The Name Game

[Ice1]

I think every writer that considers themselves even the slightest bit deep tries to be innovative when naming their characters. Adding a symbolic meaning behind names can add a great extra layer to the story, although it can also deliver some rather weird names. The whole convention is used a lot by literary writers a lot. Another thing about naming characters is that a lot of writers struggle with it, especially because good naming can make a story easier to understand. Diverse names allow a cast of characters to feel more individual, and makes every character more recognizable by name only. Alliteration can sometimes make characters more memorable, merely because the mouthfeel of that name.

Naming conventions can also wildly differ between genre. All names are allowed in every genre of course, but generally one is less likely to find a Tim in a dwarven fantasy than in a road trip story.

How do you feel about naming characters, and how do you tackle it? What do you keep in mind when creating your cast of characters, and what things do you just not pay attention to at all? Do you think specific names work better in specific settings?

 

[IggyKoopa]

Oh man, I really like naming characters. Here we go...

I name characters based on the association between certain names and personality types - less in a symbolic sense, more like a feeling that the name works for the character. So if I had a character who was very nice and altruistic, but maybe a bit of a doormat, the name Melanie springs to mind. Your mileage may vary, of course.

As for surnames, I just go with what rolls off the tongue best and/or sounds cool. I try to go with things that are semi-unusual, but not outlandish (any name that I've heard before is usually good). Syllable count and stresses are important too - if you have a three-syllable first name, for example, you'll almost always want a really strong single-syllable last name. You learn how to make well-flowing names just with experience.

Personally, I avoid symbolic names like the plague. Unless you're really good at it, they often come off as cheesy and shows that the author cares more about their symbolism than their characters (and, like you said, it often results in weird names).

That's not to say names can't be meaningful full-stop though, nor that weird names can't work. In one thing I'm writing, the main character's name is Lucky, but he just calls himself Luke. At the same time, he always insists that he's much more mundane and unremarkable than people say, so the fact that he has this weird name and dislikes it really helps to reinforce that aspect of his personality.

 

[moon]

Tim, the magical dwarf berserker. I am going to write this story now.

 

[Daydream]

Spoiler:

I sometimes go with a naming theme. Other times I'll look into meanings of names and consider why the parents of the character might have named them it. Pretty often I'll just randomly select something I think sounds good.

 

[Bay]

I think names work betters if a pattern is used, for example: You create a whole new world, and you create a country with a specific culture, let's say chinese; You can't have some guys named Kong and others Adolfo.

Kinda related, but I think that'll be the only time where I'll take names more consideration. If there's a setting or character's ethnicity I already planned for, I'll dig in a bit deeper into which names I would like to use. Otherwise, a lot of times I don't take too much thought into naming a character for symbolic reasons and such although I appreciate the writers that do if the execution is right.

 

[Delirious Absol]

I enjoy naming characters. I tend to vary a bit between using generic names, odd ones or even symbolic ones. I like them to suit the character I've given them to. One-off or smaller characters I'll think up a name just to name them, so long as it suits them.

 

[Aisu]

I don't make a big deal about names; few times, I'll pick one for direct irony or one that actually parallels the character's personality/traits, but majority of the time it's a nice-sounding name that I decide to give a character.

 

[Winter]

For me, names must represent the characters. If I were using human names, I'd select the ones with meaning that aptly describes the character's essence. I also like to have a pattern or some sort of overarching nomenclature in the worldbuilding and character designing.

I put way too much thought into naming... It's the last thing I do in character creation xD I guess it's because every character is like my own child -- my own creation.

 

[TheWalkingForest20]

I think names can go either way with me. Sometimes i really like a name that I have to use in some form or another, but I would usually make them side characters if that's how I feel about them. I like to think of related subjects, personality traits and other things that are tied with the character I created to find a fitting name for them.
For instance, i have an earth dragon character i named Arvati after the Hindu goddess Parvati.

 

[Psychic]

generally one is less likely to find a Tim in a dwarven fantasy than in a road trip story.

It sounds like you haven't been introduced to Taako the high-elf wizard, or Magic Brian the wizard and his giant spider, Bryan. (D&D comedy podcasts are the best.)

I don't usually attempt to be "deep" in my naming schemes (whatever that means). I don't usually bother trying to come up with names whose meanings somehow relate to my character or their destiny or anything. In my recent fic, the character who acts as something of a mentor to Aarune, the secret base expert, is Irwin as a bit of a tribute to the late Steve Irwin, but that's generally as far as I'll go.

As others have said, it's more important to be consistent, so Shoshanna and Chris can't be siblings, and your protagonist probably shouldn't be named Samantha Tajiri. Just be smart about it, and feel free to use one of the many name generators that exist online.

~Psychic