What are the names of your characters?

neophytes serendipity — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 03:39:35 -0500

And, how do you name your characters? Just askin', since I seem to have the trouble of naming mine. Any tip or advice? :)

Re: What are the names of your characters?

kuyerjudd — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 04:21:35 -0500

For mine it was easy naming my characters, as my premise revolves around Christian Mythology. The problem is I have literally more than fifty characters -- both major and minor ones -- to keep track of. There's Lucifer/Satan, my protagonist; Lilith, a mysterious fallen angel (originally, in Hebrew Mythology, believed to be the first wife of Adam); Yeshu, or Jesus, bastard-born and suffering from Asperger's. Then there are the demons in Satan's legion: Belphegor, Beelzebub, Abaddon, Astaroth, Asmodeus, Malthus, Mammon, and Stolas; the demons in Belial's legion: Dantalion, Leraje, and Eligos; the demons in Leviathan's legion: Morax, Akos, Phylin, and Haures. Then there are the archangels: Michael, Gabriel, Uriel, Raphael, Sariel, Remiel, and Lucifer (who later becomes Satan). Then there're the 12 Disciples. And another 24 characters I have yet to name, who are part of the High Council who has usurped God. Noah and his family. Adam and Eve, and their children. Mary and Joseph, and Elizabeth and Zaccharias, and their son John (a different John from the John in the 12 Disciples, and from the John of the book Revelations). It's a wonder I haven't gone mad with all these to keep track of. (Good thing I won that character builder/profile log at the Kick-Off. :P) So, there. In novels where I'm required to think of names for my characters, I usually cheat. That is to say that, since I read a lot, I usually just copy names of characters in the books I've read whose characteristics are similar to my own -- sometimes I modify them. Rick Riordan, author of Percy Jackson & The Olympians, has done this on several occasions throughout the series (he named Percy after Perseus, as stated in The Sea of Monsters). Tolkien named Frodo's biological father Drogo; Martin named a khal in his series Drogo. Sometimes, I choose my characters' names based on origin and etymology (where applicable). Alternatively, you could just mix together names (although, people have varying opinions on this). In books that I read, I don't mind character names. But I find that adding a bit of history to your characters' names usually generates a few hundred words.

Re: What are the names of your characters?

neophytes serendipity — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 04:40:55 -0500

Oh wow, that's one big massive cast of characters. I would sure go mad with all that (or is it just me? haha :)) I won that character builder/profile from the kick-off too! Hooray for us! Though I haven't written on it yet because I haven't named my characters yet. Maybe I would do that cheating. Or maybe I'll go check baby names websites. :)) I think adding history to characters' names could indeed be helpful in adding more words.

Re: What are the names of your characters?

creamcheese — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 05:55:20 -0500

Whoa, 50 characters?! That's quite a load to handle, haha. I just pick names in random, but most of them are names I really like. I sometimes try to fit the sound of the names to the personality of the character, like if the character is the gentle girly type, I'd give her a flowery sounding name. Right now, I'm working on a contemporary story so I just grab the names I really like. I also have some outlines done in the historical romance genre and for that, I research names on the net (the numerous baby names sites are so cool, lol) and pick names that have specific meaning and try to incorporate that into the story to give the character more identity. Off topic: That chibi Tamaki icon is just way too cute! *pinches his cheeks* XD

Re: What are the names of your characters?

Almira Torralba — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 06:06:19 -0500

I tend to pick names based on personality, year they were born, or ethnicity. Occasionally I get names from unusual people I know. Sometimes though I make my names 'in-jokes': one recurring character of mine has a name that is related to a trend in a fandom that I was involved in at the time I began writing about her.

Re: What are the names of your characters?

neophytes serendipity — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 06:37:18 -0500

Those are very god ways of naming characters. I'll do that too. :) Thank you. I'm probably checking baby names sites, since my novel is of somewhat a victorian inspired fantasy world. And I do agree with you on the idea that names with specific meaning gives the character more identity. A name's a big deal after all, huh? :) About the chibi Tamaki: That's the "puppy eyes" look. Haha. :DD

Re: What are the names of your characters?

neophytes serendipity — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 06:38:16 -0500

Ooh, that's cool. I'm really curious about the name related in a fandom. :)

Re: What are the names of your characters?

creamcheese — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 06:56:02 -0500

Yup, it is a big deal because the character's gonna be called by that name for the rest of the story, haha. :D Wow, victorian novel? I'd love to read your summary. :D And searching baby name sites are really nice! Also makes me think of what I'd like to have for my future kids' names, lol. :D (Haha, yeah, I love that Ouran episode! So cute) ^_^

Re: What are the names of your characters?

xoximilco vaughn — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 07:19:32 -0500

what's the trouble in using weird, made up names? I tend to make up names, or just complicate their spellings to give my character more individuality. Most names are much too common for that.

