Screenwriting : Naming Your Characters by Christopher Dyer

It's about the meaning of the name

If you haven't read this article already, then I would recommend giving it a skim through. http://thewritepractice.com/8-tips-for-naming-characters/

Also personally when I'm naming characters, I say the names out loud. If it doesn't sound right, then it probably isn't! Try describing your characters appearance too, have you ever looked at someone and thought "You look more like a Harry"? Same sort of thing. Hope that helps :)

I usually just use ordinary names. You don't want something that's sounds made up. I have no issue deciding on names generally unless I want a name with a particular meaning. Not all stories require that. Especially comedies.

I used to watch the credits of different shows and movies for interesting last name suggestions. You can also mix and match your friends and enemies - pair the first name of basketball captain from high school with the last name of your primary school gym teacher for example.

Dylan, thanks a lot for that link, it was pretty helpful! Good advice in there, and I think I've already found the names I need. Cherie, that's essentially what I want. I don't want the names to sound absurd, like "Cornelius Whittlebottom" or worse (unless I'm writing an absurd story). But, I don't want the names to be so generic as "John Smith" or anything. I think picking a name is hugely important. Take comedies for instance, it just wouldn't be the same if Lloyd Christmas had bee named Jason Bourne, or vice vera. Or Derek Zoolander had been named Han Solo, or Ron Burgundy was John Wick. Certain names fit certain characters as well as genres.

omg I love Cornelius Whittlebottom, hahaha.

Suggestion: Atticus Finch. Seriously, you want to get your hands on The White Pages for New Orleans. That book will name all your characters, distinctively, for the next 10 films.

Unless the name is some kind of intricate part of the story, I don't think it matters that much. It's just another tiny and unimportant detail to get caught up in. Why spend so much time on the names? Pick one and move on. That's what I do anyway.

Yeah but to agonize over whether a character should be named Patricia or Jessica seems silly to me. Unless a characters name is somehow important to the STORY, pick a name already. Move on. Keep writing.

I am too pragmatic I guess, because the question for me is whether or not the characters name is important in moving along the story. If the name plays an important part, that's one thing (for instance I have a screenplay where characters are named after where they were conceived, and another where the father hates the daughters name because he thinks it pre-destines her to be a stripper) but if the names are not an inherent part of the story you're telling, why does it matter? Do you really think a producer/agent/manager or other reader is going to care a whole lot about the names?

Sometimes there are names I hear I like and keep in mind for future reference to use. I don't use the entire name, just the last or first and try to make it something different. I will google names and ssee how I can vary mine into something unique. Names databases help if you are looking for a last name with a certain cultural background. I wanted to craft a unique name for an Italian business magnate/Mafia crime boss. I came up with Dario Demonte. Everyone here has some great techniques ad points I would make as well (similar name/letters, phone book, ending credits, etc). I even used a name from the movie MEATBALLS that was used as an alias only once and wasn't truly the character name!

Names could be regular, or they could be symbolic; mythological;, representative (funny/sad/dark etc.); mean something in another language; or ironic. Some of my favorites are Louis Cyphre, Dr. Stranglove, Merkin Muffly, Holly Golightly, Sugar Kane Kowalczyk, Shaft, The Dude, Katniss Everdeen, Mister Senor Love Daddy, and Fielding Mellish.

Ahh Fielding Melish! Did he at least share his can of ribs with you? He has experience as an usher for porno films.

You shouldn't overthink it... Firstly because a script is about "regular people doing extraordinary things" so to speak. And there are many reasons why a simple name is preferable: in a script, unlike a novel, spectators will not know your characters name - and they shouldn't be called too often if not at all in the dialogues. So, character names only matter to the script reader; and as such they shouldn't be too complicated, prone to funny or silly, and they shouldn't start with the same letter as much as possible (because of the computer software you write with and because script readers try to pay attention to characters; if you don't differentiate them it might confuse the reader in their notes). Easy to remember and common names, yet different from each other, is the best thing imho. Fancy characters names will -not- make up for a lack of story, nor will they add anything to your script except a "pompous" trait if the story is not up to par. Unless for exotic reasons, I'd recommend you keep your names simple.

