Choosing names for fictional characters is an important and complex step in creative writing. Names generally mean something specific, match a character's personality, or connect to narrative themes even if readers do not immediately recognize the link. Imagine if Tennessee Williams named Blanche Dubois “Debbie”, or Margaret Mitchell named Scarlet O’Hara “Pansy” as she originally planned. They just do not ring true.
Creative Writing Lesson: How to Choose a Name for Characters
Names must match the character they portray; therefore it is important to know the characters first: who they are, what they do, and why they do it before deciding on a name. Arthur Miller’s character, Willie Loman has become an iconic name because it perfectly describes who he is and his position in the world.
Avoid silly names unless writing for children. Dickensian names such as Mr. Pumblechook or Mrs. Pardiggle will appear contrived as will very formal and antiquated names such as Viscount Rothschild. Common names such as John and Susan are boring and say little about the character.
If stuck for ideas for names, look through baby name books or a telephone book; both are a good source for interesting and original names. Avoid using the names of real people living or dead, especially family and friends.
Fiction Writing: An Example of the Importance of the Right Character Name
One example of how naming can work to portray both character and narrative themes is found in Ira Levin’s Rosemary’s Baby (1967). This popular horror novel tells the story of a newlywed couple who move into a Victorian apartment building in the theatre district of New York. Reputed to be popular with actors, the building also harbours a sinister history of murder, suicide, and witchcraft. Unfazed, Rosemary and Guy Woodhouse move in and befriend Minnie and Roman Castevet, an elderly, seemingly benevolent couple who occupy the apartment next to theirs.
Shortly after they arrive, Rosemary begins to suspect that her neighbours are not what they appear; that they are a coven of witches who plan to use her child in their cult rituals. The plot against her is confirmed when Rosemary discovers that with the help of her husband, she has been drugged, and impregnated by the devil, and subsequently delivers a demon child.
Foregrounding the theme of deception, the novel’s focus on naming and renaming. Rosemary and Guy’s world is the world of theatre, of role-playing and imposture, a world where no one is exactly whom they seem and where characters don masks and assume false identities. Rosemary’s friend Hutch writes adventure stories for boys under three different pseudonyms, the name Roman Castevet is really an acronym for Steven Marcato, and before he changed it to Guy Woodhouse, Guy’s real name was Sherman Peden. Naming is important to the characters within the novel, but also to the larger themes of the narrative.
For example, naming also links to wider historical themes. As the arch conspirator and primary agent of decline, the name Roman provides an allusion to the historical downfall of the ancient republic. As an allegorical figure, Roman represents the historical correlation between corruption, and national degeneration. This theme is raised again when, during her pregnancy, Rosemary starts "finally, on The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire" (102). Why Rosemary reads Gibbon’s text is unexplained, but its inclusion on her reading list highlights the continuing relevance of this theme in American postwar culture.
If Roman represents a diabolical conspiracy, in the rogues’ gallery of demonology, Guy is the prototypical hypocrite. Originally, a hypocrite meant an actor on the stage, a pretender, or dissembler. Hypocrisy is also defined as assuming a false appearance of virtue or goodness, with dissimulation of real character or inclination. While this definition readily applies to the Castevets, who hide their real intentions; as an actor schooled in the affectations of sincerity, Guy is the novel’s primary hypocrite and object of contempt.
Even his name positions him as a figure of derision. In the American noun form, "guy" denotes simply a man or a fellow. In this usage, Guy is a stand-in for Everyman, a representative of the upwardly mobile, middle-class male. However, in theatrical slang, the verb ‘guy’ also means to subject to ridicule or mockery. In this context, Guy represents the universally detested figure of the dissembler and the reader is meant to view him with suspicion.
Choose Character Names to Match Story Theme
In Rosemary’s Baby, names tell the reader much about the character’s propensity for deception which is also one of the main themes of the novel. They were carefully chosen for their meanings and allusions which enhance the plot and reflect the interior motives of the characters.
Ultimately, whatever name is chosen for a work of creative writing, it should be a well-thought out decision. A name will influence not only how a reader views the character, but how the writer does as well.
Source
Levin, Ira. Rosemary's Baby (London: Pan Books, 1967).
Marilyn Michaud - Marilyn Michaud teaches English Literature and writing in Toronto. Her research interests include American history and culture, Gothic ...
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