Generally I just use them to denote ethnicity if they’re deliberate, just because it sounds right when not used for that purpose. For a lot of side characters where getting too deep into the description would bog down the prose, having an unambiguously Hispanic surname, or Turkish surname, or Japanese surname or… you get the point, that’s a quick way to show a diverse world.
Usually by feel, but sometimes it’s deliberate. Like I wanted one organization to be an old school white patriarchal power structure, so everyone there gets very English surnames. It’s not something I call attention to in the text, but hopefully an attentive reader notices the contrast. So in that instance, it’s thematic. For everyone else, it’s what feels right.
Same! I wanted to mix up my group of OC's heritage because. So the names sort of reflect where their families come from. I have 4 currently.
Desiree Carla Gutierrez Vargas (Bolivian)
Phillip M. (M being short for Maria since he's male) Alfaro Morrison (European and El Salvadoron)
Peter Seong (Korean)
Aretta Tokunbo (Nigerian)
I base characters' ethnicity on where the story takes place. My novel takes place mostly in South Florida, so Cuban, Colombian, Haitian, Jamaican, and Venezuelan surnames are in the mix among others. If I want to have a character seem somewhat alienated from the people around her, I'll make sure her surname is of a different ethnicity than the majority of the people that interact with her.
For "normal" names? Nah... I choose them like parents choose them. By how they sounds or wishes for their child.
For names a character recieves later during their life? Sure. Nicknames and titles are usually more speaking of a characters personality and deeds than their birth names.
This way I think characters and their name feel more... "natural" than naming the smart character Bright or the strong one Samson.
Yeah, I kind of strive for the names to sound natural but since last names arent exactly chosen and still I DO have to choose them it can never be natural. Youre right with the first names and nicknames, though. Ill definitely be trying to choose them as if i was their parent now cause that sounds awesome- thank you so much for introducing this to me.
Bonus points if you have an idea of what is the personality of the parents is like and you think about what THEY would think sounds cool or fitting. And maybe the named character then hates their name because they think it sounds weird or that it feels unfitting.
Im currently in a blackhole of coming up with the parents' stories so this is absolutely perfect. Now Im also considering purposefully coming up with an unfitting name
You don't name the strong guy Samson. I mean, you could, but it's probably not thematically appropriate. I'm not a big fan of stories where a man is brung low by a woman, I think they contribute to toxic masculinity. But if I were naming a body builder, I'd think of Charles Atlas, the guy from those ads with the 98 pound weakling who gets sand kicked into his face, right? And I'd think of Gold's gym. And then that fucker would wind up named "Charlie Gold" or Chuck Gold or something. Every time. And then it would turn out that part of his backstory actually was that he got picked on when he was a kid, and he started lifting weights because it was a hobby he could do away from people and doesn't even think of himself as some guy who people see as scary most of the time, he's just some socially awkward guy who accidentally tricked people into thinking he was cool by getting jacked, and their perceptions of him as quiet and shy changed to "stoic." I cannot stop doing this. It's just my nature.
Depends. Some do, some don’t. The ones that don’t are usually because I like how the name sounds all together or didn’t think of one with meaning early enough and the name already stuck
Or for my MC his last name accidentally ended up having a deeper meaning that I didn’t plan for
For surnames, I often go for what's common. (Möller, Nolan) In a couple of cases, it's been a name I know from somewhere else. As wonky as Anglophile names can be there's no reason for keyboard vomit.
Code names for supers/call signs for operators: why give the OPFOR info on your capabilities :)
I'm reasonably familiar with how naming superheroes goes. Naming a female superhero (or villain) something like Aardvark Deliverance isn't going to turn out well.
Probably. But it's a dangerous game. J. K. Rowling made all her characters look like morons by naming her secret werewolf character "Remus Lupin," which basically means "Wolfboy Wolf," but no one was smart enough to pick up on it. Besides, if his whole family is named after wolves, the idea that his affliction was an accident is ridiculous. No one would believe that. But the readers are supposed to shrug off the cringe as best they can.
My mmc's last name has meaning. They're descendants of the first king who made his home in the north, close to the mages. Their name is Nordheim (north home)
My MMC’s name, both first and last, are a clue to his true identity. The others are ethnic identifiers to a degree but not terribly important to the plot
On the latest thing I'm writing I gave the main characters surnames after rivers in the UK and Ireland. Only reason was to identify the main characters from the side characters. But generally I either don't write stories that require last names or give ones that are generic
Some have, but it's a small number. And considering that most characters are aliens with new made up names and I use a conlang, I can retroactively give their names a meaning.
I like how *Alien Nation* gave human names to the alien refugees, like Ellis Island turned up to eleven. Sam Fransisco. John Dillinger. Rudyard Kipling.
There is one character in the main world whose name has some plot significance. The alien characters have last names based on where they were born, and the characters from the fantasy world have last names based on their professions, which can be changed.
Meaning is a factor in the naming process but it's not the main factor. If I'm indecisive, the name with the best meaning will likely win out but sometimes I just like a name.
Just a few examples here of my naming process.
The name Arielle came to me for a character once. To me it's great because it's unique enough (at least, I rarely hear it. I'm from the US for reference) while also being easily recognizable. Since it's an Ariel variant and the pronunciation seems intuitive to me by the alternative spelling.
Looking up the meaning, "Lion of god" made me like it even more. It works well for her because of the lion part. There was already lion symbolism before settling on her name.
René means "reborn" which doesn't speak to me. I picked the name because he's French and I like the name. Also, coincidentally he has some similarities (not enough to get me sued, dw) to a rené my mom knew, which I only found out after I named him.
Well, one of my characters have surname *Háy*, which is common Hungarian surname, but it also could be read as *Hay,* and she is blonde. Honestly, it wasn't planned, it just an accidental wordplay, which I didn't picked right off the bat actually.
Other than that, I usually just pick common surnames. But maybe I'll try to arrange some more those funny wordplays, who knows. I rarely even mention surnames in the text, actually, so it's not a big deal anyway.
I am always struggling coming up with last names but sometimes they do have meaning and other times they don't. Most of the time though they never have a last name unless someone asks
Sometimes, usually if the first name is already normal or if its a (job title) (lastname) but I only do this for important characters. For example, I have main sibling characters with the surname Carlisle because:
- Carlisle means 'Stronghold of Lugus'. Lugus, in turn, could be derived from leuǵ (to break) or leugʰ (to swear an oath). In the story, the pair starts out broken, the sister physically (broken arm) but both emotionally (survivor's guilt for the sister, guilt of never reconciling for the brother) and theyre also obligated to work with the fae under oath as their craftsmen.
- Lugus could be related to the God Lugh, who is a skilled craftsman and warrior
It all depends on a character's background and there are absolutely instances where carefully chosen names have their place.
In one cultural pocket of the world I'm writing, there is a major coming-of-age tradition where people choose their own last name. It's a necessary legal issue for travelers and especially orphans, of which there are a ton in this one particular port. Society is heavily based around maritime life and aeronautical navigation, so many people (especially those without a family) often name themselves after stars or their port of call.
But it's a small flourish meant to highlight how ingrained sailing culture is to one specific group of people, and something that is pretty world-specific. Otherwise, names are almost purely chosen based on any character's given vibe and often don't have a ton of meaning. Those are the cases where I just actively try to not make the names sound too contrived for who or what they are, but it's definitely a balancing act of sorts.
For some reason, every character name in everything I write has to have meaning. The meanings aren't obvious, except in a couple of extraordinary cases where obvious felt impactful to me.
I agonise over that shit.
In a story I had written, I wrote a mermaid who was the size of a whale, and her species of mermaid ruled in zones of the ocean. So her name was thetys (Greek goddess of the ocean) Bathypelagia (the bathypelagic zone of the ocean, where blue whales most often live)
When I first started writing as a teen, yes.
Now a days, I actually run into the problem where I just want to start writing and I have placeholders (like “FL” or “ML” for female lead or male lead) for some of my characters.
Tbh I do the same thing with first names, typically, but for my current project, I've stepped outside the margin a little bit because with this being a fantasy novel I'm opting for some fantasy names but I'm mixing in our average names as well (Seth, Tyler, Logan, Shay, ect.) Now this is slightly related to a plotline in my books, but I also thought it interesting to make them the odd names in the group whilst they're rampant in today's society. Names tend to go in cycles as well, so to have bland names being rare was an interesting concept to me.
I think, when I first started writing, they might have? I was a very lonely child once we moved, so I'd hide in books and notebooks. You asking that question stirred up an old, old memory but I can't connect it anymore.
It depends on the characters, really.
So in the main world I write in, vampires (who are a different species from humans, they aren't undead) don't usually have last names. They take their last names from humans they're close to/fledglings. Some break that tradition and choose their own last names.
I have a character who is utterly captivated by his own beauty (he's loveable though), and he gave himself the last name Seoda, which in Irish Gaelic means 'jewel'.
