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.



Sunday, December 18, 2016

Mordecai

Meaning: (Warrior, Little Man, from "Mara Dachya" meaning "Pure Myrrh", the aromatic resin which was used in incense.)

Origin: (Biblical, Hebrew, Persian, Aramaic)

Pronunciation: (MOHR-də-kiy, mor-də-KIE, MAWR-də-kie (English), mor'-de-ki, mor-de-ka'-I, mordekhay)

Gender: Male

I am so surprised I haven’t added this very nice strong Biblical name before. A relatively new friend Cameron *see on list of posts* told me that if he ever has a son in the future he would want to name him Mordecai. Mordecai in the Bible was the cousin of Esther *see on list of posts* and many years ago we had a Biblical drama about Esther and Mordecai at one of our religious conventions. I like the strong meanings of this name and the whole general look of the name is very nice.

I think Mordecai would do well in a historical fiction novel as it has a strong biblical history.  If used in a historical fiction novel and dealing with sensitive topics of the past it would do well on a character thats perhaps down and out, but comes back strong. Though also it seems like it would do well in a science fiction / fantasy novel set in space as it would be interesting to have that very old name be set in the future on a character. A cute nickname could be Mordy. 

Hazen

Meaning: (Sandy Meadow, From the Hedge Enclosure, Smooth, Beautiful, from Hasin, a pet form of a Germanic personal name, Haso, derived from haswa 'Gray', 'Black'; or from the plural of Haas.)

Origin: (Dutch, Germanic, Old English, Sanskrit)

Pronunciation: (HHEYZAHN, HAY-zən)

Gender: Uni-Sex

I forget where I saw this name but when I saw it I thought it was unique and pretty cool looking. It has really lovely meanings and has a look like Hazel in a way so maybe twins or siblings Hazel and Hazen would be cool. All in all I like this name and would love to see it used more often in novels.

Natira

Meaning: (Nature, Left, Last)

Origin: (Filipino)

Pronunciation: (nah-TEER-ah)

Gender: Female


This is a Star Trek name but I think from the older Star Trek TV series. The meanings I could find I can’t really guarantee are right but they are nice and all I could find. The name and pronunciation is very fantasy like. I can see a princess on another world being named this. It is such a very lovely rare unique name.

Theobald

Meaning: (People, Race, Bold, Brave, God, Derived from the Germanic elements Theud "People" and Bald "Bold". The Normans brought the name to England, where it joined an existing Old English cognate. The medieval forms Tibald and Tebald were commonly Latinized as Theobaldus. It was rare by the 20th century.

The Latinized form was recorded in the 11th century Domesday Book. The name was borne by Theobald of Bec (-1161), an archbishop of Canterbury; he was of Norman origin. Medieval forms of the name include Tebald, Tedbald, Tibert, and Tybalt. The form Tybalt or Tibert was known as the name of the cat in the French folklore Reynard the Fox, thus giving rise to the nicknames Tibs and Tibby being used for cats. The form Tybalt was later used by Shakespeare for the name of Juliet's cousin in Romeo and Juliet (1595).

Recorded in over one hundred forms ranging from Theobald, Tudball and Dyball in England, to Thibald, Thibaud and Thibout in France, Thibou in Belgian, Theobald, Thibaut, and Diebald in Germany, Tibold in Hungary, and many more, this interesting surname is of pre 7th century Germanic origins. It derives from the the elements "theudo", meaning people, and "bald"- bold or brave, and as such was a very popular name in the period of history known as 'The dark ages'. The personal name and the subsequent surname of the 12th century is believed to have been introduced into England by followers of William, The Conqueror, after the Norman Invasion of 1066, and it was in that country where the earliest examples of the surname recording are to be found. Examples of the recordings illustrating the hereditary surname development include: Hugo Tebaud, in the Pipe Rolls of the county of Lincolnshire in the year 1202; William Theobald, in the court rolls known as the Feet of Fines for Suffolk in 1250, and Simon Tebalde in the register of Ramsey Abbey, in 1255. In Germany Stammfolge Theopolt was recorded in Hildburghausen in 1420, Thiebaud von Worms in 1435, and Christoph Theobald of Rudolstadt in 1529. Examples taken from early surviving English church registers include: the marriage of Francis Theobald and Judith Conquest on February 20th 1622, at St. Dunstan's in the East, Stepney, London. The first recorded spelling of the family name anywhere in the world is believed to be that of: Tomas Teobald. This was dated 1199, in the Pipe Rolls of the county of Gloucestershire, England. This was during the reign of the famous King Richard 1st of England, known as "Coeur de Leon", 1189 - 1199. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling. http://www.surnamedb.com/Surname/Theobald )

