How to Name Characters in Books or Short Stories
Tips for Picking Names for a Fictional Character in a Novel, Story
Oct 24, 2009
Selecting names for characters in a fictional novel or short story can be an extremely difficult task. Naming fictional characters is an essential part of character development, so it's not a task that should be taken lightly.
There are many aspects that an author must consider when picking names for fictional characters, including the character's personality, motivation, the character's upbringing and the impact of the character name on the novel or short story as a whole.
How to Pick Names for Fictional Characters in a Novel or Short Story
Authors should consider the following tips for naming fictional characters. Ideally, a name should be selected during the outlining process, before the author actually begins writing the novel. But occasionally, an author may find that a name simply "doesn't fit," leaving the author in search of a more suitable name for the character.
- Pick a character name that's age-appropriate. While names like "Hannah," "Madison" and "Emma" may be popular today, these names were not popular 30 years ago. So consider the character's age and use tools like the Social Security Administration's Most Popular Names lists (available for the past 100+ years) to determine what names were popular when the character was born.
- Avoid picking two or more similar names for fictional characters. If two characters in a novel have very similar names — like "Jen" and "Joan" — the reader may find it difficult to keep track of who's who, particularly if the storyline features a multitude of characters.
- Pick character names according to name meaning. One great method for picking character names involves focusing on the name's meaning. So if an author is trying to name a character who's strong, bold and outgoing, he/she might look up baby names by meaning using those character traits. Once a few names are found, the author can use one of those names as-is, or the names could be combined or the author might brainstorm appropriate derivatives.
- Consider character background, culture and family. When picking a name for a fictional character, consider the character's history, upbringing and culture. A character who comes from a conservative, traditional American family is unlikely to have a name like "Bellatrix" or "Carmelita;" she is more likely to have a name like "Annie."
- Avoid character names that are hard to pronounce. Hard-to-pronounce names should be avoided, as they can serve as a distraction. If the author suspect's a name may be difficult to pronounce for some, a pronouncer can be integrated into the story. J.K. Rowling did this for Hermione in Harry Potter, as she corrects another character, saying, "...it's Err-my-oh-nee.."
Mistakes to Avoid When Naming Characters in a Fictional Story
Fiction authors should use caution when using exotic, unusual names. One or two unusual character names in a large cast of characters is acceptable, but five or six very unusual names will seem a bit over the top. Science fiction and fantasy novels — i.e. the Harry Potter books — are one exception to this rule. Harry Potter's Lord Voldemort just wouldn't be so menacing if he went by his given name of "Tom" and Professor Albus Dumbledore wouldn't seem so magically powerful or wise if his name was "Professor John Smith."
Authors may also find it helpful to use a different number of syllables for the main characters, particularly if two characters have names that begin with the name letter. This can be helpful for the reader, as it helps prevent character confusion.
It's also important to avoid picking character names that carry a heavy pop culture association. Selecting a character name like "Madonna" (the musician), "Miley" (actress/singer Miley Cyrus) or "Hermione" (Hermione Granger in Harry Potter) will make it impossible for the reader to disassociate these characters from the related person or character in popular culture.
Advice on Picking Character Names from Twilight Author Stephenie Meyer
Even seasoned authors struggle to pick character names. Stephenie Meyer, author of the Twilight saga — Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse and Breaking Dawn — struggled to name Twilight's characters (who first came to her in a dream!)
In the very first transcripts of Twilight, she referred to Edward and Bella as "he" and "she." And according to her website, Meyer renamed some of her characters mid-stream. Twilight's Rosalie was originally "Carol," while Jasper's original name was "Ronald."
On Stephenie Meyer's official website (StephenieMeyer.com), she explains how she named the characters of Twilight: "It took me a while to find names for my anonymous duo. For my vampire (who I was in love with from day one), I decided to use a name that had once been considered romantic, but had fallen out of popularity for decades...Edward. I tried it on for size, and found that it fit well."
On naming Twilight's female lead, Bella, Meyers explained, "Nothing I named her seemed just right. After spending so much time with her, I loved her like a daughter, and no name was good enough. Finally, inspired by that love, I gave her the name I was saving for my daughter...Isabella. Huzzah! Edward and Bella were named. For the rest of the characters, I did a lot of searching in old census records, looking for popular names in the times that they'd been born."
Selecting a character name can be difficult, but it's a vital step in writing a novel or fictional short story. So dig out those baby name books or visit a few baby name websites and find the perfect character name!
Articles on Picking a Name
Advice on how to pick a baby name can often help authors who are trying to pick character names.
To learn more about how to pick a name and the most popular baby names, check out The Most Popular Boy Baby Names of 2008, along with The Most Popular Girl Baby Names of 2008.
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