Naming characters is hard, and not nearly as fun as telling their stories. And, often, it’s not just less fun… it gets in the way of writing. Some writers freeze as they try to find the character’s name, or spend hours crafting names instead of prose. Last names give writers even more hassle, especially for those writing in secondary worlds.
After all, figuring out naming conventions in fantasy and sci-fi is like trying to uncover deeply hidden parts of your worlds’ cultures before you’ve even started writing, and the subject seems so broad that many are overwhelmed by the sheer number of options.
Thing is, it’s not actually that difficult to keep from freezing or figure out last names for your characters, so long as you know how to handle naming, and how last names grow in the real world. In this article, I’m going to give you a few tricks to keep you writing instead of naming, explain how last names come about so that you can have the tools needed to make your own, and offer some advice on applying all this knowledge. While most of this article is focused on last names, the first and last sections offer advice applicable to both, and the middle can be used for first names, if you want to get creative.
The Stopgap Measure
This is something quick and easy, designed to get you writing and stop you from breaking your flow. It’s quite simple, actually…
Just don’t worry about the name in the first draft.
You see, first drafts are not finished paintings: they’re rough sketches. The goal isn’t to get a polished, perfect story down on the first try, it’s to get the pieces out of your head and on the page so you can begin to assemble them into the shape you wanted in the first place.
Because of that, you don’t have to decide on a character’s finalized name early on. You just need something to fill the space so that you can write the story. In fact, you could argue that you shouldn’t finalize any character’s name before the piece is finished. Over the course of writing the story, your characters may evolve in unexpected ways, and that name you were attached to in the beginning can become ill-suited for their new personality. Likewise, the details of your world might change and the name may no longer make sense in terms of lore or cultural phonetics.
With that in mind, coming up with filler names is easy. You can either use the first name that pops into your head, even if it’s something simple like “Miguel” or “James White,” or you can use a name database or name generator, and pick the first thing that sounds workable, later.
Remember: these names aren’t permanent, you can always change it later, and it won’t be as big a hassle as you think it will.
Growing a Name… or Not
If you’re adamant about picking a name now, or when you’ve gotten to the point that you’re looking for your character’s finalized name, then you need to start looking at where names come from. Here, we’ll mostly be talking about last names. That said, you could use these conventions in your worldbuilding by applying them to first names, as well. Regardless, I’ll go over all the relevant details about the growth of last names, here, then explain how to put them together to craft your culture’s naming conventions and, finally, name your characters.
We’ll start with something a touch unexpected: not every culture has last names. In fact, even in some current major nations, last names were a recent development. In Japan, for instance, family names for common folk were extremely uncommon (almost unheard of) until the Meiji era, at the end of the 19th century. That means that there is a distinct possibility that your culture may not need last names in the first place.
But, when a culture does start using last names, they tend to come from one of four common sources…
- First, from the father or mother’s name. In its simplest form, they add their word for “son” onto the parent’s name. Tim, the son of Mark and Sarah, could be called “Markson” or “Sarahson,” depending upon the culture.
- Second, from the place they were born, grew up in, or came from. Take Talib, from the town of Greenwich: he would likely go by “Talib Greenwich.”
- Third, from their profession. This has long been a favorite of fantasy authors. In Terry Pratchett’s Equal Rites, for example, the main character (Eskarina) is the daughter of the town blacksmith, making her “Eskarina Smith.”
- Fourth, and my favorite: some last names come from a geographic feature near the family, often with an adjective added on. So, if “Kawa” means “river,” and “Yoshi” means “good,” then the family living near the river providing the town with its clean water might go by “Yoshikawa.” This was very common in Japan as last names became more widespread.
These might be the most common, but it’s likely that there are other naming conventions out there. And, of course, you’re always welcome to try and craft your own. For example, Joe Abercrombie’s “First Law” trilogy includes a supposedly meritocratic element to naming in its frigid North, where some folks earn new names after big (and usually bloody) deeds.
Still, the growth of a last name is not yet over. Often, the linguistic history of a name is forgotten, and the name becomes semantically (if not completely) divorced from its original meaning. In other words, people no longer associate the name “smith” with the idea of being a blacksmith, or even consider the original source of the name. In addition, as people move around, migrate, and intermix, their last names may wind up in areas that have no cultural relation to their original form, making them sound “unique” or “out-of-place.”