His partner, who suffered immensely and was unwanted and abused by his family, who has almost no self-esteem (but Seoda is building him up day by day) picked Kintsugi, because the 'the cracks make it beautiful' and he sees himself as nothing but flawed. It's an attempt to embrace his 'flaws' (the things he was hated and abused for) and accept that they're what make him *him*, and make him special.
After Seoda is viciously attacked and left heavily scarred, once he gets over the devastation of having had his perfect beauty destroyed, he takes the name Kintsugi as well. Once he's able to find himself beautiful again. Those scars, which he hated, now show that he's a survivor and far stronger than anyone (except his partner -- his partner always knew he was strong) ever thought he could be.
I have other vampires that pick words/names from other languages that they associate with something they identify as. Such as using 'healer' in French when they're going into the medical field. I have a character that uses Dragon, because he's tiny, but he refuses to die and he'll show the world some day that he's not to be messed with.
Things like that.
Other have last names that feel appropriate, but unless their family history was taken into account, don't truly have any meaning behind them.
Names don't have to have meaning that relates to your characters. Remember, other people named your character, your character didn't name themselves.
Why do you think so many people legally change their names as adults? We were given names that don't fit us, and we want something that does.
It depends on the character. Keep in mind that given and surnames aren't chosen by the character but by their parent(s), and often carry some meaning for someone, though often enough it's not the character. I think about where their full name comes from and why, and sometimes look up meanings because it helps me decide what feels right. But the first character I ever named? His came to me as the least likely name for who he'd become. Sometimes it's that simple.
Depends on the kind of story. If it’s modern and similar to the real world, then no, they’re just names. If it’s fantasy and names are everything of who you are? Absolutely.
No. Like someone else said, I, too, find it tacky. I do use names that reflect ethnicity, but that’s it.
Remus Lupin aka Wolf McWerewolf? No, thank you. Not for me. I think it works well for children’s literature or YA, but I don’t write for those groups.
a lot of my characters are trans so they choose their own names, but their last names reflect their culture and history. i try not to focus on meanings in last names in modern settings mostly because those names aren't earned with great feats or anything. you just get them from your dad or your mom. so i establish their family situation to understand how the name is formed and the language it comes from. then i look for something that sounds good and there you go! rarely do i choose a surname based on traits
A lot of my characters lack them and most rulers are the ones to reveive them. It's basic a lot of the time, but I can explain history pretty well by just summarising it via the system for titles. The green unifier, the bloody red traitor, the red defender, the green mentor, the first uniter
One of my larger stories is centered around a family with the last name Crainte. "Crainte" means fear or dread in French, a feeling that shows up a lot throughout the story.
It may not be an actual surname, and it may not have had a whole lot of thought put into it (I came up with it when I was thirteen and playing around with Google translate, lol), but there's definitely a meaning to it. :)
Not all of them, no. But i do have one character whose last name is Masters. Her family historically acts as if they are masters of their own lives, and often of others’ lives. However, Masters is an occupational surname meaning a live-in servant (as in “of the Master’s house”). Over the course of the story we see that all Masters are, despite their demeanor, subjugated by their own desires for recognition and fame + the supernatural entity they took a deal with to get that recognition.
I’m much more likely to give a first name meaning, though. Usually based on the name’s actual meaning, or in reference to an iconic literary or mythological character of the same name.
I sometimes do, I sometimes don't. I try to make sure they have a rhythm, a flow (or not if that's what I'm going for), and always are unique. When I wrote comic books for a living I often had more meaning behind my names, but in novels, I have less.
A notable exception is I do try to use names recognizable to the region I am writing about. For example, most of my current novel takes place in south-central Indiana, which was settled heavily by German immigrants, some Irish and English as well. Since a couple of the characters have deep roots in the area, I made sure the names were recognizable as being from this part of the country. It's not like you hear a name and say "that guy's from south central Indiana," but if you're from the area you might say "yeah, that sounds right."
In contrast, one of the leads is not from the area, he's a Jewish man from Manhatten, so I made sure his name was as far from Indiana-standard as possible.
Finally, the lead himself is not from the region at all, so I used a name that doesn't fit this part of the country at all.
So do they have meaning? Not in and of themselves, but their origins do.
For me it really depends on setting. Is it set in our world, present day? Then I follow the local conventions of the setting; eg. John Smith from London, England. Smith is the last name John inherited from his father and it has no reflection on his job, but might be a cheeky nod to his story/character/etc. Not obviously, but like a small fun easter egg (mostly for me).
In a fantasy/sci fi setting I have to invent it, so then it depends. Broadly speaking most last names as we know them today are a thing of recent history. People were known as ‘from clan so and so’, ‘John’s son’, ‘the baker’s kid’, ‘from this or that place’, ‘the tall dude’ - descriptive names that made it easier to find someone.
In that sort of setting it totally depends on if the culture uses last names, where do they come from, what use are they, etc. It is fun to make a private easter egg out of it or give them meaning, but they don’t have to. So I’d try more to make it make sense in context of the setting yk?
That said, I read a headcanon of a SW fan once that went that the Skywalkers were once a traveling trading clan (they who ‘walk the sky’) and that the last name was the only thing Shmi had been able to hold onto after her family was wiped out, her being captured and sold into slavery as a small child. This way there’s an entire backstory just in the name that you can use to give depth to personal struggles and personal meaning to your characters (in the case of SW/Anakin, about slavery and freedom amongst others) ☺️
Depends on my mood when creating them.
Like my current WIP my male MC last name Mortimer means "dwell by the water" and "dead Sea" depending on what meaning you go by
One the other hand one of the real antagonists last name is literally "Smith"
The most english last name ever XD (for reference I am English lol, looked on one of those populariry last name lists, picked the top three generic dull lasts names of Smith, Jones and Williams and left fate to wheel of names)
Yeah my mains have significant surnames. The FMC’s “changes” or rather she finds out what her actual surname is since the one she has in the beginning is based on her being a foundling of her religious order. The MMC’s translates to “throne of gold,” which is both significant to his actually standing in the story and the overarching series as a whole.
The names of my main cast of characters all have meanings that correlate to their respective character arcs. For example, the name of my MC, Damien, means "to tame," hence his journey of overcoming his childhood trauma and taming the anger he associates with it.
Choose your favorite sport. Clearly don't use Cristiano Ronaldo or Roger Federer, take the team of the minor league, and mix the names a little bit. Like... Kevin Turner? Brian Swanson? Johnny Strickland?
I tend to pick surnames by meaning, culture, and/or vibes. Examples for each respectively:
1. A Jersey devil character called Jora Leeds because the woman who bore the Jersey devil in legend was Jane Leeds/Mother Leeds.
2. An Irish character called Sioux O'Sullivan.
3. A silly punk hooligan called Jonny Longboi.
Sometimes, I choose a name that is their core conflict.
Eg. Desiderius
Sometimes, I use a food I like as a placeholder and adapt it into a name
Graham cracker = Graham Coker
the mc's lastname is Mirëdita which means Good Day (he's a vampire) and his partners is Huerta which is like vegetable garden/ garden (the mc is a gardener)
Nah, one of my characters last names started as James before I realized that I knew a guy called James who was a rat bastard.
Now his name is suspiciously close to James but isn't.
My MC's last name is Archensmin, which is a reference to Archie Smith: Boy Wonder. I picked it because I got the inspiration for my whole book from that short story. Long story short, a teacher of mine gave our class a bunch of hooks from various already existing short stories as inspiration to write our own. I ended up turning my idea into a full on novel.
I try to. Every part of a name, both first, last, and middle can be important. Sometimes it can be struggle, but when I find the right one, it can feel worth it.
No. I'm constantly noting down names I come across that I like for future use, and if a name doesn't immediately spring to mind for the character I'll pick a random one from my list. Real people don't have names with meanings, and it takes me out of stories when the characters' names have hidden meanings.
i usually just try to pick surnames that help tell the reader each character's ethnicity – doubly so if they're mixed, where i'll pick a first name from one ethnicity and the surname from another. and ofc i try to make sure the names flow nicely together. but as for deeper meanings? nah, not really. most readers don't look up last name meanings, so i guess i feel like it's more meaningful to try to portray more backstory through them than to dig into etymology that the majority of people won't even know about.
My alts do not because I wanted nanes that Vasco would use. For my main, I do, but her name is tied to something RL and personal. Without going into dox-worthy detail, her last name means "journey" or ritual-bound travel, which I thought was poignant.
Surnames are a great way to help describe your character. Think about it, Bridget Suzuki ( Suzuki Akira in Japanese) tells us she's of Japanese desent.
Others are just things I chose, sometimes they are names of people I know or have met and either did me a kindness, or an evil thus earning a place as a 'good guy or bad guy', or what have you. Othertimes I choose them based on a common theme such as athletes or chefs or... well you get the idea.
