Naming characters is almost as messy as modern spellings of names — I’m Kirste with an E, not IE or Y, so, I will forever be spelling my name aloud when I get coffee.
It’s my first or second step in creating a new story and my favourite part of that beginning process. The amount of hours I’ve spent scouring baby-name sites is embarrassing.
Since coming up with your ideas, you probably have image of who your main characters are and what they’re doing in your story. It’s time to name them!
Consider what kind of story you’re writing. If your main character is seventeen in 1950, you won’t name them Jaxtyn or Binx. If you’re writing a novel about a wizard, probably don’t name him Harry. Some readers love looking into their favourite characters names and finding that the name’s meaning is almost an extension of their personality — Jana Oliver’s protagonist from her Demon Trappers series Riley Anora translates to ‘valiant light’ which really speaks to the part she plays in that series.
There are lots of points to start from!
Here are some resources that go into detail about how to help choose character names!
Depending on your character and their origins, consider their surnames in the same way you would their first name.
Even have some fun testing out these name generators!
Alysha has set up a Discord for us to have direct contact with each other! Come and introduce yourself and your characters to us!
Kirste x
Part of Things 