Young Writers Society

I'm looking for a good last name for my character. Her name is Mina and she was born into a suburban life, so nothing too cheesy or fake. Some average last name for an average girl. Any ideas?

Oh and thanks!

What's her heritage/nationality? Mostly her dad, maybe even a generation or two of dads down the line. That's the most important thing, because it determines where the last name comes from. Once you've determined that, you can look at the language structures of those countries, which gives you a direction for name building.

Another question is: did her ancestors immigrate and Anglicize their last name? If so, what was the ethnicity was the original last name? (You can get some pretty interesting changes, especially from German, Russian and Scandinavian names)

Hope this helps!

Thanks! I'm not really sure about those things yet, but that helped me think.

Question: is there any need for a surname?

I can't think of any now, but I used to comb through websites to find a fitting one for my characters. In the end, I never used them. I wouldn't worry as much compared to a first name doesn't always define a person as much unless it's part of your story :3

I need one. It is kind of important for the story. I really don't know where I'm going with the story, but at one point i ended up writing "Mina (insert last name)" because I didn't have one.

Aha.

I can't remember who did this (someone with the first name Susan, perhaps?) but what they did was they searched the phone book for names. It's a good way if you're looking for seemingly normal, common names that should ideally not stick out.

That's a really good idea! Thanks, I'll try that. I tried a last name generator, but all the names were too... uncommon. I want something good, but not unheard of. Thanks guys!

You could also check out http://www.surnames.behindthename.com. They have lists of the most common last names in different countries, and their meanings, if that's important to you.

Thanks! I'll try that too and get back to you all on the best ones I've found so far. You guys are awesome!

Ok guys. You helped a ton. I found tons of good ones and now I need your opinion. What do you think of the following (say the letter of the one you like the most):

A) Mina Williams
B) Mina Green
C) Mina Ross
D) Mina Ellis
E) Mina Webb
F) Mina Quinn

So those are the ones I thought were best if you want to vote, but if you have other ideas feel free to speak your mind (also if you don't like one tell me that too). Thanks so much guys!

Since I don't know anything about Mina, except that she's "average," I can't say which name fits the best. They all seem perfectly fine. I would say that Mina Green might not be the best choice since it kind of rhymes, unless that's what you're looking for. And Mina Webb definitely has some interesting connotations.

I'd say Mina Williams. I tend to give characters slightly longer surnames if they have relatively short first names. However, I don't know much about your character so you might want something that is more representative of Mina herself?

Ok, well Mina has had a normal life until her parents die and she learns that they had some secrets. Mina is independant and tough but she's trying to prove she's better than her parents. I'm kind of just seeing where the story goes. I agree that Mina Green isn't a good last name.

Mina Harvey, it popped into my head straight away.