“If names are not correct, language will not be in accordance with the truth of things.”
Confucius
When I started writing my young adult fantasy series, The Maqlû, I picked character names primarily based on how they sounded. But I found it surprisingly difficult to come up with names I liked. I’d already written several drafts of the first three books in the series when I started adding hidden meanings into my books. And I thought, why not do the same with the character names, after all, Truth is Stranger than Fiction.
So, I began choosing names that describe the character’s role or behaviors. But I’ll let you in on a little secret. Every single character in my series – except one part of one character’s name – is based on one of the following naming conventions:
- Historical figures: Many of my characters are based on historical people (all of them are dead now, so I don’t get into any legal issues). Most are chosen based on their role in the book (for instance, the Druid’s nurse in book 1 – The Palantir is based on Mary Seacole, a real-life nurse during the Crimean War. I found her story fascinating, and naming my character after her is a way of honoring her memory.) You’ll learn a little about each of these historical characters in the glossary at the back of each book.
- Literary characters: I’ve borrowed names from many of the books I love and ascribed them to my characters. Some are easy to spot – and some not so much.
- Mythology: Many of my characters, especially the Atlantians, have names borrowed from mythology – but not just Greek and Roman. I’ve also included names from Mesopotamian, Mayan, and Norse mythologies.
- Private jokes: Enough said.
- Combinations: Many of the living characters have combination names with historical, literary, and religious connections.
- Obscure: And my favorite category – the obscure, which includes one character I took from a medieval text on a subject that tied with the character.
I know I’ve had fun, as well as learned all sorts of cool things finding names for my characters. I encourage you to try and figure out where they came from.
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