LaurelHeio
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Names names names.
Names. Right now I'm in the beginning of a story, so I need names.
I'm not really asking for suggestions (right now I need an older man's name  ),
but I was wondering how you find names, the differences that come with genres, and anything else you have to say on the subject.
The world is a beautiful place to be born into if you don't mind some people dying all the time or maybe only starving some of the time which isn't
half so bad if it isn't you.
- Laurence Ferlinghetti
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Morecoffee
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I actually use a baby names book quite often to come up with names for my characters. If you don't have one or know someone who might own one, you can
usually check them out from the library or find them at thrift shops, garage sales, or on the clearance rack in bookstores. There are also tons of
online baby name sites that you can access for free.
I like using them because they give name origins, meanings, variations on spellings, etc. and often spark other ideas for me.
[Edited on 2-11-2010 by Morecoffee]
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Nancy G.
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I look around where I am sitting and use names from boxes, jars, cans, books, etc. Right now I could come up with 'Georgia' for a woman's name (from
Georgia Pacific), and Pepper and Cherry, from my can of soda, Caughman for a last name, off a ruler, you get the idea. For ethnic names, you can
Google "French names" or "Chinese names", and if I watch any of the 'Judge' shows (Judge Joe Brown, Judge Judy) I keep paper and pencil handy to jot
down unusual names. I have one I haven't used yet, but I'm going to: 'Aquanetta'. That sounds so rural Southern to me, and I just know I'll get to use
it someday. I used to know a 'Mabeline', like the cosmetics. That one sounds red-neck south to me, but she was a wealthy, high-class lady. Both
Mabeline and Aquanetta sound like they belong in a Billie Letts or Fannie Flagg book.
[Edited on 2/11/2010 by Nancy G.]
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Cyndee
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I don't write fiction, but I have always loved old cemeteries. There are names you would never think of. My dad's name was Homer and his middle name
was Seldon. Homer I have heard of, but outside my family, I have never heard of another Seldon. He also had a sister named Zela or Zila. I can't
remember exactly, because she died at birth.
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Michy
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Sometimes, the names just 'come' to me... they just 'fit' the character perfectly. Other times, I've actually had to change character's names
mid-stream, as more of their personality comes out and I felt the original name just didn't fit them.
Let me give you a word of warning on names, though - don't ever name a character a word that might be a normal word in vocabulary, because, it makes a
'find' 'replace' hard to do! Trust me on this. Learned from experience!
When I did Firestorm (fantasy writing), each of the names were dialectical and meant something that matched the natural elemental ability the
character had.
For other novels, though, I try to use names that seem to fit personality or I sometimes let my kids or friends pick the name of tertiary characters
for me, so they feel they get to contribute.
Love and stuff,
Michy
~~Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations~~
Do just once what others say you can't do, and you will never pay attention to their limitations again." James R. Cook
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RobertArend
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Depending on the age of a character, I google 1980s names, 70s, etc. I find it helps knowing what names were most popular on the date the character(s)
was born....
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itzrissa2u
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Here is a great website I use...
http://www.behindthename.com/
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Melanie
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Pretty much what everyone else said: baby name books, googling for a particular decade's popular names, glancing at books on my shelf and even reading
spam email. Some of the spammers have great invented names.
For fantasy, I pretty much just make something up that sounds like a name to me. Although the book I'm working on right now has characters that were
all named out of my North American Wildlife and Flora book. So I have a Kestrel and Corbin and Sora and Wrack. Bits and pieces of scientific names or
colloquial names for various plants and animals. I think one dude's named after a worm variety.
Melanie 
"Go forth boldly in the direction of your dreams." Thoreau
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Going Forth Boldly -- The Chronicle of Becoming a Professional Fiction Writer
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LaurelHeio
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Love it:
1. Googling names, name websites
2. Stuff around me. Although "Sweet Pear" and "Tunes Gift card" aren't what I was looking for.
3. Time era
4. Character fitting
But I think my favorite idea is (5.) cemetery-searching. I'll have to look around the next time I'm in one.
