What's in a Name?

                                Pat today, substituting for Mary Jo:

I go to insane extremes sometimes to name my characters, probably because I have utterly no memory for names. So unless I call a character Drogo or Dunstan, I’ll be calling him Billy in one chapter and Bobby in another. I kid you not. I just did that with a secondary character.  For the Magic books, I had odd families steeped in history and legend, so I dug around hunting out the names of old saints or at least warriors of Celtic origin. For the Mystic books, I was playing with an   Atlantis-like world, and I combined Greek, Roman, and a dash of Celtic.  Needless to say, current baby name books do not work well with my idiosyncrasies.

On my shelf, immediately at hand so I can grab them the instant a new character appears, is Teresa Norman’s A World of Baby Names, The Cassell Dictionary of First Names, the Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names, and Writer’s Digest Building Believable Characters because it lists common last names for different countries. Then there are the online resources…  Well, you get the picture.

And what do I do with the latest proposal and this wealth of resources? I name my protagonists Nick and Nora. And I do not even realize I’ve done this until I’m on Chapter Three. There is a long and twisted explanation of how Nora got her name, and it made perfect sense with the plot and characters I was developing.  So while I was typing out ideas, I shortened her Eleanora to Nora and she felt like a Nora, so I kept it when I started writing. Except Nick is one of my Rebellious Sons, and he’s already in two other books. I really can’t change Nick! 

So now I not only have two protagonists whose names begin with the same letter, but I have a couple whose names are infamous throughout literary mystery circles. Maybe I can hope no one will notice. Anyone else out there familiar with Dashiell Hammett’s Nick and Nora?

Anyway, for the writers among us, here’s a lovely blog by Ann Marble listing some of the pitfalls of naming characters: http://www.writing-world.com/romance/names.shtml. You will notice her warning about temporary names sticking in your head. Wise lady. But do I heed any of these warnings? Of course not. I know better, but there’s something about that subconscious connection with a name and a character that simply demands particular letters and sounds and connotations.  In my next release, THE WICKED WYCKERLY, (link is to my updated website where there's an excerpt) Fitz and Abby had lots of other names. They even called each other by nicknames—often and not always politely. <G> But they were Fitz and Abby in my mind from page one. 

Admit it, most of us would rather change our own names because they don’t suit how we see ourselves. What would your name be if you could choose it? Why? How did you choose names for your kids? (I gave mine family names and a unique name that was adaptable in several ways so they could play with them as they grew older. And this was before I was published!)  So, what goes into your thinking about names?

Comments

[donna ann]

I love Nick & Nora Charles! When the Thin Man movies came out on DVD I immediately got the set & was in heaven.

My mom grew up with nicknames for her and her siblings that every one used. She hated hers but the others still are known by theirs (I have to really think to recall their real names.) Can't say I blame her -- took me off guard 1st time I heard some strange man call my mom "sweetie". Turns our that it was someone who knew her just back then and that was the nickname she had. She made sure all her kids had names that couldn't be altered (with the exception of my brother named after dad) and no nicknames were allowed. Luckily I've never had any issue with my name, particularly after learning it meant "lady" as I always wanted to be something of a lady. :)

[Linda Banche]

My mother is like donna ann's. She gave us names that don't readily take to nicknames. I don't mind it, although I like my sister's name, Laura, better than mine.

I dislike off-the-wall names. I get the impression the parents are trying to make their kids important without the kid having done anything to deserve it. If your name is Mary and you discover a cure for cancer, you will most certainly stand out.

[Lyn S]

My mom gave the 3 of us simple names rather than the nicknames that were prevalent in her family. As a teacher, we always compare notes on how to pronounce our student's names before the first day. The worst ever was Syphillis. The mother saw it on a poster and thought it was a pretty word. That is definitely one little girl who is going to change her name.

[Patricia Rice]

LOL on poor Syphillis, although you've got to agree, if you didn't know the meaning, it has a pretty sound to it!

Interesting that parents chose names that couldn't be turned into nicknames. I didn't think there was any way that could be prevented. Even if a kid was named Bob, he'd end up being called Red or Slim or whatever. "G" But if it works, who am I to argue? "Sweetie" would have been reason to offer a knuckle sandwich!

[Peg]

Crossword puzzle addicts are familiar with Nick and Nora. Their dog's name was ASTA, and it turns up in the puzzles every 3 or 4 weeks. I guess that combination of letters is very useful.

[Deb]

Hi, Pat. I am not crazy about my name, but not sure what I would want to change it to. Because my mother carried me very low when expecting, she thought I was a boy and when I came along, she and Dad had no girls' names chosen. While flipping through a magazine, she saw a picture of Debbie Reynolds and decided she liked the name Debbie.

