Choosing Character Names, part 2
Names are where characters begin to take shape for me, and its always been that way. I bought my first baby name book when I was fourteen, the same year that I decided that maybe, just maybe I could be a writer. I remember the bookstore clerk that checked me out glancing down at my stomach, and then quickly up at my face. I realized that she thought I was pregnant and looking for names for a real baby. I didn’t try to explain that I needed the book to help me name fictional characters. I was painfully shy, and had finished one story in my entire life. How was I going to say out loud to an adult that I was spending money on a book to help me write stories that I hoped to sell to real magazines, and earn real money, and maybe eventually make a living at this. I couldn’t explain, so I said nothing and let her think what she liked. I still have that first baby name book, Name Your Baby by Lareina Rule, and I still reference it constantly when creating new characters. The cover has actually come apart, but I saved it, kept it with the book. The pages are starting to yellow, but I still love this book. From the very beginning of my career when I knew the name, I knew the character. Sometimes the name comes first and a character just magically forms around it. Sometimes I have a character in mind, but it’s not fully formed so I’ll search through all my baby name books and makes lists of names. That’s how I named, Micah, Nathaniel, Doyle, just to name three. Sometimes characters choose their names without me looking anything up, like Anita and Jean-Claude. Anita chose her name and I knew enough to know it was originally a Spanish name, so she chose half her ethnicity without me deciding anything consciously. Though since all the people I grew up with that were Hispanic came from families that were originally from Mexico that’s where Anita’s mother’s family had to be from, because it was more familiar to me. Jean-Claude on the other hand, I wanted to be Spanish, because no one had done a master vampire from Spain as a main character. At that time I spoke and read Spanish. I wasn’t fluent, but I could get by. (Please, do not speak Spanish to me now, I’m so rusty it’s embarrassing.) But he insisted he was French, which I didn’t speak, couldn’t read, and my accent is still horrible according to my French translator. I tried so hard to force him to be what I envisioned and the character just didn’t work at all. Finally, in desperation I let him be French and suddenly he chose his name, his personality, and stepped on stage almost fully formed and just, well, Jean-Claude. I’ve been informed since then that it is not an elegant name in France, and not sexy enough, but he came with the name, this one I did not choose. Of course, it’s not the name that he was born with in France, but one that he acquired after he became a vampire, but that’s a story for another day.
Two other name books stay in the reference drawer with Rule’s book. Beyond Jennifer and Jason, by Linda Rozenkrantz and Pamela Redmond Satran. I found the book by accident in the grocery store over ten years ago. It has lists for boyish names, ambisexual names, handsome names, pretty names, names for standing out, names for fitting in, macho names etc . . . I don’t agree with every name on every list, but I find them all useful in their way. Multicultural Baby Names by M. J. Abadie is rare find, because it’s literally what the title promises, names that aren’t just white Anglo-saxon, Northern European, or German, which is the predominance of most English baby name books. There are chapters on Arabic names, Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Spanish, African, Hindu, Native American, and more. I try very hard not to have my fictional characters seem like they stepped out of a “Dick and Jane” kid’s book where everyone is middle to upper class and living in a white bread America that never existed for most of us outside of sitcoms from the 1950s and 60s.
25 thoughts on “Choosing Character Names, part 2”
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I do the same thing when writing stories. The funny thing is that with apps for everything I have 5 baby name (and pregnancy, because I have never had a child) apps people who look at my ipod will assume that I am expecting.
Not sure if these names are in any of your books but my children have somewhat unique names. Some I am sure you have heard of but still not very popular as far as names go for children.
1st daughter: Auburn Chantael
my twin sons: Tyberius Desean Jarel and Jarvis Nathaniel Lewis
2nd daughter: Sarah Carolyn
Hope these help, just in case its for inspiration on a new created name. I enjoy all of your books and can not wait for the next one!!!! Have a good day!
Awesome Laurell! What are you working on next?
