Tell us a bit about the character or person youd like to name, and well suggest up. But if your character lived in the past, think about using a last name that explains what the character does. Flipping through phone books is the easiest way to coin innovative and unique names for fictional characters. A list of all the characters in a raisin in the sun. Without knowing the setting of your book or potential ethnic backgrounds its hard to just pick last names out of thin air. The 7 rules of picking names for fictional characters. Characters with numbers for names this list consists of books with characters who are either designated with or often called by a number.
How to make a good last name for characters in a book wikihow. Of course these lists are flexible names can often be used either way looking for more help with character development. Very creative, slightly dramatic, loves the arts, funny, loud even to the point of obnoxious at. Have you struggled to imagine a suitable name for your story or novel character. Generate the best character names with these tricks. Score a books total score is based on multiple factors, including the number of people who have voted for it and how highly those voters ranked the book. The names are separated into different categories, but theyre all pretty straight forward. These first names are used in canada, australia, new zealand, the united states and south africa. Shemot, the hebrew title of the book of exodus, means names, suggesting how significant the issue of identity will be as the saga of jewish slavery, redemption, and revelation unfolds. Naming characters in your stories is as important as naming your children. Fiction writingwriting advicewriting resourceswriting helpwriting a bookwriting.
A cool last name can let you explore your characters family history a little. Sep 25, 2019 to find unique names for your characters, check movie credits or a mythology book for something unique. Can you name the surnames of these characters from the hunger games trilogy. Feb 12, 2015 how to make a good last name for characters in a book. Feb 18, 2011 the names in ashworths new novel cold light, published in may, were, she says, chosen at random. To view all available address books, click address book on the toolbar, and then click the down arrow in the address book list. Yes, the rumors are truekhaleesi was the 755th most popular baby name for little girls born in america last year. Having trouble coming up with a last name for your character. Its better to call a character caleb, which means faithful or faithful dog, than to overkill it by naming. Your native english characters in britain will have english surnames, and english surnames will also be the predominant surname stock for characters in australia and new zealand, and, to a lesser extent, canada. Gone are the days of leafing through the phone book, these days you can find surname inspiration online. Curly, copperyred hair to her shoulders, olive green eyes, a few freckles, a small, slightly sharp nose and a thin frame.
You say this is a novel, not an autobiography, which means you have fictionalized the real events and changed many of the details already. If you cant find anything you like, try misspelling other names or words to create new ones. Incorrect book the list contains an incorrect book please specify the title of the book. Unusual names like honesto, corazon, asuncion, almadelia, imelda, braulio and calixto are particularly popular. Ginger you could love this because of its association to red heads or because of the gentle root. If shown, the year indicates when the book was first published. I have a few different versions of essentially the same name picked out. As a matter of fact, were going to look at four issues concerning character names. Coming up with last names for your characters can also be surprisingly tricky. Unique last name ideas for fictional characters of your book.
Make a good last name for characters in a book with images. While settling for some of the more popular last names paired with a good first name is one way to go, ive always liked to try to make every aspect of the name stand apart from the norm. Maybe youve checked in baby books or have flipped through the phonebook looking for the right combination of names, and still. Naughty dog throws out its own rule book and challenges players to survive a harrowing but thrilling journey through a world forever changed by death and destruction. For example, for a second last name of moore, type moore in the text box to generate names like. English names are also popular in modern philippines. A griffyn is a mythological creature, but we love this last name anyways. Im participating in national novel writing month and i need some last names for my two major characters. Tell us a bit about the character or person youd like to name, and well suggest up to 100 names that fit his or her background. Aug 15, 2011 without knowing the setting of your book or potential ethnic backgrounds its hard to just pick last names out of thin air.