My daughter Shary Ann is named after my mother Sharon and with my middle name of Ann. My husband came up with the name, BTW.

[Susanna Fraser]

My mother gave all of us standard, classic names (David, Mark, James, and Susan), and tended to be scathing about recently invented names and even more so about the trend of turning boys' names and surnames into girls' names. (The fact my dad was named Kelly may have influenced her on the latter.)

I've never cared for Susan. There are so many in my generation and the one immediately preceding it that it seems generic, and there aren't many good literary Susans. My primary associations are Susan Pevensie from the Narnia books and Susan the maid in the later Anne of Green Gables books, neither of which is wholly positive. I always wished I had a more regal timeless classic name, like Elizabeth, Catherine, or Anne (spelled with an E, naturally), and I've always vastly preferred Susanna to Susan, so it was my immediate choice for a pen name.

I absorbed my mother's love of classic names, but when my daughter was born I didn't want her to be lost in a flood of Emmas and Emilys the way I was with all the other Susans of my generation, so we named her Annabel. As for nicknames, people often ask us if she's Annie or Bella--never. Neither would suit her personality at all. She's A.B.

With character names, however, I find myself going for the more ordinary/common names somehow. My first manuscript starred James and Lucy, and the one I just sold to Carina features Will and Anna. I'm toying with a new story where I know the heroine is named Helen, and I'm just starting to figure out who the hero is. Maybe I'll make him Scottish and call him Malcolm. I wanted to name a son Malcolm, but I a) never could get my husband to like it, and b) never actually had a son.

[maryjoputney]

Names are one of those wonderful, complicated topics that are great fun to chew. Anne Marble's piece was great. B'eware t'he a'postrophe! A definite failing in sff.

I usually find I can't write abouta character unless I know her or his name--and that's true even of minor, throwaway characters. I can stall out while I try to figure who to call the butler.

And, hey, Susan/Susanna! Congrats on the sale to Carina!

[Susan/DC]

I'm another of the flood of Susan's from the era Susanna Fraser mentions, but I'm a plain Susan who always wished she were a Susanna. Susanna flows more freely and simply sounds better because the final "ah" sound balances the "oo", which I don't care for. Having grown up with a common name, I wanted names for my sons that were not so common but which weren't weird or need to be spelled every time they made a reservation or doctor's appointment: Jeremy is always Jeremy, never Jerry; Noah is impossible to shorten; and Michael became Mickey when one of his friends renamed him due to the surplus of Michaels in the 6th grade and that became the name by which all his friends knew him (although now that he is an adult I noticed he introduces himself to new people as Michael).

As for books, must admit some names don't strike me as right for a hero or heroine, either because they seem too modern or because it's hard to imagine a handsome Uriah or a beautiful Ethel.

P.S. My husband adores the Nick and Nora Charles movies.

[Patricia Rice]

Ha, I've got all you Susans topped with Patricia as a common name that's been around so long that there are obviously a million of us in this country alone, judging by my Google Alerts. Although a lot of us are dying like flies. "G" And worse yet, the name is reduced to awful things like Patty that might suit some personalities but make me cringe and hide under the house.

LOL on naming the nonexistent son Malcolm. I think you may be a writer. "G"

[Kim in Hawaii]

I named my first son Andrew in honor of my husband's love of golf (St. Andrew's in Scotland). I named my second son David in honor of my growing admiration for Wales (St. David of Cymru). Good thing that we were satisfied with two children, as I do not care for the names George (England) and Patrick (Ireland).

[Chèli]

I'm one of those people who didn't feel comfortable with her name. For the first 18 years of my life I was Michèle. I didn't like it so when I went off to college I decided it was the perfect time to be creative and told everyone that my name was Chèli. That was fine until time came to get married and my mther insisted on the vows being our formal names (My husband also goes by a nickname.) Since they were paying for the event we figured we couldn't really say no.
For the rest of my life I have always been Chèli on everything except my mortgage and tax return.

When I turned 50 I decided that it was time for the change to be official and I went to court and official changed my name to Chèli.

To this day my mother still calls me Michèle, but that's okay, it's her perogative.

[Jane O]

Personally, I like names like John and Mary. Tom, Dick and Harry are fine by me.
The only ones I object to are Tiffany and Brook. I don't think you should name kids after stores.

[gina m]

I didn't like my name as a kid, but I grew into it as I hit adulthood. Gina is familiar, but not particularly common - I never had another Gina in my classes.

As for my own children, both of them have four names (including our surname), and their names are family names. Since I'm an only child and so is my father, my husband suggested that we names our oldest son after my daddy (and yes, I cried when he told me), so he has my father's full name, including my maiden name as a middle name. We call him Franklin (his second name).