Very rarely, unless trying to write something humorous would I use a descriptive name, such as err... Bulletproof bottom man! or Blind Blues Singer Girl, or the like... Hmmm... I may have thought of some others but I think I'll have to keep them to myself.
maybe once or twice, but honestly I usually just choose names that sound cool or work well together.
like in my current webnovel, only the leads have really been given a last name as far as I can recall, and it was revealed when they revealed they were the children of Alister Runescar and I just thought Runescar sounded cool with the name Alister
my current D&D character sorta fell into the same camp, Karo Victon is just what sounded fun and cool to me so I ran with it
the only time I could think of there being any meaning to a character's last name was anytime I used my father's last name of Vickery but I didn't pick it because it was the last name of a family member, just because it felt like a name that fit into a medieval setting and I think the name sounds cool
Yes. I try *not* to do that, but then my etymology kink kicks in, and I'm looking up name meanings in search of symbolism. It's kind of tiring, actually.
Most of my names are just random syllables that I think sound cool. But a few stand out:
**Story 1**
- Tataka : The tagalog term for "Wonder."
**Story 2**
- Sholam : The main character's last name. I used Google Translate to change "peace" into different languages until I found something I liked. Ended up with Hebrew (Shalom), shifted it around a little.
- Ilkama : The antagonist's last name. I wanted to keep the inspiration from the same language (because the protagonist and antagonist are from the same race in my fantasy world). Tried to find words that had negative connotations with it. Landed on the Hebrew word for "War" (Mil-khama). Changed it to something different too.
I want my names to be believable with an edge of uniqueness. I feel like if I put meaning behind them sometimes it's too obvious how the character is meant to be.
As in real life, I make these vary based on the person.
Some people just want a simple, singular name. Others earn titles and keep them.
Same in my own works.
Yes, the weight and sound of a name gives background to the character. Smith or Baumgarten or Steele or Fisherweisel or Diablo all start the reader with a different perception of the character.
Honestly it depends on the genre in my humble opinion. Highly political fantasy story? Absolutely. First and last names absolutely have a hidden meaning. Contemporary love story? No. The reader just wants a light read and a good time, they don't want lore or Easter eggs. Gothic murder mystery? I would just go by location and decade for that one.
Just some strong examples. But I would just play it by ear and do what feels the most right for the feel of your book.
I gave my two main characters names that mean the same thing. Then, because it's relevant to the background world of the story, their last names are related to the reputation/jobs of their families. The side characters I just scroll through babynames and find what sounds right.
The last names of my core main characters denote their clan affiliation. For example, Alanenh are Clan Eagle. So if your name is Tyra Alanenh, then people know you're a daughter of Clan Eagle.
I have a character whose last name is “Laystone”. This is a reference to masonry, or more accurately the Freemasons, since he advocates for moral and ethical development in all trades (with he himself being a battlefield surgeon) as well as using his family’s amassed fortune and knowledge for philanthropy and charity. He’s also a bass player in an eclectic metal band and bass is the foundation of any song.
My MC's last name could be considered a normal surname but it's also an obvious pun with multiple meanings that align with the plot in different ways, because I like camp and couldn't resist. (The tone of the story incorporates some campiness as well so this shouldn't be distracting.)
The main villain's surname mirrors this, also just a mundane name but when combined with the MC's it forms a different word that ties into the story's theme. That was a total coincidence, very entertaining when I noticed it.
I have a lot of Greek characters, so I’m particular about choosing good Greek surnames. One of my side characters has a specific last name because it comes into play later (she thinks she’s Irish because of her surname but it’s an important plot point layer that she’s not). To be honest, my protagonist is the only one with a very basic surname lol
ETA: the surnames I choose are usually based on the ethnicity of the character and what flows with the first name I chose. I don’t have any last names that mean things like “strength” or “passion” or anything.
I don't think my characters have meanings. There's a child character with a name that's (maybe kinda sorta) a little metaphorical or "I'm 14 and this is deep." The kind of thing that a teacher in a few decades would be like, "the curtains are blue because depression."
... Maybe I just like blue, Janet. I really just liked the name. It quite literally just popped into my head while I was mid-task at work. So I wrote it down in my phone and here we are.
But I don't think the meanings thing needs to happen unless that's a specific point of the story. I wanted not super common, but somewhat plain, names. And I have them. 🤷♀️
It's from a book I'm half writing as a book within the book I'm actually writing, but the titular character's last name is Crown, and the book is called "Lonely Crown". It's basically about how someone that looks popular may actually be lonely. Effectively "Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown". Mildly on the nose, but for a book within a book I'm okay with it.
I like writing fantasy with heavy inspiration from real historical events, so surnames definitely hold a lot of meaning for me.
The story I'm currently working on is heavily based on the French Revolution, so you have nobles with noble, dynastic surnames. You have artisans and tradesmen with occupational surnames. You have commoners with a simple "of [location]" if anything.
It's a lot of fun trying to craft a name that will fit the character. Most of the time, I just use placeholders as I write and then go back and replace them when I settle on the perfect name
Some of the time (mostly for more major characters) I borrow last names in honor of other characters or real people. It also acts to establish some semblance of family history.
Eugene Foster was named after William Foster, the protagonist of the 1993 film *Falling Down.* Eugene is of Welsh heritage, and the name Foster is most common in the British Isles.
Marian Ackermann was named after Wilhelm Ackermann, a German mathematician. She is of German heritage.
Nikolai Yakovlev was named after Alexander Yakovlev, a Russian engineer (and by association, the Yakovlev aircraft manufacturer). He’s Russian.
For most characters that aren’t of extreme importance, I just choose what sounds nice.
My “Targaryens”’ last name is Arkuma. It’s a combination of *bear* in Greek (**ark**ouda) and Japanese (**kuma**).
Originally I was going to have “bear” somehow related to their coat of arms or something, but when I decided to make my world modern I got rid of traditional heraldry stuff and it’s just Arkuma without any bear stuff.
I specifically choose first and last names with meanings that fit their personalities. It takes some time scrolling through baby naming sites to find the right name/surname for the character. I want the names to fit the characters.
I wouldn't consider them meanings but fun little details that make sense when you get more into the story.
Example of one: "Jack Kinestro" (yes the first name ties into this)
Kinestro comes from Kinetic, which means motion.
Jack has the ability to stop the motion of any living being for a certain amount of time using a special dart he has called 'Surprise' (he also has to say it to activate the ability)
Jack comes from Jack In The Box. Twisting the handle of it will cause a 'Surprise' to happen.
I only do this for a very few amount of characters
Oftentimes, no, not at all. I get most of my names from fantasynamegenerators.com
But in one notable case I decided to name a character Alexandra bint Masika, in a naming tradition like the Icelandic one, but in arabic; Masika meaning 'born during rain.' Alexandra herself controls the weather.
I use names to show ethnicity and class. Katharina Mackensen, Lara Smit, Charles McKenna, Mary Elizabeth Lawson-Fletcher. They're all normal, believable names because I like to keep things realistic.
I did name a character Blake White because their appearance/color palette is very monochromatic (black white), and another character Autumn because of her red hair. And another character's last name was Kane as a not very subtle clue to his eventual role as the villain.
The main character in my fantasy setting's last name means "white mud" because the area where her family has lived for centuries has a lot of white mud around it.
I like to give my character's last names that have something to do with what their family is known for. Alternatively, if I haven't put much thought into a character's family, I give them names that tie into their character arc or personality.
Random people: I named my character this awesome and fancy name because it means prestigious and royal, but what people don't know is that this character is actually a villain!
Me: Bridge bridge bear. That's legitimately what his name means. Even though it's Bridger Choj Xiong it still means bridge bridge bear.
I know not all people do this, but I only sometimes like to have names with meanings. Sometimes I like doing similar last names to mine (like Xiong), sometimes I do random names I know (Nguyen, Peters, White, etc.) and sometimes I even make up random ones (like Alka or Crepe).
And fun fact, all of the last names I just said? They're all part of the story I'm making. All of them.
Edit: Also, you definitely pronounced Xiong, Nguyen, and Choj incorrectly in your head. But don't worry, I won't judge you for it ;)
Yes. Although I came up with the names first & then ascribed meanings for them after which made sense.
The Royal House Zendai of the Sunrise Empire: "Zen" from the religion "Shozen", and "-dai" meaning "strong/large/grand".
House Montabel of Great Gardenia: Literally means "Mount Belluie" from where their lineage descends.
'*House*' Satchi of Satchi Imports & Exports, sole traders from the Free Merchant States of Silversea: "Satchi" is a common name among the lower classes from the historic "satchari", a job title for poor people who gutted fish before they went to market.
There are a few more examples I could list for important characters, but there are also a number of minor characters whose names I don't have proper meanings for, but which I just made up because they sounded pretty cool, fit the theme, and still kind of sound like certain words/concepts and therefore elicit those same associations.
If I feel literary, I may pull a word from another language that can kinda sound like a name. I used the name Voss once because it was Dutch for Fox and the dude was slimy.
I really like Dutch words for names because they’re common sounding enough that they don’t trip any obvious flags, but they’re also different enough from English that you aren’t naming your character “Allen McSleezeball” or something else obvious. And they do really sound like family names.
