for my age group, the names Jennifer and Sarah and Erin/Aaron are incredibly common. Whereas the name Venus is so uncommon, in my experience, that I met one in grade school and still remember her name at thirty-two. Now this varies, of course, by country. In Ireland, names like Aine and Aisling are common for women. (I was told they were common by an Irish gaming friend.) If nothing else, it helps to know if the character’s name is the equivalent of “John Smith” and could be reviewed as an unoriginal alias. Cultural Perception: This is a combination of culture-related things. Some names are associated with famous individuals, literary characters and historical figures positively and some are not. A positive historical/ethnic reference could be the names Martin and Luther or Rosa and Harriet, generally for an African American character. Or a character could be named Winston or Alexander to indicate a parent’s desire for great success. It of course depends on the allusion the author wishes to make. And while those names have positive connections, names like Judas, Adolph, Caine, Rasputin, Manson, Bundy, and Gacy can produce very different images. It might not be received well to accidentally name a Catholic priest character after a famous serial killer. Though, it opens avenues for symbolism. In creating characters of cultures we are not familiar with, we can potentially make seriously offensive mistakes without research. As a child, I had this marionette a family member brought back from Mexico. In my childhood innocence, I named the marionette something I thought, at the time, sounded appropriately Mexican. Only later, I found out the poor marionette had been supposedly named a Mexican word for a section of the female anatomy, although whether it was slang or not, I don’t know. That could have been very offensive had I actually named a Mexican character that. Gender: This is simple, right? I wish. Names are often confusing when it comes to gender, especially cultural opinions. With Spanish, and Italian names, it is my understanding that a name ending with “O” is always a male name. Names ending in “A” are always female names. I will used “Bonito,” for example. Bonito is a beautiful male. Bonita is a beautiful female. That is not universal. Japanese can be the exact opposite, but its not an rule. Akira is a male name. Akeno is female. Research is the key to avoiding gender confusion issues. However, I will note it is impossible to completely avoid the issue altogether. Ask five random people whether Jaden and Hayden are male or female names. Gender is not simple. Gender-neutral names, depending on opinion, cause all sorts of problems. Ethel, Kelly, Shannon, and Robin are often names that can be for a male or female; they are all traditionally European male names. Sometimes it depends on the country, or geographical region, how the names are currently viewed. Other times it’s simply a matter of personal opinion. Its important to be careful of gender-neutral names. Generally, a female with a neutral name will have fewer problems then a male with a name that could be considered female. A boy named Dana is likely to face more problems then a girl named Dana. (My mother had a friend in the 70s named Hollis. Hollis is traditionally a male name. My mother’s female friend received a draft notice.) Beyond gender-neutral is children given names most people consider appropriate for the opposite gender. I knew a guy at one point whose legal first name may actually have been Sunshine; he understandably goes by his middle name. I have heard of women named “John.” Most of us have probably heard of young John-Bennet, may she rest in peace. Culturally, at least in my experience in the US, it is easier for females with male names then males with female names. I might name a female character Jeremy, for example, if I had a reason to, but I would not saddle a male character with Suzanne. Sadly, its not an exact science. A healthy dose of common sense goes a long way. Ease of Pronunciation: Have you ever seen a name in a book and wondered exactly how it was pronounced? There are always reasons to have a name, or names, that are not recognizable and could be difficult to pronounce. In those cases, a list of names with pronunciations should be presented at the beginning of the story. That will hopefully alleviate a reader’s frustration with difficult to pronounce names. Negative Connotations: This can be difficult when writing about other cultures. That’s where careful research is important. A major motion picture was banned in the last year, I believe, for the portrayal of an entire culture badly, including the name of the leader of this horrible, fictitious, cannibalistic culture being way too close to a real life leader in the country portrayed. I mentioned allusions earlier. This is a reference in a story about another story or perhaps even a real event. Intentional references can be powerful. “I was named Michael after Heinlein’s Michael Valentine Smith. My mom wanted me to face the world with caring and loyalty.” That would be an obvious one. Or naming a character Rosa because her mother, or father, wanted their daughter to stand up for what’s right regardless. (IE Rosa Parks.) The allusions I mentioned above are positive. Not all allusions are. Judas, for example, in areas where the New Testament of the Bible is respected, (or known,) is unlikely to be very receptive for a hero. Obviously, the name alludes to a figure in the Bible who betrayed Jesus. That could, and probably will, affect the way a character is perceived by readers. Unless that is a desired effect, I recommend avoiding it. Famous People’s Names: Please respect the names of famous people, literary figures, and historical individuals. Honestly, I don’t care how infamous criminals names are used, but that can cause problems too. A movie came out, perhaps in the 90s, that spoke of a road trip undertook by drag queens. I watched it, and have no problem with it, nor the topics discussed. Not everyone looks at it that way. One of the drag queen characters shares a name with a famous man. The man, the character was hopefully inadvertently named after, did not take it well. With that in mind, please be respectful. Using a baby name source for inspiration Have you ever wanted to write and found you didn’t have any ideas? Random plot generators and contest writing prompts can be very useful. Baby name sources can give ideas without really making suggestions. The ideas would be completely your own. For this, I am going to use http://babynamesworld.parentsconnect.com/, for an example. (I am not associated with this website, and get nothing for anyone using it.) There are many ways to use this website to find a name. The “Baby Name Quick Search” can easily find a male, or female, name if you want a name that starts with a specific letter. The “Meaning Search” allows searches by gender and one, or more, key words; this is used if a