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Things to think about when choosing your characters' names.

http://writershelpingwriters.net/2016/09/25160/

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The last thing you want to do is confuse your readers by a poor choice of character names.

http://writersinthestormblog.com/2016/05/whats-in-a-name-how-to-avoid-the-claire-confusion/

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Name studies have been around for a long time. In Ancient Greece, philosophers like Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle saw names as central to the understanding of language, providing key insights into human communication and thought. Still, to the present day, questions such as Are names nouns? and Do names have meaning? are still hotly debated by scholars within both linguistics and name studies.

The post Is name studies a discipline in its own right? appeared first on OUPblog.

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Here are some thoughts on choosing your characters' names.

http://bookendsliterary.com/index.php/2016/02/17/whats-in-a-name-the-art-of-naming-characters/

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Don't make these mistakes when you're naming your character.

http://scbwi.blogspot.com/2015/08/a-guest-post-on-naming-your-characters.html

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Lists of grandparent names, from the traditional to the trendy. 

http://www.grandparents.com/family-and-relationships/grandparent-names/grandparent-names

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Names.

Have you ever read a story where the character’s name didn’t fit them? I don’t think I have and that makes me wonder how much writers struggle to find their characters’ names. Do they keep a file of names, just waiting for the right person to come along? Or are their characters named in a process similar to naming a child?

There has to be some sort of process because not just any name will do! Names in books reveal the time and space from which that person emerges. It can tell us which authors have inspired this new writer, adding a layer to the story.

I’m really not sure why I have this ‘thing’ with names, why I notice them and wonder about them so much.

I was named after both my grandmothers and as a child was always called by my middle name. When I entered school, I was suddenly “Edith” and there were a few who tried to shorten my name. I didn’t like that, well not until high school and I decided to chop my name and and became “Edi”. I was taught to put title on all letters and forms and to ‘put a handle’ on all the nuns’ names!

Of course, students never called me Edith or Edi! Well, not until Taiwan. Students there call westerners by their first name. (There is this global belief that Americans like to be called by our first names,) I became Teacher Campbell/Laushi Campbell.

I found it really, really odd when I moved 60 west of the Indiana city I’d lived in for 30 years and the culture changed so much that students were suddenly calling adults by their first name. On campus and even in the city, young people are on a first name basis with adults. I’m feeling less shock and getting more gentle in my request to be “Ms. Campbell” but, still… awkward!

An author friend recently told me that a criticisms from  one of her teen beta readers was that it felt so wrong for  teen character to call her mother by her first name. I cant’ remember seeing this often in YA, though I know it happens in real life. I just finished a book where the MC called her estranged mother by her first name, until she found out that’s what the mother wanted and then, in true teen fashion, she began referring to her as ‘mom’.

Does it matter how we address those older than us? I believe we should err on the side of formality until invited to be less formal. I know not everyone feels the same. Some just don’t care. They just don’t want to be called late for dinner.

 

 

Filed under: Me Being Me Tagged: Names

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You need to think about a name before you give it to your character. 

http://www.chitrasoundar.com/blog/2013/01/28/choosing-character-names/

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You have to check out this site!

Fake Name Generator

I know you've seen many sites to help generate names. I personally have used baby name sites. This one is much more than just names.

Fake Name Generator give EVERYTHING you'll need for your new character. Here's a random character I tried:

Phone: 914-394-5878
Website: RaspberryNectar.com
Email Address: [email protected]
Username: Hadet1993
Password: Neingah2ooc
Mother's Maiden name: Moor
Birthday: May 6, 1993 (19 years old)
Visa: 4539 2374 1084 0342
Expires:12/2013
CVV: 506
SSN: 084-32-2754
Occupation: Rancher
Company: Budget Tapes & Records
Vehicle: 2004 Suzuki Swift
UPS Tracking Number: 1Z 94A 854 46 7847 142 5
Blood type: O+
Weight: 166.3 pounds (75.6 kilograms)
Height: 5' 6" (167 centimeters)

Can you believe it? With one or two clicks you get everything from a name to a website to blood type. Crazy! It's fun to play with :) You can put in different countries and nationalities too.

