What's in a Name? The Importance of Character Names

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I’m often asked where I get the names of characters. How do you come up with all the character names and keep them straight? They come from all over. I am constantly jotting down interesting names. I want my characters’ names to reflect something about his or her personality. Here are some things that I look for when I’m choosing a name.

  • Know the name’s meaning. You want to associate it with some trait your character has. Is it a family name or something that was popular during that generation?

  • I use the SSN baby name lists by year to give me ideas of what was popular when my characters were “born.”

  • Avoid having multiple character names that start with the same letter. The fabulous Kathy Mix gave me this advice this early on in my career. She said it’s often confusing for readers. She would always make a list, and when she used a name, she’d cross off that letter.

  • Avoid having multiple names that sound similar (e.g. Christy, Kristi, Chris). This is often another point of confusion for readers.

  • You want a character name that is pronounceable. I was going to name a main character Veronica, and she was going to go by Roni. (Rah-ni was the way I heard it in my head.) The gals in my critique group kept calling her Row-knee, so I ended up renaming her. It was too much to explain.

  • Create a character list (especially if you write a series). I have a giant spreadsheet for each series with all the facts about the repeat characters. It also helps me not to use the same name over and over for minor characters.

  • I usually don’t name characters for real people, and if I do, I’ll tell you who and why in the acknowledgments. Though I have been known to name minor characters after famous people in popular and literary culture.

My first traditionally published mystery was a short story in a Sisters in Crime anthology. Years later, a lady came up to me at a book signing and told me that her husband had the same name as one of the main characters in “Washed up.” That was fun.

What would you add to my list about naming your characters?