NAME THAT HERO

What's in a name? Everything!

Whether you're writing a romance, a fantasy, a mystery, or the Great American Novel, your character's names are important as the plot.

Call me Ishmael.
Great.
Call me Irving?
Not so great.

Frankly, Myrna, I don't give a damn.
Mmmm... needs work.

I've written dozens of romance novels and novellas. The plots keep coming, but the names get harder. Frankly my dears, I'm running out of really great hero names. And I'm starting a new Regency set novel.

I don't go for the 'Rock' names. By which I mean really "hard" hero names: Dirk and Brad, Lance and Thrust...(big old grin) by which the author shows that the guys has got IT! I need real names that show character, grace, and most of all - names that fit the time and place I'm writing about. That's not saying I need some Melvins and Jerrys. I mean a name that signifies a man of means, and parts - that he knows how to use in his historical era.

So how about giving a girl a hand by suggesting a good heroic name? If I use it in a book, I'll let you know and will give you many thanks. And I'll pick one namer at random to win a copy of my new book: BRIDE ENCHANTED. (Hero name: Aubrey) I'll announce the book winner in my next Wenches blog.

So suggest away! Help! And thanks in advance.

Comments

[Margaret]

Austin, Jason, Trent, Devon, Maxwell.
A really neat site that can help somewhat is http://babynamewizard.com/namevoyager/lnv0105.html

Choose for boys only. Then type in just one letter. Voila, you have names pop up in a nifty graph. Probably most of the names are too modern for your heroes but I'm sure there's a few you could use.

Plus it's just a darned fun site to play around in.

PS to all authors. Please, pretty please give your h/h names that average goof (me) can pronouce. Apologies to Jayne Ann Krentz but I still haven't figured out how to pronouce Iphiginia. Oh well. I've only read the book 3 times.

[Susan Wilbanks]

One period-appropriate name I'm fond of is Arthur. One of my CPs, upon learning I was planning to give a baby Arthur from my WIP his own book when he grew up, opined that there was no way I could convincingly write a tough, brave, attractive, and all-around-heroic Arthur. Naturally, I took this as a dare to prove her wrong.

Thank you for avoiding the "Rock" names. Those always make me roll my eyes. And I think Sebastian was a great idea for the first Regency writer or three who used it, but there have been way too many. I remember once a couple of years ago I picked up four new Regency historicals at the library...and discovered upon reading the back cover that three of them had heroes named Sebastian!

In general, I like the classic names--William, John, Richard, James, Peter, Robert, Alexander, etc. For some reason I have trouble accepting George and Charles as hero names, despite their classic British status, but I'll suspend my disbelief for the write author and character.

[Lois]

Okay, I'm not good at this, but how about Edmund? Some others that I thought of were mentioned already. LOL :)

Lois

[Jane George]

I must cast a vote for the name Jo used in her character naming workshop at RWA in Atlanta in 2006.

Three cheers for Blackheart MacSavage!

If you're not going for that one, I like character names that are evocative of the region and mean something to the family.

Since men were historically called by their last name, I think it's fun to have the surname be their outer, public persona, and their christian name reveal another layer. For example I'll use Jo's Lord Middlethorpe (mainstream, respectable, aristocratic), whose first name we find out is Francis (gentle, warm, sensitive).

[willaful]

Oh dear, I can already guess some people are gonna give you flack about "Aubrey." I still remember the horrible dissing of poor Waldo on the Heyer list.

[Melissa]

What about Ewan, Christopher, Carey, Jude, Bruce, Jason, Bryce, Nathan, Michael, Daniel, or Alan? (Yeah, they're all first names of actors I admire and/or lust after.)

Some I've seen in books but still remember years later include Owen, Dare, Colin, Cooper, Taylor and Matthew. Or you could be blatant and name your hero Darcy, since a lot of us want him for our own. :)

[Janga]

Here's a list selected from my list of favorite heroes: Adam, Anthony, Avery, Benedict, Christian, Colin, Dominic, Garret, Hartley, Jasper, Jesse, Justin, Marcus, Nicholas, Peregrine, Piers, Simon, Stephen.

