Skip to content
Home » How to Avoid Writing Your Character’s Name in Your Novel

How to Avoid Writing Your Character’s Name in Your Novel

Last names are so 20th century. Nobody really uses them anymore, and when they do, it’s usually pretty obvious that they aren’t part of the social circle. First names are way more popular – at least among my friends – and even then, people usually don’t use last names as their full name. Many use their first names only when they’re introduced, or as an abbreviation for legal purposes. That way, you’ll never get a situation where you’ll write somebody’s character’s name and not know what to call them. This is a problem that you’ll face if you write in a country where it’s customary to use surnames (e.g. the US), but in countries where first names are more popular (e.g. the UK), you’ll find that sometimes you’ll be stumped for a first name to use.

So when it comes to using character names in your literary work, you have three options:

  • You can choose a last name that’s already in use (this is usually the best option, except when you want to keep your character’s last name as a coincidence, in which case you should choose a different last name)
  • You can choose a first name that’s already in use (this is usually the second best option, but you should choose a different first name when the name you want isn’t too popular – otherwise, you’ll have a hard time finding an actor who looks like that)
  • You can choose a made-up name (this is rarely used – at least not among my friends – but it’s your option if you want to keep your character’s identity a secret until the end of the story)

Let’s look at each of these options in more detail.

Choose A Last Name That’s Already In Use

This is the simplest option because it doesn’t matter what name you use as long as it’s not the same name as somebody else’s character. There are several last names that are already in use, so it’s important to do some research before picking one. You don’t want to choose a name that already belongs to someone else because if that happens, you’ll have to change it. You can find a list of names that are most commonly found in each country here. Checking this list is a great place to start your research. Once you’ve chosen a last name that isn’t in use, there are several other things you should do before using it in your story.

For example, you should make sure that the name is legal. If you choose a name that’s already in use, you have to get permission from the owner of the name (this is also known as a [common law] name). You can do this by [mailing or contacting] the Office of the Registrar General in the country where you live. In many countries, you can also find the owner of the name by simply looking up the birth certificate of the person whose name you’ve chosen. If the person’s name is not on the list of registered names, then you should choose a different name. Also, you should look into the history of the name. Where did it come from, and who were the people before it was used? There are several hundred years of history behind some of these names, so you’ll have to do some digging to find out everything about them.

Choose A First Name That’s Already In Use

You can use your character’s first name – or any name – as long as you don’t use it in a way that’ll make it too easy for readers to connect the name with another person. The better your writing, the more you’ll be recognized by your characters and the better your story will be. It’s important to find a first name that’s not too popular because, as we’ve established, it’s difficult to find an actor who looks like your character. It’s also important not to use your character’s first name in a way that isn’t suitable for them. For example, if your character is a child and you call them by their first name, it’ll be difficult for the reader to imagine them as an adult. So don’t give them a first name that’s only used by children. This is one of the reasons that made-up names are popular – it allows you to avoid these sorts of [nickname] situations. We’ll talk more about making up a character’s name in a bit.

Use A Made-Up Name

There are several reasons why you might want to use a made-up name instead of choosing one of the available last names. If you’re keeping your character’s identity a secret and don’t want anyone to link them to another person, then you should choose a made-up name. You can read about the many pitfalls of using real names in your story here. There are several advantages to using made-up names. One of the most important is that it’ll give you a better chance of finding the right actor to play your part. It doesn’t matter what name you choose as long as it isn’t the same name as another character’s in the story. It’s also much easier to find a [profession] for a made-up name than it is for a real name. The only downside is that it’s much harder to find the right name, which can be time-consuming. Once you’ve found it, you have to do a lot of research into the history of the name. This might not be as much work as finding a real name, but it’s still more work than just using a made-up name. If you want a better chance at finding the right actor, then it’s worth the extra effort to find a real name.