Here are seven great rules for choosing character names offered up by popular mystery writer elizabeth sims the rita farmer mysteries. Here are 25 awesome fictional characters to name your dog after. Book magazine, now defunct, compiled a panel of 55 authors, literary agents, editors, and actors in 2002 to rank the top one hundred characters in literature since 1900. A name translator allows a writer to easily discover names in other languages to use this, however, you have to have a name in mind. In fact, with the exception of jack, which has long seemed to be the name of the male character in every other movie and tv adventure show, characters names veer from the unusual to the outlandish.
Chosen by terry pratchett the discworld series harry flashman, that fictional reprobate wenching and dodging his way through the major. Hannah abbott hufflepuff student in harry potter s year. If you name your character right, you will choose a name that is unique to your character and memorable to your story. Coming up with a great name for your characters is one of the hardest tasks youll ever complete as a fiction writer. I have come up with ideas for book names for anybody over 2000 book names ideas, but some are unpublished pending editing. Use the name generator to provide story characters with dissimilar names. If you cant find anything you like, try misspelling other names or words to create new ones.
Use these methods for naming characters in your book. Ask yourself whether or not your character s last name would fit or stand out in a book with similar themes. The simple automated character name generator below will help in your search for interesting and unique character names, male or female. Good names help both writers and readers move through a story smoothly. I would lean towards the former explanation since the masie series, the max and ruby series and the junie b. They make us laugh, they serve as role models and their names are often perfect for our furry friends. All you have to do is scour the page of 300 unique, original fantasy names and keep this list a reference while you write that fandomworthy novel of yours.
Here i am going to list what i consider to be the 50 best character names in movie history, and chime in on some of them as to why i think they are so great. Look at any words on a page for long enough and theyll look good this. The series follows the turbulent lives of the baudelaire orphans after their parents, bertrand and beatrice, are killed in an arsonous structure fire and their multiple escapes from their murderous supposed distant relative count olaf. If you think about it character names are actually a specific literary device you can use most sneakily and if you want readers to love, adore, and care for your main character, giving them the best and most memorable name can make all the difference. These first names are used in canada, australia, new zealand, the united states and south africa. Some of these literary heroes and antiheroes, such as romeo and tristan, come from works of fiction written centuries ago, while others, like kafka and edmund, are contemporary. So if you were writing a story about an elf, books like secrets of the forest and creatures of our realm might be on their bookshelf. It can also help to compare last names from your characters to the story youre skimming. Here are seven great rules for choosing character names offered up by popular. Have you struggled to imagine a suitable name for your story or novel character.
If writing a series or saga and the characters in following books show up in book one, you dont have to worry about coming up with the main characters names. How to give your character the perfect name writers digest. Authors writing a character who was a teen in the 1960s, or who is in her seventies today, will likely want to use a name that can convincingly reflect the person s age and generation. I love the book wings of fire and tsunami is my favorite out of the 5 dragonets, she brave and sarcastic and a very well developed character, i really think she should be one of the top 10 of this list. Cress by marissa meyer, winter by marissa meyer, harry potter and the goblet of fire by j. Glance through character or place names in the book to get some ideas. Having the majority of characters born in a certain year given. For more great titles that will entice your reader, check out these timeless chapter books for kids.
Your character names have the ability to transform the perception readers have of your book and story. Rae is relatable because of her insecurities, her tendency. Here are the most popular characters that parents and their kids love. As you can see there are all sizes and shapes when it comes to title name generators. If you have polly and paul in the same story, or even robert and rebecca, readers will have a difficult time remembering their names. Iconic names come from all over the world, such as don quixote, elizabeth bennet, and jean valjean. Rae earl, my mad fat diary it wasnt made when i was a teenager but when i watched the show it reminded me so much of myself at 16. The childrens novel series a series of unfortunate events features a large cast of characters created by daniel handler under the pen name of lemony snicket. This is a list of characters in the harry potter series. All of these are ideal qualities for a ranger and you will see how will uses these attributes to his advantage throughout the series.
