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OK so I had a quick question, first of all sorry if I should have asked this in the forums. I have just started to write a story having been inspired by all the great stories on the site, and am looking for some suggestions for character names. Ideally I would need one male and two female names.
Many thanks in advance
Tahiri
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Check the White Pages
I'm terrible with names. I'll go to a list of competitors in a golf tournament. Another one is just to open up the phone book.
Portia
You could just do this....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_oTX87IC3w Betcha you remember this, you mid century classic you! (Me too!) BTW...don't pick Chuck in mixed company for the song.
Love, Andrea Lena
The Ultimate Random Name Generator
http://www.atlantagamer.org/iGM/RandomNames/index.php - give it a whirl and keep resetting and reclicking to go through all sorts of new name combos.
Thanks for that, both great
Thanks for that, both great ideas, now why didn't I think of the phone book, and I will definitely try that name generator
Baby Names
Baby Names web sites are also a good place to look especially if your looking for a certain nationality.
-Elsbeth
Is fearr Gaeilge briste, ná Béarla clíste.
Broken Irish is better than clever English.
Here's the U.S. Version...
http://www.ssa.gov/OACT/babynames/
I find it particularly useful if you're looking to write a story where the characters were born in, say, the mid-20th century or the pre-WWII period.
Eric
mid-20th century or the pre-WWII period.
There is also an excellent web site that shows the most popular names for the last 150 years or so. Now where did I put it.
ex 1890 – Mary, Emma, and Florence; John, William, and Harry
-Elsbeth
Is fearr Gaeilge briste, ná Béarla clíste.
Broken Irish is better than clever English.
Maybe write the story
Maybe write the story omitting names until a clearer picture of your characters emerges, then maybe look at baby names site and consider who your characters are, you may find the personalities you give them will provide their names.
Big hugs
Lizzie :)
Bailey's Angel
The Godmother :p
This might be helpful...
Once you decide how old your character is, look up online the most popular baby names in your character's birth year, for the country in which your character was born. For instance, a woman born in the U.S. in 1950 is very likely to have the name Linda, Mary, or Susan, as those were among the top ten girls' names for that year. ("Linda" and "Mary" are numbers one and two on the list, in fact--"Susan" is number six). A ten-year-old American girl, on the other hand, might be named Emily or Madison (numbers one and two on the list for 2002). I'm using this method for a story which takes place partly in 1958.
Livin' A Ragtime Life,
Rachel
A free gift to your friends.
Name your characters after people you know who might read the story. The first time I did this, the reaction from my friends was emotional, to say the least.
...Lora
Use Google
Simpy type "girls' names", "boys' names" or "unisex names" into Google and you'll find plenty of sites.
If your character is elderly, simply type the above with a year of birth, eg girls names 1940 and you will find names popular in that year.
Tahiri, Do you have a title for your story, and do you know the
character's personality traits? Are they from another country? British and most American names are fairly traditional. But Hispanic, French, Oriental, and others have names unique to the culture. You can let that be a guide, or if set in a fantasy or science fiction setting, come up with your own names.
May Your Light Forever Shine