A Name By Any Other Name
Before my wife and I adopted our dog, we came up with 10 potential names we thought most befitting a then-5-month old basset hound. As we’d previously been owned by a Sadie, a Beulah, and a Molli, we wanted this new critter in our lives to have an equally appropriate appellation.
As we drove from Las Vegas to Beaumont, Calif., to bring our dawg home, we narrowed our selections to three. Then three shrank to one the moment we laid eyes on this silly pup. As she bounded across a grassy yard with her ears flying, we knew she could only be a Lola.
Much as in naming pets, or children, for that matter, choosing the “right” name is crucial when developing fictional characters. These are people, after all. And while they aren’t “real” in the physical sense, they are flesh-and-blood beings to the author and, hopefully, the reader.
A name must be memorable but not over the top, authentic to the character’s age, their time and place, and their culture or ethnicity. It also should provide a window into their personality. I won’t pontificate on the matter as plenty of other folks have offered up multitudinous advice on naming names; in fact, within the past week or so, not one but two contributors to CrimeReads.com have shared their experiences. You’re welcome.
For years, naming fictional characters has been a proven source of mental gymnastics for myriad writers; often, the names we see in print aren’t what their creators originally intended. Still, many of them, notably in the crime fiction, thriller, and mystery genres, have fun—and serendipitous—backstories.
When I began writing my novels, I initially pegged Noelani Jones as the name for my Hawaiian PI heroine. It sang to me. Problem is, I happened to work with a woman with the exact same name. Discretion being the better part of avoiding litigation, I changed my protagonist’s name to Noelani B. Lee. This new moniker offered the same pleasant ring and rhythm and opened a world of possibilities for her background, especially since as a Hawaiian, she’s a living mixed plate of ethnicities. She makes note of this while assuming an undercover persona in her second adventure, The Hilo Hustle:
“People’re always confused, but here’s the deal: My father was half Korean and like one-quarter native Hawaiian and one-quarter Portuguese, and my mother’s like a quarter Chinese, Filipino, Samoan, and Hawaiian. Each. Go back far enough and you find some Japanese, too.”
I then went on to establish Noe’s family and acquaintances. Some came easily; Noe’s parents are Quan and Coco Lee; the initials of her cousin and occasional sidekick, Wanda Tess Fong, factored into the plot of The Kona Shuffle. Other recurring characters include Noe’s onetime fiancée, Franklin Ku; a police inspector, Detective Ahuna (no first name given…yet); and her occasional nemesis/reliable source and onetime underworld kingpin, Samson Puhi.
When creating names, I begin with the alphabet and cross out each letter as I use it. With the exception of alliterate names and shared surnames, and the given names for a trio of siblings in The Wailoa Waltz, I avoid repeating letters if at all possible. I also shun names that sound too much alike, such as Dennis and Denise, or that rhyme. Above all, I try my durndest to keep names as easy to pronounce as possible. Hence, you’ll never see one like this in my stories. Though I’ve been tempted.
To keep track of all these people, I use an Excel sheet with each character listed under the respective book title. This forces me to come up with new and more creative names and is useful when reprising a secondary character, such as Wally Yoshiro, or referring to others in passing, as with Elias Malona and Poleki Grimsley in The Saddle Road Samba.
Writers have innumerable sources for names at their disposal, with baby-name websites and obituaries being among the most popular. Because my novels are set on the Big Island of Hawai’i, I sometimes troll the local obits for inspiration. More often, though, I find names buried six feet under—in island-wide cemetery records. Ghoulish, perhaps, but these records are treasure troves of names from Hawaii’s broad spectrum of cultures, as well as a range of time periods.
In creative writing, the work involved in naming names can be challenging but also rewarding.
Oh, and if you’re stuck for a name, sorry—Lola is taken. But I have nine others for you to choose from.