Naming characters can be one of the most fun parts of writing a novel, but it can also be one of the most frustrating. Choosing names requires thought--lots of thought. Your characters are part of the culture of your novel, which means their name should reflect that culture.
A good tool to use is baby name websites. I've done a roundup of a few of the more helpful ones below:
Baby Name Wizard: This site's Advanced Baby Name Finder is awesome. It allows you to select different attributes like popularity, length, and first letter to start with (useful when making sure main characters have names that start with different letters). You can also require or exclude names that are Biblical in origin, non-standardly spelled, traditional, or esoteric.
BabyNames.com: This site lets you easily search baby names by origin via the drop-down list. Bonus: they've also got a page of Tips for Writers (and they're good tips, too!).
Social Security Database: The U.S. Social Security Administration maintains a database of the 400 most popular baby names of each decade, all the way back to the 1880's (!). There's also a table of the top 10 names in each year from 1912-2011, as well as the top names per U.S. state for the last 40 years or more.
Baby Names World: Like the Baby Name Wizard above, this site has an advanced search that lets you filter by length, first letter, and popularity. It also lets you filter by origin, though, and it has some other options that are a little more subjective (heavenly names, anyone? Movie star names? How about pirate names?). Warning: this site is sponsored by Nickelodeon and thus has video ads that seem to play on every page. They're easy to turn off, but be aware!
Happy naming!
The Social Security website is the one I use most. It's great when you're looking for those names from older generations.
ReplyDeleteGreat Article You deserve Million of traffic so here is great opportunity for you
ReplyDeletebest internet montreal
NIKSA ice pack for kneeice pack for knee, 30% more gel content, keep colder, faster relief.
ReplyDeleteI really like the way you present the story. Great to read and the best experience I get in any blog. Thanks and also connect with me at Cortexi
ReplyDeleteCortexi is a hearing-aid supplement that claims to work for everyone. It contains natural ingredients that protect the ears and alleviates tinnitus symptoms and hearing loss.
DeleteNeuroRise is an all-natural supplement that combines twenty different ingredients to aid general health, concentration, and the symptoms associated with hearing loss.https://www.us-neurorise-us.us/neurorise-try
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing this great blog site. Very interesting and informative. Good job! Get the best Car removal deal here.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing this great blog site. Very interesting and informative. Good job!
ReplyDeleteCar wreckers Perth
This is where the significance of implementing an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system becomes evident. In this article, we’ll delve into the compelling reasons why telecom and networking IT resellers should embrace ERP systems to seamlessly navigate the intricacies of their industry.
ReplyDelete