Re: What are the names of your characters?

stellameimei96 — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 08:39:35 -0500

I guess I'm more of an oldie this way, but I like to come up with common names with proper spelling for my characters. Most of my stories are about ordinary people whose lives get shaken up irrevocably by the end of the novel*, so I tend to choose ordinary names that fit their personalities. For my American/ European characters, I tend to abuse a lot of baby-naming websites, especially for Celtic or Mediterranean names. (And it's not limited to white characters, either: my July novel had an African American rapper-turned-actor named Payton Bartholomew, which sounds more like a New York law firm.) With Filipino characters, on the other hand, I tend to develop the character first before choosing a name, especially since some of these characters tend to have parallels to people I know in real life. The only exception I could think of right now is the one I chose for my titular lead character, Veronica, since there's a song with her name in it that plays a small role in her story ("Veronica" by Elvis Costello) and she gets teased a lot for having an unusual name. ------- *Legend has it that both Ian Fleming and Robert Ludlum chose the names of their most famous lead characters (James Bond and Jason Bourne, respectively) because they felt that the names were boring enough to hide their real identities as trained killers. I like to think that I work on the same principle, except that I don't have enough car chases in my novels. Hee!

Re: What are the names of your characters?

neophytes serendipity — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 09:04:00 -0500

Actually, I have also considered that. :) However, I do not think I am creative enough for that. I am such a lazy bum in creating names. I envy you because you can do that. :D

Re: What are the names of your characters?

neophytes serendipity — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 09:07:13 -0500

I smiled at the Payton Bartholomew sounding like a law firm. :) Hmmm...about matching their personalities. I think that's good. I might get a "feel" of the name on whether it would fit a particular character. The legend you put in by the last sounds cool, by the way. :))

Re: What are the names of your characters?

Vorshan_Saintrowe — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 09:35:40 -0500

Take into account their culture of origin and any quirks regarding naming it may have. As examples, the 'Magnificent Seven' (not the official name) are: Thaddeus Andrei Tristan Rotheran (The Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Caltheri, but just call him Thaddeus; The Hero) Meritanus Anastasian (Atlantean, with surname-forename order; The Lancer) Kajal Djerassi (Kyleshi, fairly typical of his culture; The Smart Guy) Uriel Vakarian (Bit of a divergent one in terms of Aschandian customs; The Big Guy) Ishtar Alandei (Thulian and with a snake familiar to prove it) Ephesi (Demon-Blooded, and possessed of an immense distaste for the fiendish side of her heritage) Alain Caldren (Caltheran paladin, but they don't think he's human) Uriel, as stated, is a bit divergent from Aschandian normal naming, seeing as Aschandia is essentially The Roman Empire WITH RUNECRAFTING!. More typical Aschandian names are hence Roman ones - Spurius Lucanus, Tiberius Coruncanius, Lucilla Cornelius, and Titus Petronius, to name a few. Inspiration is generally available from Wikipedia's pages on personal names in world cultures. And since I've a liking for 'em, if in doubt, it's hard to go wrong with Irish names. (Warning: TV Tropes link. Do not click if you don't have the time.)

Re: What are the names of your characters?

chibikaoru — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 10:04:27 -0500

I use regular names for the "regular" characters in my story, though the protagonist shares the same name with another character (the same names equals sharing the same fate idea), so they have nicknames. The "non-regulars" have names with meanings, and usually named after objects of nature. My characters who have secret superpowers are named also normally. @Stella: The part about Ian Fleming and Robert Ludlum giving boring, ordinary names to their lead characters to hide their true identities sound sensible. I also would like to operate on the same principle.

Re: What are the names of your characters?

Metaclipse — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 10:35:30 -0500

For now, the only confirmed character names are: Jeffrey Ryan "Jeff" Jenkins (the main character) Daniel Mitchell "Dan" Harkin (Jeff's best friend/in-ring rival) and cameos from different WWE Superstars and wrestlers from other promotions.

