What's in a Name?
One of my favorite pastimes is collecting names. I've always loved names and the naming of things. The etymology of names (their origins and meanings) is something I find particularly fascinating.
I collect names from all sources: phone books, people I meet, baby name books (great for etymology), and a variety of terrific online resources (www.20000-names.com is one of my favorites). I make up names, too. I'm constantly playing with letters and sounds in my mind, like puzzle pieces, trying to find new arrangements that appeal to me in some way. I have lists and databases of names for all occasions and uses: people names, last names, place names, villain names, names and words that just intrigue me so much I add them to my collection in the hopes of one day finding a use for them.
When using names in books, one writer's technique I love to employ is to give characters names that underscore some aspect of their personality or that have some kind of symbolic meaning. For instance, I have a Navy SEAL manuscript where the heroine is named Grace and the hero is Raphael. In Biblical terms, the archangel Raphael is associated with all manner of healing, and my Rafe is ultimately the healer of Grace's soul.
I also love to use anagrams for names. For instance, I might create a character named Lilivan and make her evil, (lilivan=villain).
When writing Lord of the Fading Lands and Lady of Light and Shadows, I used a mix of names with meanings and names that just "flowed right" for me. (When I read, words have a rhythm, almost like music, and when something breaks that rhythm, I cringe. To me, "off rhythm" writing is like listening to a symphony and having the entire string section suddenly hit a sour note. Ouch!) Neither Ellysetta nor Rain's names have any particular meaning: they just came to me and the characters wouldn't be called anything else. Vadim Maur, however, means "Dark Knowledge" and Kolis (the first name of my Sulimage) also means "dark". (As an aside, I actually had to change my evil High Mage's name at my editor's request, and I have to admit, I like the new "Dark Knowledge" name much better than the mild, etymologically meaningless name I had originally given the character.
My name, Cheryl, is presumably derived from the French cherie, which means "darling." (ahem, I think my mother was being hopeful.) My middle name, Lyn, is a derivative of my mother's name, Lynda. Ah, but here's the rub: Lynda means "serpent" in Old German but "pretty one" in Spanish. So does that make me a pretty darling little serpent? *gg* (and my chinese zodiac sign is a Dragon, as is my mother's...ooooooh...)
What's in your name? And if you've seen any interesting or unique names lately, I'd love to add them to my collection!
I collect names from all sources: phone books, people I meet, baby name books (great for etymology), and a variety of terrific online resources (www.20000-names.com is one of my favorites). I make up names, too. I'm constantly playing with letters and sounds in my mind, like puzzle pieces, trying to find new arrangements that appeal to me in some way. I have lists and databases of names for all occasions and uses: people names, last names, place names, villain names, names and words that just intrigue me so much I add them to my collection in the hopes of one day finding a use for them.
When using names in books, one writer's technique I love to employ is to give characters names that underscore some aspect of their personality or that have some kind of symbolic meaning. For instance, I have a Navy SEAL manuscript where the heroine is named Grace and the hero is Raphael. In Biblical terms, the archangel Raphael is associated with all manner of healing, and my Rafe is ultimately the healer of Grace's soul.
I also love to use anagrams for names. For instance, I might create a character named Lilivan and make her evil, (lilivan=villain).
When writing Lord of the Fading Lands and Lady of Light and Shadows, I used a mix of names with meanings and names that just "flowed right" for me. (When I read, words have a rhythm, almost like music, and when something breaks that rhythm, I cringe. To me, "off rhythm" writing is like listening to a symphony and having the entire string section suddenly hit a sour note. Ouch!) Neither Ellysetta nor Rain's names have any particular meaning: they just came to me and the characters wouldn't be called anything else. Vadim Maur, however, means "Dark Knowledge" and Kolis (the first name of my Sulimage) also means "dark". (As an aside, I actually had to change my evil High Mage's name at my editor's request, and I have to admit, I like the new "Dark Knowledge" name much better than the mild, etymologically meaningless name I had originally given the character.
My name, Cheryl, is presumably derived from the French cherie, which means "darling." (ahem, I think my mother was being hopeful.) My middle name, Lyn, is a derivative of my mother's name, Lynda. Ah, but here's the rub: Lynda means "serpent" in Old German but "pretty one" in Spanish. So does that make me a pretty darling little serpent? *gg* (and my chinese zodiac sign is a Dragon, as is my mother's...ooooooh...)
What's in your name? And if you've seen any interesting or unique names lately, I'd love to add them to my collection!
posted by C.L. Wilson at
4:26 AM
22 Comments:
Hi Cheryl
I like your blog and love the pictures of your book covers.
You have a pretty name. I use it in my new story, French Peril. The hero often calls my heroine Chérie instead of Cheryl. I heard that my name means good fortune, I hope the good fortune will show up soon.
Mona
Hey Mona! Thanks for stopping by and posting a comment.
I was curious about your name and looked it up. According to the online etymology dictionary, Mona comes from the Irish "Muadhnait" and means "noble". (No idea how to pronounce "muadhnait" though. Gaelic confounds me!)
Hi Cheryl,
Love your blog on names. I usually go to my family tree to find mine since I write historicals. Marlene
Cheryl, great and interesting blog. It's funny, and my husband thinks I'm weird, (hmmm, he may be onto something. heehee) but when I hear an unusual or cool name during introductions or whenever, I write it down. (Getting quite a collection) Josie's like, and you did this why??? lol My answer: so I have character names to kill off, or engage in a hot romance in future WIPS. lol
Anne-Marie
I think you're a pretty darling. :-)
Love the blog idea. What fun.