Our younger son has my husband's initials (A.J.) with an added middle name to honor a great-grandfather that was particularly important to us. His first name is Alexander, but it became clear very quickly that he would be called Xander (said Zander). It's quirky and free-spirited, which fits my son to a T.

[Susan]

Another Susan here - since I married a King, my romance writing name is simple and easy to spell, though for mainstream fiction I use Susan Fraser King (the publisher liked the more academic sound of the triple name). Fraser can be spelled a few different ways, but we use the clan chief's spelling in our fam. And I am continually puzzled that some places (including Borders) list my books under Fraser instead of King. ?!) It's not hyphenated....

Our three sons have simple names, though if we'd had girls they would have had the same name as two of the boys -- twice we chose one name we liked and stuck with it. The middle names would have been different for a girl-child, though. I love some boys' names for girls, though I guess I will have to play with that in books!

Susan (with an extra shout-out to Susanna Fraser!)

[Patricia Rice]

LOL on naming kids after stores! Maybe brands--Nike, anyone? Kinda cool, huh?

We used family names for the middle names, too. I'm not sure the kids appreciated it, but at least my daughter is not the nine-hundredth ninety-millionth Patricia Anne in the world. And yeah, I like the Anne better than the Patricia, but no one else did.

[Susanna Fraser]

"And, hey, Susan/Susanna! Congrats on the sale to Carina!"

Thanks! I don't have a release date or anything yet, but I'm pretty excited about it.

"LOL on naming the nonexistent son Malcolm. I think you may be a writer."

Heh. The conversation with my husband actually went something like this:

Me (pregnant at the time): You know what would be a great name for a boy? Malcolm Arthur.

Him (thoughtfully): Could be. I'll have to think about it.

A day later...

Him (indignant): You can't name a baby after Mal Reynolds and the Duke of Wellington!

Me: WHY NOT?!

"Susan (with an extra shout-out to Susanna Fraser!)"

Hello, fellow Fraser! (One of the reasons I picked Fraser is because it's a family name, albeit several generations up the tree.)

[Sherrie Holmes]

From Sherrie:
I've always liked my name. It's part of my identity, part of who I am. And being 3/4 French, Sherrie seems appropriate. I've never had to share "my" name with others in school or at work, so it still feels special to me.

I'm not fond of my middle name. When I was born, Mom sent a telegram to her father saying, "It's a girl. Her name is Sherrie Rae." He sent a telegram back, saying, "Ye Gods, if it had been a boy, I suppose you'd have named him Apple Jack."

We all grew up with nicknames in my family. My brother was Rabbit, named for the bunny outfit he wore when he came home from the hospital as a newborn. A couple of weeks before he started kindergarten, Mom told us we had to start calling him by his real name, so he'd get used to it before he started school. He cried and cried, insisting his name was Rabbit, not Harold. *g* My sister was Snookie, for Snooking Lansing, the old-time singer on TV. And I was Wowie, because my little brother couldn't pronounce my name--it always came out Wowie.

Regarding naming my characters: I never use temporary names. I take great care to pick the right names in the beginning, because those names shape who they are and how I think of them.

[Patricia Rice]

See, this is why choosing a kids' (or character's) name is so important! Sherrie is an original. She needed an original name! We need names that we're comfortable with.

Hmm, maybe I create quirky characters and names because I'm quirky but labeled with a common name!

[Jennie Marsland]

Aren't names fun? I tend to steal them from students. The nicest feminine name I've come across (in my humble opinion) is Sidonie. I just had to use it - for a character who dies before the story begins! Never mind, I can use it again for a granddaughter of the original.

[Anna B]

I was named from my great grandmother. When I was grade school and middle school I did not like my name at all. It was old fashioned and unusual at the time.
By the time I hit high school, I began to like the name that set me apart from the Kathys, the Julies and the Kims of my peer group.
Today I'm proud to have been named after my great grandmother. And tickled that a friends 9 year old tells everyone she was named after me. (she wasn't, but we don't tell her that)

[LizA]

Names are fascinating! My parents went for normal, typical names so neither my brothers nor myself stand out. However, my nickname is pretty unusual - I am Lizzie in my family, but not pronouncied the English way but the German way (so it comes out something like Litzi). Never met anyone else who was named such although I did some research and found that it was a common short form for Elisabeth in Austria around 1900. Times change, obviously!

I felt very sorry for the girl called Syphillis mentioned up the thread. I find it interesting that it is possible (in America I assume) at all. Here in Austria a name has to be a proper name for one, has to show the gender of a person (no male names for girl children as a rule) and should not invite ridicule. So Syphillis would have been out on three counts already. It is also impossible to name a child Nutella or Nokia in Austria, both have been tried although I do wonder what the parents were thinking!