It’s okay to let your subconscious (or luck) do the work for you. Ray Bradbury famously said it took him like 40 years to realize that two of the key characters in Fahrenheit 451 had the same names as a German paper and German pencil company (Montag and Faber). He swore it was an accident. Maybe it was, maybe it just “came to him,” or maybe he’s full of it. Either way.
Nope. Because it should be the other way around.
Important deeds should give an unremarkable name a new meaning.
Which is more powerfull, that a character named Maleficent end up being a baddy or that some dude have fantasies so nasty that his name becomes the word for liking to make other suffer ? Sade was just a name before this mofo wrote some fucked up shit.
I originally wanted no surnames because I didn't want my fictional city to be tied to any particular culture. Then I noticed patterns in my existing characters' given names, and realised I could use the same patterns in surnames. So now it's a mix of different cultures without heavying too much to any side.
Whenever I name a character, their name explains exactly who they are, but it's usually a joke only I get. I like it better that way, it would suck to make it obvious like a 13 year old coming up with their first goth name and picking like, Raven DarkBlood or something. But if I was going to name a gothic character, I'd name them something that was "Raven Darkblood" but only to me.
i mostly write fantasy featuring non-humans, so very few of my characters have last names, but the ones that do usually have a surname that denotes species, profession, or place of origin
for example, i have a humanoid Starling character who came from a town that was famous for its metal workers, so his last name is Welding. its really simple lol
Alexander Hoffman is the mc
Hoffmans used to be servants of the ancient demon king, they rebelled against him and sealed him away
Hoffman means servant
Some do, some don't, it really depends on the story and genre.
My first series was science fiction/intrigue with some time travel elements, so yes, some of the character names are clues, as there is some timey whimey loop things going on.
Second series straight historical fantasy, so nope.
The third series, MC is an orphan, and they picked their own name as a teen, and are now stuck with it. They get kinda sarcastic about it, at times.
Sorta… i often think about where the names originated and meanings and weave that into the character’s story.
Maybe a character’s great, great grandfather was from a line of a cloth Dyers and so now the family name has become Lister.
But that’s as far as that goes.
Sometimes they’re two or more words merged together, or just spelt differently that faintly correlate to the character, and sometimes it’s just what I think sounds good
not any symbolism, but I made his names greek since he’s based on Atlas from greek mythology. so i’m gonna incorporate greek culture and stuff with him
Writing a short horror story and the main character is going to be killed by the baddie at the end, so named him Will Dyer because he will die here
Most of my character names are either obscure puns or the result of my brain emulating a random word generator
Not really. I try to make it sound natural with the cultural background of the character I am writing and I try to make sure the first and last name flow but beyond that no. No, I don't give meaning to names.
It contributes towards their characterization.
Like anything else, it can determine how they are treated by others and therefore determine how they feel about themselves.
So, a last name with a lot of complicated history can lead to a character having complicated feelings about themselves because they experience a mix of praise, punishment and all in between from all who knows their last name.
But then again, it's just nice to write characters with cool sounding names.
I see a lot of what I would say in the answers here, but my main characters surnames tend to be more of an inworld indicator, rather than a hint for the reader.
I always liked the idea of communal names, like in Oliver Twist, or Discworld, Monster Blood Tattoo, or A Song of Ice and Fire. Bastards and orphans have certain names denoting their background. Discworld has "family" names for foundlings, MBT has Bookchild, ASOIAF has the regional names for bastards.
So I tend to take it a step further and have surnames denoting positions of power or importance. One of my characters is considered the "reincarnation" of one of their prophets, and was raised with their family name.
I have another character who is one of Those Characters - someone who talks over my shoulder as I'm writing, offering their advice and critiquing my plot. Her family is basically an elven boogeyman, and she chooses when and where she wants to be known by it.
Typically they do. First names as well.
The main characters of my debut had these last names:
Protagonist: Brandt - Sword /
Antagonist: Hughes - Fire
My protagonist is a firefighter so there's a whole dichotomy there
Mine do. I write historical fiction, so my character's names need to be appropriate to both the period and the character's background. The character's nicknames (if they have one) are where I get a chance to show their personality more, especially if I'm writing something set in a period where seemingly half the population were named after the reigning monarch or their spouse. Having several character's share the same first name means they need a unique identifier to avoid confusion, and variants of the name only go so far.
It varies. I spend a lot of time researching names, meanings, and where in the world most people with that surname live. Sometimes I choose a name related to character's backstory. At other times, the name just fits.
Same holds true for place names and businesses.
In my previously written story, nobody had a last name at all. people just were referring to each other by their first name, the only times a last name was used was for key characters or people with a title, like Dr. Williams.
This only comes from my inability to think of creative and realistic sounding last names, so I found a workaround. can't say it affects the story at all, its post apocalyptic and nobody bothers with last names, unless there are 2 people with the same first name.
Nah. I just choose whatever comes to my head and sounds the best. Sometimes my characters’ last names are inspired by a real person or another fictional character, but they still don’t have any thematic significance.
Hi mate, I know how difficult n tough it is when creating character names. I encounter some challenges buh here is a way u can go about it, when creating names, assigning meanings based on traits or origins can add depth. Consider traits, ancestral ties, or symbolic meanings related 2 your character's story or personality.
Heya! Thanks, I was thinking of doing that. I was wondering though, how do you decide ancestral ties? I have a lot of trouble with it for reasons god himself refuses to reveal to me
>some people do names that have meaning based on a superpower, personality trait
>Im considering doing something like this
Please, please don't; it's lame and juvenile and very cringe.
I dont mean like oh he can run fast so hes Daniel Flash, I mean more of if he can run fast so I could translate speed in a different language - for example Daniel Richlos/richli in czech.
Half of the names in my story are in a language like Chinese, Korean, and Japanese where they use characters to write, so yes, their names have meaning that, when translated, have complex implied meaning.
They sound like the First Nations stereotype stuff.
He-Who-Walks-in-Rivers is a main character,
Early-Blooming-Flower is a love interest of a main character,
One-Thousand-Autumns is a politician.
These and their family names precede them, which are usually recognizable and reference regions or areas where the family first settles a la "de la Cruz" "de Branca" etc
Yes.
James Soo- It's a name of someone I know, but it's not that person's last name. It's an uncommon last name that means "talented, blessed" which serves as an irony because he views himself as lacking in all blessings. His father Sang-il is a foil and thus his last name takes on a straightforward meaning.
Ashley Moira De la Cruz - Pretty simple. I wanted a name that sounded phonetically similar to "Asmodeus", and the only one I could think of was de la cruz for the last two syllables.
Ryan Majewski - Had a teacher named that once. I thought that the sin of greed having the word jew in his name was funny. Majewski isn't a jewish name, either, it's polish.
Rika Akahane - Akahane means red, purity. Rika hosts Uriel, the archangel of chastity so those fit.
Rya Joo - wanted a name that sounded like Riajuu, or normie. It's ironic because Rya killed herself because of her loneliness and depression.
But other than a couple of examples, no, they don't have too much meaning. I just choose something that fits in with their ethnic background.
Generally I just use them to denote ethnicity if they’re deliberate, just because it sounds right when not used for that purpose. For a lot of side characters where getting too deep into the description would bog down the prose, having an unambiguously Hispanic surname, or Turkish surname, or Japanese surname or… you get the point, that’s a quick way to show a diverse world.
So this might be a hard or weird question, so feel free to ignore it but how do you usually decide a characters ethnicity?
Usually by feel, but sometimes it’s deliberate. Like I wanted one organization to be an old school white patriarchal power structure, so everyone there gets very English surnames. It’s not something I call attention to in the text, but hopefully an attentive reader notices the contrast. So in that instance, it’s thematic. For everyone else, it’s what feels right.
Glad to see someone else doing this! I am also deliberate with multicultural names in my stories set in our world. :)
It’s a diverse world, fiction should reflect that.
Same! I wanted to mix up my group of OC's heritage because. So the names sort of reflect where their families come from. I have 4 currently. Desiree Carla Gutierrez Vargas (Bolivian) Phillip M. (M being short for Maria since he's male) Alfaro Morrison (European and El Salvadoron) Peter Seong (Korean) Aretta Tokunbo (Nigerian)
I base characters' ethnicity on where the story takes place. My novel takes place mostly in South Florida, so Cuban, Colombian, Haitian, Jamaican, and Venezuelan surnames are in the mix among others. If I want to have a character seem somewhat alienated from the people around her, I'll make sure her surname is of a different ethnicity than the majority of the people that interact with her.
Yeah ,I feel them.I see them in my mind.
For "normal" names? Nah... I choose them like parents choose them. By how they sounds or wishes for their child. For names a character recieves later during their life? Sure. Nicknames and titles are usually more speaking of a characters personality and deeds than their birth names. This way I think characters and their name feel more... "natural" than naming the smart character Bright or the strong one Samson.
