Read Lovely Books
Naming fictional characters can be fun or harrowing depending on your personal take on it
However, the meaning of the names, which may only be appreciated by the most dedicated fans, is
Other than name meanings, here are three factors that should be in consideration in your character name
When writing realistic fiction, you need to make sure characters name match the generation they were born
It is much more acceptable to have modern characters with old names than the other way around
(I was named after my great-great-great grandmother…) So as weird as it might be to have a
Modern names (or trendy spellings of older names) don’t have logical justification for older generation characters
It is named so because even though the name Tiffany dates back to the 12th century, you
It’s one of those “truth is stranger than fiction” things
In less extreme example, no reader is going to buy a shy nerd named “Chad
” Even before the dark circles of the internet got their hands on it, Chad had this general
So passing the vibe check isn’t just about names you can’t use in a blanket
They reflect the time period, the tone of the story, and the general archetype of the character
In real life, my niece had a Lily, a Lillian, and a Lilliana in her second grade
In real life, lots of people have the same and similar names within the same schools, workplaces,
But having stories were there are an Emma and a Emily, a Morgan and a Megan, a
One real life thing you can’t avoid is that people are named after other people
But here’s the thing… Johnny Boy Sr and Johnny Boy Jr cannot be called the same
Honestly, most people in real life I know that are Seniors and Juniors have distinguishing nicknames
In a rare female example, the tv show Gilmore Girls stars the mother and daughter pair Lorelei
Make sure your character’s name fit the character and the setting the character lives in
And if you choice to double name character, there better be a reason and you better do