Re: What are the names of your characters?

Almira Torralba — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 10:53:33 -0500

Years ago, I was getting into the Les Miserables fandom. Many of the characters in that novel do not have given first names, hence fanfiction authors tend to assign French names to them rather randomly. There was a sort of trend them for the name "Marcelin'---in particular giving this name to the revolutionary leader of the group. Now at that time I was also working on stories revolving around hellraisers in an all-girls school. I wanted to give an odd name to the youngest and most troublesome of the batch. This eventually resulted in my character Marcelina (Marce for short). Fortunately the name Marcelina *does* exist in some birth records here in the Philippines.

Re: What are the names of your characters?

neophytes serendipity — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 11:47:28 -0500

Very cool names. And, by the way. It is very difficult to not click a link with a warning 'do not click'. You know how people are. And now, I shall go to the TV Tropes link... even if I do not have the time. :D

Re: What are the names of your characters?

Preziös Fränze — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 11:50:14 -0500

Okay, I admit, I'm mad for names. If it's non-fantasy, I scour baby names/name meaning sites so that the name has a kind of symbolic relevance to the character's personality/past. Sometimes though, I just use a name that stuck on my memory because it sounded strange, elegant or pretty. :D If it's fantasy though...well, that's where the random name generators come in. :)) I change letters and syllables until the name sounds 'right'. And then there are times when I go looking for surnames, change it a bit and use them for first names.

Re: What are the names of your characters?

xoximilco vaughn — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 16:13:36 -0500

haha.. I think i was born with it, my second name is spelled Jhannette. so, no body ever gets it right the first time :)

Re: What are the names of your characters?

xoximilco vaughn — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 16:14:13 -0500

i love baby names books. *i'm just a bit biased, I can't find my name it in:)

Re: What are the names of your characters?

Jaeh — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 16:52:11 -0500

I used to do that too! I love scouring for the 'proper names' for each character, depending on the meaning or on something that I feel 'sounds about right'.

Re: What are the names of your characters?

Jaeh — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 16:53:42 -0500

Names in my current novel: no last names yet, i have yet to determine if their last names are important enough to be in the novel. anyway... Main prot: Danny the rest: Rex Hannah Jake Alex and I think I may have a Rene in there somewhere...

Re: What are the names of your characters?

Metaclipse — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 18:39:28 -0500

How I come up with names? They just pop into my head. :P

Re: What are the names of your characters?

stellameimei96 — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 20:29:44 -0500

Last year I had two students in my class named Mhaoreen and Khlarizz. Those spellings would have horrified anyone else in my family, but I didn't take it against them at all. It helps that they were a joy to work with last sem too.) (metaclipse: You might know these girls, since they were DevCom students too. Same batch?)

Re: What are the names of your characters?

Allaynia — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 00:01:13 -0500

Same as Preziös Fränze and Jaeh, actually. X3 I use a mix of baby names websites (for name with meaning), generators combined with gut feeling (for last names), favoritism and bias (since I tend to abuse the use of certain names over and over again, especially for the female lead) and at times, I base the characters on people that I know in real life so I tend to twist their names. If all else fails, point to a friend and ask them for a name. Whatever name they give, I either use or twist. XD Names of characters for my upcoming novel: Vaughn Laess Allaynia Linnett Caitlynn Straey Janus Straey And currently trying to think of a name for a young boy. :3

Re: What are the names of your characters?

Preziös Fränze — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 00:57:04 -0500

And sometimes one simply gets inspiration from the weirdest of things. The name of my main character was inspired by a ballpen, of all things. I've forgotten the name of the pen (blasphemy!), but it did spawn, one way or another, "Rennaya". Other (first) names: Faramyil Sashua Hazmeris Alaun Bellefon ...and a host of other weird names. XD

Re: What are the names of your characters?

Metaclipse — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 04:43:27 -0500

But in all honesty, I spit out random names. Then, I put them on paper and give them a look. If they have a touch of memorability, and I still remember what they look like even without references, then I have a character. :)

Re: What are the names of your characters?