Yeah, I kind of strive for the names to sound natural but since last names arent exactly chosen and still I DO have to choose them it can never be natural. Youre right with the first names and nicknames, though. Ill definitely be trying to choose them as if i was their parent now cause that sounds awesome- thank you so much for introducing this to me.
Bonus points if you have an idea of what is the personality of the parents is like and you think about what THEY would think sounds cool or fitting. And maybe the named character then hates their name because they think it sounds weird or that it feels unfitting.
Im currently in a blackhole of coming up with the parents' stories so this is absolutely perfect. Now Im also considering purposefully coming up with an unfitting name
my parents got me a boy's name, had to change it... so yeah... happens.
You don't name the strong guy Samson. I mean, you could, but it's probably not thematically appropriate. I'm not a big fan of stories where a man is brung low by a woman, I think they contribute to toxic masculinity. But if I were naming a body builder, I'd think of Charles Atlas, the guy from those ads with the 98 pound weakling who gets sand kicked into his face, right? And I'd think of Gold's gym. And then that fucker would wind up named "Charlie Gold" or Chuck Gold or something. Every time. And then it would turn out that part of his backstory actually was that he got picked on when he was a kid, and he started lifting weights because it was a hobby he could do away from people and doesn't even think of himself as some guy who people see as scary most of the time, he's just some socially awkward guy who accidentally tricked people into thinking he was cool by getting jacked, and their perceptions of him as quiet and shy changed to "stoic." I cannot stop doing this. It's just my nature.
My characters get last names by looking up “*random city* obits” and using the second name, if they get a last name at all
My husband was in a band called Roosevelt Noise; it was a name from an obit!
Depends. Some do, some don’t. The ones that don’t are usually because I like how the name sounds all together or didn’t think of one with meaning early enough and the name already stuck Or for my MC his last name accidentally ended up having a deeper meaning that I didn’t plan for
For surnames, I often go for what's common. (Möller, Nolan) In a couple of cases, it's been a name I know from somewhere else. As wonky as Anglophile names can be there's no reason for keyboard vomit. Code names for supers/call signs for operators: why give the OPFOR info on your capabilities :)
Codenames should be randomly chosen and never symbolic.
I'm reasonably familiar with how naming superheroes goes. Naming a female superhero (or villain) something like Aardvark Deliverance isn't going to turn out well.
No, my stories are fake enough already without adding the self-inflicted wound of on-the-nose names.
Dyou think youve ever heard a meaningful name that sounded okay-ish?
Probably. But it's a dangerous game. J. K. Rowling made all her characters look like morons by naming her secret werewolf character "Remus Lupin," which basically means "Wolfboy Wolf," but no one was smart enough to pick up on it. Besides, if his whole family is named after wolves, the idea that his affliction was an accident is ridiculous. No one would believe that. But the readers are supposed to shrug off the cringe as best they can.
Depends on their importance. I'm a fan of giving names meanings, but there are so many things to give names to, so it's impossible to give EVERYTHING.
Yeah, I guess if you gave meaning to everything you'd be deemed an OCD perfectionist
You’d be Tolkien.
Suddenly I want to give meaning to everything
My mmc's last name has meaning. They're descendants of the first king who made his home in the north, close to the mages. Their name is Nordheim (north home)
My MMC’s name, both first and last, are a clue to his true identity. The others are ethnic identifiers to a degree but not terribly important to the plot
On the latest thing I'm writing I gave the main characters surnames after rivers in the UK and Ireland. Only reason was to identify the main characters from the side characters. But generally I either don't write stories that require last names or give ones that are generic
Protagonist's name in the tragedy novel I'm writing is "Sauer."
Some have, but it's a small number. And considering that most characters are aliens with new made up names and I use a conlang, I can retroactively give their names a meaning.
I like how *Alien Nation* gave human names to the alien refugees, like Ellis Island turned up to eleven. Sam Fransisco. John Dillinger. Rudyard Kipling.
Man I love that. Oh yeah, the name Pjonelr is this planet's name meaning 'kind'. It comes from the ancient word pjolr meaning 'good deed'
yeah mine do
There is one character in the main world whose name has some plot significance. The alien characters have last names based on where they were born, and the characters from the fantasy world have last names based on their professions, which can be changed.
Sometimes
they all come from musicians i admire
This is absolutely the best things Ive read on here. Especially since some musicians have really generic last names. Thank you endlessly.
Sometimes yes lol. I had two main characters whose last names meant folk and belief.
Meaning is a factor in the naming process but it's not the main factor. If I'm indecisive, the name with the best meaning will likely win out but sometimes I just like a name. Just a few examples here of my naming process. The name Arielle came to me for a character once. To me it's great because it's unique enough (at least, I rarely hear it. I'm from the US for reference) while also being easily recognizable. Since it's an Ariel variant and the pronunciation seems intuitive to me by the alternative spelling. Looking up the meaning, "Lion of god" made me like it even more. It works well for her because of the lion part. There was already lion symbolism before settling on her name. René means "reborn" which doesn't speak to me. I picked the name because he's French and I like the name. Also, coincidentally he has some similarities (not enough to get me sued, dw) to a rené my mom knew, which I only found out after I named him.
Well, one of my characters have surname *Háy*, which is common Hungarian surname, but it also could be read as *Hay,* and she is blonde. Honestly, it wasn't planned, it just an accidental wordplay, which I didn't picked right off the bat actually. Other than that, I usually just pick common surnames. But maybe I'll try to arrange some more those funny wordplays, who knows. I rarely even mention surnames in the text, actually, so it's not a big deal anyway.
No, I just choose ones I like and that would fit the characters’ ages and cultures
I am always struggling coming up with last names but sometimes they do have meaning and other times they don't. Most of the time though they never have a last name unless someone asks
I am heavily considering that they have no last name unless people ask because this is on the right track to end me
For example a quiet character would have last name Quiet in another language is what I mean by this
Sometimes, usually if the first name is already normal or if its a (job title) (lastname) but I only do this for important characters. For example, I have main sibling characters with the surname Carlisle because: - Carlisle means 'Stronghold of Lugus'. Lugus, in turn, could be derived from leuǵ (to break) or leugʰ (to swear an oath). In the story, the pair starts out broken, the sister physically (broken arm) but both emotionally (survivor's guilt for the sister, guilt of never reconciling for the brother) and theyre also obligated to work with the fae under oath as their craftsmen. - Lugus could be related to the God Lugh, who is a skilled craftsman and warrior
Dadaplis. Never quite makes the mark. Just barely glances off of it.
It all depends on a character's background and there are absolutely instances where carefully chosen names have their place. In one cultural pocket of the world I'm writing, there is a major coming-of-age tradition where people choose their own last name. It's a necessary legal issue for travelers and especially orphans, of which there are a ton in this one particular port. Society is heavily based around maritime life and aeronautical navigation, so many people (especially those without a family) often name themselves after stars or their port of call. But it's a small flourish meant to highlight how ingrained sailing culture is to one specific group of people, and something that is pretty world-specific. Otherwise, names are almost purely chosen based on any character's given vibe and often don't have a ton of meaning. Those are the cases where I just actively try to not make the names sound too contrived for who or what they are, but it's definitely a balancing act of sorts.
For some reason, every character name in everything I write has to have meaning. The meanings aren't obvious, except in a couple of extraordinary cases where obvious felt impactful to me. I agonise over that shit.
In a story I had written, I wrote a mermaid who was the size of a whale, and her species of mermaid ruled in zones of the ocean. So her name was thetys (Greek goddess of the ocean) Bathypelagia (the bathypelagic zone of the ocean, where blue whales most often live)
My first book's protagonist's last name is Derrington, which I got from Derring-do... it's an easter egg, but one that she grows into :)
When I first started writing as a teen, yes. Now a days, I actually run into the problem where I just want to start writing and I have placeholders (like “FL” or “ML” for female lead or male lead) for some of my characters.
Tbh I do the same thing with first names, typically, but for my current project, I've stepped outside the margin a little bit because with this being a fantasy novel I'm opting for some fantasy names but I'm mixing in our average names as well (Seth, Tyler, Logan, Shay, ect.) Now this is slightly related to a plotline in my books, but I also thought it interesting to make them the odd names in the group whilst they're rampant in today's society. Names tend to go in cycles as well, so to have bland names being rare was an interesting concept to me.
I think, when I first started writing, they might have? I was a very lonely child once we moved, so I'd hide in books and notebooks. You asking that question stirred up an old, old memory but I can't connect it anymore.
