Giving Your Character A Name

As you all know, to us writers our characters become much like children to us. Therefore, they should be deserving of a worthy name. A name that reflects their personality, background, etc.

When selecting your character's name, there are several things that you should consider first:

Era- Different names range in popularity in different time periods. (Example, if your story was set in a fictional western frontier in the 1800's you may not want to name your herione Brittany. Although Brittany is a beautiful name; and a very popular name today, the name was not at the height of its' popularity during the 1800's such as Mary, Elizabeth, Eleanor, etc.) A great way to find out what was popular during a specific time period is to consult old census reports, history books, or even to read novels written or set up in that particular time period.

Personality- Consider the personality of your character's parents; and the personality of the character you are trying to portray.

First impression- A lot of times your character's name will portray an image to your reader. (For example, if you are creating a story about a twenty-year-old heroine you may want to consider a name that was fashionable twenty-years-ago, not a more old-fashioned name such as Ethel, Bertha, Mabel, etc. Please remember, this is just an example. There are exceptions. For example, your character may have been named after a parent's mentor, great aunt or uncle, or grandparent, etc.)

*Some great references for selecting the perfect name for your character:*

Baby name books

Other novels (By no means am I suggesting plagerism. I'm just saying it may help put a spark in your creativity)

Census reports

History books

Telephone books

Character Naming Sourcebooks (can be ordered from book clubs or found at local bookstores)

The Bible

Old Family Records

Newspapers

Magazines

Soap Operas/Movies/TV

MONTHLY TIP:

REMEMBER TO TAKE AS MUCH TIME AND RESEARCH AS NEEDED WHEN DECIDING ON YOUR CHARACTER'S NAME. YOUR CHARACTER'S NAME WILL CONVEY AN IMAGE OF YOUR CHARACTER'S APPEARANCE AS WELL AS AN INSIGHT TO THEIR PERSONALITY.

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I WAS JUST THINKING ABOUT ALL OF THE WONDERFUL, MEMORABLE CHARACTERS THAT LITERATURE HAS GIVEN US. (OF COURSE THERE ARE MANY MORE WONDERFUL CHARACTERS THAT I HAVE NOT MENTIONED) TAKE A LOOK AND PLEASE FEEL FREE TO ADD TO THIS LIST. I'LL POST YOUR "MEMORABLE CHARACTER ADDITIONS" ON NEXT MONTH'S ARTICLE.*

SCARLETT O'HARA

RHETT BUTLER

ASHLEY WILKES

MELANIE WILKES

JANY EYRE

LADY MACBETH

SCOUT (FROM "TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD")

DOROTHY GAIL

HUCK FINN

TOM SAWYER

JO MARCH

BETH MARCH

AMY MARCH

MEG MARCH

MARMIE (MARCH)

EBENEZER SCROOGE

ROMEO & JULIET

CHRISTINE DAAE' (PHANTOM OF THE OPERA)

THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA

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FUN "CHARACTER" FACT: DID YOU KNOW THAT THE HEROINE OF "GONE WITH THE WIND" ALMOST WASN'T NAMED SCARLETT O'HARA? MARGARET MITCHELL-AUTHOR OF "GONE WITH THE WIND" ALMOST NAMED HER FIERY SOUTHERN BELLE "PANSY"