Origin: (English (Rare), Ancient Germanic, French)

Pronunciation: (THEE-ə-bawld (English), DHIY-owBaoLD)

Gender: Male

I was watching a movie the other day and I’m not sure if the character had this spelling but when they said his name I saw it in my head as this spelling so I added it to my list. The meanings are strong and the look of the name is old fashioned but is handsome and brave looking as well. I really like this name a little more each day.

Tudor

Meaning: (God’s Gift, Gracious Gift, Welsh form of the Old Celtic name Teutorigos, meaning “Ruler of the People” (cognate with Theodoric). As a surname it was borne by five monarchs of England beginning with Henry VII in the 15th Century.)

Origin: (Welsh, Celtic, Greek)

Pronunciation: (ˈtü-dər, tyü-dər, go to this link and run your cursor over the name to hear how it is pronounced: http://howjsay.com/pronunciation-of-tudor )

Gender: Male, Possibly Uni-Sex

Again this is not a name I would have thought of as a given name but the other day I was looking around and some professor on C-Span had the given name Tudor and I was like what I’ve never seen that before. The meanings are very beautiful and strong. Most people know of the monarchs in England with this surname so they should be familiar with the pronunciation though I still can’t see this as a given name for some reason. I did a report in my last year of high school many years ago on Tudor architecture which I found to be interesting, just thought I’d say that, lol.

Brandt

Meaning: (Sword, Torch, Fiery Torch, Beacon, Dweller on a Burned Clearing, topographic name for someone who lived in an area that had been cleared by fire, Middle High German Brant (from Brennen 'to Burn').)

Origin: (Middle High German, Old Norse, Scandinavian, Old English)

Pronunciation: (BRahNT)

Gender: Male

I saw this on TV but I forget where but I thought it was pretty nice when I saw its spelling on the screen so I decided to add this to my list. The meanings are all nice and strong as is the name in general. It seems a name that would do well in a fairy tale retelling or perhaps in a story with a strong German mythology in it.

Essex

Meaning: (Regional name for someone from the county of Essex, which is named from Old English east 'East' + Seaxe 'Saxons'. In England the surname is now particularly common in Birmingham. Place name: a county in England that gave its name to many towns in America. There was a kingdom of Essex in Anglo-Saxon England. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Essex )

Origin: (Old English, Middle English, Anglo-Saxon)

Pronunciation: (es-sex, go to this link and run your cursor over the name to hear how it is pronounced: http://howjsay.com/pronunciation-of-essex )

Gender: Uni-Sex

The other day I saw some celebrity named their child Essex and I wouldn’t think this would be a first name as I know it as a county name in England but apparently it is a surname so it’s no surprise I guess to be used as a given name. It has a decent meaning and the name is pretty strong and recognizable by a lot of people so it should be easy enough to pronounce. It’s a very preppy name but it has an appeal in a way.

Claremont

Meaning: ('Cler' or 'Clair' meaning 'Bright' or 'Clear', plus 'Mont', a Hill i.e., a Prominent Hill Standing out from a Plain.)

Origin: (Old French)

Pronunciation: (KLAYR-mont, go to this link and run your cursor over the name to hear how it is pronounced: http://howjsay.com/pronunciation-of-claremont )

Gender: Uni-Sex

This is the name of a street near my place of worship and when I was driving by the other day I came to really see this name and said it is nice and decided to add it to this blog. The meanings are very pleasant and the look of the name itself is very posh and sophisticated. I can see a very gorgeous blonde woman in a red coat walking down a very picturesque European city street in the snow being named this, weird I know, lol. All in all this is a very lovely name.   

