We’re already to the finale of my three-part series concerning the names of fictional characters in stories, but don’t fear! There are other parts of the series on my homepage, which you can take a look at if you’re wanting more on the subject of character names. However, the specific subject matter for today is villains, which is often the most difficult character to name. When it comes to choosing a moniker for your antagonist, it’s important to choose an intimidating, but not incredibly terrifying, name, as most characters should have many layers in order to be successful and multi-dimensional. So, I’ve outlined some key guidelines and principles to follow when trying to conjure up a name for the enemy of your hero, the antagonist.
Sound is your friend, use it!
When you look at using sound to try and bias a reader towards thinking one way about a character, in this case, a villain, remember that using Latin prefixes and roots with bad connotation is one simple way to convince a reader that a certain character is bad or good. Mort- is the Latin prefix for death, and the root Mal- translates to “evil.” With words like mortuary and malevolent that connote misfortune, an author using Mallory, Mortimer, or Malcolm will often register as a negative character to a reader. Just a hissing or harsh sound in a name can instill discomfort in the reader surrounding the character before they even enter the storyline, so it’s a great tool to utilize. Jacqueline in a realistic fiction piece or Haggith in a more fantastical story have abrupt, jarring sounds that provide an unsettling contrast to the hero that may put the reader on high alert with that character if they haven’t already been exposed as the villain. Simply one little tweak with the sound of a name can make all the difference, and it’s an excellent route to a sinister sounding name that needs to feel more normal for a realistic fiction novel or for a fantasy novel with a more “normal” naming style.
Remember, the villain didn’t name themself!
Just as easy as it is to give the hero, whom you treasure and likely have big plans for in your novel your favorite name, it’s all too easy to give your villain the most sinister, evil, wicked name you can possibly imagine. And that’s all well and good, but it lacks a little depth, and often cuts off the villain’s backstory. Still keep in mind that the villain was someone’s child. Realistically, they will have a regular name, especially in realistic fiction. Zamortia feels out of place and obvious in a group of Ashleys and Rachels, and blunt and blatant names that make the villain extremely apparent can ruin the suspense if the reader is unaware of the villain in the beginning. If they were born into villainy, you can reflect that in an extravagantly evil name as well, but always make sure that if you want your villain to have multiple sides, a backstory and a name to accompany it is crucial. If Zamortia is the daughter of Hades and was sent down to earth amidst Ashleys and Rachels to carry out an evil mission, that’s a different story, and the out-of-place name actually aids the characters and plot. If they changed their name to a more ominous appellation when they turned to villainy, particularly in fantasy novels, then it’s important that the author works in the story of the name change. A name change can motivate a plot, like J.K. Rowling’s Lord Voldemort, previously Tom Marvelo, or destroy the character building and backstory if not mentioned.
Avoid already notorious villain names.
Indeed, Hannibal is a successful character name. And it’s beneficial to mold your character name around a word with menacing connotation too, but poor to name your character Hannibal, as well. No, names are not trademarked, but once a name gets to a certain level of notoriety, it becomes confusing to the reader. Is this fanfiction? Is it a spin-off book adaptation? Even using names with unfortunate political connotations such as Adolf or Osama can confuse or offend the reader, especially if the book is historical or realistic fiction that takes place in the past and there is a possibility that certain historical figures would have existed at the time. While this would feel like an obvious statement, it is important to do a quick search of the name you’re choosing for your villain, particularly if it’s on the rarer side, and make sure that there isn’t one single scandalous figure that consumes the associations that people have with the name. That applies to hero names, too, as well as love interests, secondary characters, etc. Making sure that the name doesn’t have any infamous bearers is very critical when choosing a name outside of the top 1000, as one bearer with the name will taint the whole name in a certain direction that you may not want, or that may bring confusion to your reader.
And that brings my character naming series to a close. I hope you enjoyed this series, and maybe look into some of the other articles in the series if you’re invested in learning the critical and influential effects of the perfect hero and villain names on readers and on the backstories of your characters. I look forward to seeing you again at the Name Warehouse!
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!
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