6 Ways to Name a Character

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According to dictionary.com, a name is “a word or a combination of words by which a person, place, or thing, a body or class, or any object of thought is designated, called, or known.” But a name is more than that. A name has meaning (literally), it reflects on a person’s heritage and culture, and tells a story. For example, I could tell you an enormous story about the history of the name “Nicholas” but you have other stuff to do, like to check out that smooched toad on the sidewalk. The point is, a name is a very important thing, not only for a person, but for a story. Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, Ben Ripley, Katniss Everdeen are all characters we remember. But most stories don’t have characters with no name (notice I said “most”). So here are 6 ways to make names for your characters.

6. The Classic Way

The classic way of finding a name is just brainstorming. Many people will just try to play with sounds. Whenever one comes, just jot it down, and then pick one out. Ask yourself if the name “rolls of your tongue” and “is easy to say” You have to try to not write down an overused name (unless you want to) like Bob, Steve, Jack, Emily, Elizabeth, etc. It can be kind of fun, but for most people it’s pretty hard. And then you have to do the same thing for a last name.

5. The Unnamed Character

If you are writing a mystery novel and you want the characters (and readers) not to know the

name of someone, then you could use this. In this approach, you give the unnamed character a nickname. For example, in Stuart Gibbs Spy School, (I know this is completely off topic but a new Spy School book is coming: click here). Anyway, in the story, one of the antagonist is called Mr. E. Sure, you have to come up with a nickname but how hard is it to come up with “Mr. E”? Now why would you use this? When you have a mysterious nickname, it automatically makes the reader think the character is mysterious and secretive. This once again is very helpful in mystery stories. But please. Don’t use this just to get out of creating a name.

4. Use a Name You Know

This isn’t something I really suggest, but it is an option. If you can’t think of a name, you can use this (or what I suggest, #1). Most writers try to avoid this, but it’s okay as long as it doesn’t in any way insult someone. Yes, people. Don’t name a dumb character after your parents. It ain’t going to be fun for her or for you. To use this method, just think of a name of someone you know. Don’t use a book character, and I suggest only using the first or last name, not both. And DO NOT name your antagonist after a friend or family member. It won’t go well at all with them. Trust me.

3. Look at a Phone Book

Okay, most people don’t have a phone book. If you have a huge contact list however, this will work. Browse all the names and pick whatever stand out to you. This won’t work for everyone (I only have like 5 contacts, which limits options) but it can work.

2. Keep a Journal

Almost all writers carry a journal. Before the Pandemic I carried a red journal around school that I kept explaining to people that it wasn’t a diary. I could make a whole blog post about journals, but that’s not the point right now (**cough**cough**). As time goes by, jot down every single person’s name you know, and put how you know them. It also doubles to remember everyone’s name. If you get a random character name, jot it down and label it. Then when you have to name one of your characters, look through your journals. “But isn’t this basically #8?” you're probably wondering. No. How you can tell? It says #6. When choosing, don’t do someone you know well, preferably at all. For example, a friend’s colleague pet. This method is a little hard, and can be risky, but it’s something I suggest if you are comfortable with it.

1. Name Generator*

Here is the grand finale. Best of the best! This is the way I generate names for most of my characters. It is an extremely convenient method that automatically works in just one minute. I know! No using your brain! You enter either no information at all, or a bit of info, like which ethnicity or religion you want your character to be. They are on the worldwide web, just search “name generator”. A huge one I suggest is this one. Instead of the “character name” option on it, I suggest going with the first, middle, and last name. This is one I highly suggest using.

Anyway, that concludes our list! These are all wonderful options and can be used to make a character name. But at the end, all your name has to do is provide a bit of insight on the character's personality/story, make sure it sound good to say, don’t use overused names, and many more. Finally, don’t stress it. Naming a character isn’t that big of a deal. That’s it. See you in my next post, and stay safe!

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