Names!

So, I've bugged mostly everyone in chat about this but I am still having problems with it. I need help with names, as you've probably already figured out. Why? Because I am terrible at them. Does anyone know any good name sites that don't feed B names when you've specifically clicked - like a gazillion times - Z!

Or if you know any good girls and boys names, they'd be gladly appreciated. You can't ignore that face...HELP IT!

My one true love when it comes to naming characters: Behindthename.

MY one true love when it comes to names. Name_Meanings.com

I think I should just say, don't have too many characters! Stick to region specific names - African characters with English names will either be named after famous people or have British names - for the previous generation anyway. Rather than pick a name, think about what kind of name you have.

Here's an interesting word for you aptronym! ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aptronym ) It means a name that aptly suits the holder (e.g Usain Bolt - 100m Sprint Runner and Olympic Gold-Medallist) Alan Ball, The name of two English footballers (father and son), the latter played in the 1966 World Cup winning team.

Now you should never use outright aptronym but remember that different sounds imply different things. I had a superhuero named Lucas, out of the top of my head. He was basically a tall dark handsom guy. The letter L imples so AND Lucas means light in another language. Guess what his superpowers were...

L,S,C and thel ike imply calm, cool, etc. K,X,V imply harshness (Korvax the Killer! Lilac the Lover)

http://www.superheronation.com/2007/10/ ... otherwise/

Thanks guys! This is very helpful.

The best thing to do when naming characters (in my opinion) is to give them interesting names that suit the character, but not a name like Thumbelina Sapphire Ladyfire, because that's just...insane. But a name like Bob or John is kind of boring. So maybe compromise between the two. Attention-grabbing but not over the top.

Good luck with the story!

As the wonderful Shakespere once wrote: "A rose by any other name would still smell as sweet."

It's the character that matters, not the name. Don't worry too much about it, just be brave, pick a name, and go for it.

If you really can't stand it, you can still change it in five chapters time, so why not give your character a pet name to start with, and expand it to a full name, or find a reason for the nickname, when it comes to you.

Tenny, as always, you're a genious!

Glimmer, thank you so much for the advice. I'll follow through with everyones reccomendations, don't you worry! But I don't think you really are.

I love names! I personally always go for a meaning behind them. It is sometimes directly related to the character, sometimes the complete opposite. I suggest you check out the sites that have been suggested. If all else fails, Tenny's advice is good.

This often used quote comes to mind, "The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug." by Mark Twain, and it's the exact opposite of the way you should look at names. People let little details like names tangle up writing too much, to the point that the name becomes an element of the writing, but since it's a name it's not very dynamic in post-modern writing (or whatever post-post we're in).

Quotes like the above get interpreted that EVERY element should be capitalized when writing in order to be successful; the truth is not so. Symbolism with names was popular over a hundred years ago, and I'm sorry, but I can take only so much Victorian writing and back before it's nauseating.

In most occasions, use your own judgment (even if you're bad with it, just write names down in a list you come up with).
For example, "Ed" is a boring, simple name. So is "Bob", "Larry", "Dave Jones", etc. Typical names, that is common names, carry an implication that is just as colorful as Rorschach in Watchmen, though. What's more important is the character's actual personality. This is what I'm really trying to emphasize in my post, and by extension view in the way you're looking at names; I dressed my post up with a quote and explained it, listed examples, but ultimately told you that the substance of what I'm explaining is much more important than surface details.

Hopefully that helps, and remember, write names down in a list, maybe you hear them on TV or in passing, and just choose one. Focus on their personality before your get to the little details.

I just make most of mine up. If I'm stuck on a name for a place, I'll use Google translator and pick a language that sounds good.

Thanks everyone for the advice! That was a very large help. I've managed to get good names without stressing my brain out! And that's a really good idead; translater! Mmmm, I've got to try it.

You're welcome. Don't worry about naming your characters too much. I'll let you in on a little secret. I didn't figure out my main character's name for my novel-in-the-works until the second scene. So, don't worry about it too much.