Eiliwedd

Meaning: (Saint Eluned (Welsh: Eiliwedd; Latin: Almedha or Elevetha), also known as Aled and by other names, was a 5th- or 6th-century virgin martyr from modern Brecon. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Eluned )

Origin: (Welsh, Welsh Mythology)

Pronunciation: (eh-lee-eye-wed, ee-ah-lah-wedd, ee-ah-lah-weth)

Gender: Female, Possibly Uni-Sex

I saw this name when I was looking up the name Brychan *see on list of posts*. Eiliwedd was the daughter of King Brychan. I think this is a pretty interesting looking name and the information I found about it was interesting and it has a long history of use that would make it great in a Historical Fiction novel.

Now the pronunciation I am not sure about at all and could find no pronunciation except for the first part Eili and so I did my best with the pronunciation and on the last one this name being Welsh I am assuming Wedd is sounding like weth slightly, not sure if I have that right at all. If anyone knows the real pronunciation please leave a comment in the comment section of this post and please let me know what it is.

Thursday, December 15, 2016

Farewell to a Tear Stained Year……2016

This has been a particularly rough tear stained year and I am writing and posting while still fresh off another teary moment. I’m half expecting something worse to happen in the next few weeks of 2016.

I haven’t added a year end list of the good, the bad, and the ugly in a few years but I thought I’d add this year end list. The last time I added a list it was only on my Book Worm blog but I decided to add my list to both my blogs this year.

This has been a year where I remember crying more than I have ever cried in 28 nearly 29 years of my life. I’ve at moments cried and prayed so much for Jehovah God to end the pain and half felt like the Biblical man Job.

Though I know my moments of pain pale in comparison to others and I’m not making light of theirs. Each person’s down moments are life shattering to that person.

The Good:

  • In February some friends at our place of worship helped us pay some of our bills!

  • In March my mom got a new job when she desperately needed one!

  • In April my dad got his foot infection healed!

  • In June we had an exceptionally wonderful 3 day religious convention!

  • In August I made a new friend from one of my favorite countries I’ve always wanted to visit, England!     


  • I got to make and post about my new crafts all year!

The Bad & The Ugly:

  • In January my nearly 17 year old cat Missy died.

  • In March my nearly 15 year old dog Precious died.

  • I’ve been jobless all year which led to major family drama.

  • In February my dad got a bad infection on his foot. We nearly lost our house this same month as we couldn’t find jobs.

  • In May my best friend Kendra moved away.

  • In July through to now I’ve been trying to determine if this guy likes me which I don’t like and see if his brother is keeping other guys away from me.

  • In December both my grandparents who have Alzheimer’s are in nursing homes or hospitals. My PaPa got in a car crash and my granny can’t remember why she’s in a nursing home and gets scarred.

  • In December the friend from England had to break off our conversations but not because he really wanted to but it was said to be the right thing but it broke my heart and I feel as if someone I loved as a friend died. I can’t go into the details though. He’s still a friend and alive but I can’t contact him any more. When I make friends I go all in and put my whole heart in and when I can’t contact friends any more it really saddens me.

  • 3 times a year January, April and May I entered short story and poetry contests only to not win.

  • My bank was fee hounding me all year so I had to cancel my accounts out.

  • My parents are having health problems.

  • I only have 1 friend who I can trust to confide in now and she’s busy with her life so try as she might she can’t always contact me and I know she can’t because of her responsibilities.

  • In December I’m about to turn 29 years old.

Hopes and Quotes for 2017:

When you hit rock bottom the only place to go is up! I keep thinking that with everything going on that things had better get better because I can’t handle any more badness.


“A single dream is more powerful than a thousand realities.”
J.R.R. Tolkien

Though my soul may set in darkness,
It will rise in perfect light,
I have loved the stars too fondly
To be fearful of the night.
~Sarah Williams

 
We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures that we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open. – Jawaharlal Nehru

When you come to the end of all the light you know, and it’s time to step into the darkness of the unknown, Faith is knowing that one of two things shall happen: Either you will be given something solid to stand on or you will be taught to fly. – Edward Teller

What saves a man is to take a step. Then another step. – C. S Lewis

“May the love hidden deep inside your heart find the love waiting in your dreams. May the laughter that you find in your tomorrow wipe away the pain you find in your yesterdays.”

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