The Snowflake Chronicles

October 2013 Fantasy Newsletter: Naming Your Character

Naming Your Character

How do you choose a name for your character?

"Names are an important key to what a society values. Anthropologists recognize naming as 'one of the chief methods for imposing order on perception.'" ~David S. Slawson

"Words have meaning and names have power." ~Author Unknown


There are many ways for authors to choose names for their characters. I once heard of an author who picked names for her characters by walking through cemeteries. She would look at the headstones and pick either a first or last name that caught her fancy. Another way to choose a name is to peruse the obituary column or listen to the news both, of which, are good sources for name. I once got the name of a character from the name badge of a customer service agent. There are also online sources for name, such as websites that list baby names.

All names have meanings, so once you decide on the name of the character then you can use that name to help build a character profile. Some websites give you the meaning of the names, while others give the meaning and list attributes that a person with this name can have. Researching a character's name and finding out specific attributes or characteristics that goes with the character assist in constructing the plot the novel. I used this method when I chose the names for my present NaNoWriMo novel.

Because names are important to both society and the individual an author can use the name to suggest many things about a character. The meaning of a name can be used when writing about both major and minor characters. When writing about a minor character, the name can be used as a way to show the individual's career and his virtues or vices. Names can reveal many things about a novel's protagonist, antagonist, and minor characters.

Name is more then a label
It is a part of the individual.

How do you pick the names for you characters?