I must admit, I’m kind of shocked that some people don’t think names are that important. The name has to fit the character and the genre. Think about it, think Star Wars. What if Luke Skywalker was named Dan Smith. And Han Solo was named John Roberts. Would those characters be iconic? Would people even care about them or remember their names? Their names didn’t do anything to move the story, but their names fit their characters and the genre. Indiana Jones is another example, as well as Captain Jack Sparrow, Sam Spade, Lloyd Dobbler, and any character from Harry Potter. Technically, names do nothing to move a story along. In their simplest definition they’re nothing more than a means of identifying a character. But give your character the wrong name, and no one’s going to care about or remember that character. The name of a character should invoke an emotional response from your reader. How many times do you hear people talking about a movie and they say “I love that scene where that one guy took the money from that other guy.” If you hear people talk like that, then one of two things has happened: 1) they weren’t paying attention or 2) the author chose the wrong names. To avoid any confusion, I’m not just referring to fancy, exotic, sci-fi or fantasy type names either. Finding the right common name is just as vital as finding the right fancy name. Micheal Clayton, John Wick, Harry Potter, Billy Elliot, Llewyn Davis, John Carter, Alex Cross, Jerry Maguire, Veronica Mars, Nancy Drew, Jackie Brown and so on and so on, are all great examples of choosing the right ‘common’ name. This is why it’s hard, sometimes, to pick names for characters. Because it’s important what they’re named. Very important.

When I first started writing, yeah my character names often felt contrived. What I found was using names from families I grew up around, maybe mixing up first and last names gave me a satisfying result enabling me to move on with the writing.

Use the Social Security census info. You can see a list of the most popular baby names by decade (goes back to 1880's). Start at the bottom and work your way up. A lot of cool names (Silas, Felix, Otis--fun names for scripts). Here's the link: https://www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/decades/names1880s.html

Don't know if this will help but in several of the books and screenplays that I've written I've used my dogs names (Kennedy, Kade, Reagan, Ashe, Levi, etc.) Look around at the names that people use for their pets, it may help. Sometimes they aren't so common that you won't fall into the normal grind of using the same names as everyone else. Also, look at gaming screen names.

Here's a character's name- how's this? Guacamolia -

I know of a woman named Febreezia. And a guy named shithead. Pronounced shith-eed. Real people.

that's awesome! ha ha! foods and products sometimes make great screen play names.

and bye products

At the very least, putting some thoughts into your characters' names are an additional element to a writer's style, as well as the actual content. That's not a rule etched in stone, and just my belief. More power to those who don't share that belief.

Bill, I don't know if a name would constitute what the actual content of the story is about. One of my larger novel sellers, the Assumption Series, the main character is named Ayma Kuntz. Now, by first glance, you may think erotica or a story on bullying (because of the name), but the content doesn't lead to any of those. Bullying on a low scale, not the overall focus. There was a reason for the name and it's revealed at the end of book one. Yes, I did look up the name and make sure it was one that would be used in reality.

I hate naming characters. I once changed 2 of my character's names half way through writing a script because I hated the names so much.

My characters usually "tell" me their names, but at the moment I have a little sister in my screenplay and this beast doesn't tell me her name. I call her "Suzie" because she doesn't like it, just to tease her, but that doesn't work, she is just laughing at me. In other stories I sometimes first have a name in my mind before I know there is a story. I then ask the universe what kind of person this name could belong to and suddenly have the character and by this the story - until someone like "Suzie" appears.

Elisabeth, that's funny. I do the same thing also. The image is there of the character, but the name just doesn't come. It's like...who are you.

So many good suggestions! I'm not maintaining a list of female names, male names and surnames so I can mix and match when needed. This gives me a quick place to go when I'm struggling with a name. I've also found (since this thread) that using a few key websites of popular names based on a particular era are incredibly useful. Thanks to all of you, I'm now finding that names are a little easier to come by!!

Go to the phone book and pick out the last name you like, then pick a different first name.

Phone books aren't good for much else, but they're great for browsing name groupings. :)

Izzabella - in the sense that a name can foreshadow a character's intents, I think in that situation it does add to the whole of the content. And in your case - where you actually explained the meaning of the character's name - that certainly added to the whole of the content, didn't it?

You can also search popular names from different time periods on the internet. Then go back to the year that your character was born and pick a first name from that time. The phone book is great for last names.

What did the character say to the screenwriter? QUIT CALLING ME NAMES!!

Bill, it did to a certain extent. The meaning of the name and why she was named as such was done out of hatred and the mother not wanting a child.

When it comes to screen writing- character names is the least of my problems- although I was told by a consultant that I had too many names that started with "S". So, who knows?