I think I'm going to honor my grandpas, and name him Bruce Walters. Does that sound like a lovable old soldier to you guys?
The world is a beautiful place to be born into if you don't mind some people dying all the time or maybe only starving some of the time which isn't
half so bad if it isn't you.
- Laurence Ferlinghetti
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Michy
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I don't know.... I could totally see a girl named Pear.... maybe her mother craved pears when she was pregnant and it was some running family joke -
and the girl probably hates it. Definite story potential there.
Love and stuff,
Michy
~~Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations~~
Do just once what others say you can't do, and you will never pay attention to their limitations again." James R. Cook
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LaurelHeio
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Quote: Originally posted by Michy  | I don't know.... I could totally see a girl named Pear.... maybe her mother craved pears when she was pregnant and it was some running family joke -
and the girl probably hates it. Definite story potential there.
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It's be like Ice Age 3, "Peach".
Can I claim that idea? I can definitely see a girl with attitude for that reason, and I love to write that kind of girl. "Sweet Pear". Why didn't I
think of that??
The world is a beautiful place to be born into if you don't mind some people dying all the time or maybe only starving some of the time which isn't
half so bad if it isn't you.
- Laurence Ferlinghetti
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Kess
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Movie credits. Great source for names, of varying backgrounds and ethnicities.
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Nancy G.
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One of the best pen names I know is the author Crescent Dragonwagon. I love it!
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tanyakaterina
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LOL. That's how my mama picked MY name!
Cain't knock this woman down ... She stands on a Solid Rock."Truth is handsomer than the affectation of love." -- Ralph Waldo Emerson
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tanyakaterina
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Mood: adventurous ^_^;
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I usually use names I am familiar with, or, like Michy, I get a name in my head and can't explain it.
I used to have the WORST time with "real life" names (I can make up names to my heart's content, and used to build characters around names I thought
about) and would wait until the WHOLE story was written and I had begun editing to pick out a name.
For a story I submitted to the Elements of the Soul anthology, I picked my name after having discovered what it meant by accident through a baby names
website. I have also used variations of the names of my characters' RL counterparts.
I like the idea of looking for popularity graphs. Never thought about that.
Cain't knock this woman down ... She stands on a Solid Rock."Truth is handsomer than the affectation of love." -- Ralph Waldo Emerson
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Thomas Forthe (Tom)
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There is one source we all (should) have at hand... the phone book. You won't believe some of the names you will find.
"Two things are infinite; The universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the universe."
Albert Einstein
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Morecoffee
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Telephone book... good one, Tom. That is how the pick last names for a few of my novel's characters.
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Ditchdoctor
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My novel included a lot of slaves who were freed by the protagonist by various means, killing their owners, forging documents and such so I needed
some authentic African names because a lot of them were first or second generation slaves. Although their masters gave them Spanish names, secretly
the original Africans named their children traditional African names, I Googled "African male or female names"
I've said it before and I'll say it again. Keep a cheat sheet, you will be four chapters forward and forget the chief's name which is Buziba, his next
in command was Chidi. They villain's ship was the "Marita" and so on. It will save you a lot of backtracking. When searching the names, often the
meaning of the name settled the question of that character's name. For example, "Nakita" means "unconquerable" in African.
I included my son in law in the sequel as a hard hitting privateer who loves drinking, fighting and dark skinned women. My daughter is half Mexican,
half Spaniard and she loved the first book. I called him tonight needing the name of his ship and we settled on "La Dama Del Muerta", the Lady of
Death. I introduced a Mexican Prostitute in the first book named Lisa and bringing my son in law into the sequel as a lover of dark skinned women, it
was only natural to introduce them so I called my daughter back and asked her if she had a problem being Lisa, the prostitute. She loved it.