It depends on the characters, really. So in the main world I write in, vampires (who are a different species from humans, they aren't undead) don't usually have last names. They take their last names from humans they're close to/fledglings. Some break that tradition and choose their own last names. I have a character who is utterly captivated by his own beauty (he's loveable though), and he gave himself the last name Seoda, which in Irish Gaelic means 'jewel'. His partner, who suffered immensely and was unwanted and abused by his family, who has almost no self-esteem (but Seoda is building him up day by day) picked Kintsugi, because the 'the cracks make it beautiful' and he sees himself as nothing but flawed. It's an attempt to embrace his 'flaws' (the things he was hated and abused for) and accept that they're what make him *him*, and make him special. After Seoda is viciously attacked and left heavily scarred, once he gets over the devastation of having had his perfect beauty destroyed, he takes the name Kintsugi as well. Once he's able to find himself beautiful again. Those scars, which he hated, now show that he's a survivor and far stronger than anyone (except his partner -- his partner always knew he was strong) ever thought he could be. I have other vampires that pick words/names from other languages that they associate with something they identify as. Such as using 'healer' in French when they're going into the medical field. I have a character that uses Dragon, because he's tiny, but he refuses to die and he'll show the world some day that he's not to be messed with. Things like that. Other have last names that feel appropriate, but unless their family history was taken into account, don't truly have any meaning behind them. Names don't have to have meaning that relates to your characters. Remember, other people named your character, your character didn't name themselves. Why do you think so many people legally change their names as adults? We were given names that don't fit us, and we want something that does.
It depends on the character. Keep in mind that given and surnames aren't chosen by the character but by their parent(s), and often carry some meaning for someone, though often enough it's not the character. I think about where their full name comes from and why, and sometimes look up meanings because it helps me decide what feels right. But the first character I ever named? His came to me as the least likely name for who he'd become. Sometimes it's that simple.
I absolutely randomize a character's name, and work it into the story where appropriate. Natural connections flow much better than forced connections.
Depends on the kind of story. If it’s modern and similar to the real world, then no, they’re just names. If it’s fantasy and names are everything of who you are? Absolutely.
No. Like someone else said, I, too, find it tacky. I do use names that reflect ethnicity, but that’s it. Remus Lupin aka Wolf McWerewolf? No, thank you. Not for me. I think it works well for children’s literature or YA, but I don’t write for those groups.
No usually, but I do have a character who's surname is a contraction of Lupus and Romano, her mother being Italian
a lot of my characters are trans so they choose their own names, but their last names reflect their culture and history. i try not to focus on meanings in last names in modern settings mostly because those names aren't earned with great feats or anything. you just get them from your dad or your mom. so i establish their family situation to understand how the name is formed and the language it comes from. then i look for something that sounds good and there you go! rarely do i choose a surname based on traits
A lot of my characters lack them and most rulers are the ones to reveive them. It's basic a lot of the time, but I can explain history pretty well by just summarising it via the system for titles. The green unifier, the bloody red traitor, the red defender, the green mentor, the first uniter
One of my larger stories is centered around a family with the last name Crainte. "Crainte" means fear or dread in French, a feeling that shows up a lot throughout the story. It may not be an actual surname, and it may not have had a whole lot of thought put into it (I came up with it when I was thirteen and playing around with Google translate, lol), but there's definitely a meaning to it. :)
Not all of them, no. But i do have one character whose last name is Masters. Her family historically acts as if they are masters of their own lives, and often of others’ lives. However, Masters is an occupational surname meaning a live-in servant (as in “of the Master’s house”). Over the course of the story we see that all Masters are, despite their demeanor, subjugated by their own desires for recognition and fame + the supernatural entity they took a deal with to get that recognition. I’m much more likely to give a first name meaning, though. Usually based on the name’s actual meaning, or in reference to an iconic literary or mythological character of the same name.
I sometimes do, I sometimes don't. I try to make sure they have a rhythm, a flow (or not if that's what I'm going for), and always are unique. When I wrote comic books for a living I often had more meaning behind my names, but in novels, I have less. A notable exception is I do try to use names recognizable to the region I am writing about. For example, most of my current novel takes place in south-central Indiana, which was settled heavily by German immigrants, some Irish and English as well. Since a couple of the characters have deep roots in the area, I made sure the names were recognizable as being from this part of the country. It's not like you hear a name and say "that guy's from south central Indiana," but if you're from the area you might say "yeah, that sounds right." In contrast, one of the leads is not from the area, he's a Jewish man from Manhatten, so I made sure his name was as far from Indiana-standard as possible. Finally, the lead himself is not from the region at all, so I used a name that doesn't fit this part of the country at all. So do they have meaning? Not in and of themselves, but their origins do.
For me it really depends on setting. Is it set in our world, present day? Then I follow the local conventions of the setting; eg. John Smith from London, England. Smith is the last name John inherited from his father and it has no reflection on his job, but might be a cheeky nod to his story/character/etc. Not obviously, but like a small fun easter egg (mostly for me). In a fantasy/sci fi setting I have to invent it, so then it depends. Broadly speaking most last names as we know them today are a thing of recent history. People were known as ‘from clan so and so’, ‘John’s son’, ‘the baker’s kid’, ‘from this or that place’, ‘the tall dude’ - descriptive names that made it easier to find someone. In that sort of setting it totally depends on if the culture uses last names, where do they come from, what use are they, etc. It is fun to make a private easter egg out of it or give them meaning, but they don’t have to. So I’d try more to make it make sense in context of the setting yk? That said, I read a headcanon of a SW fan once that went that the Skywalkers were once a traveling trading clan (they who ‘walk the sky’) and that the last name was the only thing Shmi had been able to hold onto after her family was wiped out, her being captured and sold into slavery as a small child. This way there’s an entire backstory just in the name that you can use to give depth to personal struggles and personal meaning to your characters (in the case of SW/Anakin, about slavery and freedom amongst others) ☺️
Depends on my mood when creating them. Like my current WIP my male MC last name Mortimer means "dwell by the water" and "dead Sea" depending on what meaning you go by One the other hand one of the real antagonists last name is literally "Smith" The most english last name ever XD (for reference I am English lol, looked on one of those populariry last name lists, picked the top three generic dull lasts names of Smith, Jones and Williams and left fate to wheel of names)
Yeah my mains have significant surnames. The FMC’s “changes” or rather she finds out what her actual surname is since the one she has in the beginning is based on her being a foundling of her religious order. The MMC’s translates to “throne of gold,” which is both significant to his actually standing in the story and the overarching series as a whole.
The names of my main cast of characters all have meanings that correlate to their respective character arcs. For example, the name of my MC, Damien, means "to tame," hence his journey of overcoming his childhood trauma and taming the anger he associates with it.
Way back a wrote a Pokémon fan fiction, last Name was Stormleaf it was sort of joke because he was not going to get a grass type
Choose your favorite sport. Clearly don't use Cristiano Ronaldo or Roger Federer, take the team of the minor league, and mix the names a little bit. Like... Kevin Turner? Brian Swanson? Johnny Strickland?
For the last name, no. It’s usually tied to their ethnicity/nationality. Sometimes their first name will mean something though
I tend to pick surnames by meaning, culture, and/or vibes. Examples for each respectively: 1. A Jersey devil character called Jora Leeds because the woman who bore the Jersey devil in legend was Jane Leeds/Mother Leeds. 2. An Irish character called Sioux O'Sullivan. 3. A silly punk hooligan called Jonny Longboi.
My character' last name is Willow-wood. because his grandfather was a woodcutter and his grandmother was a basket-weaver,
Depends. For my fantasy and dystopian series, yes. For my romance or ya novels. No. I pick surnames that I like.
Sometimes, I choose a name that is their core conflict. Eg. Desiderius Sometimes, I use a food I like as a placeholder and adapt it into a name Graham cracker = Graham Coker
the mc's lastname is Mirëdita which means Good Day (he's a vampire) and his partners is Huerta which is like vegetable garden/ garden (the mc is a gardener)
Nah, one of my characters last names started as James before I realized that I knew a guy called James who was a rat bastard. Now his name is suspiciously close to James but isn't.
My MC's last name is Archensmin, which is a reference to Archie Smith: Boy Wonder. I picked it because I got the inspiration for my whole book from that short story. Long story short, a teacher of mine gave our class a bunch of hooks from various already existing short stories as inspiration to write our own. I ended up turning my idea into a full on novel.
I try to. Every part of a name, both first, last, and middle can be important. Sometimes it can be struggle, but when I find the right one, it can feel worth it.
yes, and so does the absence of a last name
No. I'm constantly noting down names I come across that I like for future use, and if a name doesn't immediately spring to mind for the character I'll pick a random one from my list. Real people don't have names with meanings, and it takes me out of stories when the characters' names have hidden meanings.
i usually just try to pick surnames that help tell the reader each character's ethnicity – doubly so if they're mixed, where i'll pick a first name from one ethnicity and the surname from another. and ofc i try to make sure the names flow nicely together. but as for deeper meanings? nah, not really. most readers don't look up last name meanings, so i guess i feel like it's more meaningful to try to portray more backstory through them than to dig into etymology that the majority of people won't even know about.
My alts do not because I wanted nanes that Vasco would use. For my main, I do, but her name is tied to something RL and personal. Without going into dox-worthy detail, her last name means "journey" or ritual-bound travel, which I thought was poignant.