Coming up with a good last name for a fictional character can go a long way in making him or her seem a lot cooler in the eyes of your audience. Search belly ballot to discover the popularity, meanings, and origins of thousands of names from around the world. Leaf through yours, and try putting different first and last names together. In the book im writing, all the characters have unusual names, like. The myersbriggs types of 202 fictional characters book riot. Different characters will use different names for the same person. A cool last names list for character creation hobbylark. Sep 08, 20 im writing a story and i need last names that sound good with my character s first names. He is a generous employer, and an active churchgoer and diehard community booster 21. The simple automated character name generator below will help in your search for interesting and unique character names, male or female. Aug 05, 2008 im writing a short story to try to get myself back into writing as ive had writers block for the last while now and i need help with the characters names.
This list is comprised of some of the most recognizable names from fictional books. Elspeth f kylan m cyprian fm minerva f findebar m bryony f. Franklin veauxs answer is a great rule of thumb, but keep in mind the point of view youre writing from. The a raisin in the sun characters covered include.
This name generator will give you 10 random book titles for one of 10 genres based on your choice. The best film lists find or make a film characters. Most of us know that, when naming a character from a given culture, its a. The names in ashworths new novel cold light, published in may, were, she says, chosen at random.
The phone book will not only give you thousands of last names, but you can also read first names and get a feel for what names work well with each last name. Im writing a story and i need last names that sound good with my characters first names. For example, you could use brewer, cooper, mason, or cartwright to designate jobs. If you still have access to a phone book check your grandmothers house, let your fingers do the walking until you find a few names that sound just right for your characters. Carneymoore, john hollenbeckmoore or westfallmoore. Most serious is if the book could be considered defamatory. A surname for a true man, dominant with that little dark and mysterious glint. How to come up with an iconic character name in 12 steps. Feb 06, 2020 for truly random last names, pick up a phone book or book of baby names. Since your names seem less fantasy and more real, i tried to pick. How to make a good last name for characters in a book. Read bad boy names from the story character names by bryleyw bryley with 2,189 reads. If you want specific names, i cant give a long list but heres a few to get you thinking. If i want to honor someone in real life, i may use their last name as a first for a character.
A lot of times, last names can be used as a first name and vice versa. Coming up with a good first name or last name will make your character interesting and memorable. If youre in close third person, basically writing through the eyes of a c. Writing a book can be challenging enough on its own. You can add a second last name by typing it in the last name text box below.
If character names arent coming easily, try one of these tips to kickstart your imagination. If you want your contacts list to be sorted by the last names of your contacts, you must change the display format to last name, first name format. Choose a category baby names top 100 names for boys top 100 names for girls search for names by trait browse first names by origin browse all names last names browse last names by origin browse all last names baby. A cool last names list for character creation with images cool.
The feminine form is the same plus an a at the end for most surnames ending in v and n. I want the name to sound feminine but a little badass as well. The name generator will always give you lastnamesounding last names, but to be unique, you. Obviously stories will rarely fit just one genre, in fact, out of the 10 genres in this generator you could probably think of a plot that would fit in at.
Ellie is one of the main protagonists of the video game the last of us, developed by naughty dog. To find unique names for your characters, check movie credits or a mythology book for something unique. Introduced in 1969, he was the comic book sidekick of captain america, and absolutely historical for being the first africanamerican superhero. You could also name your character based on locations near where your book is set. Remember, dont choose names that start with the same letter. Rate 5 stars rate 4 stars rate 3 stars rate 2 stars rate 1 star. Head to a baby name website and search for names by gender, popularity, and alphabet. Thinking of surnames can be a tedious task, whether the last name is for a character in a fictional book, game or for an alias. King, hmm supposed to be the number one and not three.
Of course if your story isnt based in real life, then its your choice. Meanwhile, arwens mother was named celebrian, whose name sounds like that of her father, celeborn, and arwens brothers, twins, are named elrohir and elladen, both of which sound similar to elrond. I am guessing you are here because you are an author and have found it difficult to think of a good surname. The best character names will worm their way into the apple of your. A large number of russian surnames also end in evich, ovich, or just ich citation needed.