I get a lot of my character names by searching around on the internet, but I have a feeling having a few of these books around are a good idea. Thanks for the tips! Going to go add two more books to my Amazon cart!
It is so funny that you mentioned this, because when I was 12, Anita was referenced to me, and I just fell in love with her, and everything about her world. I was so into it, and starting out as a young writer myself, that I would literally have a notebook dedicated to the names (and meanings) of every character you had in the Anita Blake series. It didn’t matter if they were a vamp or the dead guy Anita has to solve. I’d write them all down, look up their meaning, and see if they fit with their personalities. Now my notebook is all typed up, and occasionally, I add new ones if I find their names catchy or pretty enough. So far, there is only one “O” and “X” that I have come across. Of course, I am behind, and on Danse Macabre
The same thing happens to me when naming characters. It can be pretty frustrating for me when a character shows up and I want them to be one way and they are like ‘ Nope, this is who I am’ and proceed to take over the story.
Well I am proud to say that while my name is very rare to run across, I am in TONS of books. Including some of Laurell’s! Although to be honest my name is always used as a “fancy”color descriptor. (i.e. her fingers sank deep into his tawny fur)
On a completely different note.I think artists all experience something like this naming phenomena in some form.
Personally, I make chainmaille jewelry and it talks to me, tells me what it wants to be, and who it wants to go home with. No wonder people have always labeled us creative types as being eccentric, but I think we really just have some sixth creative sense 😉
I used to steal my mother’s copy of Name Your Baby and make up full names for all my Barbies. I would write them down, and give them stories and personalities. They would have these complex, rich histories without me ever uttering a sound. I’m pretty sure that’s not how I was supposed to play with them, but it entertained me for hours. Our book looked much like yours, well loved. Maybe I need to get out those Barbies and that book for a little creative inspiration…..
You know that is a really awesome idea for finding character names. I always have a hard time with finding names for my characters.
Both my kids however were pretty easy actually.
My oldest is Triston Michael Allistar
and my youngest is Zane Bret Kai (Pronounced K-eye)
I’m a writer. Unsold so far, but working on it. I have some name books and websites I go to for first names and with last names, if the character doesn’t supply it for me, which sometimes kind of just happens, I go to the phone book. Just scrolling through all those last names and reading them aloud sometimes does it for me.
I use baby name websites when I’m trying to name a new avatar for a game I’m playing. Sometimes you want your character type to have a name that fits them, so I often look for mystical or god/goddess names in different cultures to find what I’m wanting (which sometimes you can’t find in baby name websites so I search further). Sometimes it works sometimes I just learn something new about gods and goddesses lore. I wish I had a writing gene, many a night poems keep my thoughts awake but not stories. And often those get lost in translation from my brain to paper/computer. Thanks for sharing your craft with all of us. Love love your books
As a french reader of your work in french AND in english, I can tell you that if you french isn’t fluent, well, it’s not that bad, even compared to some french speaking people. (I’m reading Blue Moon ATM, and in last book, Yvette’s “Je rêve de toi” was quite nice, I should say.) I’m pretty sure that if you can ask anybody speaking french around you for a translation of an english sentence. When I was in a non french speaking country, just finding people trying to speak french with me made me feel all fuzzy and warm inside.
About the name Jean-Claude, well, no, not a very sexy name. But around book 4 or 5 read in french, I started associating “Jean-Claude” with a beautiful man. I kinda like that name nom. *Laugh*
Thanks for sharing all those “writing process” related tips, I really enjoy them =)
Don’t know if you have this one but we named or daughter Aradia blaze still haven’t found another person with her name in nine years. Hope you like the name. Love your books and look forward to reading more!
Jean-Claude is indeed a lower worker class name in France, now, in our modern society.
But curiously, Jean, and Claude, the both names, are more “bourgeois” than workers name, and lot of baby nowadays are named like it, we are facing a rise of old names for several years now.