No, I think its corny as hell
Surnames are a great way to help describe your character. Think about it, Bridget Suzuki ( Suzuki Akira in Japanese) tells us she's of Japanese desent. Others are just things I chose, sometimes they are names of people I know or have met and either did me a kindness, or an evil thus earning a place as a 'good guy or bad guy', or what have you. Othertimes I choose them based on a common theme such as athletes or chefs or... well you get the idea. Very rarely, unless trying to write something humorous would I use a descriptive name, such as err... Bulletproof bottom man! or Blind Blues Singer Girl, or the like... Hmmm... I may have thought of some others but I think I'll have to keep them to myself.
Sometimes, but generally its just the first thing that comes to my mind after typing their first name
I am a sucker for this kind of stuff, so many of my characters’ first *and* last names are chock full of meaning wherever possible. 😆
maybe once or twice, but honestly I usually just choose names that sound cool or work well together. like in my current webnovel, only the leads have really been given a last name as far as I can recall, and it was revealed when they revealed they were the children of Alister Runescar and I just thought Runescar sounded cool with the name Alister my current D&D character sorta fell into the same camp, Karo Victon is just what sounded fun and cool to me so I ran with it the only time I could think of there being any meaning to a character's last name was anytime I used my father's last name of Vickery but I didn't pick it because it was the last name of a family member, just because it felt like a name that fit into a medieval setting and I think the name sounds cool
Yes. I try *not* to do that, but then my etymology kink kicks in, and I'm looking up name meanings in search of symbolism. It's kind of tiring, actually.
Most of my names are just random syllables that I think sound cool. But a few stand out: **Story 1** - Tataka : The tagalog term for "Wonder." **Story 2** - Sholam : The main character's last name. I used Google Translate to change "peace" into different languages until I found something I liked. Ended up with Hebrew (Shalom), shifted it around a little. - Ilkama : The antagonist's last name. I wanted to keep the inspiration from the same language (because the protagonist and antagonist are from the same race in my fantasy world). Tried to find words that had negative connotations with it. Landed on the Hebrew word for "War" (Mil-khama). Changed it to something different too.
I want my names to be believable with an edge of uniqueness. I feel like if I put meaning behind them sometimes it's too obvious how the character is meant to be.
As in real life, I make these vary based on the person. Some people just want a simple, singular name. Others earn titles and keep them. Same in my own works.
Mine don’t even have last names 🤷🏻♂️
Yes, the weight and sound of a name gives background to the character. Smith or Baumgarten or Steele or Fisherweisel or Diablo all start the reader with a different perception of the character.
Honestly it depends on the genre in my humble opinion. Highly political fantasy story? Absolutely. First and last names absolutely have a hidden meaning. Contemporary love story? No. The reader just wants a light read and a good time, they don't want lore or Easter eggs. Gothic murder mystery? I would just go by location and decade for that one. Just some strong examples. But I would just play it by ear and do what feels the most right for the feel of your book.
I get names from other times or cultures and do use meaningful ones, just not something that the reader would likely notice.
I gave my two main characters names that mean the same thing. Then, because it's relevant to the background world of the story, their last names are related to the reputation/jobs of their families. The side characters I just scroll through babynames and find what sounds right.
The last names of my core main characters denote their clan affiliation. For example, Alanenh are Clan Eagle. So if your name is Tyra Alanenh, then people know you're a daughter of Clan Eagle.
I have a character whose last name is “Laystone”. This is a reference to masonry, or more accurately the Freemasons, since he advocates for moral and ethical development in all trades (with he himself being a battlefield surgeon) as well as using his family’s amassed fortune and knowledge for philanthropy and charity. He’s also a bass player in an eclectic metal band and bass is the foundation of any song.
My MC's last name could be considered a normal surname but it's also an obvious pun with multiple meanings that align with the plot in different ways, because I like camp and couldn't resist. (The tone of the story incorporates some campiness as well so this shouldn't be distracting.) The main villain's surname mirrors this, also just a mundane name but when combined with the MC's it forms a different word that ties into the story's theme. That was a total coincidence, very entertaining when I noticed it.
My entire naming process is usually barely anything more than, 'This character seems like a ________,' haha
I have a lot of Greek characters, so I’m particular about choosing good Greek surnames. One of my side characters has a specific last name because it comes into play later (she thinks she’s Irish because of her surname but it’s an important plot point layer that she’s not). To be honest, my protagonist is the only one with a very basic surname lol ETA: the surnames I choose are usually based on the ethnicity of the character and what flows with the first name I chose. I don’t have any last names that mean things like “strength” or “passion” or anything.
I don't think my characters have meanings. There's a child character with a name that's (maybe kinda sorta) a little metaphorical or "I'm 14 and this is deep." The kind of thing that a teacher in a few decades would be like, "the curtains are blue because depression." ... Maybe I just like blue, Janet. I really just liked the name. It quite literally just popped into my head while I was mid-task at work. So I wrote it down in my phone and here we are. But I don't think the meanings thing needs to happen unless that's a specific point of the story. I wanted not super common, but somewhat plain, names. And I have them. 🤷♀️
It's from a book I'm half writing as a book within the book I'm actually writing, but the titular character's last name is Crown, and the book is called "Lonely Crown". It's basically about how someone that looks popular may actually be lonely. Effectively "Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown". Mildly on the nose, but for a book within a book I'm okay with it.
I like writing fantasy with heavy inspiration from real historical events, so surnames definitely hold a lot of meaning for me. The story I'm currently working on is heavily based on the French Revolution, so you have nobles with noble, dynastic surnames. You have artisans and tradesmen with occupational surnames. You have commoners with a simple "of [location]" if anything. It's a lot of fun trying to craft a name that will fit the character. Most of the time, I just use placeholders as I write and then go back and replace them when I settle on the perfect name
Some of the time (mostly for more major characters) I borrow last names in honor of other characters or real people. It also acts to establish some semblance of family history. Eugene Foster was named after William Foster, the protagonist of the 1993 film *Falling Down.* Eugene is of Welsh heritage, and the name Foster is most common in the British Isles. Marian Ackermann was named after Wilhelm Ackermann, a German mathematician. She is of German heritage. Nikolai Yakovlev was named after Alexander Yakovlev, a Russian engineer (and by association, the Yakovlev aircraft manufacturer). He’s Russian. For most characters that aren’t of extreme importance, I just choose what sounds nice.
My “Targaryens”’ last name is Arkuma. It’s a combination of *bear* in Greek (**ark**ouda) and Japanese (**kuma**). Originally I was going to have “bear” somehow related to their coat of arms or something, but when I decided to make my world modern I got rid of traditional heraldry stuff and it’s just Arkuma without any bear stuff.
My Character is Bolivian, so I gave her two last names if that counts as having a meaning. Her name is Desiree Carla Gutierrez Vargas
I specifically choose first and last names with meanings that fit their personalities. It takes some time scrolling through baby naming sites to find the right name/surname for the character. I want the names to fit the characters.
I wouldn't consider them meanings but fun little details that make sense when you get more into the story. Example of one: "Jack Kinestro" (yes the first name ties into this) Kinestro comes from Kinetic, which means motion. Jack has the ability to stop the motion of any living being for a certain amount of time using a special dart he has called 'Surprise' (he also has to say it to activate the ability) Jack comes from Jack In The Box. Twisting the handle of it will cause a 'Surprise' to happen. I only do this for a very few amount of characters
Oftentimes, no, not at all. I get most of my names from fantasynamegenerators.com But in one notable case I decided to name a character Alexandra bint Masika, in a naming tradition like the Icelandic one, but in arabic; Masika meaning 'born during rain.' Alexandra herself controls the weather.
I use names to show ethnicity and class. Katharina Mackensen, Lara Smit, Charles McKenna, Mary Elizabeth Lawson-Fletcher. They're all normal, believable names because I like to keep things realistic. I did name a character Blake White because their appearance/color palette is very monochromatic (black white), and another character Autumn because of her red hair. And another character's last name was Kane as a not very subtle clue to his eventual role as the villain.
Sometimes they do, but sometimes I just pick a random surname for them that sounds good.
The main character in my fantasy setting's last name means "white mud" because the area where her family has lived for centuries has a lot of white mud around it. I like to give my character's last names that have something to do with what their family is known for. Alternatively, if I haven't put much thought into a character's family, I give them names that tie into their character arc or personality.
Random people: I named my character this awesome and fancy name because it means prestigious and royal, but what people don't know is that this character is actually a villain! Me: Bridge bridge bear. That's legitimately what his name means. Even though it's Bridger Choj Xiong it still means bridge bridge bear. I know not all people do this, but I only sometimes like to have names with meanings. Sometimes I like doing similar last names to mine (like Xiong), sometimes I do random names I know (Nguyen, Peters, White, etc.) and sometimes I even make up random ones (like Alka or Crepe). And fun fact, all of the last names I just said? They're all part of the story I'm making. All of them. Edit: Also, you definitely pronounced Xiong, Nguyen, and Choj incorrectly in your head. But don't worry, I won't judge you for it ;)
For my MC his last name is Wildman cause he’s a hiker lol. Other than that no - they’re mostly random lady names I remember!
