I already said all that. He is from present day, I don't know exactly what nationality he is and he is from the town in my novel. I guess you can say he is english.
Ah, sorry! I missed the "present day" thing when I was reading.
When it comes to location, I was more referring to the country and region it was set in. If it's set in the American South, it'll be different than if it's set in New York/just outside of, and it'll be different again if it's set in England.
A writer is a world trapped in a person— Victor Hugo
Ink is blood. Paper is bandages. The wounded press books to their heart to know they're not alone.
Madwriter, if you don't know what country your present-day story is set in, then you have much larger problems than simply searching for a name.
As it is, without knowing for sure which country or region he lives in, we can't very well help you with the boyfriend's name. We don't have the information necessary for looking up popular or common names in that region, nor do we know what his parents were likely to call him.
If you'd like, you can do the research on popularity and commonness on your own—I usually use Behind the Name when I'm concerned with picking a country-accurate popular name, though there are sites that have more specific regionally-accurate names depending on the region.
I know that it is in either in Northern USA, Canada or anywhere in the UK. Knowing the country doesn't effect the story in anyway so it's not that much as a priority as a character name. I understand your concern though.
So here's the thing. It actually does have a huge impact on name.
Take a look at Sites like this or this that break down baby names by state/province (respectively). You'll find that the lists vary wildly depending on the region, meaning each area has its own individual naming conventions. Compare it to England and Wales vs Scotlant vs Ireland.
Not to mention each one of these regions will drastically impact your dialogue, what "rich" looks like, the type of education (aka your setting, because high school is a drastically different experience in Canada, the US, England, and Ireland, what with how England has your last two years of education called "sixth form" which is basically nothing but preparation for huge exams, which are lacking in the US; high school also starts in grade 7 in England when it starts in grade 9 in the States), what all your other characters are named, and the weather (like how the UK doesn't really get much bone chilling cold over winter).
As a result, we cannot help you figure out what names are probable in your setting unless you give us an actual setting. Just take a look at all those lists and see how, yes, there are some similarities— but there are also drastic differences in how people are named and why.
You cannot simply take "generic rich town #24" and have it be an accurate setting. Considering plot is character goal+ setting obstacle, it's basically mandatory to have a location. Not to mention it makes the story so much better and more real to have nuances that are unique to the place the story is set in, and yes, that does include names.
A writer is a world trapped in a person— Victor Hugo
Ink is blood. Paper is bandages. The wounded press books to their heart to know they're not alone.
My story centers around a world in which the Government specifically names children until a little before the main characters are born. I have used dozens of baby name books and records to find popular baby names in each country.
My main character was named a common Italian name at birth: Luciano. However, this character's mother decides to deny to Government and name her baby Talon.
Unique names are rising in popularity nowadays, so within reason you can make up your own. As long as you can think of a reason for why that name was chosen for the character, it should check out into a memorable piece of your story. Books with baby names are very helpful, because they include the origins of most names and what they mean. Also, they include dozens of names you've never heard of before. Dystopian stories obviously take place in a different society, so made up names that sound more futuristic are appropriate (I have a character named Marque).
Basically, when you find the right name for your character, you'll know. It's great to know what kind of person the character is before settling firmly on a name. You can work metaphors/hidden meanings into names as well.
-Grace
“La giraffa ha il cuore lontano dai pensieri. Si è innamorata ieri, e ancora non lo sa.” - Stefano Benni
Heyo! I decided to post a bunch of cool names that you guys can cherry-pick from for your stories. Feel free to use any one of these! Girls Sophia Emma Olivia Ava Isabella Mia Zoe Lily Emily Madelyn/Madeline Chloe Charlotte Aubrey Avery Kaylee Layla Harper Eloise Ella Arianna Riley Evelyn Addison Mackenzie Adalyn Ellie Brooklyn Scarlett Lillian Sarah Audrey Elizabeth Leah Annabelle Kylie Lucy Savannah Gabriella Callie Alyssa Peyton Samantha Liliana Bailey Violet Adeline Eva Stella Keira Katherine Vivian Alice Camilla Kayla Sydney Piper Gianna Paisley Bella London Cadence
Unisex Ainsley Addison Ash/Asher Aubrey Bailey Bobbie Brett Brook Charlie Corey Dakota Daryl Eli Frankie Gray Harper Hayden Jamie Jesse (Masculine) Jessie/Jessi (Feminine) Kennedy Morgan Peyton River Rudy Stevie Tanner Taylor Tyler West (East, South, North... You can go in all directions with this one) Winter Zeek
Boys Noah Liam Mason Ethan Michael Jacob Elijah Aiden Alexander/Alex/Xander Jayden William James Logan Matthew Daniel (Unisex) Anthony Carter Joseph Lucas Jackson Benjamin Gabriel/Gabe (Unisex, depending on the pronunciation.) Christopher/Chris David/Dave Dylan Sebastian Andrew Joshua Christian Lukas/Luke Nathan Zion John Ryan Hunter Samuel/Sam/Sammy Caleb Isaac Julian Jaxon (Same as Jackson, I know.) Hope this was helpful! Note: I did not keep count of the names in each category. Waffle~
One thing I do to pick names when writing fantasy is to write out the common letters of the language of the area, then fiddle with them until I get something that feels right. Coming up with a naming standard (for example, two syllables with every other letter a consonant) helps to name lots of characters quickly. I have to be careful, though - otherwise, before I know it, Darin and Salin are going on a quest to defeat Gyren and his minions, Norin, Loren and Ziran, who have taken Poran hostage and - you get the idea.
The best names, and the worst, names I have ever used are always thought up on the spur of the moment. Like Eric. I pasted it on a character at the spur of the moment, more of a place holder. And he still is called that and there is no way I am ever going to change it.
A well-regulated Militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed ~Second Amendment.
Since my book's setting is a made-up fantasy world I have a list of made-up names on my laptop. If you create your own names, make sure you can write them down quickly before you forget them. Then, when you introduce a new character, you can simply scroll through the list and find a good one. Even if you don't make your own names, you can collect the ones you like.
Here's another tip if you make up your fantasy names. Make sure the word you come up with doesn't mean something else or could be confused with another word. Recently I came up with a name for a sci-fi short story and my dad pointed out that it was the name of a car.. (whoops)
I like to choose either short names or nicknames (one or two syllables) for my main characters. I feel like it makes them more relatable and it's easier to say.
Try not to make the names of your main characters too similar sounding. I watched a show with my family recently and we were all laughing at the fact that the three main characters were named Kou, Kei, and Kai.
One cheat I use when coming up with fantasy names is finding a normal name and switching the letters around to make it look special. For example: "Laura" becomes "Aura" or "Lurai".
I don't know who created that website and I don't remember how I find out about this place?
But since its free and no limits, I use it to make names and now I have a list on my HD for names for the characters I commission to be drawn, so I don't have to find a name for its species and a personal name ^^
My main character's name is Styxx. I don't actually remember where I heard it used as a name for the first time, though. I've always liked ancient mythology and the river Styx seemed perfect for his name.
“wanting what you could not have led to misery and madness” ― Cassandra Clare, Clockwork Prince
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