"Sure Dad, I'm fine with it." she said.
A name at times needs to be strong or soft to suit the character I think. My next book involves a paramedic named Ben Starnes, an old partner of mine
whose name was actually Calvin Starkie. Melissa rings sweet in the ear as is Heather, but neither are a strong name for a woman like Rachael. To me,
it would be hard to name a strong figure in my book "Homer", the name has to fit the image that you are trying to portray.
Mine was a little weird because they were all Spaniards and Africans.
Don't let fear and common sense stand in your way.
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Holls
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in picking a name for fantasy, i string my fav letter combinations together... i love the AE's and playing on a lot of vowels. though in order to
create more of a home for my characters i tend to find common letter combinations that denote a certain dialect or region.
examples that come to mind are your stereotypical:
~hard a 'K' and such in russian dialect as opposed to 'C'
~words ending in 'A' or 'O' in italian to give the word a gender
~the use of 'NG' in Asian dialect
(im talking India and China etc so that you dont get the wrong idea)
and so on... if you can come up with your own combinations, including hyphenated names then more power to you!
in picking real names i decide what image my character is going to portray and then build the name around that. I wouldnt create a meek andrew or a
young susan in present-day stories. but i would create a warm and loveable grandma betty or an old post war veteran named stanley.
hope that helps.
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Reprobate
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I never have much trouble finding names, but I have a knack for it, I guess.
My main character is Katherine Laetitia 'Katla' Sieltjes. She is a no-nonsense person and she dislikes the long name, preferring the name her
mercenary uncle gave her, which is both a vulcano in Iceland and the monster from the Brothers Lionheart by Astrid Lindgren. For her homicidal
enterprises she uses the name Loki, both after the god and her murders are low-key...
Her blind boyfriend is sober street musician, Bram Merleyn. His sister is named Bianca.
Bram's best friend is a Rastafarian, Zephaniah 'Zeph' Catadupa. The Rastafarian religion is basically a version of Christianity and there are many
Rastafarians named after prophets in the Bible. His last name just came to me, sounded happy and Jamaican.
The antagonist in Peccadillo is called Simon. Simon is a name that is a little slippery, the sibilants making his name a little snake-like and sneaky,
but on the other hand it's a Biblical name, so...
What is important in choosing names in the feeling they evoke in the reader. A name like David is morally upright. Short names are for no-nonsense
people: Ed, Bart, Bram, Paul, Phil. Antagonists can have slighly sneaky names: Elwood, Thaddeus, Simon, Roderick...
What you can do is throw out some names at a party and ask people about the first thing that comes to their minds at the mention of the name.
rep·ro·bate
n.
A morally unprincipled person.
One who is predestined to damnation.
adj.
Morally unprincipled; shameless.
Rejected by [fill in the supreme being of your choice] and without hope of salvation.
"Beware the lollipop of mediocrity! Lick it once and you'll suck forever..."
Calvin: "I used to hate writing assignments, but now I enjoy them. I realized that the purpose of writing is to inflate weak ideas, obscure poor
reasoning, and inhibit clarity. With a little practice, writing can be an intimidating and impenetrable fog!" - Calvin and Hobbes.
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RaiscaraAvalon
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I use Nymbler.com a lot, which gives you lots and lots of names. One thing I do if I am unsure what to call someone, and none of the names I find on
nymbler ring true, I just pick something stereotypical of who the character is. I've had Ghandi's, Guido's, Mic's etc.  While never the "finished" name, those names invoke certain images, and make great
placeholder names.
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boatkicker
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Baby name websites and books, the social security website of names by decade, and sometimes I just ask people I know. Some of my friends are great at
names.
And cemeteries. I use them more for last names than first, but sometimes I see some great first names too.
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Gongchime
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How about using a cipher? Many if not most educated Europeans such as scientists, philosophers, and writers were engaged in sending and deciphering
them as a hobby when Europe was still at the height of Western Culture and it's production.
