We’re diving back into my three-part series regarding naming your book characters! We started off with a bang, a vague overview of the necessary requirements needed to create convincing character names, which you can check out if you haven’t already. I’m picking that topic back up again today, with a deep-dive into finding the hero names that will aid your storyline and character development and will elaborate on what was already discussed in the overview. The advice I give today will be specific to creating an iconic and memorable name for a hero but is still generalized so that everyone can enjoy it. If you have a specific point or question to ask that this doesn’t cover, don’t hesitate to submit my form! Nevertheless, let’s begin with some of the critical points to keep in mind when naming your protagonist.
It’s good to make your main character stand out, but not too much.
I’ve read some excellent books set in the future, and although naming trends are hard to follow, it’s infuriating as a reader to engulf yourself in a technological future with characters answering to exotic and brief Aina, Rak and Jai and then to have the lead character be long, English Sebastian. Although you do want contrast between all of the chosen names to allow the reader to be able to differentiate the characters easily, having the name match up to the trends of their peers is crucial to creating a convincing world. If you want the trends for people in a futuristic universe to be short and hard sounds, then Sebastian is a choice that won’t fit very well. And even in realistic fiction, names like Jennifer and Michelle are severely underrepresented for people in an age category that makes them very likely to have those names. However, this makes them stand out too much when fellow characters are called Julie and Steve and the heroine is Aurora. This bleeds into my next point, refraining from giving characters names that are on our personal shortlists.
DON’T give your character your favorite name.
I know it’s very tempting. You have this long list of wildly beautiful and handsome monikers that you think that your main character is more than deserving of. And I get it. This character is a hero, an exceptional character, a lot of blood, sweat and tears on your part, and you probably are dying to give him or her the name they deserve. But the issue with this is that often the main character sticks out like a sore thumb, an Aurora in a sea of Julies and Steves. The amount of Seraphinas I’ve encountered whilst poring over fantasy or dystopian novels is absolutely astonishing, and that’s probably because it’s a stunning, striking, distinct, and whimsical name that feels at home in a fantastical universe. But it holds the character’s name back from becoming as iconic and “trademarked” so to speak, if it’s not very original, let alone a whopping four syllables long! If your favorite name fits in with the time period, age, and origin of your character seamlessly, then by all means, you’ve found the perfect name! However, in most cases, we favor names that are new and fresh, trendy appellations that would likely appear on a baby born in the past couple years, and choosing those for a character will weaken the setting and alienate the character from their peers. So unless it’s your intention to have your character be from a different time or realm than the universe the book takes place in, it’s best to try and avoid your current and trendy favorites.
Keep the syllable count and popularity low.
If you’re planning on this novel being the next New York Times Bestseller, you may want to follow in the footsteps of other great character-creators who, through both film and writing, got their hero names made essentially iconic. Think Katniss, Yoda, Homer (Simpson), Elmo, Barbie, Batman, and Harry (Potter). All two-syllables, and relatively rare, qualities that you may want to mimic when attempting to create your own character names. Obviously, if there is a name that you have your heart set on that is more than two syllables or decently popular, that’s a small enough problem that it’d be easy to overlook as a reader. However, the issue I have with names that are more than three syllables in a story is that they are cumbersome to read aloud as well as prone to shortening, which may throw the reader off, especially if the nicknames start with different letters than the first name. If Hezekiah is Kai in one sentence, but then morphs into Zeke the next moment, it’s easy as a reader to perceive the nickname switch as two brand new characters being introduced. Aside from length, rare names are also a big bonus when it comes to naming a character. Katniss is startlingly unique, and hence is recognized without any context of last name or book title. A unique name means that your character has more of a chance of being identifiable and memorable if your novel does happen to be a New York Times Bestseller.
And with that, the second installment in my three-part series concerning naming book characters has come to a close. To review, some of the best ideas to keep at the front of your mind while searching for character names is to steer clear of your favorites, as they are likely to make your character stick out a bit too much, and to try and fit the mold of many iconic character names: two syllables, relatively rare. I hope you enjoyed some hero-specific character naming advice, and stay tuned for the bad guys’ turn at this article soon!
Sincerely,
~Delphina Moon
What vital tips did I miss? Do you have a specific dilemma that you’d like me to help with concerning this topic or anything else baby name related? Submit my form under the Contact tab!