2 replies to this topic

[heimarmene]

The novel I'm attempting to write feautures many characters of different ethnic backgrounds and social statuses. I'm somewhat picky, and it takes me ages to choose a name myself. What I need are first, middle, and last names, depending on the respective character.

A little bit about the plot - this isn't a spy novel, although that's a close description. It's more of a magical-spy novel; orphans are handpicked and gathered by a woman named December, and given angel's blood to drink. This gives them each an individual talent that a human wouldn't have - stamina, speed, fire-breathing ability, ect. These orphans are plucked from all over the world, from ages ten to about eighteen. The opposing side, filled with dark wizards and necromancers, are essentially trying to obliviate the 'soiled' humans, and create a power-race filled with pure bloodlines.

The characters I have so far are:

- Three Italian/Welsh/other sisters, none of whom know their respective fathers; their mother is an eccentric Italian-Welsh heiress-turned-partygirl, and their last name should sound somewhat pretencious, with literary middle names - names from Shakespeare, Austen, and the like. The girls all have dark brown hair, nearly black in color, and are all named after places. They each have a different eye color, however, and crazy different personalities.

Sister #1 - Formerly known as Dallas - at eighteen, is icy at times, borderline rude to most people, and model-beautiful. She's queen of the popular crowd, smart, and head cheerleader at school. Her name should be something very upscale, perhaps more Americanized than her sisters' names.

Sister #2 - Main character Briony/Brie Elinor (Brie is a region in France), at seventeen, is pretty in a very Italian/understated sort of way; her beauty is softer, less fierce than that of her sisters. She is the kindest of the sisters, although her temper is fiery and easily provoked. Her mother used to call her 'fuoco uccello', which is Italian for fire bird, for her moments of anger.

Sister #3 - Formerly known as Acadia - at fourteen, she looks more like the first sister than the second. She is very easily swayed in her opinion, having two strong-willed sisters who are each persuasive in their methods. She tries to be like the oldest sister; this results in a partygirl attitude and a staunch refusal to follow the rules.

Sisters 1 & 3 need first and middle names, and all sisters need a high-end Italian surname.

- a sibset of Irish half-siblings, brother and sister.

Brother - Conlan Thomas Hindley is nineteen and an all-around good man; brought up by December since the age of eight. His half-sister is fairly innocent, and he struggles to shield her from the work he does, and why he does it.

Sister - Neeve _________ Hindley is fifteen and not as innocent as her brother thinks. She's taught herself to follow and listen silently, and tries to help without her knowledge being exploited. Her name is traditionally spelled Niamh, but she prefers to spell it phonetically, as most of the recuits aren't Irish-speaking.

Conlan does not need his name changed; Neeve needs a middle name, and her first name is open to consideration.

- A Swedish-Norwegian girl who's cold and assuming at first.

Mette Nilsson, seventeen, is named Brie's mentor. Only marginally less icy than 'Dallas' during the first meeting, she doesn't seem to like Brie at first, although she softens as Brie's skills improve and they go through challenges together.

Mette needs a new first name. Marit is my first choice; name can be either Norwegian or Swedish, and easily pronouncable for English mouths.

- The nice daredevil bad boy.

Emerson, eighteen, is sometimes dark and moody and sometimes the funniest guy to be around. He's British, and seems to know a lot of sadistic British history, such as Jack the Ripper, Spring-Heeled Jack, and the Chelsea Grin.

Emerson needs a new first name, and somewhat-common British surname. As for first name, there's really no preference, although I'd like it to be something that's old and British-sounding (like James), but doesn't start with J.

That's all I can think of for now; thanks so much for your time!

[Emmy Lee]

OK, I'm going to try and help you out here, but I'm afraid the only one I can see myself being really useful for is the Irish half-siblings! I'll try my best with the others but I can't make any promises.

The Italian/Welsh sisters:

Surname: da Corte is an Italian surname which I love, which I also think would work for these sisters.

Sister #1 - I could see Samara working for her, and it's the name of a city in Russia, so it fits with the place name criteria. For a middle name you could try Cosette, a literary name from Les Miserables. So, full name - Samara Cosette da Corte. It's a little more Americanized than the other two as she could shorten Samara to Sammy or Sam.

Sister #2 - obviously you want to keep Briony/Brie Elinor, so full name - Briony Elinor da Corte.

Sister #3 - I think Catalina is a nice choice for this sister and it's also the name of an island. A good middle name for Catalina would be Guinevere, from the Arthurian legends. So her full name would be - Catalina Guinevere da Corte. Maybe with the nickname Cat or Lina?

Full Sibset - Samara, Briony and Catalina da Corte.

The Irish half-siblings:

Neeve _______ Hindley - although I totally understand why you would spell her name phonetically to avoid confusion for your readers, I can tell you right away that most Irish people would be offended by it. If you want an Irish name that is easier to pronounce, try Ciara, Reagan, Una or Bridget. Ciara is pronounced pretty much as it's spelt - K-ear-ah. Reagan can be pronounced Ree-gan or Ray-gan. Una is pronounced as it's spelt, Ooh-nah. Bridget is pronounced as it's spelt, Bridge-it. I like the name Elaine in the middle spot for all of those names, so your final choice could be Ciara Elaine Hindley, Reagan Elaine Hindley, Una Elaine Hindley or Bridget Elaine Hindley.e Hindley[/b].

Full Sibset - Conlan and Ciara Hindley/Conlan and Reagan Hindley/Conlan and Una Hindley/Conlan and Bridget Hindley.

For the Swedish-Norwegian girl:

Marit Nilsson sounds good to me. If you don't like it, what about Ingrid Nilsson? That's a Nordic name.

For the nice daredevil bad boy:

I think Alfred "Alfie", William "Will" or Hugh would be a good choice. None of them scream BAD BOY which is a good thing in my book. As for surnames, try Clarke. From what I've read online (which may not be all that trustworthy, but it's all I have to go on) it's a pretty common British surname. So the final name would either be Alfred "Alfie" Clarke, William "Will" Clarke or Hugh Clarke.

Whew, that was a lot of typing and looking up. I hope I helped even a little! Good luck with your story

[Bree :)]

Rosalia Maahlhee de Corte (18)
Jeanreta (jawnretta) Larhee de Corte (14)

Neeve Alice (15)

Marty

Everett Jaques