How To Name Characters: 10 Things To Consider

How do you name a character? Use these 10 practical tips to choose character names that fit their history, personality, setting, and story.

Choosing names for your fictional characters is an important part of creating believable people. This is especially true for your four main characters: the protagonist, the antagonist, the love interest, and the confidant. They drive the story and we get to know them well.

A name can reveal something about a character’s family, culture, generation, social background, or the world they inhabit.

The right name can also make a character easier for readers to remember. The wrong one can feel distracting or out of place.

You do not have to find the perfect name immediately. Try different possibilities. Say them aloud. Write them down. Put them into a sentence. Once you know your character, the right name often becomes easier to find.

How To Name Characters: 10 Things To Consider

1. When and where were they born?

Start with the character’s time and place. Names change across generations, countries, regions, cultures, and communities. A name that feels natural for a character born in 2020 might sound unusual for someone born in 1920.

Research names that were actually used in the period and place where your character was born. Consider:

1. What year were they born?
2. Where were they born?
3. Where did they grow up?
4. What cultures or languages influenced them?
5. Has their family lived in the same place for generations?

Your character’s name should make sense in their world.

Hester Prynne from The Scarlet Letter has a name that fits the novel’s seventeenth-century setting. Elizabeth Bennet from Pride and Prejudice has a name that feels natural for an English woman of her period.

2. Who chose the name?

Think about the people who named your character.

Parents may choose a family name, honour someone they admire, follow a cultural or religious tradition, or simply choose a name they love. They may want their child to have an unusual name or one that fits in with their community.

The choice can tell us something about the family. Ask yourself: Why would these particular parents choose this particular name?

Fitzwilliam Darcy from Pride and Prejudice is a good reminder that family names can tell us something about a character’s background. His name reflects his aristocratic family and the naming traditions of his social class

3. What does the name mean?

Names can have meanings and associations.

You might choose a name because its meaning connects with your character. You might deliberately choose one that contrasts with who they are. Or you might ignore the meaning altogether because you simply like the sound.

Don’t force symbolism into a name just because you have researched its meaning. Sometimes a name is simply a name.

Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games is named after a plant that grows in wetland areas. The name has a literal connection to the character’s world and survival skills.

Read: Naming Characters – 33 Fabulous Resources To Use

4. What does the name sound like?

Read the full name aloud.

Does it flow naturally? Do the first name and surname work together? Is the combination awkward, difficult to pronounce, or unintentionally funny?

Pay attention to:

1. The number of syllables.
2. Repeated sounds.
3. Similar endings.
4. Initials.
5. Rhythm.
6. How the name sounds in dialogue.

Write it into a sentence: ‘Come here, Alexandra.’ Does it sound like something another character would actually say?

Holden Caulfield from The Catcher in the Rye is a good example of why you should say the full name aloud. It has a distinctive rhythm and is easy to say and remember.

5. What will other characters call them?

A character may use different versions of their name depending on who is speaking.

Their parents might call them Margaret. Their friends might call them Meg. Their colleagues might use Maggie. An old friend might still call them Marge.

These variations can reveal relationships. A nickname might suggest affection, familiarity, distance, embarrassment, or even hostility. A character who insists on using their full name may be making a deliberate statement about who they are.

Elizabeth Bennet from Pride and Prejudice is a good example. ‘Elizabeth’ can become ‘Lizzy’ or ‘Eliza’, and the variations help show differences in familiarity and relationships.
1. Elizabeth — her formal name and the name most characters use.
2. Lizzy — used by close family members, particularly Jane and Mrs Bennet.
3. Eliza — used by some characters, including Darcy and Wickham, as a shortened form.

6. What impression does the name create?

Readers bring associations to names. A name can sound formal, old-fashioned, youthful, unusual, familiar, gentle, severe, playful, or sophisticated. Those impressions may influence how readers initially see a character.

You can use this to your advantage. Your character’s name might reinforce the impression you want to create — or deliberately contradict it. A character called Rose does not have to be gentle. A character called Grace does not have to be graceful.

The important thing is to understand the impression the name creates and decide whether it works for your story.

Daisy Buchanan from The Great Gatsby is a good example. The contrast between her first and surname gives the full name a distinctive feel. ‘Daisy’ sounds light and youthful, while ‘Buchanan’ feels more formal and established.

7. Are your characters’ names too similar?

This is one of the easiest ways to confuse readers. If your story contains characters called Daniel, David, Darren, and Dylan, readers may struggle to remember who is who. Look at the names together, not individually.

Be careful when several important characters have names that:

1. Begin with the same letter.
2. Sound alike.
3. Have similar spellings.
4. Have the same nickname.
5. Are difficult to distinguish when read quickly.

You do not have to make every name completely different. Just make sure your readers can tell your characters apart.

8. Does the name reflect their identity?

A character’s name can be part of their personal history.

Perhaps it reflects their heritage or family background. Perhaps they were named after a relative, given a name from another language, or changed their name later in life. They might dislike the name their parents chose or feel strongly connected to it.

These details can reveal how a character sees themselves and how they relate to their family or community.

Arya Stark from A Game of Thrones is a good example. Her name connects her directly to her Stark family identity and becomes important as she struggles with who she is and who she wants to become.

If you are writing a character from a culture or background different from your own, research names carefully. Don’t choose a name simply because it sounds exotic or unusual.

9. What associations does the name have?

Some names have strong associations with famous people, fictional characters, historical figures, celebrities, or popular culture.

That does not mean you should avoid them. Sometimes an association is exactly what you want. But be aware of it.

If your character is called Sherlock, readers will immediately think of Sherlock Holmes from The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. Ask yourself: Will this name make readers think about something else before they get to know my character?

10. Can you live with the name?

You are going to write your character’s name hundreds of times. Make sure you can live with it.

Write it at the top of a page. Put it into dialogue. Write a few sentences about the character using their name. Try the nickname. Put it beside the names of your other characters. Then ask yourself: Does this still feel like my character?

If it does, you may have found the right name.

A Final Checklist For Naming Characters

1. Is it believable for the character’s time and place?
2. Would their family realistically have chosen it?
3. Does it work with their surname?
4. Does it sound right when spoken aloud?
5. Does it work with their possible nicknames?
6. Is it easy to distinguish from your other characters’ names?
7. Does it create the impression you want?
8. Does it make sense for the character’s identity and background?
9. Does it have any strong associations you need to consider?
10. Does it still feel right after you have written the character for a while?

Remember, you do not have to choose a name because its meaning is perfect. You are creating a person, not solving a puzzle.

The Last Word

A character’s name is one of the first things a reader learns about them. Choose it with enough thought to make it believable, memorable, and right for the world of your story. Then let the character make the name their own.

by Amanda Patterson
© Amanda Patterson

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