I had Arden on the list, but I guess you can't use that one. :)

[Sherrie Holmes]

From Sherrie:
Overly cute and clever names tend to turn me off unless the book is humorous or there's a good reason for the odd name. (In one of my humorous stories, I have a footman named Bunion and a cook named Pottsniffer) I do like the idea of using the mother's maiden name, especially if it can be shortened to a nickname (i.e., Sinclair, shortened to Sin). I hesitate to throw out some of the more popular hero names because they've been done unto death. You could populate a small country with all the heroes named Sebastian, Rafe, Dominic, Max, or Hawk.

I'll pretty much go along with any ordinary name, as long as it doesn't have unflattering connotations, such as Humphrey or Casper or Herman. And Tom seems to be a popular name reserved for secondary characters--groom, footman, coachman, innkeeper, etc.

I've always liked the names Edward and Adam for their dignity, and George for its solidity. I like Jack for its earthy-with-a-mischievous-bent feel. Max sounds pleasingly masculine and action-figurish, though it's overused. Christian sounds courtly and noble. Other names I like: Preston, Forrest, Phillip, Spencer, David, Hollis, James, Richard, Dorian.

[AgTigress]

No author can possibly please everyone with her name choices. It seems to me that selecting a name that is appropriate for the place and time should go without saying, but we all have odd personal associations and tastes - and they are not necessarily even linked to people we have known. I really detest the name 'Eric', even though the only man I have known with that name was a person I greatly admired and respected. Of Melissa's list above, I'm afraid I could not take seriously as a hero anyone called Jude, Bruce, Jason or Bryce - especially if the story were an historical, set in England!

In general, the Biblical and Classical names are probably going to annoy far fewer readers than Germanic, Irish/Welsh (many of which are regularly and painfully mispronounced by English-speakers) and modern American inventions, which should be used only in modern (contemporary) American stories.

I like each and every one of Susan's 'classic' list above (especially Richard), *and* I like George and Charles too. Also Thomas, David, Samuel, Anthony and Stephen. I am sure many of you are saying 'BOR-ING'!

:-)

[AgTigress]

Just a little PS: *reasons* for my objections to poor old Messrs. Jude, Bruce, Jason and Bryce. 'Jude' is so often used as the abbreviation of 'Judith' in England that its masculine credentials, sound though they are, tend to be forgotten. Bruce - well, he has to be an Australian; likewise Jason (unless he is a contemporary Essex Boy, probably a used-car dealer). Bryce sounds completely American to me, so I would find it acceptable in a US contemporary, but not in a UK-set historical.

;-)

[Ladytink_534]

Darren, Dustin, Johnathan, Daniel, Nathaniel... sorry that's all I got!

[NinaP]

How about...

Rees (or Reevs) Harris
Walker Hill
Phillip Bently
Francis Barhave

I can't take credit for these names as they are from the June, 1815 Muster Roll of the Royal Horse Artillery, G Troop. But, I hope you find something useful.

Looking forward to your new book! :-)

Nina

[Maureen]

Here are some names I like:
Pierson
Preston
Clinton
Reed
Brent
Nash
Kent
Rylan
Dane
Carter
Bradford
Lawson
Parker

[RevMelinda]

Edith,
I really think your next hero should be a devastatingly handsome redhead named Hugo.

Before my girls were born our "boy names" were Owen and Philip. Names we liked but our relatives laughed at were Linus and Theodore. Failing any of those, my daughters have suggestions.

15-yr old suggests Peter, Miles, Richard, Thaddeus, Felix, and Christopher.

11 year old suggests Paisley, Iglesias, Dexter, Wolfgang, Octavian, and Rodeo.

Obviously 15 year old is imagining an historical and 11 year old is thinking paranormal time travel.

I think Hugo's got to be it!

Melinda

[Jaclyne Laurin]

The names I'm about to suggest are my Husband's and son's middle names: Edward, Cameron & Zachary.

As for French names I could list a whole bunch if ever you decide to add a french guy in the mix!

Here are a few: Adrien, Lionel, Aurel, François or Jean-François, Rémi, Michel, Pierre, Louis, Alain, Lucien, Fabrice, Claude or Jean-Claude, Sylvain, Serge, Francis.

P.S. I always roll my eyes when I see those 'manly' names in books, they're always too suggestive. Give me a nice decent name that I can actually associate with a character. One that's believable at least! **Thrust** funny!!

[Christy H.]

