Character Names

[Abstruse]

This is without a doubt the number one cause for writer's block for me.  Right now, I'm trying to name the protagonist of my story.  I wanted a cool sounding last name, so I went with Frost.  I already gave him a first name in a previous version of the story I wrote years ago, which was Robert.  I thought that worked well until I put the two names together.

My main character's name is Robert Frost.

I've done the same thing with the names Kevin Smith, Michael Jackson, Robert Smith, and Gary Larson.  I've now wasted half an hour of productivity trying to come with a new name for the character.  Does anyone else have this trouble?  Am I overthinking things?  How does everyone else name their characters?

The Abstruse One
Darryl Mott Jr.

[Josh]

Two things help me in this. First, I tend to do more fantasy, and so I look at the culture the person is living in and see what kind of name fits that culture, as well as gives perhaps a subconscious inkling of what that character is like. Some people, and I've done this at times, go so far in their worldbuilding that they actually develop an alphabet and basic phonetics for their cultures, so it's easy for them to make a name, even a name with true meaning and grammatical structure.

The second thing that helps me is the knowledge that I can go back at any time in the writing, revising, 10th draft...and change the guy's name. Sure, I may always think of him according to the first name I started with, but sometimes it just needs to change. It is never going to be set in stone until you get the first book off the press, so don't hammer yourself into having to etch it in acid on your forehead, or think that a character's name is going to totally make or break the story (unless of course, you've got a system of magic where names are some sort of power or talismen...heh...then you might have to put a little thought into it).

[terioncalling]

My method of coming up with non-fantasy type names is to have two lists: first names and last names.  It hasn't been updated in a while but I went through my old year books taking names and the cast list of the old tv show Dark Shadows on a random whim.  So now when I need a name I just go through and pick a first name then go find a last name that goes along with it.  If it matching up with a name I know in real life, I find another name.

[Abstruse]

Maybe I overthink things, but I feel that the name should reflect the character's personality.  For one thing, I wouldn't have named that character Robert Frost anyway if I'd thought about it for another five seconds or so because his main magic is based on fire.  Plus, I like having something that ties the character's name to the character's personality to make it easier for readers to remember.  If I name a minor character "Aiden", then you'll think of fire (Aiden means "Flame-bringer" or something like that).  If he is a very passionate person with his feelings always at the surface, this ties the name to the character and makes it easier to remember.  However, if he was a very cool and collected person, then it would be the wrong name for him.  I mean I could randomly look up the cast and grew for Day of the Dead and start matching up names, but then it'd lose a lot of meaning.

And I can't change names.  I've tried, but it doesn't work.  In one project I was working on, there was man and a woman who were originally siblings both from Houston, TX.  I then changed the male character to being from Ireland and having moved to the US a few years previous to the story.  However, I could not bring myself to think of the character as anything other than the name I had originally chosen for him.  So now I'm forced to figure out a believable way to have her still be from Houston and him from Ireland yet still keep them siblings.

The Abstruse One
Darryl Mott Jr.

[Josh]

What if you created a character whose name actually contrasted to their personality? Maybe it was a strong name, very bold, but in actuality they were quite weak and timid. It could even be something they are ashamed about, adding more to their emotional depth.

Look at Dean Koontz's character...Odd Thomas. That's a name and a character you aren't going to forget. Plus his girlfriend, Stormy Llewellyn (or however you spell it). Definetely characters that you can get a lot from just by reading their names. So, yea, it makes a difference.

Good luck with the Ireland/Houston didgeree-doo. That should provide some intriguing backstory. Sounds like the brother is quite the roamer. Or maybe he left to escape something...what could it be? Heheh.

[Tersa]

Maybe I overthink things, but I feel that the name should reflect the character's personality.  For one thing, I wouldn't have named that character Robert Frost anyway if I'd thought about it for another five seconds or so because his main magic is based on fire.  Plus, I like having something that ties the character's name to the character's personality to make it easier for readers to remember.  If I name a minor character "Aiden", then you'll think of fire (Aiden means "Flame-bringer" or something like that).  If he is a very passionate person with his feelings always at the surface, this ties the name to the character and makes it easier to remember.  However, if he was a very cool and collected person, then it would be the wrong name for him.  I mean I could randomly look up the cast and grew for Day of the Dead and start matching up names, but then it'd lose a lot of meaning.

And I can't change names.  I've tried, but it doesn't work.  In one project I was working on, there was man and a woman who were originally siblings both from Houston, TX.  I then changed the male character to being from Ireland and having moved to the US a few years previous to the story.  However, I could not bring myself to think of the character as anything other than the name I had originally chosen for him.  So now I'm forced to figure out a believable way to have her still be from Houston and him from Ireland yet still keep them siblings.

The Abstruse One
Darryl Mott Jr.

I don't think you over think things, but maybe that's because I'm the same way.  *Sweatdrop*  I have to stick with the name I gave them, and even if I don't, the character radically changes to suit what I think of when I hear that name. 