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3 Stars My Name is Rebecca Romm, Named after My Mother’s Mom Rachel Levy Lesser No. Pages: 32     Ages: 4 to  8 …………… …………………. Back Cover:   Rebecca Elizabeth Romm was named after her late grandmother Rebecca. She is annoyed when everyone compares her to her mother’s mom, because all she wants is a name of [...]

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Some tips for choosing appropriate names for your characters. 

http://mysterywritingismurder.blogspot.com/2012/08/whats-in-name-naming-your.html

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Some things to think about when you're naming your characters. 

http://www.jeffcarney.net/blog/?p=120

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Search the social security database for popular first names by year of birth.

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Today's post is dedicated to my name. My mom had special reasons for both my first and middle names.

Raenice. My mom wanted to give me a name that would give me the nickname, Rae. In her mind, she saw me as an adult; a businesswoman. She said she imagined a room full of men waiting for a businessman named Ray to make an appearance in the meeting, but in walks this sexy businesswoman named Rae. The men's mouths would hang open and they'd all be enamored by my beauty and sexiness. I see where I got my imagination from. I'm so gonna use this set up in a romance novel sometime in the future. Anyway, so her middle name is Denise. Add Rae to the last part of her middle name and you get Raenice (pronounced "Rae-niece"). My name is actually spelled Rae'Nice, but I don't use the hyphen. Maybe I'll use it when I'm a best-selling author. Hmm...

Beatrice. This one is not as "glamorous" as my first name, but it's just as important. I was named after my great grandmother, GaGa, who died seven months before I was born. Remember, she's the one who saved my life when I was a baby. If you didn't read the story, you can read it here.

I love names that mean something. Since Raenice is made up, it doesn't really have an official meaning. I say it means "unique" cos it's not a common name. Beatrice means "voyager of life" and "blessed" (source). It also means "she who makes happy" and "she who brings happiness" (source).

So there you go. Raenice Beatrice. A unique voyager of life, who's happy, blessed and brings happiness to those around her. Yep. That's me. 

I love my name.

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Here's some great advice about naming characters and other nouns in your world-built novel.

http://www.dailywritingtips.com/how-to-invent-names-for-your-genre-novel/

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It may have caused havoc for the star crossed lovers, but as Shakespeare's Juliet famously said -



"What's in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet."




What does your name say about you? Does the person become the name or does the name mould the person?


In the Johnny Cash hit song 'A boy Named Sue' the main character's father named him 'Sue' to make him tough...
but it wasn't something he was going to repeat himself..

How often have you heard a name that conjures up an image even before you meet the person? Is there a Sandra or a Melanie, a Kevin or a Jack who comes to mind when you hear the name, reminding you of a positive, or much worse, a negative experience?

Very occasionally I meet someone whose name just doesn't seem to fit them.
I know someone whose name is Bill, but every time I see him the name Paul comes into my head. I have no idea why, he just looks as if he should be called Paul.

It's not something that has happened often, but again recently I met a teacher in a school whose name didn't seem to suit her, either. The name just didn't fit the person I saw, and I had a bit of a problem remembering her name because of it.
Perhaps it is just me, but has this ever happened to you?



How important is the name you choose for your child?
It is a badge they will likely wear for most of their lives but have little choice in themselves.  

Baby names often vary with the times, with children named after popular TV series characters who are long forgotten, or celebrities who are no longer famous by the time the child is entering high school.

Then there are those bizarre spellings, a real pitfall for any author at a book signing!

Choosing a name for your characters involves thinking about lots of different things and it throws up a few possible plot ideas, too.

