[Discussion] What's In A Name?

[LordCowCowCowCowCowCowCowCow]

After all a Rose by any other name can still be a Mary Sue.

Yes I have permission for this.

 

So here we go, not an actual story but instead discussion related to stories. Names. Everything has them in some way.

So I would like to hear from all of you what you think about names. How do you go about deciding names? And how important is a name in fiction? What do names make you think and feel? And so on so forth. Go, my writing brethren, discus names!

[Aix]

It's important the feel of the name fits my character, whether because of culture, meaning, or simply euphonics. It's a part of their identity.

[Snatch Steal]

The name of an object is arbitrary. Chairs are not chairs, we only call them chairs because we have been taught to call them chairs since we were young. If a human were trapped away in a cave and taught that red was blue and blue was red, then he went into the world being told otherwise, he would think everyone is crazy.

 

Characters' names should be used wisely. You can name things you wouldn't usually name to amplify a motif. Also, giving characters symbolic names should probably be done frequently.

 

If humans like one thing, it's patterns, so having a predictable theme for your characters' names would be easy on the eyes and could potentially make you appear more skilled and thoughtful.

[Yui]

I generally like to pick names that have some sort of relation to what the character is all about. Like Aix said, the name is part of a character's identity, and it's the first thing they'll think of when they think of that character. I said in my RP resources post that there aren't many epic heroes named Bob or Sally, and I can't really imagine an average-joe businessman being named Gilgamesh or Odysseus. Even if we don't acknowledge it, we build a small impression of a character just based off their name. A person only gets one name, so when I make a character, I like to make that one count.

[Maeriberii Haan]

What's in a name?

Alice. Simply alice.

 

No matter what or who, it's all Alice. No matter how you spin it, whether it's its root or a rearrange, it's still entirely Alice.

 

There is a wonderland of Alices in a name.

[Sethera]

@Nai: Wow. XD

 

For me, I believe that a name is not only meaningful in the meaning itself, but how it sounds/reads as well. The way the consonants and vowels work together. A mellifluous name wouldn't work well on a harsh and overbearing overlord, much like how a cacophonous name wouldn't work for a graceful elf princess. If you don't know what I mean, just set mellifluous and cacophonous side by side and say them out loud.

 

Also, I prefer simple names, if only because I see an overly complicated name far too many times in amateur fiction, something you can't even pronounce without a lot of trouble, like T'Karl'O'bongar'ro. Though, funnily enough, I can actually pronounce that one, but you know what I mean.

[Just Crouton]

Something with 2 or less syllables, easy to pronounce, and easy for the reader to identify in a pool of other characters.

[Maeriberii Haan]

So, Alice?

 

That aside, half of my character names (so the ones that aren't Alice) are either referencing something, nonsensical, both, or a completely normal name that doesn't really reference anything.

 

Been a while since I used meaningful names. At times kinda feel that in context they can get a bit nonsensical. Things like, why does their parents name their kid like that and why the kid end up grow up exactly like his name?

 

or something like that.

[ÆƵ–]

When I've used names in my writing, it's usually some gibberish that sounds like a name. Examples of this include Dokinzel, Dakken, Daphen...

 

You know whaty, I think I see a pattern

[mitchermitcher]

shouldnt this go to story planning

 

I guess I value the sound and feel of the name more than anything, except when it's to make a dumb joke or something. They're vital to how I imagine characters but I don't try to make them particularly meaningful.

[LordCowCowCowCowCowCowCowCow]

I would just like to say to whoever moved this to Story Planning.

I had asked a mod where to put it and was told CW :T

 

Anyway. For me names are an odd thing. As long as I can remember and pronounce them it's fine. When choosing a name I kind of just run through names in my head until something feels right. Doesn't need to have a meaning just a feeling.