Wednesday, March 18, 2015

Finding the Perfect Name, by: Marissa Burt

Naming characters is one of my favorite things about the writing process. Sometimes characters pop into my head with a fully formed name. Other times, it takes some time to get to know them first. I am drawn to unusual names, old-fashioned sounding names, or names with specific meanings. Often, names that were on my potential-baby-names list while pregnant make it into my books. :)

Today I wanted to share my favorite go-to name sites. First, The Baby Name Wizard. This is full of a wealth of information: suggestions of what names pair well together, popular meanings of names, and my favorite, the Name Voyager, which graphs the popularity of names over time.



The Social Security Website also has popular name lists by year, so you can see if a name you've chosen would fit in well with your story.



The public library is also a good source for naming resources. They have fat stacks of topical baby-name books, so you can find names with mythological roots, for instance. 

What about you, fellow Mayhemers? How do you find the perfect name for your characters? Any go-to resources to share? 

10 comments:

  1. I think I wrote about this when I first joined PMGM! The Character Should Make the Name, was the title of the post.

    But anyway, I generally tend to like relatively simple names for my protagonists. I like for the character to define themselves, in the long run, more so than the perfect name doing it for them. That said, I do put a lot more work into naming secondary characters, for some reason. I wonder if it has anything to do with my secondary characters often being of more diverse stock than my protagonists?

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    1. Interesting that you notice a distinction between main characters and secondary ones.

      And, yes! Your previous post is full of good insights - for those who want to check it out: http://project-middle-grade-mayhem.blogspot.com/2011/07/character-should-make-name.html

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  2. Good resources. I'm having trouble naming a few characters for a fantasy, however. I want real names from specific cultures, and U.S. don't work. Sometimes the origins and meanings seem doubtful on baby name sites. Anybody have good suggestions for other cultures, countries, and historical periods?

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    1. I agree with you that sometimes the reliability of websites seems questionable...how is it that every name has an amazing, inspiring meaning? ;) I wonder if there's a way to access actual survey data for other countries, similar to what the SSA does here?

      The print books of baby names seem slightly more reliable to me (maybe that's just my Luddite bias :), but it might be worth checking at the public library to see if there are any books associated with the culture you're drawing from.

      It won't help with the historical component, but if you know someone personally within that country/culture, they probably can give you popular names/meanings within that culture. Or maybe ask at a cultural group or tourist info office?

      Let us know if you find any good resources!

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  3. Since I write fantasy, I've used sanskrit and arabic name and translation sites to inspire names. I try to stick with something pronounceable and that a kid wouldn't hate their parents for, so this is usually just a starting point.

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    1. Yes, pronounceable is key. As much as I love HP, I think I read Hermione as Her-mee-on for forever before I learned the correct pronunciation.

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  4. This is great, Marissa. Names are so fun. Sometimes characters name themselves. Other times, it is like having to name another child. Thanks for the name resources. I have characters in my newest YIG book who are named for winners of an auction- a library asked if I'd be willing to auction off the name-in-a-novel prize! Since the books take place at the turn of the last century, I was worried the names would be too modern. It all worked out beautifully, though. I now know my characters but not those for whom they were named. Funny.

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    1. I like the idea of a name-in-a-novel auction prize - very fun!

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  5. Great post! I had a baby girl name at the top of my list for a very long time and then, when I actually had a girl, it didn't seem right for her and I didn't use it. But I had already eschewed the name for my main character because I was saving it. Now that it's available, though, I can't go back. My main character's name is her name. So be it.

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    1. ha! Yes, I find it impossible to try and rename characters once it's done. They WILL keep their names, however ill suited - and there's nothing to be done about it. ;)

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Thanks for adding to the mayhem!