Character Naming

As an Author naming your Character is an important step right after coming up with the plot. I am here to help you choose the right character name for you and your story.

Make sure your character name is Genre Appropriate. Make sure if it's a Historical Fiction novel or takes place in a real time period that the name was used then. Or if it's a fictionalized place then you can be as creative as you wish.

Just have fun with naming your character. It is after all your story.



Friday, March 11, 2016

Jano

Meaning: (Yahweh is Gracious; Yahweh is Merciful, Well Born, Noble, a form of the name John.)

Origin: (Hungarian, Czech, Hebrew, Old Greek)

Pronunciation: (YAANow, YAH-no, jay-no)

Gender: Uni-Sex

My list is backed up for a while so I am finally getting to these names. Back during NaNoWriMo 2015 I had posted about it and a fellow blogger Apolla 13 commented about her experience with it and then told me a bit about the story she chose to write about. So for all of my posts for March I will be doing some of the names of her characters for the story she wrote for NaNoWriMo 2015 as I really like many of these names and have yet to add them so I am adding them now.

The meanings are lovely and beautiful. When I see this name I do want to pronounced it more jay-no but that is because I see it through an English speakers eyes. It is a decent name but I am not in love with it because the spelling for some reason doesn’t appeal to me as it seems like someone was trying to spell another name and just stopped short of the end. However the meanings do appeal to me and I wouldn’t be put off if I saw this name in a novel.

Morven

Meaning: (Pale, Lives by the Sea, Big Peak, Big Gap, It is derived from Mór which means 'Big, Great’; Bhein ‘Peak’; Bhairne 'Gap'. The name is of obscure derivation; it is of the first element 'Mor' and the second element 'Bheinn' or Bhairne. The latter case would indicate that the first name is from the name of district of Morvern in north Argyll, Scotland, which is known in Gaelic as Mhorbhairne. Mhorbhairne also appeared in the 18th century Ossianic poems of James Macpherson as the kingdom of Fingal.)

Origin: (Gaelic, Scottish, English)

Pronunciation: (MAORVAHN, MAWR-ven, MOHR-vin, MOR-ven)

Gender: Uni-Sex

My list is backed up for a while so I am finally getting to these names. Back during NaNoWriMo 2015 I had posted about it and a fellow blogger Apolla 13 commented about her experience with it and then told me a bit about the story she chose to write about. So for all of my posts for March I will be doing some of the names of her characters for the story she wrote for NaNoWriMo 2015 as I really like many of these names and have yet to add them so I am adding them now.

I for some reason see a lion from the Lion King movies when I see this name. It to me seems African but I found no link to African Origin when looking this name up. I also see this being a good sibling name to go with Morrigan *see on list of posts* or Morgana *see on list of posts* just simply because it kind of looks like a baddy character name to me. The meanings are good and it has a decent history of use.

Bassey

Meaning: (Short, Little God, Bassey is a form of the English name Bass.)

Origin: (Old French, English, Nigerian, African)

Pronunciation: (BAES-EE)

Gender: Female

My list is backed up for a while so I am finally getting to these names. Back during NaNoWriMo 2015 I had posted about it and a fellow blogger Apolla 13 commented about her experience with it and then told me a bit about the story she chose to write about. So for all of my posts for March I will be doing some of the names of her characters for the story she wrote for NaNoWriMo 2015 as I really like many of these names and have yet to add them so I am adding them now.

This name reminds me of the name Massey and has decent meanings. As for the pronunciation I looked up Bass and got BAES and then I added the EE as I know this name would end that way as it is basically like Massey but with a B instead of M at the beginning. Bassey seems more like a nickname to me then a real full first name unlike the name Massey. Bassey looks like it should be a nickname for the full name Elizabeth *see on list of posts* as some nicknames for Elizabeth have been names like Bess. However Elizabeth and Bassey are not connected as far as I can tell.

I can see a rag-tag street urchin like girl character with this name. I can see her wind up hob-knobbing with the rich and famous after getting a rich patron to take her in. I can see a defiant, strong willed, sassy and brassy like character when I see this name.