•  Is it a name that reflects their age, their background, their personal
  12 Comments on What's in a name? - Linda Strachan, last added: 2/18/2012
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  catdownunder said, on 2/15/2012 5:20:00 PM
  

  I think the worst thing I ever came across, and this is true, was a man whose parents had him baptised Sean. Nothing wrong with the name Sean but his surname happened to be Lamb...yes! They were looking to please a wealthy great-uncle. He left them nothing. Their son endured years of ridicule, left home the moment he was able to do so and (on reaching his majority) changed his name.
  In "Sun on the Stubble" (an Australian classic) there is a chapter in which young Bruno Untermeyer Gunther (known as "Bugsie")is in strife over his investigation of the teacher's initials. Initials can be just as much of a problem!
  Naming is a power ritual. I also know people whose names do not suit them. Some of them have had the wisdom to change them. Others spend their lives being uncomfortable with what they were given. (And, I find my characters name themselves!)

  adele said, on 2/16/2012 12:45:00 AM
  

  Names are vitally important. Dickens knew this of course. My 'name' story is about the time I had a character called HILDA BOLT and I was very proud of that name. She was a terrifying, huge, sinister attendant at a launderette (remember those?). In the blurb of the book, there was a typo and she came out as HILDA BRETT which is of course something completely different: a nice lady you might meet at the WI. Oh dear! Very interesting post.

  Linda said, on 2/16/2012 1:27:00 AM
  

  I like to consider two things: the sound of the name, and its meaning. I enjoy leaving little clues (or misdirections) to the personality of each character for the reader in my choice of name. A girl called Merryweather couldn't be anything but positive and outgoing, could she? But what about Miss Alfreds . . . ?

  Sue Purkiss said, on 2/16/2012 1:39:00 AM
  

  In 'Northern Lights', I loved the name of the witch, Serafina Pekkala (may have spelt that wrongly)- and heard Philip Pullman say he got it out of a Finnish telephone directory, which I though was a very useful tip! (Though not necessarily the Finnish bit.)

  Graeme Strachan said, on 2/16/2012 2:16:00 AM
  

  What's wrong with Sean Lamb? Sounds like a fair name to me. Is this a cultural thing?

  Graeme Strachan said, on 2/16/2012 2:16:00 AM
  

  What's wrong with Sean Lamb? Sounds like a fair name to me. Is this a cultural thing?

  Carole Anne Carr said, on 2/16/2012 3:22:00 AM
  

  Not too difficult for me, ie writing historical fiction for children, but was a bit stuck for a while when looking for a name for my Anglo-Saxon dogs. :0)

  catdownunder said, on 2/16/2012 5:09:00 PM
  

  Perhaps it is a language and cultural difference Graeme but I can assure you that being a "shorn lamb" was not something he found funny but other people did. (BTW your surname gets some interesting pronunciation attempts here and of course Australians call Menzies "Men-zees".)

  Personality Development Courses said, on 2/17/2012 2:14:00 AM
  

  Huge of time to spend searching about the Personality Development Courses website. You posted very good content thanks to update.

  Linda Strachan said, on 2/17/2012 12:14:00 PM
  

  Hi Cat
  
  Yes I too was confused for a while until I realised you were saying Sean as shorn!!
  Strachan has many pronunciations, even here. Ours is Stra-kan (although the scottish pronunciation of the ch is the same as in loch and not a hard K. ) But when I was in New Zealand they all wanted to say 'Strawn', and I hear that a bit in England, too. But what do I know it is my married name and I am only Scottish by marriage and because I was born and live here!!
  
  I agree, Linda, names for characters are fun to play with and misdirect your readers.
  
  Adele - Hilda Bolt is such a strong name, Brett is very different.
  
  I might worry, Sue, about choosing names in another language. What if they translated into something ... ugh!!

  agman said, on 2/18/2012 6:06:00 AM
  

  Cat When I lived in Australia they called menzies, Pig iron Bob!
  Good interesting site

  Paeony Lewis said, on 2/18/2012 3:24:00 PM
  

  Just seen your blog, Linda! I adore name stuff. Wish I could rename my children but they are happy to have traditional names that don't confuse anyone (unlike their parents, Garydd and Paeony). My husband's father was called Lewis Lewis, and in a perverse way I like that. And as for my story characters, I spend ages flicking through baby name books and there is no husband to tell me I can't call a child Artemisia (although an editor and common sense might say something).

