Character Names

I don't think there's a thread like this, but if there is, lock this one.

Anyways,

How do you choose your character names?
Why do you choose those character names?

Share with us. :mrgreen:

How I choose them;
I normally hear the name somewhere.
When I began to write TBY, I heard The Black Dahlia commercial. Loved the name, so that was the main character's name. Jinx and Allie were chosen by the people they're based off of. J.D. and Erik came from the story that is linked to this, which I wrote over a year ago.
With my one-shots and every other character in stories, I really just pick the name that's at the top of my head.

Why did I choose them;
For TWSOF, I needed very English names. Leslie was the name of one of my relatives that came from England. All the names in this story fit the character's ethnicity somewhat. It has to for one of the story lines to play out.

I just acquire all these wonderful names and I'm never sure where I get them.

Often, I look into mythology and dictionaries to make up my own names.

Babynamesworld.com. :shifty

Well, first I have the general image of the character in my mind. Then I either think of a name off the top of my head, or go to BNW.com to get a name. (:

I don't really come up with them until my fingers are on the keyboard. I don't have the name until it pops up at its spot...I had a character named Cider once...because that was the first thing that came to mind. xD I'm not sure if that's a real name or not, or if that was a Gwyneth Paltrow move, but I loved the name. I search baby names when the time period is different or the place is different (Answer To Your Final Solution is an example), and others I just really like. I have some reoccuring names (Shay, Jen, Nick, Cadence) for which I've used in more than one story. I don't like extravagent names, but I don't want boring names, either. I like them in the middle. I use the names because...I can't just change their name after I've put it on the certificate xD But yeahhhh.

Usually I mix the names of the people I know. This is usually for fun when I mix my friend's name and her crush/bf. They won't find out anyway and things around me like my character Carl Glade. I got that from a Carlo Rossi wine bottle and a Glade air freshener -_- . But when I'm in the mood I choose names in mythology.

How I choose my character names is usually just if I like the name, and sometimes if they suit the storyline- i'm funny like that.
Grace: My first fanfiction, totally cliche. -headdesk- I chose Grace because it was beautiful, it was simple and it suited the placid nature of the character.
Del: Del's name is a completely different story. It's a blend of mine, and my co-authors real names because the character has a lot of aspects of each of our personalities. Die + Chel = Del
Madelyn: Mads name was just one I liked. It was different, I didn't want anything bland. Originally her name was spelt "Madeline" but because of mis-pronounciation it was subtly changed.
Evaline and Gabriel: The two upcoming characters of my only OF chaptered (non oneshot) story i've posted on Mibba. They haven't appeared yet as it's only a prologue but are on their way. Both names are French, because the characters are french. Gabriel is ultimately a street boy (OMG SPOILER.) so his name had to be something different, something that would suit his bohemian nature. While Evaline had to have something that sounded mysterious, like she was some kind of aura. When I named her I had a list of about ten names and I kept narrowing it down until I was left with three. Than I got a second opinion and Evaline was born.

surnames: i flick through the local residential phonebook. seriously. it's a goldmine!

first names: there's a world of them just a few clicks away

if my character is in his 20s, i'll google for popular boys' names in the 80s. if it's a woman in her 50s, i'll search for popular girls' names in the 50s. i usually have a vague idea of what i want: a first letter, or a length or a class-indication ['Victoria' = higher class than 'Tracey' (with apologies to all Tracies out there!)] or nationality.

i also often just look at my bookcase and pick a first name off one spine and match it with a surname off another. that works quite well.

and if you're in a rural area: village or small-town names often make good surnames! Same works backwards, you can often call your fictitious village or farm after a teacher with an unusual surname

I have a really good baby name book, so I usually use that.

I factor in hertiage, meaning, how it sounds, how it looks on paper, and just plain if I like it. I also use little inside jokes sometimes, like the fact that there's a Katie in almsost every story I've written (she's my best friend).

For last names, I either get out the phonebook or look in the baby name book again. I usually don't turn John into Johnson, but I get things like Shannon, which is a last name occasionally. I use person experience, too. Like Kohigg, a nurse, came from Couhig, my rapist guidance counselor.

.....MOVIES..AND MY FRIENDS NAMES
SOMETIMES...WEIRD NAMES
LIKE MY STORY THE LAST SUNRISE..."SAMARA"...I TOOK IT FROM THE RING

I name all of my OCs after fallen angels. I find those names to be simple, yet intriguing.

I go to baby name sites and search according to meaning.
:shifty

It works.

Belinda - it means 'beautiful snake.' And I liked it. A lot.

Zita - Filipino name from a beautiful Filipino short story.

Jared - it sounded like 'Gerard.' :tehe:

I'm gonna use the name 'River Gabriel' in my novel that I will publish someday. It's the name of a little chinese boy in school who has ADHD and the cutest, sweetest, most innocent thing ever. I already liked the name 'Gabriel' for its archangel-ties too, and River is just... you squeal it and go 'RIIIIVVVERRRRR!!!' But the novel isn't gonna be happy and he goes insane in the end.

I choose names I really like, and somehow build a character around that.

How I Choose It:
I just think for a while - I gather it's info and kindof work my way there.

Why I Choose it:
For Micheal: I used this name in my latest novel, "Not Your Averaged Stalker."
Micheal is kind of like an angel name, So I went with that - and it just kindof fitted my character's traits :]

I choose names if it really fits my mood or their personality.

How I choose it:
I either know it already, or search for names that fit their traits on Google

Why I choose it: Either because I think it sounds cool, or, as above, because it fits the character traits in some way. In my story, I googled "Gothic names" to try and find an evil-sounding name for a serial killer.

I hear names. i like them they stick so i use them.

friends names, names I see at work, films, tv, radio... totally depends on what I am doing...

I choose some names from baby-naming sites.

The ones that aren't are Benny, Tim, Martin, Jamie and Jade.
They just randomly came out of my mind.

The rest:

Sierra: It's actually an Irish name, the character is Irish. It means 'dark'.
Adalyn: I just really liked the sound of it. It's French, I think.
Kade: Gaelic or Scottish. I also sort of liked, but sort of hated this one. [Pretty much what I think of the character, then.]

My male names used to come from people in bands, and female were from a friend.

Then I'd just come up with any name that I liked.

I don't usually think about personality or anything.

I use the site “BabyNames” because it’s the easiest way.

I just pick something that suits the character. I look at the origin and meaning of the name to make sure it fits. It also has to sound right and I prefer if it looks fine on paper too. And for some reason all names I use are unisex o_O

The only exceptions are Dante (everlasting, Latin) and Virgil (Latin). Those are boy names but it’s because the characters originated from a series of poems. And it’s not the actual names of the characters anyway so =P