LEVELUP YOUR WRITING(LIFE)

Advice and tips to boost your writing skills.

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"What's in a name?"

Perhaps one of William Shakespeare's most famous lines is uttered by Juliet in Romeo and Juliet: “What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.

”Of course, Shakespeare (via Juliet) is pointing out that a person's personality, values, and appearance—their very character—is far more important than their name or family lineage.

True.

But I'm guessing good old Bill—I mean, William—knew very well that names do matter. Names can give us hints about a character's background or personality, or can gently nudge readers toward the first impressions we want them to have of our characters. The name “Juliet” flows more smoothly than, say, “Gertrude,” just as “Romeo” suggests a gentler nature than “Alfred.” (No offense intended toward any Gertrudes or Alfreds reading this.) These softer names help predispose us to empathize with the characters.

Now, I have no idea how much time or thought Shakespeare expended in coming up with character names, but I'm guessing that he cared about characters' names a great deal more than Juliet's line might imply. And I do know that many modern writers (including me) spend a lot of time thinking about appropriate character names.

WHY DO NAMES MATTER?

With further apologies to another poet—this time Elizabeth Barrett Browing and her sonnet 43, “How do I love thee? Let me count the ways”:

Consider names that reflect your character's personality.

Perhaps one of your characters has a sunny disposition and always looks for ways to brighten others' days. Joy would be a great name for such a character—or Joyce if you don't want to be so obvious. Perhaps one of your characters is especially difficult to deal with and so requires a challenging name such as Briony. Just don't get too on the nose with character names, such as naming your protagonist Goody and your antagonist Harsh!