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Last night I went to a meeting of a book club which I have been invited to join. I have known some of its members, but not all. In being introduced, I learned that there is another woman in the group whose name is Alice. My head bobbed back a bit in surprise. Alice! Nobody I know, or have ever known, has been named Alice.

The lady I met was as shocked as I to meet another Alice. Well of course there are others: Alice Roosevelt, the daughter of President Theodore Roosevelt, Alice B. Toklas, member of the Parisian avant-garde of the early twentieth century, or Alice Paul, associated with furthering the suffrage movement for women, to name a few. The one thing we have in common is that we all are of a certain age and older.

It makes one realize that names are fashions of an era, just like the clothes we wear, the music to which we listen, the art we admire, the way we raise our kids, the values we hold, and the list goes on.

In my day girls had names like Nancy, Barbara, Elaine, Patricia, or Anne. Fast forward a couple of decades and you get names like Linda, Laura, Bonnie, Sue, or Kathy. Fast forward again to the names of today’s kids and you get Ashley, Laura, Bridget, and Emma.

As you probably read in Becoming Alice, I actually chose the name of Alice for myself. What was I thinking? I wasn’t. I chose it because my brother was dating a girl named Alys. In today’s world that name would be Allison. I don’t fit that name.

Most people don’t ever veer from choosing the names of the time for their babies. That’s why I have so much admiration for the young couple I know who had the courage to name their son Oscar.

Filed under: Becoming Alice, Culture, Identity Tagged: Courage, Dating oneself, Names, Styles

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I am so in love with the title of my new story that I can't stop whispering it. This of course does not make for a productive writer, thus I am currently 654 words into In the Broken Birdcage of Kathleen Fair. I couldn't get the story plan to sit right until I found my main character's name, we ran the gamut from Gina to Erica to Erin (okay, not much of a gamut), but none of them fitted and then we came upon the name Kathleen and she is of course very, very fair.

In other news, I may just, eventually, maybe, you never know sit down and finish my ghostly time travel saga 'The Ghosts of Folding Time' which I started writing last November. I mean, we have an entire first draft and part of a second draft and a whole heap of madness. And then of course there are a bunch of grandfathers to deal with. In the meantime though, I should head downstairs and continue babysitting and watching Alvin and the Chipmunks for the hundredth time this weekend.

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I’m a terrible promoter.

I really am.

The problem isn’t that I’m lazy, or that I don’t put forth the effort, or that I’m unwilling to put in the time. It’s none of that stuff.

I’m actually not the least bit lazy, my effort-abilities are second to none and I have nothing but time on my hands.

The actual issue is that my personal persona and my business persona get mixed up a lot. A whole lot, actually.

I say stuff I shouldn’t. I put things out there that I should have locked a safe, wrapped in a chain and tossed into the ocean.

As much as it pains me to admit, I’m an idiot.

The fact that I’m writing these very words at this very moment proves I’m an absolute dolt and that I’ll never learn.

Do the followers on Twitter that are interested in my YA novel or my artwork really need to know that I spent the night bent over the toilet due to a nasty bout of food poisoning? Probably not.

Did I tell them? Yep.

Was it necessary to let them know that because of it I spent the entire next day breaking wind like Chris Brown breaks ladies’ faces? Most definitely not.

Was that Chris Brown joke a massive mistake?

You better believe it.

I’m a goof-ball and I don’t know when to stop.

I spend so much time cracking wise and making you feel uncomfortable with awkward-delicious nuggets about my personal life that I sometimes forget I’m trying to sell you something.

