Top Names

First off, I just have to say that the comments from yesterday's post were some of my favorites EVER. Those were some incredible WIP Spark stories! Some of them made me laugh, some gave me chills, and some made me go Whoa. That is so cool. All of them put me in awe. I loved them!

At the very beginning stages of a manuscript, I heard the name "Livi," and thought, Oh! That fits my MC perfectly! (Turns out it didn't, actually, and half-way through the draft, it felt like I was typing someone else's name every time I typed it, but that's different story.) About the time I finished the draft (and still hadn't come up with an alternate name), the end-of-the-year lists came out for most popular baby names. Guess which one had become number one over the course of that year?

Olivia.

To which the Change it! Change it! Change it! voices got louder. (Which may or may not have been because her name just really needed to be changed.)

I guess there's two ways of looking at the popular name lists.

1. A lot of people LOVE seeing their name (or even the name of someone they know) in print. If you have a character with their name, chances are they are going to relate the character that much more. If you choose a popular name, there's going to be a lot more people experiencing that. (And with the speed of publishing, those kids who were born this year... might be old enough to read when your book comes out. ;))

2. The name stands out less. It's not unique. It's not different. It's not as easy to remember. (And if you're writing first person, the MC's name is going to be harder to remember by is nature.)

So if you are choosing TO name a character with a popular name or of you're choosing NOT to name a character with a popular name, here's the list in all it's glory, taken from msn's site (where they talk about patterns a lot more, if you're interested).

Top Baby Names of 2011

Girls---Boys

Sophia---Aiden

Emma---Jackson

Isabella---Mason

Olivia---Liam

Ava---Jacob

Lily---Jayden

Chloe---Ethan

Madison---Noah

And just because I found it interesting, this bit from the article: "This year it’s all about two letters: A and N. For girls, the top five names all end with –a: Sophia, Emma, Isabella, Olivia and Ava. On the boys’ side, the –n ending ruled five of the top eight: Aiden, Jackson, Mason, Jayden and Ethan."

Do you choose names more on the popular side, or less?

The Way We Are: Name Inspiration

One of, hands down, THE greatest / hardest thing about being a writer is being able to name people other than your own children.  I mean, seriously! How many people get that opportunity? And let's face it: it's a pretty hefty responsibility. The perfect name can make such a difference. Which prompts the Way We Are question of the week:

Where do you get your inspiration for character names?

Baby name websites? Street signs? The credits at the end of a movie? People from your childhood / your life now? A box of crayons? Maps? A distortion of a quality that character possesses?

Do you go for names that are bizarre? Different? Common? A combination of common and uncommon for first and last names? Do you look at the sound, initials, or nick-name potential? Do you look for words that AREN'T typically names?

Let us know! I think I speak for everyone when I say that we're all dying to find out.

I've Got a Theory: What's in a name? LOTS.

My theory is based on another theory. That theory is called the "Theory of Deadly Initials." Maybe you've heard of it. It was published in the Journal of Psychosomatic Research, and said there's a link between the lifespan of human males and their initials. Basically, if your initials are positive (like W.O.W. or A.C.E.), then you'd tend to live 4.8 years longer than people with initials who didn't really spell anything. If your initials were negative (like U.G.H. or D.U.M.), then you'd tend to live 2.8 years less.

You write your initials a LOT over the course of a lifetime. Every time you do, if it's positive, it's kind of a You Are So Cool shot in the arm. If it's negative, it's like a You Stink shot, right?

So here's my theory. You write your last name MUCH MORE than you write your initials! So your last name can have a HUGE impact if it is an actual non-name word, or similar to an actual word.

My maiden name is Wheeler. Is it any coincidence that my dad was a race car driver? That he built hot rods, dune buggies, custom cars and race cars, and fixed wrecked cars as a side job when I was a kid? That my sister manages a car parts store? That three members of my family are in a car show club? That my brother restores classic cars? That nearly every member of my family owns more vehicles than they have licensed drivers? Hmmm....