What a fun post! I'm having a fun time laughing at some of the suggestions and why or why not people like or dislike certain names.
How about:

Ian
Geoffrey
Douglas
Graham
Victor
Hugh
Terence

[Susan Wilbanks]

Oooh, I like your elder daughter's taste, RevMelinda. I knew a devastatingly gorgeous and brainy army captain named Thaddeus once, and Felix is a great name, too. The positive association there is the Mariners' young pitching phenom, Felix Hernandez--he's not especially handsome, but his curveball is a thing of beauty.

It's weird how associations work. I could never write a hero named Hugh, because I'd think of my Uncle Hugh. But I have two uncles named Jack, and that didn't stop me from naming a hero Jack. And I can't explain it, unless it's that Jack is more common and harder to tie to just one person.

[Amanda]

Julian.

I love everything about it.

[Sue A.]

I like the hero to have uncommon names.
Aidan
Barrington
Clayton
Dixon
Everett
Ford
Grayson
Holden
Judson

[RevMelinda]

Susan Wilbanks, my DH was just up in Seattle and enjoyed a super evening at Safeco Field. So how about "Mariner" for a hero (though perhaps that goes better in Pat Rice's Mystic universe)? Unless the Mariners keep losing, LOL!

[Liz]

I second the vote for Hugo, but I get the Familial Pitfalls that might be present - Julian works for me too. (I dated a Preston. Ixnay on the Restonpay.)

Why am I here when I could be reading Bride Enchanted? I have no idea either. And you're not likely to use Mordechai (or any of my other awesome family names,) so off to crack a spine am I.

[Helen]

I have a list of alumni from Harrow so I did a quick survey of 116 boys who entered school in 1814. Twenty boys were named John, 12 named Henry, 9 for Charles, 9 for, William, 6 named James and 6 named George. So there was not a lot of originality in names then, and king names were very popular. Are kings not considered so romantic and manly now as before? The more exotic first names were place or family names such as Blayney, Bellenden, Criswell, Jenkin, Willoughby, Wadham and Sackville, none of which seem particularly attractive to me but you could come up with a family name with more pizazz. I think that nicknames are great because they give you some insight into how the character is seen by others.

[Susan Wilbanks]

"So how about "Mariner" for a hero (though perhaps that goes better in Pat Rice's Mystic universe)? Unless the Mariners keep losing, LOL!"

Hey, we beat the Yankees today, stopping our losing streak before it reached double digits! Anyway, Mariner just doesn't sound like a name to me. However, when I was pregnant with my daughter, I occasionally told people that if it was a boy, we were going to name him Edgar Ichiro, for my then-favorite M's players. (Now it would be Edgar Felix Ichiro. And I wouldn't REALLY do that, though Edgar WAS my maternal grandfather's name, so there's a precedent outside baseball...)

In my initial list, I only included names that struck me as historically appropriate for an English or Scottish aristocrat born in the late 18th century, because anachronistic names can throw me straight out of a story. There are lots of men's names I love that just don't quite fit--very Irish names like Sean and Brendan, very Old Testament names like Elijah, Abraham, Benjamin, and Judah, etc. I could buy them on a Regency hero, but I'd want some background on how they ended up with an atypical name. I know, I know. I'm a name nerd, and too much of a stickler for detail in general.

[Jane George]

Dear Sue A.,

My maternal grandfather's name was Everett, and his son, my uncle, was named Clayton. There's also Victor, Dwight, and Arthur close by on the family tree. So those names make me think of strong, American, industrial-age folks. But I agree they're great names.

On a side note, I think it's hysterical that boy's names that are currently popular with upwardly mobile Americans, such as Cooper, Hunter, Tanner, etc. originated as tradespeople's names. Call me strange, but it's the little ironies that keep me going.

As for the name contest, I'll throw Rowan into the ring. I've always liked that name. And a lovely tree it is, too.

[Ingrid]

It's probably because I'm Dutch, but I've always thought it weird that surnames could be used as first names. Americans seem especially prone to it; even girls get landed with surnames now. The first time I heard the name Cameron Diaz I was taken aback. I mean, imagine calling your baby girl Cameron.
But films and television have made foreign names popular over here, so who knows what will happen?

How about Nicholas? I think it hasn't been mentioned yet. An old-fashioned Dutch abbreviation would be Klaas. Gerrit is another old-fashioned name. My grandfather's name was Dirk. I daresay it comes in your ludicrous category, but it's the Dutch equivalent of Derek.