Jaeh — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 06:17:04 -0500

Sometimes I also take names from favorite shows... like.. erm, Danny from Danny Phantom, a favorite 4 years ago lol

Re: What are the names of your characters?

halfwitwonder — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 06:28:54 -0500

I can spend hours trying to look for the right name sob Usually, I pick them if they, er, sound right. Bonus if the chosen name attributes to their personality, background, fate, etc; an amusing happenstance if the name says the opposite (like how Fotunato of Poe's Cask of Amontillado is, well, not so fortunate). I'm very dependent on baby names sites sob, expecially behindthenames.com. Although for this novel, I had to google for Filipino names and, after scouring, these are what I got: Ira: duwende, main character Basil: human, actually Basilio Natividad Malaya and Liberato: human twins, passengers of Caylao Alisto: Tikbalang, bodyguard to the passengers Well, er, at least vaguely Filipino, I suppose xD;

Re: What are the names of your characters?

stellameimei96 — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 09:49:04 -0500

Tip: Many common Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese names can pass for Filipino, with proper conjugation and a little creative spelling. Just make sure not to choose one with an X in them (LOL). FWIW, my brother once wrote (and/or is probably still writing, in his free time) a fantasy/intergalactic sci-fi novel with chickens as his main characters. Many of the names he used were, basically, words for "chicken" in different languages and contexts. Too bad somebody got to publish a chicken book before he did, though.

Re: What are the names of your characters?

KrishnaBanana — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 11:50:52 -0500

It got something to do with my title. :)) I'm writing a fantasy novel about dreams. My female protagonist is Zerah Aislin Jones and the male one is Kian Ankanoush. Aislin means dreams/visions in hebrew or jewish, can't remember. While Ankanoush means fulfiller of the dream. It has something to do with their love story too. haha. :D

Re: What are the names of your characters?

Keiko Ri — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 20:37:52 -0500

My 4 Mains: Aya Hirono Nana Kozakura Saika Chitose Yuri Chiba

Re: What are the names of your characters?

halfwitwonder — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 02:12:41 -0500

Ah yes, I did look into that! It was helpful too since my novel will be set during the Spanish colonial era. What was tricky was making it sound ethnic, at least for the Tikbalang and the twins (and the airship, if we count that lol). I admit, I didn't do much research on the etymologies though and mostly played by ear XD; Your brother's story sounds really cool! It doesn't seem to run the same course as Elmer and besides, we can't have too many chickens!

Re: What are the names of your characters?

qpidity — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 09:03:01 -0500

I read somewhere, from a writing blog I suppose, that you have to remember to choose names that are: 1. Clear 2. Suitable 3. Unique 4. Meaningful As of this moment, my tentative character names are: Juliene Cortez, for the main character. I actually know someone who has this name and she pronounces it, "Joo-leen," and she has a PhD from Johns Hopkins, which is absolutely cool. Jamie Gonzalez, Jamie Oliver plus that Filipino chef who appeared in Bobby Chinn's World Cafe Asia: Philippines. Nadine and Caitlin, from Junior Masterchef Philippines. HAHA! Rioko, Ewan, Ray, Chen, Vinnie, Almira, and Nirvana Cortez, all of these names are stolen from people I know. Most of my characters are based on real people I know and I sometimes just take the first letter of that real person's name and change it to another person's name. Like, for example, my friend's name is Aia and I have another friend name Almira so I chose Almira for safety reasons. The last thing you want is for a friend to realize you're writing about her quirks on a page.

Re: What are the names of your characters?

stellameimei96 — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 09:24:22 -0500

Gene Gonzalez? I think he was also one of Juday's teachers at the Center for Asian Culinary Studies.

Re: What are the names of your characters?

Allaynia — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 07:47:38 -0500

One of my mains underwent a name change. His name is now Liorren Thryre instead of Vaughn Laess. Feels better to me. Hehe. X3

Re: What are the names of your characters?

Ruria — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 09:34:17 -0500

I use the phonebook. When my family was invited to funerals and wakes I'd just walk round and look at the tombstones...wherever there is a name or a noun that pleases me I write it down for future reference, just in case. Stock names: Elizabeth Browning Rosemary Cathal and Catalina (uh. Fraternal twins.) Roux Galatea I have yet to try choosing Spanish/Filipino-sounding names, orz

Re: What are the names of your characters?