Love the blog. I didn't realize that you were blogging now. I went to our Tara site and saw it on the members page. I'll be back. :D
Names are part of the fun with the character for me.
I have been known to be in chapter three though and decide, nope, that's not his/her name. If I have trouble remembering my H/H's name then I know it's time to change them. :)
One of my favorite names (the mom of my heroine) is Genevieve.
Love the site! It was interesting seeing how you come up with your characters'names.
Okay....how is this for too weird: I said in my blog that Ellysetta and Rain's names didn't have any particular meaning. Well, by that, I meant I didn't pick them for any particular reason.
BUT - the hairs are standing up on my arms - I just looked them up. Rainier means "wise warrior" (and he is a warrior who must learn to be wise) and Ellie means "foreign, the other" (and she is very much a foreigner in all her worlds). How cool is that?!
LOL. My characters were picking the names that suited them best, and I didn't even know it!
Tammy = Palm tree. I have no idea what that's supposed to mean. :-)
I read somewhere once that Tammy meant perfection. LOL. Seriously, somebody was having a major brain fart when they thought that one up. Or maybe I just imagined it?
I've always wanted something a little less cutsie, I always feel like a Barbie or something. Or maybe I should go more cutsie, like with an IE at the end. Tammie, or Tami. I think that I'll save those for my famous author names. LOL.
I usually get names from TV or movies. I read the credits just looking for new names. Unfortunately, I usually forget to write them down.
Love the blog! See ya!
tammy
Great post, Cheryl! For my trilogy about sisters who are all US Marshals, I purposely picked names that mean warrior or noble *g*
I love to play with names! My current proposal, I've named my heroines after my dogs... does that mean anything?
LOL
My name is a color (and not a very exciting one either).
Howdy Woman!!!
This is so exciting..your very own blog! YE HAW! hahahhaah did I do enough Texas sayings ;p
My name is Latin. It means "to open" "blooming" "new beginning"
I tell you what I think is interesting. Is that a person will display personality traits of their names. Almost as if the name became a bit of a blueprint. JMO.
HUGS,
April
Vicki - LOL on changing names in mid book. But you know, as a friend mentioned off line, isn't it funny how when we name things, they tend to take on the qualities of those names. Naming is important stuff!
Tammy - think about the qualities of palm trees and see how many of those apply to you. They provide shelter, they bend to weather even terrible gale force winds, etc. I'd be interested to see what commonality you might have with your name. And ooooh, movie credits are a great place for name!! Thanks for the tip!
Beth - I use "warrior" or "noble" names a lot. There are quite a few to choose from! (Naming people for the qualities they have or their parents want them to have is a very ancient custom!)
Tawny - Tawny is golden, a beautiful, warm color filled with depth. It's a beautiful name. And Tawny Port is one of my favorite after dinner drinks! *gg*
Great post, CL.
My full name - Anahita - is a really cool Persian goddess. I have a link to info on her on my website - she rocks!
As for character names ... they come from all sorts of sources. In my hockey books, the four brothers were all named after US presidents - Ike (Eisenhower), Tru (Truman), Kenny (Kennedy) and Linc (Lincoln) - by their grateful and proud immigrant parents.
Love the blog Cheryl!
My name means: from the English word for the variety of small shrubs with pink or white flowers which commonly grow in rocky areas.
April - glad you stopped by! You're right on the personality trait thing. Makes you think all those ancient tribal peoples may have had it right when they made naming ceremonies a big mark of adulthood.
Anna - I adore Anahita. Can I use it>? *gg* And I love the names of your heroes and the reason their parents named then that.
Heather - it's a bonnie name, lass :)
Hmmm, names. I have several friends with great ones. The love of my life was named Kierhan. He was a 6'2" redhaired former Navy Seal. Pronounced Keer Haaahn. I've gone by the name I used in the military so long I don't answer to my legal name! Another great one is my daughter's middle name, Miro (meeer oh) BTW, great start to a blog, toots! Kaylynne (Kay LYNNE, not Kailin)
I also love to use anagrams for names. For instance, I might create a character named Lilivan and make her evil, (lilivan=villain).
I do this too in a slightly different way... When initially plotstorming TATTF, I just used "Villain" as the villain's name (imaginative, no?) and "V" for short, which later ended up being Vivian (which both sounds like Villain and starts with V).
Now that I think about it, the villain names start with V in a lot of my stories... I guess I shouldn't write mysteries, or that'd pretty much give it away! *g
My name (Erica Leanne) comes from my biological father's middle name (Eric) and my mother's middle name (Lee).
Both of my youngest brother's names (I have 4) are also family related, but my oldest younger brother's names (if you followed that *g) were both picked just because my mom liked how the names sounded.
So does that make me a pretty darling little serpent?
hehehehehe
This a cute blog! I have only met a couple of people with my name. And usually it is spelled differently. My name means supposedly industrious and i've heard that it's greek, but then again i've heard that it's spanish to. Hmm. Anybody know?
Kaylynne - I adore Kierhan's name. Miro is cool too, and I realy like both your real Kaylynne spelling and the Kailin one you used to show phoenetics....hmmmm *gg*
Erica - cool idea to start the name with the letter of the word you are using to describe them.
Amalya - 20,000 names says is german in origin, and they say it means "work" (ie industrious). As it and its derivatives have been quite popular, I think lots of mothers were hoping their daughter's would be hard working! *gg*
Amalya is Hebrew - meaning "labor of god"
Amal is the root of labor or hard work, and yah is a synonym for god.
Thanks Dave!!! That makes perfect sense :)
cheers
Cheryl
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