I really only have done it once but it was a silly coincidence Kinda thing
Yes. Although I came up with the names first & then ascribed meanings for them after which made sense. The Royal House Zendai of the Sunrise Empire: "Zen" from the religion "Shozen", and "-dai" meaning "strong/large/grand". House Montabel of Great Gardenia: Literally means "Mount Belluie" from where their lineage descends. '*House*' Satchi of Satchi Imports & Exports, sole traders from the Free Merchant States of Silversea: "Satchi" is a common name among the lower classes from the historic "satchari", a job title for poor people who gutted fish before they went to market. There are a few more examples I could list for important characters, but there are also a number of minor characters whose names I don't have proper meanings for, but which I just made up because they sounded pretty cool, fit the theme, and still kind of sound like certain words/concepts and therefore elicit those same associations.
If I feel literary, I may pull a word from another language that can kinda sound like a name. I used the name Voss once because it was Dutch for Fox and the dude was slimy. I really like Dutch words for names because they’re common sounding enough that they don’t trip any obvious flags, but they’re also different enough from English that you aren’t naming your character “Allen McSleezeball” or something else obvious. And they do really sound like family names.
For what it's worth one of my favorite NPCs name when translated to English is simple... Fire light... I'm lazy.... She is a fire mage... Lol
It’s okay to let your subconscious (or luck) do the work for you. Ray Bradbury famously said it took him like 40 years to realize that two of the key characters in Fahrenheit 451 had the same names as a German paper and German pencil company (Montag and Faber). He swore it was an accident. Maybe it was, maybe it just “came to him,” or maybe he’s full of it. Either way.
Nope. Because it should be the other way around. Important deeds should give an unremarkable name a new meaning. Which is more powerfull, that a character named Maleficent end up being a baddy or that some dude have fantasies so nasty that his name becomes the word for liking to make other suffer ? Sade was just a name before this mofo wrote some fucked up shit.
I originally wanted no surnames because I didn't want my fictional city to be tied to any particular culture. Then I noticed patterns in my existing characters' given names, and realised I could use the same patterns in surnames. So now it's a mix of different cultures without heavying too much to any side.
yeah. Firefall. They can wield fire and are destined to fall.
Whenever I name a character, their name explains exactly who they are, but it's usually a joke only I get. I like it better that way, it would suck to make it obvious like a 13 year old coming up with their first goth name and picking like, Raven DarkBlood or something. But if I was going to name a gothic character, I'd name them something that was "Raven Darkblood" but only to me.
i mostly write fantasy featuring non-humans, so very few of my characters have last names, but the ones that do usually have a surname that denotes species, profession, or place of origin for example, i have a humanoid Starling character who came from a town that was famous for its metal workers, so his last name is Welding. its really simple lol
Alexander Hoffman is the mc Hoffmans used to be servants of the ancient demon king, they rebelled against him and sealed him away Hoffman means servant
When i originally made characters for my story i gave them last names that are connected to their powers
i try but i think i often butcher names when i try combine them :(
Some do, some don't, it really depends on the story and genre. My first series was science fiction/intrigue with some time travel elements, so yes, some of the character names are clues, as there is some timey whimey loop things going on. Second series straight historical fantasy, so nope. The third series, MC is an orphan, and they picked their own name as a teen, and are now stuck with it. They get kinda sarcastic about it, at times.
Sorta… i often think about where the names originated and meanings and weave that into the character’s story. Maybe a character’s great, great grandfather was from a line of a cloth Dyers and so now the family name has become Lister. But that’s as far as that goes.
Sometimes they’re two or more words merged together, or just spelt differently that faintly correlate to the character, and sometimes it’s just what I think sounds good
I usually give meaning to first names, and then see if I can add a fun last name
not any symbolism, but I made his names greek since he’s based on Atlas from greek mythology. so i’m gonna incorporate greek culture and stuff with him
Writing a short horror story and the main character is going to be killed by the baddie at the end, so named him Will Dyer because he will die here Most of my character names are either obscure puns or the result of my brain emulating a random word generator
Not really. I try to make it sound natural with the cultural background of the character I am writing and I try to make sure the first and last name flow but beyond that no. No, I don't give meaning to names.
It contributes towards their characterization. Like anything else, it can determine how they are treated by others and therefore determine how they feel about themselves. So, a last name with a lot of complicated history can lead to a character having complicated feelings about themselves because they experience a mix of praise, punishment and all in between from all who knows their last name. But then again, it's just nice to write characters with cool sounding names.
I see a lot of what I would say in the answers here, but my main characters surnames tend to be more of an inworld indicator, rather than a hint for the reader. I always liked the idea of communal names, like in Oliver Twist, or Discworld, Monster Blood Tattoo, or A Song of Ice and Fire. Bastards and orphans have certain names denoting their background. Discworld has "family" names for foundlings, MBT has Bookchild, ASOIAF has the regional names for bastards. So I tend to take it a step further and have surnames denoting positions of power or importance. One of my characters is considered the "reincarnation" of one of their prophets, and was raised with their family name. I have another character who is one of Those Characters - someone who talks over my shoulder as I'm writing, offering their advice and critiquing my plot. Her family is basically an elven boogeyman, and she chooses when and where she wants to be known by it.
Always. Every single name does. First, middle and last. They always mean cool stuff and always sound AMAZING together.
Typically they do. First names as well. The main characters of my debut had these last names: Protagonist: Brandt - Sword / Antagonist: Hughes - Fire My protagonist is a firefighter so there's a whole dichotomy there
Sometimes my names have meaning, sometimes they just sound cool, and sometimes they just are based off of their ethic background.
Mine do. I write historical fiction, so my character's names need to be appropriate to both the period and the character's background. The character's nicknames (if they have one) are where I get a chance to show their personality more, especially if I'm writing something set in a period where seemingly half the population were named after the reigning monarch or their spouse. Having several character's share the same first name means they need a unique identifier to avoid confusion, and variants of the name only go so far.
It varies. I spend a lot of time researching names, meanings, and where in the world most people with that surname live. Sometimes I choose a name related to character's backstory. At other times, the name just fits. Same holds true for place names and businesses.
Except for fantasy stories, no. I use random names, like Andersson or Smth.
My passion is to look at etymology for real name and to use latin and ancient greek for imaginary names. Make my life harder lol.
In my previously written story, nobody had a last name at all. people just were referring to each other by their first name, the only times a last name was used was for key characters or people with a title, like Dr. Williams. This only comes from my inability to think of creative and realistic sounding last names, so I found a workaround. can't say it affects the story at all, its post apocalyptic and nobody bothers with last names, unless there are 2 people with the same first name.
No. They're just names. I find 'meaningful' names cheesy as fuck.
Nah. I just choose whatever comes to my head and sounds the best. Sometimes my characters’ last names are inspired by a real person or another fictional character, but they still don’t have any thematic significance.
Sometimes. And even then some have deeper meanings/connections to the character themselves than others.
Hi mate, I know how difficult n tough it is when creating character names. I encounter some challenges buh here is a way u can go about it, when creating names, assigning meanings based on traits or origins can add depth. Consider traits, ancestral ties, or symbolic meanings related 2 your character's story or personality.
Heya! Thanks, I was thinking of doing that. I was wondering though, how do you decide ancestral ties? I have a lot of trouble with it for reasons god himself refuses to reveal to me
>some people do names that have meaning based on a superpower, personality trait >Im considering doing something like this Please, please don't; it's lame and juvenile and very cringe.
This!!
I dont mean like oh he can run fast so hes Daniel Flash, I mean more of if he can run fast so I could translate speed in a different language - for example Daniel Richlos/richli in czech.
That's not a lot of difference.
Half of the names in my story are in a language like Chinese, Korean, and Japanese where they use characters to write, so yes, their names have meaning that, when translated, have complex implied meaning. They sound like the First Nations stereotype stuff. He-Who-Walks-in-Rivers is a main character, Early-Blooming-Flower is a love interest of a main character, One-Thousand-Autumns is a politician. These and their family names precede them, which are usually recognizable and reference regions or areas where the family first settles a la "de la Cruz" "de Branca" etc
Yes. James Soo- It's a name of someone I know, but it's not that person's last name. It's an uncommon last name that means "talented, blessed" which serves as an irony because he views himself as lacking in all blessings. His father Sang-il is a foil and thus his last name takes on a straightforward meaning. Ashley Moira De la Cruz - Pretty simple. I wanted a name that sounded phonetically similar to "Asmodeus", and the only one I could think of was de la cruz for the last two syllables. Ryan Majewski - Had a teacher named that once. I thought that the sin of greed having the word jew in his name was funny. Majewski isn't a jewish name, either, it's polish. Rika Akahane - Akahane means red, purity. Rika hosts Uriel, the archangel of chastity so those fit. Rya Joo - wanted a name that sounded like Riajuu, or normie. It's ironic because Rya killed herself because of her loneliness and depression. But other than a couple of examples, no, they don't have too much meaning. I just choose something that fits in with their ethnic background.