What's In A Name?
Monday, January 23, 2012 at 6:49AM One of the things that contributes to (or detracts from) my enjoyment of a Fantasy story (and to some extent, any story) is the names. Good names in a Fantasy story are cool-sounding, evocative, and draw me into the author’s world. (I’m sure this is one reason Tolkien’s and Vance’s work both resonate so well with me.) Bad names make me grimace and question the author’s creative sensibilities.
So when I write Fantasy, I work hard to try to come up with names for characters, places, and things that I think are “good.” Some of my friends, at least, believe I have a gift for it, though they also make fun of my occasional attempts to distinguish cultures and regions with unusual linguistic constructs. (Hey, it’s not my fault they can’t pronounce Auld Dwarvish properly... ;) ).
However, I have to confess that I don’t always do it all on my own. There are plenty of resources for coming up with names (particularly names of characters) out there, and when necessary I make use of them. They’re especially handy when I want to simulate a specific culture: Fantasy Vikings, Fantasy Hungarians, Fantasy Malaysians, whatever. I can just turn to the appropriate section of a given resource and pick a name (or more likely, pick a name and tweak it ever so slightly, changing a letter or two or rearranging syllables).
I thought it might be helpful to some of you writers and gamers out there to share some of these resources. I’ve listed them in alphabetical order by author.
Bowers, Malcolm. Gary Gygax’s Extraordinary Book Of Names. Published by Troll Lord Games, this book is mainly aimed at gamers but is just as useful for fiction writers. In addition to extensive lists of names from linguistic/cultural groups around the world, it also has sections covering epithets, place names, fantastic names, and more. Each category has information about that group’s naming practices. Meanings of names aren’t provided, but this is still an excellent resource. My main complaint with it is that the linguistic/cultural groups are listed by continent/region, rather than in a master alphabetical list, which sometimes makes it a little difficult to find the subject you want.
Ellefson, Connie. The Melting Pot Book Of Baby Names (I have the Second Edition, but I see a Third Edition listed on Amazon). Covers 50 linguistic/cultural categories of names, with introductory information about each category’s specific rules for names. Also includes the meaning of each name, which can be darn helpful in picking just the right name for your character. Included in the back is a nice Name Equivalent Chart, so that you can find out (for example) the Swedish or Greek equivalent of “Emily” or “James.” Unfortunately the book only includes first names.
Ingraham, Holly. People’s Names. Published by McFarland, this is one of my most-used naming resources. It covers (according to its introduction) more than 100 linguistic/cultural categories, including separate categories for ancient, Dark Ages, and medieval names in various European languages. Each category has introductory information about its specific rules for names. It includes both personal names and surnames for each category, and in some cases the meanings of personal names are provided. My only complaint with it is the same as with the Bowers book: categories listed by region, rather than in a master alphabetical list. But if you can only have one naming reference book on your shelf, this should be the one.
Kenyon, Sherrilyn. The Writer’s Digest Character Naming Sourcebook. Covers 36 linguistic/cultural categories of names, with an introductory essay on naming in general and introductory information about each category’s specific rules for names. As with the Ellefson book, the meanings of the names are provided. However, this book has two strikes against it that keep me from using it as frequently as some other resources: one, it only covers first names; two, it mixes mythological and legendary names in among real-world names.
The Medieval Names Archive (http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/): A pretty thorough reference source on the subject of medieval European names. It provides scholarly sources for its information and is dismissive of sites that don’t do likewise. Depending on the sort of writing you’re doing, you may share this concern or consider it pointless.
Kate Monk’s Onomastikon (available online at http://www.gaminggeeks.org/Resources/KateMonk/ or http://tekeli.li/onomastikon/): An onomastikon is a list or collection of names, a term that applies to any of the books described here. This one is actually a website, or more accurately a former website now maintained at a couple of places on the web. Primarily intended as a resource for gamers, it’s plenty useful for fiction authors as well. Unfortunately I don’t believe it’s ever updated by its original creator or anyone else anymore, but there’s still plenty of information there.
Reader Comments (2)
What? No mention of the random name generator my brother whipped up on the TRS-80? Sure, historical accuracy has its place, but wouldn't your gaming memories be slightly lessened without Peckoospuz the Inept Gnome Killer, or Froogwump son of Hinkeldorf from Oomspluck?
Had I access to said Random Name Generator these days, it would surely have merited a mention! Our gaming lives would be notably lessened if not for the existence of Peckoospuz and Froogwump! ;)
And naturally every adventurer worth his salt wants to visit scenic Oomspluck someday. ;)