Coric

Meaning: (A Benevolent Ruler)

Origin: (English)

Pronunciation: (K-RihK, CHOH-rihch)

Gender: Male, Possibly Uni-Sex

My list is backed up for a while so I am finally getting to these names. Back during NaNoWriMo 2015 I had posted about it and a fellow blogger Apolla 13 commented about her experience with it and then told me a bit about the story she chose to write about. So for all of my posts for March I will be doing some of the names of her characters for the story she wrote for NaNoWriMo 2015 as I really like many of these names and have yet to add them so I am adding them now.

This name makes me think of a spice or herb. The meaning I absolutely love as I love noble like names. I can see a Knight or nobleman being named this for sure. It’s short and easily pronounced both of which I love as well. It’s a decent name and I wouldn’t mind seeing it a bit more often.

Nickname Options: Cori, Ric, Oric, Cor.

Yeruslan

Meaning: (From Tatar Uruslan, which was possibly from Turkic Arslan meaning "Lion". Yeruslan Lazarevich is the name of a hero in Russian and Tatar folktales. These tales were based on (or at least influenced by) Persian tales of their hero Rostam.)

Origin: (Folklore, Literature, Russian, Turkish, Persian)

Pronunciation: (Yeru: yeh-roo, yar-roo Slan: SLAEN)

Gender: Male, Possibly Uni-Sex

My list is backed up for a while so I am finally getting to these names. Back during NaNoWriMo 2015 I had posted about it and a fellow blogger Apolla 13 commented about her experience with it and then told me a bit about the story she chose to write about. So for all of my posts for March I will be doing some of the names of her characters for the story she wrote for NaNoWriMo 2015 as I really like many of these names and have yet to add them so I am adding them now.

Reminds me of a name for a Yeti or Big Foot or something. The meaning is strong and it if from Russian and Tatar Folktales so that is interesting. The only problem for me is the pronunciation. I had to split it up and I found Slan to be pronounced SLAEN but I had to guess on Yeru as yeh-roo or yar-roo but I am not at all sure that is right in any way. So if anyone knows the pronunciation then please let me know, in the comment section of this post, as I would be very grateful.

I do like foreign names but this is one I am not too huge of a fan of. I do like somewhat the look as it seems a masculine hot guys name but I think it’s too foreign for any of my characters but another author might feel differently about it.

Nicknames Options: Slan, Ru (Pronounced: ROO), Rus, Rusl (Pronounced: ROO-sul or like the name RUSSELL)

Cole

Meaning: (People’s Victory, Peaceful, Cabbage Farmer, From an Old English appellation meaning “Coal,” referring to someone with dark hair or complexion; also a nickname for Nicholas. From a surname which was originally derived from the Old English byname Cola: Old English byname meaning “Charcoal”, originally given to a person with dark features. The name is known from the Old King Cole in the nursery rhyme, who is based on the 3rd Century King Cole of Colchester in Essex. In recent times, the name has often been bestowed in honor of the American songwriter Cole Porter (1891-1964).)

Origin: (Greek, Old English, Anglo-Saxon, Latin)

Pronunciation: (KOHL, KOL, KowL)

Gender: Uni-Sex

My list is backed up for a while so I am finally getting to these names. Back during NaNoWriMo 2015 I had posted about it and a fellow blogger Apolla 13 commented about her experience with it and then told me a bit about the story she chose to write about. So for all of my posts for March I will be doing some of the names of her characters for the story she wrote for NaNoWriMo 2015 as I really like many of these names and have yet to add them so I am adding them now.

Apolla 13 one main character is named this. The twin brother of Cole is Warren *see on list of posts*. It’s interesting that Warren and Cole have similar meaning names in a way. Cause I see Warren as Defender, Watchmen and Cole as People’s Victory, so warrior and then triumph / success, war and then peace that follows. I wonder if Apolla 13 chose it that way or it was just a pleasant coincidence. Or maybe I am just seeing the names that way.

