I'm in the process of naming characters for the new contemporary young adult novel I've been thinking about for the past few weeks. I don't know what your process for naming is, but mine goes a little something like this...
(Oh, a quick note: since I'm writing contemporary YA, I always pick names that contemporary teens might have (that would be different if you're writing fantasy or dystopian, though I think you could easily find inspiration from contemporary names).)
First, I think of the main cast of characters. In this case, my protagonist, her love interest, and her other love interest (yes, a love triangle, how original, I know). I like to search for pictures and find out what they look like, do a little background thinking, and then come up with a list of possible names. In the beginning, I'm not married to a name. I may change it as I go on, but at some point, usually very early on, I like to have my names locked down.
The main thing I consider when naming is how old the character is and what his or her parents or family life is like. I mainly do this because in the real world names are determined a lot by a) when you were born and b) who your parents are.
My main characters are all about seventeen, so they were born around 1993 or 1994. If their families are wealthy, they may be more inclined to give their kids upper-class names that are just ahead of the mainstream trends. Or something classic. If the parents are English professors they might have chosen a name from Shakespeare. The state or country they are born in and the character's cultural heritage have something to do with it, too.
A good way to check and see if your character's name fits his/her time period and place is to check the Social Security Popular Baby Names site. It lists the most popular baby names in America every year since 1879 (which means, it's only accurate if your characters are American). You can even check by state or U.S. territory or browse popular names for twins. The site will show you the 1000 most popular names for every year for both boys and girls.
I like to head over there, put in the year of birth and then browse through, writing down names that I think might fit my character and his/her situation. Then, I pick a final name. If I’m looking for something super popular, I start at the top of the list. Something quirkier, the bottom. I tend to find good things by browsing in the 100’s or 200’s, too.
Let's take an example:
Edward Cullen was born in 1901. According to the social security site, Edward was the 9th most popular boys name in 1901. Great pick, Stephenie Meyer! Especially since this name has fallen out of usage in the last few years. If Edward was 17, he would have been born in 1988 (based on a Twilight publication date of 2005), and that year Edward was the 62nd most popular name. So, it wouldn't have been unheard of to have an Edward in class with you, but it would have probably been a little unusual. That's why the name sounds bit old-fashioned to Bella.
Bella, on the other hand, is a little different. In 1988, when she was born, the name Isabella did not even make the list of 1000 most popular girl's names in the United States. So, while it wouldn't have been impossible, it would have been extremely unlikely to find an Isabella Swann in 2005. Of course, we know Bella's mom was a Jane Austen fan (she tells Bella she looks like something out of Austen on her wedding day), so she may have named her after Isabella Thorpe from Northanger Abbey. (But, why would you name your child after a back-stabbing social climber?). She may have also been influenced by Wuthering Heights or Measure for Measure, which both feature Isabellas. For her part, Stephenie Meyer's said: "After spending so much time with [Bella], I loved her like a daughter... Inspired by that love, I gave her the name I was saving for my daughter, Isabella." That makes sense, since in 2005, Isabella was 6th most popular girls name.
Jacob, who was probably born in 1989 has the 26th most common boys name from that year. Not bad. I do wonder if his parents might have chosen a name that reflected his Native American heritage though, but I can't quibble too much.
The social security site also has a feature where you can see what names are rising and falling in popularity. (Speaking of Twilight, it looks like the boy's name Cullen has jumped from 782nd to 485th most popular in just one year!)
Another naming site I love and check all the time is The Baby Name Wizard. The author has a blog with all kinds of naming trends (amazing information!) and you can search for names to find meanings, origins, nicknames, popularity, and possible names for siblings. I use the sibling one all the time because I like to pick names that go together when I'm naming brother and sisters (after all, the same people who named my main character named his two older brothers).
I don't pay too much attention to name meaning (though sometimes you'll find out someone has a really perfect meaning for their name). I think more about how the name sounds and how it fits the character's life and situation. Last names are a whole different story though. I'm still not sure how to go about those...
How about you guys?
How do you name?
At what point in the writing process do you name your characters?
Do you ever change names?
How do you pick last names?
Any favorite names from literature you'd care to share?
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