Then the bill collectors come calling. Then my wife shakes her head and I pull out the lining of my pockets and shrug my shoulders. Then she hops on-line and types the words “divorce attorney” into Google.

It’s a vicious cycle.

So how do I plan on solving this little problem of mine?

I have to get serious. I have to get more professional.

I’ll need a briefcase of some sort . Maybe some papers to put in it.

Wait, wait, wait - maybe I don’t need the papers at all. I mean, what are the chances anyone will actually ask to see what’s inside, right?

Combing my hair, putting on a suit and brushing my teeth more than once every other day just isn’t going to cut it anymore. It’s not enough. I have to take things to the next level. I’m going to have to make some drastic lifestyle changes.

I’ll need to straighten that hunch in my back and smear that sloppy-creepy grin off my face.

Maybe I’ll even shave.

I’ll have to mind my P’s and Q’s while making sure my F’s and U’s are never allowed in the same sentence together.

I’ll need to be better than the sum of my parts and better than the sum of the sum of those parts.

I’ll have to blog about books and writing, and the writing process and the process of writing.

Speaking of my blog, I’ll need to maintain it a bit more diligently. I guess I should watch that I don’t accept a friend request from anyone and everyone on Facebook. I should also try and make sure current and prospective clients don’t catch wind of my uncontrollable post-puke wind breaking in one of my many unnecessary status updates.

Breath mints will be important.

New shoes too. New shoes are a given. Shoes are the first thing people look at. I heard that somewhere.

No more gobbling on burgers so stuffed with goop the juices leave stains on my shirts. Nope – gonna have to put the kibosh on that one.

I’ll need some new shirts as well.

Maybe I should change my name? It might be smart to change it to something a little more professional sounding.

Max Hardcopy?

How about, Patrick Gitstuffdun?

No, wait…Stephen Nowack.

No one commands respect like a Nowack.

Or maybe I shouldn’t do any of this nonsense.

Stephen Nowack? Seriously? That’s just silly.

Breath mints? That’s even sil

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Today is Wednesday, in the first full week of March. Which makes it part of Celebrate Your Name Week. And the Wednesday of Celebrate Your Name Week is designated as Learn What Your Name Means Day.

So.

I did a web search: What does the name Kimberly mean? Because that's my full first name. (Usually, though, people just call me Kim. Except for my grandmas, and my aunts and uncles, and my brother and his family, and my husband. They all call me Kimmy. Probably more than you wanted to know, but there it is.)

So, anyway. Kimberly. I looked up the meaning, and this is what I found:

• From the wood of the royal forest
• From the royal fortress meadow
• Meadow of the royal fort
• Ruler
• Cyneburg's field
• Leader of the warriors

That's quite a variety of meanings, isn't it? Since there are so many, I guess I'll just pick the one I like the best.

So, from now on - or at least for today - you may refer to me as:




It has a nice ring to it, don't you think?


What does your name mean?

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By Lisa Collinson

‘Few etymologies are perfect. Neither is this one. Yet it may be right.’

So wrote the eminent scholar Anatoly Liberman in 2007, in a beautifully-crafted OUPblog post entitled ‘Hamlet and Other Lads and Lasses: Or, From Rags to Riches’. That post explored the origins of the name of Shakespeare’s Prince of Denmark, and – with wonderful spark and spirit – revived an old theory that ‘Am-lothi … is the correct division [of the name], with Am- and loth- being related to Engl. em(ber), and lad respectively (-i is an ending).’ The name ‘ember boy’ as a whole was, Liberman noted, suggestive of ‘a despised third son of fairy tales, known in British folklore as Boots.’

This wholly Germanic etymology may, indeed, be right. But, in an article published online last week in the OUP journal Review of English Studies, I have set out my own  – no doubt even less perfect – theory, which I hope will be of as much interest to artists of various kinds as to scholarly specialists.