Fishwall — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 16:04:31 -0500

Am I the only one who hates naming characters? Maybe it's because I'm not particularly good at it, but I really have a hard time doing it- I'm so self-conscious of what people would think with names. I also have this bad habit of judging people's stories based on names alone. It's horrible. D:

Re: What are the names of your characters?

qpidity — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 02:36:45 -0500

Oh, yeah, haha! That's the guy! Oh, really? I didn't know that. Looks like Juday will make it in my novel, except it's my Jamie Gonzalez who taught her how to cook. xD

Re: What are the names of your characters?

Ruria — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 01:15:33 -0500

I dislike naming my characters, but it's a lot like choosing a username or a name for a dog...naming things and people (even inanimate objects) gives it power, I guess. Well...for me, anyway.

Re: What are the names of your characters?

ninequarter — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 19:26:20 -0600

i conceptualized names by mixing my favorite characters' name...Xdxd ^_^ but mostly, i name names that are uncommon and is unique.

Re: What are the names of your characters?

Chrisanthemum — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 03:05:19 -0600

On the subject of names, I like to give inherent meanings to why they are named such. Just use a different language and it sounds fancy XD I didn't that for my current one though... I just used the name that I heard in head. Chase River Harley Morgan Seth Moreau

Re: What are the names of your characters?

lop2011 — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 11:28:20 -0600

I use Google :)

Re: What are the names of your characters?

AgentLost — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 05:57:00 -0600

The few characters I've written out so far feel a lot like Aerith and Bob to me: Valdescir Iris Hunter Cynallar Mycaenia Caeniccia

Re: What are the names of your characters?

jarletofclay — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 07:29:59 -0600

I'm pretty much the same. I just pick the first name that comes to mind as long as it's appropriate for the personality of the character. :P I only have three main MCs that I actually named: Regina, Jonathan, and the mysterious Bard (not really a name, but more of a title/job description). They do have other names in their past lives, but I didn't come up with them since I'm basing them from mythology. The villain's also from mythology (Aphrodite).

Re: What are the names of your characters?

Katerina — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 08:20:21 -0600

Since my story is set in a city inspired by Victorian London, the names I'm using are classic English names. Elizabeth, Alice, Daniel (for now)... I'm basically fine with the names of most of the characters, but that of the protagonist is always a problem for me. It's too important to just breeze by. So, yeah, I guess I'll be stuck using Daniel as his name for the rest of the month, until I really have time to think about it!

Re: What are the names of your characters?

jim tiberius — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 04:11:05 -0600

due to my setting... Abaya Bulan Waling Tugnau-an Kumar Govinda Faroukh Tsugumi (obligatory ninja) Buduru Baghir Huwinim Gat Mangatay and so forth... and don't get me started with location names! red squigglies ahoy!

Re: What are the names of your characters?

jim tiberius — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 04:19:39 -0600

shoot, forgot about my latest victims: Green Baki Purple Baksan Black Bayawak Brown Buwaya and, yeah, they're brothers...

Re: What are the names of your characters?

gillanfrances — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 09:32:02 -0600

My characters names are: Elise Ione Owsley, Dante, Riley, Chad, Clio Templeman, Alexavier Thomas, Breanna Bischof, Harold Follett, Devanna Hext, Aleena Boothman, Dwight Pennington, Schyler Hansman, and Wade Clemens. I use Scrivener to write my novel and there's a handy Name Generator under Writing Tools. It also displays the First Name meanings :)

Re: What are the names of your characters?

Lyle Paguio — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 06:05:58 -0600

Some of the characters were of course their real names since they were figures of history, but majority of them takes their name from the ancient Tagalog language (the story was set in the 15th century Pasig River) as their names (ancient Filipinos usually name themselves based on their personality, social status, etc...). Some of the characters were: Dayang Pasay Gat Palaba (a loan at 20%) Lakan Tagkan Nila (Malay word for indigo lilies) Lakambini Buwan (moon) Malubay (weak) Maginoo Marlanaway Nunong Amihan (east wind) Karay (purse for gold) Sinaga (cheaply bought) Ali Tala (morning star) Mama Balitok (a kind of gold)

Re: What are the names of your characters?

alainster — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 08:22:20 -0600

Only have a couple characters in the story.. Isabel 'Iz' Buenaflor Lee Castelo Sofiel (their aide, an angel) Javier Antonio Dean Winchester (canon Supernatural character) Sam Winchester (canon Supernatural character) Bobby Singer (canon Supernatural character) Castiel (canon Supernatural character) angel in a trench coat 8D~