A character by any other name

This post by Frank Larnerd

 

 

 

For a character to really work, they need a few things: a background, a motivation, a goal… and most importantly, they need a name.

Duh, right? But selecting the right name for your character can help make them more memorable and allow them to let the reader know what kind of character they are.

Severus Snape from the Harry Potter series has a great name. It sounds severe and snake-like. We know instantly that this is a character that cannot be trusted.

“Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea” has Captain Nemo, whose name means “I give what is due” in Greek. It’s a perfect name for someone that is seeking revenge and helps to show the character’s intelligence and complexity.

So where can we find good names for our characters?

Sometimes I name characters after people who remind me of the character. Other times, I’ll name them after a historical person, who embodies the same traits as the character. Sometimes, I have to dig a little deeper.

One of the most useful tools I’ve found for naming characters is the Social Security website for baby names. http://www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/ The site allows you to search through thousands of popular names by sex, state, and year – even back a hundred years. It’s an excellent resource in finding unique and fitting names for characters.

When a character has a name that doesn’t fit… it can sound funny. Like in this clip from Monty Python’s The Holy Grail where King Arthur and his men meet a wizard named “Tim.”

Face it, Darth Vader just wouldn’t be the same if his name was Winnie the Pooh. And I bet, James Bond wouldn’t be as respected with the ladies if his name was Ebenezer Scrooge.

Shakespeare says in Romeo and Juliet, “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” But, good luck selling a bunch of flowers if you’ve named them “Fart blossoms.”