In this new article, I conclude that Hamlet probably came ultimately from Gaelic Admlithi: a name attached to a player (or ‘mocker’) in a strange and violent medieval Irish tale known in English as ‘The Destruction of Da Derga’s Hostel’. If I’m right, this means that some version of the Hamlet-name was associated with players hundreds of years before Shakespeare lived or wrote.

What does Admlithi mean? It has proved tough to translate – particularly for me, as a specialist in Old Norse, rather than Gaelic. But once I’d found the name (sent to me years ago by a friend who knew I had an interest in medieval player-figures), it was impossible to let go. Partly, this had to do with the fact that it clearly had something to do with the concept of grinding, which I knew was a key element in two important early Nordic ‘Hamlet’ texts; but which also seemed to have plenty of powerful cultural potential of its own. (Just think of the range of its contemporary connotations!) In the end, I plumped for not one but three weird-yet-interesting interpretations of Admlithi: Great Grindings; Greatly Ground (plural); Due-To-Be-Greatly Ground.

But what did these really mean, in the Middle Ages? To Gaelic-speakers? To Norse-speakers? To people who spoke bits of both languages?

Once I started asking these questions in earnest, one of the answers I found was that yes, Gaelic words connected with grinding probably did (as we might guess) suggest violence, or sexual activity. But they could also imply low or ambiguous social status: sometimes linked to gender, sometimes to categorization as a ‘fool’ of some kind. In other words, use of the peculiar name Admlithi – grammatically hazy, yet bursting with meaning – could probably have said more about the character tagged with it than lines and lines of straightforward description. Just as well, in fact, for Admlithi has scarcely been mentioned in surviving versions of ‘Da Derga’s Hostel’ before he’s gone – out of the picture entirely.

So … Was this Irish player, Admlithi, Hamlet?

No!

Hamlet is Hamlet!

But, as I discuss in the RES article, I do think there is a fair possibility that Gaelic Admlithi was known as a player-name in medieval Scandinavia, and that this somehow contributed to the development of a riddling figure called Amlethus, long identified as an early version of the

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I take naming my characters very seriously. There isn't a single character in my books that doesn't have a name of significance. Sometimes readers can pick up on why I chose that name--but other times it's a private meaning, just a touchstone for me.

A few examples:

--In my upcoming book, DROUGHT, the main character's name is Ruby. I chose that name for a number of reasons. First, rubies are a precious stone, and Ruby is precious to the Congregation that is her family. Even though most of them don't know it, her blood sustains their lives. I also liked naming this character after a gemstone that needs cutting, polishing, to be made beautiful--because Ruby will have to go through transformations before she reaches her potential too. And then there's the most obvious reason: rubies are red. So is blood.

--But the main character in my first book, CANDOR, got his name--Oscar--quite differently. In the first draft of CANDOR, he wasn't the son of the town founder. Heck, he wasn't even the main character. No. He was the son of the school custodian. He had the bad luck to be named Oscar, which meant he had to deal with a lot of kids teasing him--the custodian's kid living in a trash can just like Oscar the Grouch, etc. That gave him a chip on his shoulder. It's one of the few characteristics that survived as he evolved into the rich, smooth main character with big secrets. Somehow, I couldn't bear to change his name. I figured it sounded fancy, like a boy born into privilege. Besides, he wouldn't let me call him anything else. 

--I won't reveal any of the names in my new book, since it's still just a little baby idea and these things DO change, but I will share a few of my favorite places to research names:

• US Census Records. If I'm writing about teens in 2015, then I like to check their birth years to see which names were most popular then. Some characters should get very popular names, and others the most obscure.
• Baby name books--a favorite writers' tool. My go-to book is titled THE BEST BABY NAME BOOK IN THE WHOLE WORLD, by Bruce Lansky. 
• Graveyards records and landholder records--some you can find via Google while others you will only find at your local research library. I chose some of the last names in DROUGHT (Pelling, Prosser, Schuyler) from common property holder names in upstate New York. 

Happy character naming!