Our favorite tv and movie characters are great for a lot of things. Babycenter is committed to providing the most helpful and trustworthy pregnancy and parenting information in the world. Some people will just choose names that they feel fit for their characters, others will use the attributes the characters have and then search for names. Scott fitzgerald, 1925 holden caulfield, the catcher in the rye, j. Once youre aware of character type, youll find yourself noticing it more and more in what you read and watch. In so many books and tv shows i consumed later, the it girl assumed her position because she was manipulative, or a.
When developing charactersno matter what sort of characters youre pursuingheed common sense and consider each of these tips before choosing a name. What are some good examples of last names for fictional. Some people will just choose names that they feel fit for their characters, others will use the attributes the characters have and then search for names with similar meanings to those characters. Odysseus is the husband of queen penelope and the father of prince telemachus. Voldemort 1 will b used for the ultimately evil character and another for his younger henchman who does his bidding make them both good and they need to b somewhat catchy thanx. Oct 31, 2019 here are the most popular characters that parents and their kids love. Movie character names may be the only names cooler than the names of the stars that play them. Authors writing a character who was a teen in the 1960s, or who is in her seventies today, will likely want to use a name that can convincingly reflect the persons.
Since the ssa gets a record of every new baby in the country, it has the most uptodate information about the popularity of names its list of the. Feb 06, 2020 look through phone books or a book of baby names. You can then use this awareness to study that character and see what elements you can use in your own writing. See more ideas about book characters dress up, character dress up and book character costumes. If i want to honor someone in real life, i may use their last name as a first for a character. Marissa meyer goodreads author shelved 6 times as goodcharacters avg rating 4. Knowing what role your characters play in your story helps you to refine your plot. Aug 26, 2019 i dont know if you mean existing characters you want people to list. They are all characters who have appeared in a harry potter related book by j.
With thousands of awardwinning articles and community groups, you can track your pregnancy and babys growth, get answers to your. Ask permission, and let that person know ahead of time of how they will be portrayed. These must be movie names first and foremost, so im excluding characters from nonfiction films, and films adapted from books or plays or songs or comedy routines. Character names are to characters as titles are to books, so if youre blindly putting. The 7 rules of picking names for fictional characters. List of a series of unfortunate events characters wikipedia. Only thing was, as soon as the thousands of copies of hardcovers were printed and shipped to stores, i heard from a reader who pointed out the simple fact that. These literary baby names for boys are derived from characters in books from all genres. To put it another way, you dont name a dude who eats people. How to come up with an iconic character name in 12 steps.
Koren zailckass mother, mother is the kind of book that keeps you up at night, and it features a mother to rival medea or mrs. For example, in my latest novel, recipe for scandal, there is a young woman called hannah who is not unlike an old school friend, hannah, of my daughter. The phone book will not only give you thousands of last names, but you can also read first names and get a feel for what names work well with each last name. Give it a whirl by putting your own name into the translator. All you have to do is scour the page of 300 unique, original fantasy names and keep this list a reference while you write that fandomworthy novel. Mar 12, 2020 these boy names are poised to be huge in 2020. But also about the pain that comes with a break up, as well as stories in which love is the main theme, but not necessarily the plot.
There are some types of characters that every story must have. Christmas gifts for the special dog or cat in your life. Naming your characters is one of the best and scariest parts of writing a novel. This list is comprised of some of the most recognizable names from fictional books. You can name your characters after other literary characters, or people that have played a significant role in your life. We all love the good guy in a book, but the people who help the good guy are often the goodest of the good, so they might not be the people you. Who are the kindest characters in childrens fiction. Maybe youve checked in baby books or have flipped through the phonebook looking for the right combination of names, and still. Aug 28, 2012 10 questions you need to ask your characters. Photo by evelyn giggles in my current novel, im writing about faculty, staff, and students at a smallish university in the southeast. This is a collection of names that have been considered evil by one culture or another around the world.
Names character names or the names of people in real life are a big deal. Books with characters of color while people of color are still underrepresented in books for kids and teens, weve found lots of great reads with diverse main or supporting characters in all sorts of genres, including mystery, fantasy, romance, adventure, scifi, graphic novels, historical fiction, novels in verse you name it. Or are you looking for names for characters you are creating yourself. Antony john goodreads author shelved 11 times as deafcharacters avg rating 3. You can also rearrange the letters of phrases or names you like to create something less recognizable. Baby names inspired by comic book characters babycenter. To find unique names for your characters, check movie credits or a mythology book for something unique. Zailckas picked 11 of her favorite evil characters. If youd like to venture beyond the scope of your own country for the right name, this random name generator is for you. A few, such as trinity from the matrix, jumped right onto the popularity charts.
