A name identifies a character and provides clues to ethnicity, gender, and familial relationships. Paying attention to the names assigned characters may seem secondary: however, those names can affect how the reader views each character’s personality and identifies with the character.
The Role of a Name
A name creates a relationship between the reader and the character. When a character reacts to his or her name it provides the reader insight into how the character feels about himself or herself. When a character receives a nickname from another character or gives a character a nickname, the reader gets an insight into the thought process and personality of both characters involved. A nickname or lack of one can also establish the amount of intimacy or lack thereof between two characters. While a character’s name rarely directly affects the plot, it can often allow the reader to understand motivation, see into a person’s past and personality, and to identify with the character.
Same Names
Common writing wisdom states that using the same name for more than one character is taboo because it creates confusion in the story. The reader is repeatedly forced to figure out which character is which. One Hundred Years of Solitude (ISBN: 0-06-074045-0)by Gabriel Garcia Marquez uses the same two names for the male descendants in the family who make up the book’s main characters. The deliberate use of these two names helps define Marquez’s characters and to determine the behaviors of the characters and people’s reactions to the characters driving much of the storyline. Confusion still ensues even when the author uses the same name repeatedly as part of the plot.
Similar Names
Naming multiple characters in the same book or story with names beginning with the same letter sometimes creates confusion. Derivatives of the same name or names that sound alike can also create confusion. There are times when it’s impossible to avoid using derivative names, but they should be used judiciously.
No Name
There are times when a writer wants to leave a character nameless. The character is usually a minor player like the “woman in store” or “man with baby in park” often seen during movie credits. Main characters need names or at least a good reason to not have one. One reason to leave out a name might be to create confusion about sex, ethnicity, or other factors that could prejudice a reader about a character. Another reason for a nameless character is to mislead the reader to thicken the plot.
Ethnic Names
When developing ethnic characters, it’s better to avoid the most commonly known names. Stereotypical names, while recognizable, may be too generic muting any individuality the character possesses. Ethnic names serve the same purpose as any name in a book – to help the reader better understand the character’s thoughts and actions.
Resources
Many times a character arrives in the author’s imagination complete with a name. That’s the easiest way to name a character. A book of baby names makes a great resource for finding names for characters. Many name books will also include the names’ origins and meanings. There are also resources on the internet such as Behind the Name at the author’s disposal for finding names for characters. Authors wishing to use ethnic names in their writing may also find resources on the web by searching for the particular ethnicity. One example is Ummah for Arabic Names.
Name characters carefully. Characters should wear their names comfortably. Readers will surely notice characters’ names. Throughout the history of literature, characters are often quoted and remembered, even more so than the titles of books.
