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This article was co-written by Stephanie Wong Ken, MFA. Stephanie Wong Ken is a writer living in Canada. Stephanie’s work has appeared in Joyland, Catapult, Pithead Chapel, Cosmonaut’s Avenue and other publications. She holds an MFA in Fiction and Creative Writing from Portland State University.
This article has been viewed 12,775 times.
Are you tired of using the same familiar names for characters in your creations? Do you think the story would be better if it used strange names? In fact, there are many ways to help you come up with more unique and interesting character names.
Steps
Create unique names
- Examples: Anna Joey, Robert Gideon, Paul Michael.
- This is a gentle and reasonable way to create a story with a context close to the time we live in. Some names that can be used as first and last names include: Curtis, George, Paul, Jordan, Logan, Dylan, Wilson, Kerry, Owen, Keith, Austin, and Oliver.
- This approach helps you filter out names that apply to many genres of literature, as well as names for male and female characters.
- For example: Razilee, Kadiah, Joval, Jantanie, Keryl, or Kaline.
- If you’re looking for inspiration on both names and characters, browse through the mythological books in the library; Unless you already have a clear vision (for example, the character is based on Athena), it is not advisable to name the gods in Norse, Greek or Latin mythology. Also make sure the name is pronounceable. Keryl, Razilee, and Genoviah are names that can be pronounced with a little effort, but no one wants to try to pronounce a name like Kazlistynez, no matter how unique it is.
- Mix common names together. From there, Sarah and Josephine could become Josah and Saraphine; Garrett and Adrian will become Adriett and Garran;…vv
- Try different name variations. For example, Mikhail is another variant of Michael, Gaebriel is equivalent to Gabriel, etc
- Rearrange your name (or a friend’s name). If your name is Bob Smith, you can reverse it to Omi Thibbs, for example. Eileen’s friend could be Neelie, Annabel could be Belanna, etc
- Anagrams of common words. For example, “laugh” could be Gal Uh and “jump” could be M Puj. You can also use this method to create character names that match their personality. Well then, the inversion of “laugh” (laughs) – Gal Uh suits a character who is a comedian, the inversion of “jump” M Puj will suit a character with the ability to jump high.
- Type out a random string of characters in a text editor, then pick a bunch of characters that look promising, then rearrange them to a name you like.
- Or you could cut letters from a magazine, toss them in the air, and then pick out a name based on how they fell to the ground.
- For example, if you want to name the character Katniss Everdeen, don’t take the name entirely because it’s not only uncreative but also violates copyright laws. Instead, split it up as “Katherine” instead of “Katniss”, or “Dean” instead of “Everdeen”.
- You can mix celebrity names to create new names. Example: Justin Bieber combines Kate Alexa into Jexa Kelbeir.
- For example, you can pronounce “like this” (like this) as lykkethez. Then, select a cluster of letters to produce the final result. For example, from “lykkethez” we would have Kethez, Ethe, or Ykke.
- Type lyrics that stick together to create interesting combinations. For example, ‘All we are the wind’ can yield names like Llwea, Arei, Isdus, Hewin, etc.
- Remember that not all names can change gender flexibly.
Use the letter (or more letters) you like
- For example, when you look at the moon, think of another synonym, like “celestial body”, from which we get the name “Celeste”.
- If the name you created doesn’t sound right, add characters, but don’t overdo it.
Find the right name for the character
- That makes the story more believable if the character’s name fits the context. For example, if the story is set in China, the character names will be different from the story set in South Africa.
- Another method adopted by writer John Braine is to use names derived from the region or region where the story takes place.
- Look for names that are easy to pronounce out loud, easy to pronounce when you blurt them out.
- Avoid using many strange names for the characters to avoid creating a strange feeling.
- You can also create contrast between the character’s personality and the meaning of the last name. For example, a tough girl might be named Grace (graceful, feminine), a nerdy boy might be named Brock.
Advice
- Try rearranging the characters in a word used to describe a character, like cunning is Gin Nunc, modest is Dom Tes, simple is Sim Lep, something like So. Then you need to add or remove letters to make a complete name.
- If you want to come up with a character name for a sci-fi story, cut it a bit. There are many names in the world that you can combine to create a fictional name for your unique character.
- Names such as Aristotle, Sebastien, and Bridgelle are often used in stories that have a bit of a classic feel to them, while Andrew and Tom or Emma and Sarah are basic names appropriate for modern stories.
- Mix up common names for more interesting names. For example, Chris can be Kryss, Kris, Chrys or even Crystal.
- Use names originating from other countries or names that have a meaning that suits the character.
- Take a character trait and translate it into another language. You can also add or remove characters if you like.
- Look up names related to a character’s strength, for example, Eina is often given to characters with icy powers.
- If you’re particularly fond of a name, you can use it to name your character as appropriate, in terms of personality, time, place, and/or genre of story you’re writing.
- Write down every interesting, weird name you see, some of which will work.
- Take a name you like, then change it up a bit. For example, if you like the name Ella, try Rochelle/Rachelle, Elli, or Alla. Above all, be creative!
- Try looking up meaningful names that match the character. For example, if the character was built around the moon, you could search for “girl names that mean moon” and you could use “Luna”. This is especially useful when naming and helps readers remember character names easily.
Warning
- Don’t name your character after a real person, especially if that person is featured in a published work, and has a similar personality. You may be sued. Check to see if anyone has used that name in a publication before using your character.
- Do not immediately use a name you have just come up or found, ask for an objective opinion from people first. What name you think is cool may sound like a prescription to outsiders.
- Character names must be reasonable, especially with serious or tragic stories. Even if you want to be playful or creative, it will be difficult for readers to take your dramatic work seriously if the characters have names like “Lord Marky Mark” or “Princess Surfbort”.
This article was co-written by Stephanie Wong Ken, MFA. Stephanie Wong Ken is a writer living in Canada. Stephanie’s work has appeared in Joyland, Catapult, Pithead Chapel, Cosmonaut’s Avenue and other publications. She holds an MFA in Fiction and Creative Writing from Portland State University.
This article has been viewed 12,775 times.
Are you tired of using the same familiar names for characters in your creations? Do you think the story would be better if it used strange names? In fact, there are many ways to help you come up with more unique and interesting character names.
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