Cole I never saw as being used on a female but Apolla 13 used it that way and I am sure she is not the only one to do so, so I decided to put it as Uni-Sex. The meanings are great in general except Cabbage Farmer which is interesting in a way at least but odd too. It’s an easily pronounced and recognizable name. The dark features meaning kind of reminds me of Keira / Kyra / Kira *see on list of posts* or Lila / Lilah *see on list of posts* or Kieron *see on list of posts* or Darcy / Darcie *see on list of posts*. So Cole could be a great alternative to Keira, Lila, Kieron, and or Darcy if you want a name to mean something to do with dark features like Cole’s meaning.

I wouldn’t have thought noble when I see this name but as seen under meaning there was a King named this in the 3rd Century. So it has both a noble use and a long history of use. All in a all a decent name though I tend to not use too common of names for my characters so I don’t know if I’ll ever use this. This name is easily recognizable and easily pronounced which is great for author and reader alike.

Warren

Meaning: (Gamekeeper Defender, Watchman, Park Warden, A warren was originally a game preserve. The word is now used to describe human dwellings that appear like the haphazard tunnels of a rabbit. Transferred use of the surname meaning “Dweller at or Keeper of a Game Preserve”. The name is derived from the Old French Warenne (A Warren, a Game Preserve). From an English surname which was derived either from Norman French warrene meaning "Animal Enclosure", or else from the town of La Varenne in Normandy. This name was borne by the American president Warren G. Harding (1865-1923). The name was used in the late 19th century.)

Origin: (Old English, Middle English, Old French, Old German)

Pronunciation: (WAWR-ən, WAWR-in, WAHR-in)

Gender: Male

My list is backed up for a while so I am finally getting to these names. Back during NaNoWriMo 2015 I had posted about it and a fellow blogger Apolla 13 commented about her experience with it and then told me a bit about the story she chose to write about. So for all of my posts for March I will be doing some of the names of her characters for the story she wrote for NaNoWriMo 2015 as I really like many of these names and have yet to add them so I am adding them now.

Apolla 13 one main character is named this. The twin sister of Warren is Cole *see on list of posts*. I always thought Warren was a bit boring or bland but the meanings are really cool and I never knew them before. I really love the meanings behind this word turned name. It has a nice old history of use which is great for a Historical Fiction novel.

I thought that this was interesting, “The word is now used to describe human dwellings that appear like the haphazard tunnels of a rabbit.” I’ve never heard of that before but I find that is intriguing and would be cool if used like that in an urban decay post apocalyptic novel.

I have been thinking of a story about a bizarre mysterious preserve and I would love to write about it and this would be a perfect name for that story, for either a character or maybe in reference to a game preserve. I am not sure I would use this name though as I don’t like to use names of people I know in my novels but I mean it’s happened before so it’s not a rule for me or anything.

I have an uncle named Warren but I always seem to say it like WORN like worn out but that’s probably because of the way I heard it. He’s from Texas and with the accent there and the Missouri accent I have mingled with the Texas one as my parents lived in Texas and I learned to talk from them seems to have mingled together. Either that or we have cut it down and the pronunciation just stuck. So when I say it like WORN I don’t even think of it being spelled Warren anymore which is weird. So I hope everyone has a better time pronouncing this like one of the proper ways listed above under pronunciation. I unfortunately will keep saying it WORN no doubt unless I retrain myself to pronounce it the proper way.

I try to have the most accurate Meanings, Origin and Pronunciations for the names on this blog. It is best though to do research into the names you decide to use for your characters as there can be errors on my blog. Or meanings, origins, and pronunciations I have not seen thus not been able to add to this blog.





Try some of the leading Baby Name Sites and Baby Name or Character Naming books as well.


The baby name sites below are where I collect many of the Names, Origins, and Pronunciations I use on this blog.

Baby Names Sites:

http://www.thinkbabynames.com
http://www.babynamewizard.com
http://www.behindthename.com
http://www.babynamespedia.com