I have a method which you'll see in my work where I substitute similar consonants and write words backwards after. Effectively making a new word or
name. This often creates very unique names appropriate for aliens and non-mortal beings but sometimes works for real people.
Perhaps a character like Jules Vern's Professor Liddenbrock could have given a name to one of his pets or children based on common cipher
techniques.
My daughter's name came in a dream though: Lila
[Edited on 3/30/2010 by Gongchime]
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Gongchime
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I used this technique in the other thread on help naming anti-aging drugs. Wondering what Michy thought of my new creations.
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Michy
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I haven't figured out yet what name I'm going to use, but there was one someone on Twitter suggested that's tickling with me... Foreverol, but I was
playing with it for something more like soluble injections, extending life... dunno.
Still working with it. I'll announce what I finally come up with. Thanks for the ideas though!
Love and stuff,
Michy
~~Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations~~
Do just once what others say you can't do, and you will never pay attention to their limitations again." James R. Cook
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Sary
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My two main sources for names are cemeteries and the phone book. But I wrote LIVVIE OWEN LIVED HERE as part of a class project I assigned my students,
and in addition to making lists of names from the local cemetery, we also used names from each other's families. "Olivia Lashea Owen" came about
because one child's older sister was Olivia, one had a brother named Owen, and my classroom assistant's middle name was Lashea. The kids thought it
was a hoot that I used such familiar names for a character!
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Michy
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Sarah, I just recommended your book's fan page on FB to all of my 900 FB friends. You should be getting some new fans on that page very soon.
Love and stuff,
Michy
~~Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations~~
Do just once what others say you can't do, and you will never pay attention to their limitations again." James R. Cook
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Gongchime
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Foreverol. That's good for a chuckle if thats what you're aiming for.
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Michy
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No, I'm not aiming for a chuckle. I'm realistically looking for a 'fake' name of a drug, that follows conventional drug naming conventions for the
market for 'cosmetic' drugs.
Like 'Juvederm' is for another brand of botox.
Or how elavil is meant to sound like 'elevate' because it's an antidepressant.
I'm looking for both a public marketing brand name, one that would appeal to masses and make them want to take this stuff and a generic name the
scientists would use, and then a latin name for the components.
Love and stuff,
Michy
~~Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations~~
Do just once what others say you can't do, and you will never pay attention to their limitations again." James R. Cook
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Sary
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| Quote: Originally posted by Michy | Sarah, I just recommended your book's fan page on FB to all of my 900 FB friends. You should be getting some new fans on that page very soon.
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Oh, you are TOO awesome. Thank you!!
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sharkbytes
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True story... I grew up in a very small town in the Finger Lakes of NY. Rod Serling had a summer cottage on Cayuga Lake and was a familiar face in
town. It was a hoot to hear, fairly often, the names of local residents on "Twilight Zone."
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Michy
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You're very welcome. I hope as people start getting off work and checking in, you'll get tons and tons of friends. I Tweeted you too.
It's been a pleasure to watch your book be born and starting to grow up, so I'm honored to help where I can.
If you work with the publisher or a publicist on giveaways and guest blog posts and such, let me know. I work with Lisa Jackson's publicist to do
giveaways for her books and do advance readings on all her stuff now. It's fun.
I'd absolutely love to do a review and giveaway on my five blogs and the newsletter for you when it's time!
Love and stuff,
Michy
~~Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations~~
Do just once what others say you can't do, and you will never pay attention to their limitations again." James R. Cook
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Jackmoore
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Names the bane of my existence. i have used baby books, phone books, genealogy books, other peoples books, I think at one time I used a dark board
and phone book pages, but the darts kept poking holes in the wall. I have had entire books written with the characters name as (that guy).
"Why write its all going to to be turned into movies anyway?"
"Because when the zombies come I want to be entertained after the electricity gets turned off."
"Oh."
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Don't make me go all Ninja on yo ass! 