Hi I realise the importance of telephone or any today directories, but people sometimes overlook there are both first names and surnames that have gone out of fashion in just last century. In the past I've often wandered around graveyards to get original character names. I love you guys n gals so much on Stage 32, that because I haven't used this search method for eight years......I went out and tested it tonight. I caught two buses to visit a Graveyard.....YEP two first names.....and two surnames, I had never heard of before.

now Debbie that is an original place o look for a characters name lol

Isabella - that's one sad and nasty mother. Sam - that's one wacky client.

@Charlotte Thanks, LOL,, We need to think out of the Box.

I think the problem is too many choices. Millions of names, how do you pick one? So I come up with a palette - a list of names to select from. This helps me narrow it down, and find the names that fit the characters. My palettes are usually thematic - so I did a race against time script and used the names of clockmakers from the past. There used to be hundreds of clockmakers, and they all had interesting names. It was easy to find names that fit each of my characters. I did a noir script (hey, that one got made... poorly) where my palette was the name of noir screenwriters - and the cool thing was that some names had built in rhymes (Rouse, the louse) and fun nicknames. By narrowing it down, it was easier to find names that fit. I also keep my eyes out for cool names - Darquay was someone on the local news, I don't remember what the story was, but that's a heck of a name for a villain. Hmm, I think I may have done a Film Courage segment on this recently...

@Debbie - yes, that's true a graveyard is a great source for names and you immediately get a feeling for what character could belong to the name and you can discover wonderful family names. I do this as well.

Don't over think it. I don't take too long to name characters.

Names can also imply subtext to help deepen a character. In "How to Train Your Dragon" the protagonist is "Hiccup"—he's different than the other Vikings; he's the screw up, the one who makes mistakes and causes disruption. In "Breakfast At Tiffany's" the protagonist is "Holly Golightly"—she's a charming, socialite who lightly goes through life. In "Witness" the main character is "John Book"—he's a cop who does everything by the book; he's honest. Each character name is an opportunity to reveal something about that character. Crafting a name is very important. :)

I have to say, I think writers have a tendency to overthink this and then get too cute with their names. This causes a bit of "on the nose" telegraphing which can take me (and others reading) out of a script.

I don't know... A cool name with underlining meaning that sounds great is pretty awesome and memorable. Personally, one of my favorite places to seek inspiration, or just to have a great laugh, is the roller derby. Nefarious names like: Babe Ruthless, Maggie Mayhem, Eva Destruction or Happy Killmore are fantastic. Nothing like a great pun! Lol! :)

Oh, don't get me wrong, Beth...done right, it's incredible. Done wrong, however, and it's a read buster.

Haha! Very true, RB. :)

I think people are confusing simple with superficial. Simple doesn't mean easy to find. John McLane may not be easy, yet it sounds right because it's simple. Overthink it and you'll end up with an artificial and ridiculous name, and RB is right it does take out of the reading. Mastery is all about economy, not easiness...

Personally, I like to use protagonist names that utilize a little bit of alliteration.

Love this: "Mastery is all about economy, not easiness"

In my last story, I chose a girls name because it sounded good in a gasp as the boyfriend was dying. It appears we all have different reasons why , and how, we choose them.

Yes, going overboard doesn't work... Subtlety can add great nuance to characters and story. :)

I love character naming! ;-) It's one of my favorite parts of writing. I do all sorts of research on name meanings and origins and try to pick great names that have thematic resonance for their journey. Or sometimes, I just pick one from memory from someone I knew who reminds me of this character (especially antagonists!) ;-)

In one of my stories the antagonist is simply referred to as Sweaty Man. No one uses his name so I didn't give him one.

Good point @Pierre, make the character visceral .....no need name terms!

What I find myself doing is looking at the spines on my book shelves for different first and last names. You can even come on here and look at people's names. Make a list and keep it close by. Maybe watch the news and check out the people they're interviewing, the reporters, the news casters. The sources for names are endless.

I think the first thing to do when crafting a story inside your head is to be able to visualize the scenes as they unfold, through your mind's eyes. Whatever name comes up for a given character is up to the role you see him/her playing in your mind TV. If you can appreciate that view, I think you'll be able to attribute your character names based on their specific threats. Most times, the names will just fit your character the more you go further in the story - bad angels got good names :)

Hi Christopher, I've just posted on this exact thing actually. You can find it here: https://www.stage32.com/lounge/screenwriting/Noun-of-the-above