You need to have a good reason for another character to use a nickname i. My real problems is trying to settle on a name for a new puppy. Though a strong and courageous warrior, he is most renowned for his cunning. There are many literary and movie characters that become everlasting brands in our cultureatticus finch, ratso rizzo, holden caulfield and scarlett ohara, for example. Popular deaf characters books showing 150 of 166 five flavors of dumb hardcover by. On the other hand, another character in the same book is called alberta to illustrate a quirk of her mother, who named her after albert camus. Give your characters names that not only begin with different letters but that also sound as dissimilar as.
Sep 25, 2017 what should i name the characters in my book. Also, christian names are heavily influenced by fashion, and one has to get that right for the age of the person. Writing adolescent fictioncharacter namespopular names in. Your native english characters in britain will have english surnames, and english surnames will also be the predominant surname stock for characters in australia and new zealand, and, to a lesser extent, canada.
Writing adolescent fictioncharacter namespopular names in the. The importance of character names go into the story. Odysseus fought among the other greek heroes at troy and now struggles to return to his kingdom in ithaca. Most people have trouble coming up with cool character names, which is why. Gemma collins reveals shes recorded a song with beyonces producer and omg. Along with tristan and romeo, other literary boy names in the us top include atticus, axel, holden, magnus. In books you have to be careful not to give the wrong impression of a person.
I am going to shamelessly plug my new book the son of superman, i am really proud of it and i would love for you to check it out. Sep 25, 2019 to find unique names for your characters, check movie credits or a mythology book for something unique. Tsunami is one of the best characters ever, she is sassy and a bad ass and totally deserves to be up here. Character name generator the ultimate bank of 2,000,000. For truly random last names, pick up a phone book or book of baby names. Nov 09, 2009 the question is, are books with names that follow the trend popular right now or are authors penning books with popularly named characters at the moment.
When writing my novel the actress, i needed a name for a japaneseamerican criminal defense attorney, and the name gary kwan burst upon me. The series follows the turbulent lives of the baudelaire orphans after their parents, bertrand and beatrice, are killed in an arsonous structure fire and their multiple escapes from their murderous supposed distant relative count. There are probably thousands of movie examples where names reflect the core essence of a character, some primary value they have, or function they carry in the plot from john book, harrison fords character in witness, a good cop who goes by the book the letter of the law in opposing his friend and mentor, the bad cop chief paul schaeffer, to malcolm. Jones books have been around since i was a child in the early 80s. I dont know if you mean existing characters you want people to list. Just as the teenage characters in your story are going to need names, so are the adult characters. I often base my characters off of my friends because my friends are so interesting. In so many books and tv shows i consumed later, the it girl assumed her position because she was manipulative, or a flirt, or a. Romance these book titles are, of course, about love. Kirsten will become kristen, sophia will become selena, and sarah will become sara.
Choosing a character name for your novel is as pressurefilled as picking a. Many people believe that they cant do anything to protect their privacy online. The 50 best character names in movie history the good in. Youll find a few classics and lots of unusual names given to characters in favorite books for kids from toddlers to teenagers.
These include novels, short stories, graphic novels and comic books. Knowing what role your characters play in your story helps you to refine your plot, choose your narrative. The most familiar character of all and the person who the entire series is named after. Parentstobe pore over baby name books for months looking for that perfect. Feb 15, 2018 there are some types of characters that every story must have. How to make a good last name for characters in a book wikihow. The phone book will not only give you thousands of last names, but you can also read first names and get a. The wrong name can take the reader out of the story and cause him or her to question why you, the author, made such an inane choice. On the other hand, going too creative with your name choices can distract or even confuse your reader. A fantasyfictional book may have more extravagant or unusual names rather. What better place to find your babys name than in a muchloved book. On wattpad people just go with the cliche, never going outside of. If shown, the year indicates when the book was first published.