What I do is go to sites with histories or meanings of names and looking for one that suits my characters.  I wander around the various baby name sites for first names and middle names, and then I go to a place called House Of Names (http://www.houseofnames.com)which has family crests and gives rough insight to what a last name's history and meaning is through the symbols on the crests.  You have to do quite a bit of work to find what a symbol means sometimes, but I think it's worth it.  I hope this helps.

[buckarama]

Depends on what kind of story it is, fantasy names are easy, I just take a modern name then bastardize it. Works well. Sometime I'll start with the Star Wars naming convention, first name ends in a consonant and the last name with a vowel then I'll mix and match. I've come up with some cool ones without much effort.

Terry Brooks is very adamant about names, to him a name means everything.

[BobSkull]

Does anyone else have this trouble?  Am I overthinking things?  How does everyone else name their characters?

Don't worry, you're not the only one! Sometimes I end up taking day long breaks to think up a good name, and while it seems like a waste of time if you find a good name I don't think it is. How I name my characters? It depends, if I'm writing fiction I just think of all the names I know and figure out a good combinations. If I'm writing fantasy I do anything from twisting words and flipping them around, to just making anything up that sounds good. That's just me though.

[trboturtle]

I have a big book of names I use for naming some characters, if I'm looking for a unusual name. Also, I have another book with some more names.  I have enough books onm my shelves to just reach up, pull one out and scan it for a good name. And every so often, I have a name pop into my head....

Craig

[Simon Hogwood]

Personally, when I need a name - especially for a minor, background character - I like to pick one with a hidden (or else obvious) in-joke. For example, once when I needed a last name for a single-appearance police officer, I chose . . . Gordon.

[Nimarkiva]

I myself look for words that I've misspelled while writing something, and write them down for further changes as I work on one of my other projects. I write mainly science fiction and fantasy, so normal names are whatever comes to mind. The other ones......heh. Try randomly making sounds in the back of your throat, or saying things several times fast. You'd be amazed with what you come up with. There is also writing a name which looks weird but sounds normal. That is quite fun to do, depending on the character.

[LizW65]

This is one aspect of writing (just about the only one) that has never been a problem for me.  Interesting names frequently pop into my head at random moments and begin shouting at me in their various voices to tell their stories.  I've heard that Charles Dickens used to take long walks around London, collecting interesting and unusual names of people, and writing them down in a notebook for future reference. 
A good source of inspiration for me is street signs.  Several years ago I was driving to Cape Cod when I spotted a highway sign that read Marion/Rochester.  Wow!  What a great name for a character!  I've never actually done anything with Marion Rochester, but she's still there in my head, waiting for the right story to come along.  Maybe she's the crime-solving headmistress of a girls' school out on the Cape.  And then there's Levita Spafford, cobbled together out of a couple of contiguous street signs.  She's the alcoholic matriarch of a dysfunctional family somewhere in the deep South.
Even the phone book or caller ID can be a helpful resource.  Good luck!

[Mickey Finn]

" For one thing, I wouldn't have named that character Robert Frost anyway if I'd thought about it for another five seconds or so because his main magic is based on fire. "

Actually, having a fire-magician named Frost sounds good.

Names normally just come to me (or I stumble across something that would work beautifully, like Grady Niblo Rd outside of Dallas). Sometimes, they're homages and injokes (like changing the protagonist's name to Ellison in my first published story).

Maybe on the Cogni boards, we'll play a name game where I toss out a few names, and people write a random story where the names influsence the characters they create.

[pathele]

Coming up with names has always been difficult for me, even back in the RPG days.  I would want the name to say something about the character, but not be easily made fun of (yes, my college friends were 3 and made fun of characters names)
From that, I got to where I would come up with something that was usable, but may not be permanate.  I went through several changes before my current main character, Brodie Hollister, got a name that felt right for him.
I think it takes time and some luck to finally find the one that fits.

-paul

[Wolfeyes]

Coming up with names I find just varies from person to person. Sometimes you can easily come up with names that fit certain characters (like I have a character that's supposed to be an assistant and even though his name is "Gilbert" the name "Doc" became his nickname) but sometimes when it's an important charaacter I find it's better to find something that fits maybe a meaning or reflects them (at least that's how I see it). For example, my heroine's name was going to be Nisha (since it has to do with the night) but that was only because my male lead's name was supposed to be her opposite in meaning since the two characters were meant to contrast but since it didn't go over to well and the hero's name became Draven Maxwell "Nisha" just naturally became Shamara Grey (Shamara is arabic for "Ready for battle"). Since Shamara's name was that and fit a character another character that was supposed to become a parallel/copy from Shamara I named Xiomara since it sounds similar and has the same meaning but in Spanish.

And if I find myself stuck on a name for characters like I was my two other leads I usually look up babynames online for meaings/names that I think suit them and usually get something I like and flows. Like Tylia (derives from "Otylia" which means "Lucky") Parker or Hilliard ("Guardian of battle) Utara.