The Name Game: Naming your male characters http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/romance/threads/49711 missmoppet For me, the hardest part of starting my romance is naming my characters. I definitely have a pattern to what I name my male characters (I favor English/Irish sounding names, even though I write contemporaries exclusively). Lately I've been writing more black main characters and am finding it harder to name them than white guys. Jospeh and Oliver sound insipid when your hero is a handsome hunk of chocolate, ex marine and US Marshall. It requires something a little slinkier and a little more urban. How do you name your characters and tell me some of the best and worst names you've come across (pun may or may not be intended. Okay it's totally intended). Tue, 31 Jan 2012 02:25:30 +1000 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/romance/threads/49711?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1102305 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/romance/threads/49711?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1102305 XVisiEX Right now I am struggling to come up with two names for my next two characters. One is an AA predominately black female and the other is...........well I'm not sure yet, I am leaning towards Vietnamese/white male to be her romantic lead. I just pick the name I think sounds must suitable for them, kind of like how you look at a child. I think of what their personalities are like and then I go for it. Now, I did need to come up with......hm, I am not sure how to word this without it sounding bad. To show polar opposites if you will I have one character in my nano novel called "Aria" she is AA and then there is her temporary rival "Lexus" which results in an argument in which Lexus demeans Arias heritage and Aria finally snaps which results in --- Aria: You're talking about MY NAME? You aren't even named after anything that makes sense! Lincus! Lexus: My name is Lexus! Aria: I hope you were conceived in the back of one then! --- XDD Jason didn't sound rough till we had the killer. I think the character can define the name fairly well. Best names? Right now I am going through Esme (Twilight has kiiinda ruined that name for me but i adore it so much =( ) Diana Maria Rachel --- I am struggling to come up with any that REEEEAAALY jump out at me with a "YES, that is her name feeling" Worst names? Bo'Queesha Kuarisha (Ku-Rah-Shee-AH) May O' Naise (Apparently someone named their kid that) Vagi.......well you can finish the rest. Anyway, I know a girl with that name too --- Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:38:49 +1000 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/romance/threads/49711?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1105368 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/romance/threads/49711?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1105368 XVisiEX Edit: XDD Probably should have posted that in your girls thread for guys Scotty Sage Alex Daniel Richard Cale XDD I used Sage, Scotty, Cale, Richard before. I may use Alex.....I'm not sure yet. I know some poor boy who got named after a vegetable....-_- Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:41:31 +1000 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/romance/threads/49711?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1105378 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/romance/threads/49711?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1105378 keriamon I can't help but think of a line from "Dreamgirls." "And Dawn--you need to change her name. I grew up in the projects in Detroit and I NEVER knew a girl named Dawn." I have to say, I've never known a black man named Oliver. Although I did work with a Gabriel. It's a VERY old-fashioned name--practically dead--but I thought it was a very nice name. I keep writing Jewish characters, so I end up looking at lists of Biblical or Israeli names and pick out something that appeals to me. When writing something contemporary and non-ethnic, I frequently go with the first name that pops into my head. Sometimes family members' and friends' names end up my stories because of that. I also ended up making my own list of old-fashioned names, which I pull from when I want something different or historic: http://www.squidoo.com/old_fashioned_baby_names I have more difficulty coming up with last names. The first thing that pops into my head is often simple, and not everyone has a simple name. So I'll pick out a letter--a letter I think has been underrepresented among my characters' names, and I'll pull out the phone book and look for something unusual that's not impossible to spell and pronounce. Fri, 03 Feb 2012 10:44:34 +1000 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/romance/threads/49711?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1110802 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/romance/threads/49711?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1110802 missmoppet Well there's definitely a balance to be struck with urban names. You can go too far to the side of nuts or you can play it too safe. I mean on tv there's like two names for black guys. They are stefan or marcus. Which are nice names but I can do better than that. My white coworker said I was stereotyping for wanting to name my black character from Detroit something urban. I mean urban names have a certain ring to them and I don't think it's stereotyping to have a character have an urban name any more than naming a catholic girl Mary. There are some black guys named D'rnell and there are black guys named David. There's room for more than one type in a novel. I did finally settle on a name for my main male character. It's different enough to feel urban without being outlandish. His name is Quenton. Fri, 10 Feb 2012 06:43:18 +1000 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/romance/threads/49711?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1126635 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/romance/threads/49711?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1126635