What's in a Name?

Character names are a big deal, some have become incredibly well known (Harry Potter, Katniss Everdeen, Bella Swan), but how do they come about?

When a writer friend and I were talking about our character names it made me really sit down and think about them, as well as think of some advice if you find yourself needing to come up with one. Here are a few examples of how I came up with some names.

When I began writing Dusted I wasn't sure what I would name any of the characters (except for Gemma). The name Crystal had been bouncing in my head for a while to use as a character in one of my stories, so I began with that. Only moments later did I think having the last name as Ball would be hilarious. A witch named Crystal Ball was perfect, and it set the tone nicely for the kind of occasional-comedy I wanted Dusted to be.

Jaden was a little lazy and on the fly for a name, I'll admit, so there's not too much backstory to it. The only thing I wanted was a non-werewolf kind of name. The problem with names is that they're too fitting for the character sometimes, but when you think about it, your name is more of a reflection of your parents and their choices for you. The name Jaden is an example of their mother's New Age rearing of them.

Gemma, meanwhile, was a name I knew I was going to have for a vampire. Gemma is actually the screen name of a friend I met in an MMO game. She was a die-hard, Team Edward, Twilight fan from the south where people say "Pee-can pie" and watch NASCAR while eating fried chicken (her words, not mine). I seriously considered making Gemma (the character) Southern as a nod to her, but a Southern vampire already existed in both the House of Night series and the Sookie Stackhouse/True Blood series, so it would not only be unoriginal these days, but an outright rip off in the eyes of readers.

Moonbeam, Crystal and Jaden's mom, was probably the most fun to come up with. I mentioned before that sometimes names can be too fitting, and I wanted the perfect name for their mom that would be not only be silly, but outright eye roll-inducing. In the first couple of drafts she was actually named Skystar, but it was too awkward. After throwing some ideas around the family, my own mom threw out the idea for Moonbeam, and it stuck. Later, I realized it was fantastic because then it gave me the opportunity for the nickname Moony, which is incredibly fitting.

Although it is never mentioned in Dusted, Gemma's mother is named Joy. This is meant as somewhat black humor on my part.

Rarely, I use a name with an actual meaning. Ophelia is a derivative of the Greek word for "help" and was a name I used for a guardian angel character in a story that will likely never see the light of day.

In a yet-unnamed story I have twin sisters, Sophia and Minerva, they are the names of the Greek and Roman goddesses of Wisdom.

The best advice I can offer for names is this: Keep it Simple.

When I was growing up any pets we had were limited by a naming rule: It had to be 2 syllables at the most. Mister Muffin Pants is a bit of a mouthful for calling your cat, for example, and when naming characters, it will be equally a handful when you're typing it out all day.

The more main the character is, the simpler the name you want to have. If you must have a long, complicated name, consider having a quick nickname. Sir Durand Vaughn Elias isn't just nicknamed Durry because Crystal is trying to press his buttons, let me tell you (but at the same time his long, elaborate name suggests his haughty nature.)

Limit the first letter of names to one per character

The Host by Stephanie Meyer is a good example of why you should do this. In The Host you have Jared, Jamie and Jeb, which, though not quite main, are all pretty major characters. I often found myself getting confused as to which character was which.

Rhyming names are also bad. Dess, Jess, and Melissa are unintentional rhymes in the Midnighters series by Scott Westerfield, of which he addresses.

Finally, don't be afraid to use a random name generator.

Seriously, not every character you make is going to be a Special Snowflake that needs a totally fitting or original name. Some of my best names have been from random name generators, and you can always use it as a place-card until you find a better one.