Im trying to write a fantasy book and want a somewhat made up name for my main character, a rogue thief, but i dont want them to sound retarded so. You may find that last names come easily or you might struggle to match an appropriate last name with your characters first names. Walter lee younger, beneatha younger bennie, lena younger mama, ruth younger, travis younger, joseph asagai, george murchison, mr. As her book jacket photos suggested, she was a waif, standing there so pale behind. A surname is a name added to your given name and is usually the family name or last name.
In keeping with that, you should probably fictionalize the characters as well. Surnames for your characters most common american surnames. Ive heard of an author who named his characters after his neighbours. Well collated over 180,000 surnames using census data, fiction and even prison records.
By a good surname i mean a surname that will go with a first name you may have already thought of, so i have. If you want to add some color, look to hyphenated last names. How do authors choose last names for characters in their writing. Also, it would be good if it is unique and maybe an inanimate object. Offred, the commander, serena joy, moira, aunt lydia, nick, ofglen, cora, janine, luke, offreds mother, aunt elizabeth, rita, professor pieixoto. A boy dose not despise real forest because he has read about enchanted ones, the reading makes all real forest a little enchanted. How to give your characters unforgettable names electric literature. When writing a novel, should i use the characters first. Getting a handle on naming characters fiction the guardian.
The most common last name in the united states and united kingdom. This list consists of books with characters who are either designated with or often called by a number. You can add a first name which will stay constant while you iterate through the vast quantity of last names i have add to this generator. Im writing a short story to try to get myself back into writing as ive had writers block for the last while now and i need help with the characters names. If you want to learn how to write a book, sign up for our online course. Glance through character or place names in the book to get some ideas. While a baby book wont have last names, some first names could be used as last names. Each of your contacts folders is listed in the address books list. A list of all the characters in the handmaids tale.
Surnames ending in y change to the feminine form by replacing the ending with aya. Here is a list of the most popular surnames from around the world. Were providing that push in the form of this buzzle post. Its also worth keeping in mind that last names can get rarer and even go. It can also help to compare last names from your characters to the story. Deep within the abandoned halls of mount massive asylum, amateur journalist miles upshur sets out to find a good story, and instead finds an evil presence. A fullfledged avenger, sam also actually became captain america in 2014, being handpicked by retiring steve rogers as his replacement. Naming characters 33 fabulous resources to use writers write. Atticus finch has a multisyllabic first name and a monosyllabic last name. The last names in the list below are all in the male form. Weve already looked at considerations for naming characters, so were going to focus on something different regarding character names in this article. Jun 14, 20 naughty dog throws out its own rule book and challenges players to survive a harrowing but thrilling journey through a world forever changed by death and destruction.
These include novels, short stories, graphic novels and comic books. You can also rearrange the letters of phrases or names you like to. Browse surnames from a to z and find out a little bit of your own family history. When writing a novel, should i use the characters first or. The prominent and respected owner and proprietor of river valley farm, herb is the patriarch of the clutter family, husband to bonnie clutter and father to four children. Gold gold is a great last name with any girl that has a golden personality. They are two teenage girls, chloe and lola, and i like the. The myersbriggs personality types of 202 literary characters. Lennard len for short and mostly used a little background. You can follow any responses to this entry through the rss 2. Nov 04, 2015 yes, the rumors are truekhaleesi was the 755th most popular baby name for little girls born in america last year.
If writing a series or saga and the characters in following books show up in book one, you dont have to worry about coming up with the main characters names. May 08, 2020 coming up with a good last name for a fictional character can go a long way in making him or her seem a lot cooler in the eyes of your audience. Antarri ontarri antarra atarria atara thanks for any feedback. But when that fails, writers need a subtle creative push to find a name that actually fits the characters. Shemot opens with a list of the names of the children of israel as they came down to egypt, counting each individual within those families. The risk of using the names of real people in your book is that some of the people might take objection to your portrayal of them. The best authors know that a fitting name for a character is a. You can also rearrange the letters of phrases or names you like to create something less recognizable. An interesting last name paired with a sound first name can work wonders. Character names are to characters as titles are to books, so if youre blindly.
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