specific meaning, such as “peace,” is desired. The “Advanced Search” includes various options, including the ones above, and the ability to chose one, or more, country origins. The last option is the “Name Wizard;” it asks the user to enter three names liked, or perhaps with the type of character in mind, and it generates suggestions. It simply depends on what options are of interest. For this example, I went to the “Advanced Search” and selected “boys names.” From there, I chose page “4” from the option near the bottom of the page. Toward the middle of the fourth page of options is “Abbott.” The list shows the name, gender, ethnic or country of origin, and the first portion of the name’s meaning. Clicking on “More…“ shows a page that gives the name, gender, origin, entire meaning, pronunciation and a rating associated with the website‘s users. The above explanation was necessary, and brings us to the writing inspiration portion of this. “Abbott” is a Hebrew boys name that means “Father.” While not mentioned, an Abbott is a name associated with a Catholic position connected with abbeys. Although, that does offer some options, I am going to avoid offending people by creating a priest character from my science fiction genre. Instead, I will go with a more general character with an American culture base. I will start with the name. “Abbott,” in my opinion at least, works better for a last name. I will stay with the gender listed. Since I am not familiar with Hebrew culture, I will opt to simply take dark hair and eyes and a suntanned complexion. The name’s meaning can be interpreted in a number of ways. I will pull from the concept of a good priest, giving my character a devout sense of honor, an ability to listen, and a good understanding of people. From the paternal aspect of father, I will add patience, an understanding of children, although I am not giving him any, and selflessness, generally found in dedicated parents. And I will point out that this makes for a very unrealistic character, so far, since he has no flaws. Now this is not an exact science. My perception of a name, and how I derive a character concept, from that name, will vary from others opinions. There is no right or wrong in this type of brainstorming. The goal is to get a writer to thinking about what to write. Random Spreadsheet Generators I find spreadsheets wonderful tools for creating random databases of information to use while brainstorming. It allows me to easily randomly generate names. This is good for character name ideas. It helped me expand my name usage outside the names I am familiar with, and helps with brainstorming. This does require knowing how to use a spreadsheet, although my instructions are designed for those unfamiliar with spreadsheets. It also requires having a spreadsheet program. There is a free program similar to Microsoft Office 2003 and prior; it is even compatible with Microsoft Office files (except for 2007.) Open Office is free to download at http://www.openoffice.org/, for personal usage. A business version can be found at Wal-Mart, and perhaps other stores that sell software. (I am not affiliated with this company and do not get anything from directing people to the site or recommending the product. Also, please note that downloading and installing software, even from respectable sites, does have some computer safety risks.) For this example, I am going to use Open Office Calc. Other spreadsheet programs can be used. Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Works Spreadsheet, and Quattro Pro. Each program has advantages and disadvantages. Although, they vary, it is my experience that they can do basically the same things. From experience, Open Office produces the most random numbers. Assuming Open Office has been downloaded and/or installed, the first step is to open the Calc option listed in the Open Office folder found with your software programs. This varies by Operating System. The program is comprised of grid squares with numbers running down the left side and letters running across the top. For sake of simplicity, I am not going into spreadsheet specifics beyond what‘s necessary for this generator. Using the boxes, on the left-hand side, under the capital “A,” enter names. One name per box. Open Office allows a list into the thousands. It is important to know the number to the left of the last name entered. In this case, the spreadsheet ends with “25.” That is twenty-five individual names. After scrolling back to the top of the page, where the “1” is visible on the left-hand side, click in the white box under the “F.” (It really does not matter what box is used, as long as its easy to see and not in column “A.”) Type in, or C&P, “=rand()*25” without the “”. After clicking return, if it is typed correctly, a number between 0 and 25 will appear. (Please replace the “25“ with the number left of the last name in your list.) It will have a decimal point. That needs to be edited. Right click on the number. Select “Format cells.” A window will open. Under “Category,” “Number” should be highlighted. Next to that are options under “Format.” Select the first number option under “General.” It is a standard number with no decimal point. Click “Okay.” If done correctly, the random number no longer has a decimal point. It probably changed. The random number will change almost every time the user clicks “Enter.” Click below the random number, maybe skip a box or two. For this to work, it requires looking at the number randomly generated. On my spreadsheet, I have a “1” in the box. I type “=a1” into the box below the random number, without the “” and will get the name in box a1 in the upper left-hand corner. (Should this not work, I am happy to try to help work out the problems. However, it cannot really be done via private message/email. I prefer Yahoo Messenger.) Random generators can be used for other writing tools. Instead names, plot ideas can be listed. I use words that apply to the types of stories I write. Professions can be listed to brainstorm character occupations. In my scifi, I include organizations, governments, groups, non human species, and types technology. The options are limitless. Ending Notes Be respectful of your audience. It is not always possible to avoid offending people. A present of a puppy is a wonderful gift to most children. It would be very offensive to a family in at least one religion. That does not mean children should not be given puppies in stories, it just means that something like a prized gift might not be socially acceptable to all. Works specifically cite: Swedish surnames: http://genealogy.familyeducation.com/browse/origin/swedish Used to find an article on Tulula: http://www.slate.com/id/2196204/ Kristi Yamaguchi: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kristi_Yamaguchi Baby name info: http://babynamesworld.parentsconnect.com Open Office: http://www.openoffice.org/
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