And that's just one example. The one I'm closest to. I'm sure you can think of several others.

So if W.I.N. makes you be more winning, R.A.D. makes you cooler, F.A.B. makes you be more fabulous, D.U.M. makes you feel dumber, O.A.F. makes you feel clumsy, and B.A.D. makes you feel terrible at everything, then what does having a last name that is also a word mean?

How does it influence what you do, or more importantly, HOW PEOPLE VIEW your possibilities, personality, temperament, stability, and a host of other things? If initials make such a difference, than so can having a last name like Hart. Mason. Parker. Woods. Bright. Cross. Twiggs. Feld. Knight. Price. Law. Butcher. Archer. Cook. Young. Stone. Steele. Farmer. King. Singer. Best.

Does it matter? What about that last time you had to pick a doctor? You stare at a list of doctors your insurance covers, knowing nothing about them except for their names and phone numbers. How do you choose? That's right! Their name! (Unless you're researchy and you don't like to go into things blind. Or if you're choosing based on the ease of memorizing their phone number. Both are also entirely valid methods.)

The truth is, it does make a huge difference.

Which means that the names we choose make a huge difference on people's impressions of the characters we write. Choosing a name that doesn't really have connotations isn't a bad thing-- it's more of a neutral thing. But you can choose a name based on its connotations, good or bad, and that can make an incredible difference in people's perceptions of that character.

Choosing a character's last name is pretty incredible. When else in your life do you get to actually choose a last name? Last names can be hugely powerful. We should wield that power well.

How do you choose characters' names? By their connotations, or just by how cool they sound?

What's in a name? Everything.

Some characters have THE most awesome names. And let's face it: it makes the character themselves just a little bit more awesome.

Some characters have just okay names. And that's okay.

Some have completely forgettable names. And that's... okay, too, I guess.

But oh, to have a great name! A name that's perfect for the character. A name that tells so much about the character all on it's own. An unforgettable name. A name that's golden.

That's the real trick.

I glanced through some books on of my Read shelf on Goodreads. These are the ones that stood out.

Kvothe-- Yes, hard to say, but it really fit the strong, powerful character it was attached to.
Joe Solomon-- Pair a name like Solomon with a name like Joe? You get a strong guy who is easy to relate to. I liked him the moment he walked on the page.
Zach Goode-- I LOVE that it has the word "good" right in his name. You can trust that, right? Right?!
Rachel Elizabeth Dare-- I'll admit. You give me a middle name, and the first thing I'm going to do is see what their initials spell. RED is a red-haired girl. And that makes her name that much cooler.
Hermoine-- Can you seriously get a more unique, unforgettable name?
Mary-- Mary is a fine name, really! It's just that... I don't know... characters need to be a little larger-than-life, and Mary is kinda forgettable. Especially when it comes in a first person book, where you tend to not hear the name so much. First person automatically means the MC's name is going to be a little forgettable by its very nature, so their name shouldn't be.
Katsa-- The onomatopoeia attached to this name makes it perfect for a girl who has the grace of killing, don't you think?
Po-- When I see this name, I think of a little short and round, roly-poly creature. I'm just sayin'.
Alcatraz-- All hail Brandon Sanderson for naming his good guys after prisons, and his bad guys after mountain ranges. Seriously brilliant, fun, and totally NOT forgettable.
Bastille-- And not only did he name them after prisons, but perfect-for-their-character prisons. Like Bastille. She has the word "steel" in her name, which fits for a knight.
Piper McCloud-- Perfect for the girl who could fly, if you ask me.
Hiccup-- Can I just say that I am in awe of some people's brilliance? How do they come up with these perfect non-names? I want to know.

No, seriously. I want to know. I've got a whole cast I need to name, and names don't come quickly or easily for me.

I know this question is going to sound completely self-serving, but I'm kinda okay with that. So how about you? When you're naming a character, a child, a pet, or (like my daughter) 357,000 stuffed animals, where do you get your inspiration?
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