And that is extremely important to mention. Why? Well, because part of the problem with creating names comes from the seemingly endless supply of possibilities. You see so many options that you freeze. But, when you take a moment to look at how last names actually come about, you’ll find that most last names—no matter how strange they seem to you—are actually very mundane. From there, it gets much easier to tackle naming.
Instructions for Assembly
So, with all of this covered, we can explain how to figure out nuanced last names for your characters. First, you need to discover whether the characters you’re following are in a place where people use last names. If there are large populations that need to be differentiated, or if it’s a bureaucratic world or one where one’s family is considered extremely important, then they might need last names. Otherwise—or if they have cultural norms that would push them away from last names, like an extreme concern for individualism— they might not be entirely necessary.
If there are last names, then you need to figure out which of the four naming conventions above feels “most appropriate” for that culture (or if they’ll fit one of your own naming conventions). If they deify nature, for example, it’s likely that they’ll name themselves after landscapes or natural features. Think about your world and the people in it, and figure out what they might have picked, remembering that different towns within the same country could wind up using different conventions. And, for those writing hard fantasy or sci-fi, remember that your fantastical worlds give you some extra options, including last names crafted from new professions (Like Talib Alchemist), or names built around supernatural phenomena related to the characters or their places of origin (like Miguel Ghoststone or something).
Finally, you need to figure out if last names have been extant long enough that they could have “migrated” or been semantically divorced from their original meaning. If so, it might be reasonable to have “unfitting” last names within a culture, which adds a touch of depth and realism to your world. If a reader keeps hearing names like “Smith” and “Tanner,” and you suddenly introduce a character named “Good River,” then that’ll catch their interest in a great way. Oh, and remember: if you want, you can use this same pattern to figure out first names, if your world seems like a place where they might apply.
What’s in a Sound, What’s in a Look?
As you can see, naming characters isn’t quite as hard as it seems. I won’t call it “easy,” but knowing how last names grow turns it into an ordered, challenging process, rather than a confusing mess. But, there is one last tip that I’ll throw your way, which should be relevant for first and last names.
Do not underestimate your gut sense of a name’s “look” or “sound.” Too many writers go the route of literary theory and try to find names that reference other characters (or that don’t reference famous characters), or whose “meanings” are a hint to the themes of their book or characters. Your readers won’t always appreciate those little easter eggs. Their first connection to the character is going to be the way their name sounds and looks, and how that relates to the character, themselves. Name a character “Draconius,” for example, and the harsh, aggressive sound of the name will train the reader to think of someone cold and brutal. If the character winds up soft and gentle, then the contrast will draw the reader’s attention in a way that can be good or bad, depending upon whether you intended that contrast or not.
This emotional “sound” quality is not quantifiable in any way, so some people dismiss it. Don’t. Literature is about emotion, not scientific proof, and if your gut tells you that a character’s name “sounds” or “looks” right or wrong—especially if your beta readers agree—then you need to listen to it.
And, if you want to analyze the name further, the process is simple, if slippery: think about the name, say it out loud to yourself, read it again, and write down whatever thoughts, emotions, and connections come to mind, no matter how strange. Does the name make you think of colors, landscapes, memories? Take a moment to ask yourself if the connection is there solely because of a personal aspect of your life that others may not understand. Then, think about the character, and what associations you have with them, and see if the two sets line up. This shouldn’t take long, and you don’t need to make them line up exactly—it’s more a thought exercise to see why it might sound a little “off.”
As you do this, also remember that you can spell most names in many ways, and different spellings may affect the way the name “feels.” As such, if the name “sounds” right but doesn’t “look” right, try alternate spellings to see if you can stumble on something that seems perfect.
With that said, I think I’ve gone over everything I needed to about naming your characters. Hopefully this helps, and if you have any more information you’d like to give about how names are formed, or some of your own tips, feel free to comment here or contact me, and I may even add them into the article.
Happy writing!
Featured image courtesy of Gratisography!