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I couldn’t help noticing this story, which states that many of the names still popular in English-speaking countries originate from the Normans, who won control of England in 1066. Meanwhile, names that were popular in England at the time – such as Aethelred, Eadric, and Leofric – have disappeared. With that in mind, I turned to Babies’ Names, by Patrick Hanks and Kate Hardcastle, to find out more about Norman names. Below are a selection, along with their meanings.

Adele This was borne by a 7th-century saint, a daughter if the Frankish King Dagobert II. It was also the name of William the Conqueror’s youngest daughter (c. 1062-1137), who became the wife of Stephen of Blois. The name went out of use in England in the later Middle Ages, and was revived in the 19th century. It is the stage name of English singer-songwriter Laurie Blue Atkins (b. 1988).

Alison From a very common medieval name, a Norman French diminutive of Alice. It virtually died out in England in the 15th century, but survived in Scotland, with the result that until its revival in England in the 20th century it had a strongly Scottish flavour. The usual spelling in North America is Allison.

Bernard Norman and Old French name of Germanic (Frankish) origin, meaning ‘bear-hardy’. This was borne by three famous medieval churchmen: St Bernard of Menthon (923-1008), founder of a hospice on each of the Alpine passes named after himl; the monastic reformer St Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153); and the scholastic philosopher Bernard of Chartres.

Emma Old French name, of Germanic (Frankish) origin, originally a short form of compound names such as Ermintrude, containing the word erm(en), irm(en) ‘entire’. It was adopted by the Normans and introduced by them to Britain. Its popularity in medieval England was greatly enhanced by the fact that it had been borne by the mother of Edward the Confessor, herself a Norman.

Hugh From an Old French name, Hugues, of Germanic (Frankish) origin derived from hug ‘heart’, ‘mind’, ’spirit’. It was originally a short form of various compound names containing this element. This was borne by the aristocracy of medieval France, adopted by the Normans, and introduced by them to Britain.

Leonard From an Old French personal name of Germanic origin, derived from leon ‘lion’ + hard ‘hardy’, ‘brave’, ’strong’. This was the name of a 5th-century Frankish saint, the patron of peasants and horses. Although it was introduced into Britain by the Normans, Leonard was not a particularly common name during the Middle Ages. It was revived in the 19th century and became very popular. The spelling Lennard is also found.

Rosalind From an Old French personal name of Germanic (Frankish) origin, from hros ‘horse’ + lind ‘weak’, ‘tender’, ’soft’. It was adopted by the Normans and introduced by them to Britain. Its popularity as a given name owes much to its use by Edmund Spenser for the character of a shepherdess in his pastoral poetry, and by Shakespeare as the name of the heroine in As You Like It.

William Probably the most successful of all the Old French names of Germanic origin that were introduced to England by the Normans. It is derived from Germanic wil ‘will’, ‘desire’ + helm ‘helmet’, ‘protection’. The fact that it was borne by the Conqueror himself does not seem to have inhibited its favour with

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During this latest revision phase, I’ve had some interesting things happen. I’m really getting to “know” my characters since I spent a lot of time with them this past week.

During this time, I came to this conclusion about my protagonist: She had the wrong name.

A character’s name says a lot about them. A character named Elizah Coolidge may elicit a different reaction than say a character named Suzie Beach. You may even want your character’s name to have a literal meaning correlating to your theme or to your character’s main goal or revelation. As a writer, it’s up to you to find the perfect name match.

This novel has been through several incarnations. But through each one, my main character’s name has stayed the same. However, I’ve learned some new things about her and I realized that her name no longer fit her personality.

Her new name really works for her! I think she likes it too because now she’s been telling me some things that she wants to do and she’s been helping figure out some scenes — even giving me ideas for new scenes.

Only writers will be able to read this post and not think I’m a lunatic. Talking about a character as if she is a real person.

But that’s what you want to do in your writing. You want to get know your characters so much that they do become real people. Even down to the right choice for their name.

How do you pick your character’s name? Do the names ever change during the course of your novel?

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