[Sherrie Holmes]

From Sherrie:
I used to work with a woman who named her newborn Daychenille, a made up name. Every time I heard it, I'd think of a chenille bedspread on a daybed. I once bought an antique bible from an antique store, and inside it was the funeral handout of a man named North America Storms, preceeded in death by his twin brother, South America Storms.

As a hobby, I've collected unusual names for decades. I have some doozies. They make you wonder what on earth their parents were thinking.

[Anne Gracie]

The Susans and Patricias may be thick on the the ground, but I'm from the endless Tribe of Ann(e)s and most of my life I've had the first letter of my surname attached, to distinguish me from others of the Tribe. So I've been AnneD (pronounced andy) or AnneG (pronounced, as often as not as "an egg!" LOL)

Aussies are big on nicknames and some of the most colorful turn up in sport. There was a well known footballer when I was growing up who was balding, but had long hair. When he played football, he wore a headband to keep it in place (footballers don't wear helmets here) so It flew out behind him in a when he ran... so he was dubbed the Flying Doormat...LOL

[Sue]

I love this topic! I've always liked being Susan - Sue to my friends but never Susie! My Mother in law had three girls and gave them all "S" names so I carried on the tradition. I wanted an Irish name to go with our surname but husband vetoed that. He is a teacher and said that Siobhan, Sian or Sinead would be a teacher's nightmare so she became Sarah! Our son is John but could easily have been Andrew if my Dad hadn't died just before I had him. (Dad was John but known as Mac by everyone except his Mum).
I cannot abide made up names, poor kids. One of the neat things about travelling as a child is buying souvenirs with your name on - we have zipper pulls from all over the States and Europe. You never see a Xanthe or Elver both names given to her daughter and son by a colleague at work. She wanted them to be different! - they sure are spoiled and rude. Teachers at my hubby's school have a theory that the more outlandish the name the less intelligent the parents, they've not been proved wrong yet!

[Patricia Rice]

Love Lizzie pronounced as Litzie! When I do booksignings, I'm always fascinated with the many ways people can spell a name that sounds simple, but in this case, the spelling is easier! I don't think we could get away with banning unusual names here, though. Way too many people for a limited list. Besides, then we'd miss the fun of North American Storm! (that one's totally unbelievable, Sherrie!)

My granddaughter's nickname is Cali (she's from California) and for years, we couldn't find name souvenirs for her, but I see it all the time now.

[Sherrie Holmes]

Pat, I know! A name like North America Storms *is* unbelievable. But it's true. I have a photocopy of the little memorial thing they hand out at funerals. It reads: "In memory of North America Storms. Date of Birth April 14, 1901. Passed Away February 18, 1968. Services at Lewis Funeral Chapel, 1:00 p.m. Wednesday Feb. 21, 1968. Officiating: George M. Hershberger CMDR, CHC, USN, and Fleet Reserve Branch No. 29. Private Interment at Forest Lawn Cemetery." It also included the poem "Crossing the Bar" by Tennyson.

[LizA]

Love North America Storm. I wonder if he/she went by North or North America? "North and South just came for dinner". LOL. A good think that he/she die not enter the diplomatic service, though! It might have caused some misunderstandings (North America to visit Russia!)

I think many European countries have restrictions like I have mentioned. I know Germany does for sure. I read an interview with a guy working in the office that deals with birth certificicats and he said that these days, he spent a lot of times researching names to find out if a foreign or odd name was a real name. They rarely ban names though, unless they are completely off (like brand names or general words). So Peaches Geldorf would have been impossible in Austria.... but really who would like to be named Pfirsich??

[librarypat]

I like my name. Pat or Patricia are fine, but my family calls me Patsy which was what I was called all through school. I can't say that I hate it, but it just doesn't feel right. Our children's names all seem to fit and I've never heard them complain about them. Our Rebecca is also called Becca, but don't ever call her Becky. It just isn't her. Her middle name was supposed to be Fairlight, but with our long last name the nurse said it wouldn't fit on the form and made me change it. (After 24 hours of labor and delivery I'm supposed to come up with a good name?) I was really disappointed, but I don't think she is.
I don't know why, but I have had many people call me Barbara. Don't know why. I had a professor in college that made that mistake for 3 years. The other incidents have been scattered over the years and the country, so there is no common thread. I certainly don't see myself as a Barbara.
It is really getting confusing with people making up name and using creative spelling for just about any name.

[Air force one]

How valuable for me, believe that it will attract lot of people's love.