[Maggie Robinson]

Ivor
Finn or Phin for Phinneus (sp?)
Josiah
Jabez (Jay, natch)
Merritt

I love "family" names as first names, which opens up a whole other vista for you.

[francois]

I've got a soft spot for Rue, from a dashing great uncle Rue out of an old family photograph. But no one seems to know what it was short for. Perhaps (horrors) Rudolf?

Like everyone else I can't stand the contemporary or just plain made-up names. I'm reading a Mary Balogh at the moment with a Sydnam, and all I can think is is that a real name she found somewhere obscure? Or was she mistakenly thinking of Sydenham the name and place? I think the worst heroine's name I ever read was Sinjun, which I assumed to be some made-up corruption of St.John, which additionally is a man's name anyway.

[Gretchen F]

I always liked Ludovic Lavenham, a Georgette Heyer creation! I think names taken from obscure English words work well- Last names like Pollard, Sprue, Collier, Howe,and Cote work well with names of saints or kings- Luke, Matthew, Anthony, Francis, Stephen, George, Benedict, Bede, Charles,Peter, Thomas, William. Occupational or descriptive names work well, too- Ferryman, Reeve, Shepherd, Cooper, Banks,Bell,Lastman,Atwater,Abbeyford,Bywood, Underhill, Rivers, Norman. A few first names can authentically be taken from literature or art that aristocratic parents would be familiar with- Hector, Marcus, Octavian, Julius, Daniel, Piers, Montague, Anselm, Adam, Leonardo, Raphael, Sandor, Paul.Try these combinations: Piers Lastman, Sandor Howe, Julius Atwater, Adam Underhill. I hope I win even though I already bought the book...

[Edith]

Oh my gosh! I never expecteed SO many nifty names. I''ll have to get a bigger fishbowl to put all your names into!

One note. RevMelinda and Liz were kind to suggest HUGO. But that's impossible for me. See, there already are some neat names in my family that you guys have suggested that I can't use. Daniel: my father, David: my brother, Michael, Adam and Ed - sons and son-in-law. The problem is that I can't envision myself writing a hot scene with any of them in it - the association is too strong.
Put our young Hugo into such a position in such a bed, when he's most comfy in his crib? Just cannot do it!

I'll announce the random winner in my next post, as I said. But there's already a few new delicious names nipping about in my head for my new hero.
You guys are GREAT!!!!

[Patricia Rice]

Oh, wow, Edith, this is fun! I'm saving this post for future reference. "G" It's far better than all those prosaic baby name books. I usually end up making up a name before I'll use one from a book. (As RevMel has already grasped! Mariner would have been much nicer than Navigator, but then poor Nevan might have turned out as a Mark instead of Nevan the Navigator!)

I can't really put my finger on what it takes to create just the "right" name for a hero. It isn't just those "k" sounds, although they certainly help. I like "A" as well and have used them frequently. And yeah, there's always that familiarity thing that prevents me from naming a character after someone I know is a jerk. But sometimes, a name just "fits" a character.

And I'd better leave off here before I use up a year's supply of quotation marks.

[Elaine McCarthy]

I've always liked Scottish names: Angus, Gordon, Duncan, Stuart (my son's name). Or Welsh: Rhodri (the name of the hero of my first published novel), Rhys, David. August also has a very manly ring to it. And Spencer, because of Spencer Tracy. Last names used as first names often provide great nicknames: Winthrop = Win; Sedgewick = Sedge.

When I was touring Lancaster Castle, I checked out the paintings of long-ago worthies on the walls. There was one named Fenwick Fenwick, I kid you not! But when I saw the number of Johns and Jameses he had for company, I was inclined to think he was the lucky one.

[Joye]

I like unusual names like Bricker, Ajax, Trafford

[Susan/DC]

I'm partial to Jeremy, my oldest son's name, and also because of the association with Jeremy Irons. Of the other suggestions, I love the sound of the name Edmund and actually regret that we didn't name our youngest son that rather than Michael (the latter is a very nice name but whenever you shout Michael a quarter of the men in the vicinity turn around).

If you're looking for real but odd names, I went to college with a girl named Henningham Fulton George -- in that order. She was called Henny but got lots of mail for George Henningham. Needless to say, hers were old family names. In later years I knew a woman named Rangeley, again, an old family name.