“Bourgeois” is a name and adjective that comes directly from middle age: it refer to the (more or less by our standards) trader’s class of people, which mean rich, but not noble. “Claude” can be a female name also. But the composed name (two first names pasted) are not very ancient, it doesn’t appear before the early 20th century. Before it, whereas, it was common to have several first name, especially for noble or high bourgeoisie.
And Jean-Claude been raised in a noble family, even if he wasn’t noble himself, and the tradition for the nobles people was to name their child from an ancestor, in a very codified way.
Also, it was common for noble but poor people to marry a rich bourgeois daughter: The woman bring the money, the man the name and privileges. The tight between the two castes were strong. For a young man so close to a noble family, but from such a low extraction as Jean-Claude, a low bourgeois’ bride would have been a logical choice. I remember you that until the 20th century, and even the middle 20th century in some part of Europe, the arranged wedding was a norm.
Which lead my brain to this hypothesis: The young man recently transformed in vampire in the 17th century choose two first names of two people who were important for him. When the society changed, it was pronounced as a composed first name, but Jean-Claude flew from Europe before it been seen as a not elegant first name. Afterward, it stuck on it as a sweet memory, even if other people are very surprised for a master vampire to be named like it. It’s my theory, but I can only guess about who were Jean and Claude, from people kind to him to dead children or simply friends, there is many possibilities.
I’m always fascinated with your thought processes. Not a writer myself, I do read A LOT of books. The names are always interesting. However, one name seems to be taking over these days and that name is Trysten (or Triston, or however you want to spell it) I just feel like it is being worn out.
My sons name came from a soap opera character I fell in love with when I was a pre-teen. And my daugher’s is biblical. I didn’t get a baby naming book because I felt it would be a little overwhelming at the time. Now I leave the baby naming to the current generation. Lol
I used to consider picking up baby name books when I started writing, but then a friend introduced me to a website called behindthename.com It lists so much for every name and is incredibly multi-cultural. Just an idea for your next character naming. ^^
I was about 14 when I bough my first baby name book and got same look haha my mom didn’t know I bough it but understood once u told her. My sister has a unique name Zella it is German
About five years ago I purchased a book from Writer’s Digest that had names and their meanings according to their origins. It’s been a very helpful book over the years. Most of my characters tell me their names but a few smart alecks make me guess.
Love your work, you’re an inspiration!
I love baby book names for character names. I work at the court jury office and when I see a great name I right it down. I have lots of names. It works! Thank you for writing another Merry book!
Also, feel free to use Tawney. I think it would be a wonderful vampire or fairie name! Heehee
You should name it chris like my name.
You actually make it seem really easy together with your presentation however I in finding this matter to be really something
that I feel I would by nno means understand. It seems too
complicated and extremely wide for me. I am hving a look forward for your next publish, I will attempt to get the dangle of it!
Most of my characters choose their names as well. My favorite has to be Rodrick. He was stubborn to a tee about it.
I am a once-published author, diligently working on book two. I love your Anita Blake series. I found it interesting that we have the same technique in that the characters begin with their names. But what I found more interesting is that we use the same book. I use the same book with the same missing cover and the same yellowing pages. Because of the decrepit state of my copy I have had to buy a new book which has more names but I still keep the old book around, just in case.
I love unique names <3
here are my children's names and meanings 🙂 and some pronunciation lol
1.) Brandon Orion
( prince. Hunter/ constellation)
2.) Sarayi Yahaira
( Sarah-ee w/ Spanish accent). Precious- hebrew
3.) Kaleb Alexzander
( faithful companion. King )
4.) Astraea Gloriana
( pron. Like estrella but w/ an a)
( godess of justice became the constellation Virgo. Gloryious)
5.) Serenity Ayureka Rose
( Serene. Japanese anime ( eureka 7) ( a-u-rek-kah) .Flower)
6. Unknown ?? Boy : Logan or Wyatt
girl: Teagan, Trinity, Oriheme ( jap. Star weaver) or Rogue)
My name is Alethia. A Greek name meaning truth. Alethia
Was the daughter of Zeus
goddess of truth 😉