[MJ]

Right now I like Alastair, for some reason.... and Gervase.... and Sebastien.... and Alexander (a good conquering name....)

And yes - Julian is always a good name....

This is a great deal of fun to do without 'thinking'. Rather like word association.... thanks!

[Jaclyne Laurin]

Since this post is still going strong for a second day, I decided to take a chance with more name suggestions.

I looked at the boys names in my kids classes. Here they are:

Conrad, Kaine, Abraham, Iain, Mitchell, Cody, Stuart, Dawson, Everette, Brent, Hayden, Riley, Shane, Griffin, Ethan, Walker, Liam, Jacob, Tyler.

My mother's uncle was named Donat, her dad was Eugene. They were born in the late 1800's.

[Jaclyne Laurin]

Shoot, I forgot to mention that even though I named my first son Eric, I considered Cedric or Fredric too (they were rejected by DH!) My second son's name is Caleb, but we toyed with Thomas for a while.

[Terri Mahler]

I vote for Roscoe, Bennett (which sounds more grown up to me than just plain Ben, and Blake. I cannot remember ever seeing my eldest son's name, Kevin, in a romance, but I find that name to be terriffic as it cannot be shortened into anything offensive.

[Mary Lynne]

One name I haven't seen mentioned yet is Clive. And Daniel and Gregory are nice as well.

[Carol]

Hi, I agree with Susan, Jeremy is very masculine, but must never shortened to Jerry! Cheers

[Christy H.]

I'm back again with a few more names. I pulled out our family history/genealogy book and found these names (hopefully they haven't already been listed)
Hans
Lewis
Warner
Allen
Luther
Jackson
Sanford
Boyd
Reese
Barnett
Foster
Simeon
Augustus
Sterling
Lucas
Alfred
Levi
Clark
Hartmann

[Maya]

judging from my son's preschool and kindergarten classes, occupation names are extremely popular these days. he's had classmates called cooper, chandler, tanner, carter, fletcher, and mason, and not all were boys.

but i doubt that a historical aristocratic family would name their child after the person in their village who makes barrels, candles, leather goods, arrows etc.

[AgTigress]

I thought that Edith's original question was about masculine names that would be appropriate for a character in an *historical* novel, and perhaps even one set in England, but it's quite possible that I misunderstood. ;-) If this is what she did mean, then a great many of the names listed above as names that various readers LIKE would not do at all, because they simply would never have been used in 19thC or earlier England.

Names not only have all sorts of personal vibes for individuals: they are very redolent of place, period and social class. In an historical novel, it's pretty important to get that right: if you call your Regency viscount Darren or Duane, you can be pretty sure that all your English readers, and the better-informed of your American ones, are going to throw the book against the wall at a very early stage!

:-D

[RevMelinda]

I know this is so late no one will ever read it, but here's one from my husband's family I've never run across anywhere else (except the Bible, LOL)--Sylvanus. He was born about 1820, I think.

AgTigress, I am LOVING the idea of a viscount named Duane! (grin)

[Edith]

>>I thought that Edith's original question was about masculine names that would be appropriate for a character in an *historical* novel, and perhaps even one set in England, but it's quite possible that I misunderstood. ;-) >>

Oh, you understood, AgTigress. And while I generally agree about the appropriateness, you cannot know the shock I got when the greatest of the great: the magnificent Georgette herself, named a character: "Tiffany"!
I still have problems with that one, but Georgette didn't.

[Liz]

When working on family history, I constantly come across names that surprise me. Either as too modern to my ears or as shock a name was common. I've got several family line siwth good old Mordecai and a stunning number of Balthazar's and Ephraims.

[AgTigress]

Amazingly, Tiffany, (normally as a form of Theophania rather than in its own right), IS absolutely okay as an 18th/19th century name. It isn't a recent coining at all. I agree, one can be very surprised sometimes by names that seem anachronistic.

:-)

[Liz]

Now how do you get from Theophania to Tiffany? I mean, really?

Not that I doubt you, but how does that happen?

[Kelly]

James, Heath, Hugh, Robert, Ellis

[Sarah]

Thanks for giving us the privilege of suggesting names. I appreciate the suggestions taken from genealogies and it makes me want to go home and look up some of mine. Until then, I will settle for seconding two personal favorites: Richard and Ian