I was recently doing a Skype visit with a library group when one of the young people asked, “How do you go about choosing names for your characters?”

There are all kinds of considerations. First, boy/girl. Then, the time period in which the story takes place because names become more or less popular. I was writing a novel set in the 1950’s. What was the most popular name for a boy then? JIM. That’s the name I gave my main character. Sophia was a popular name in the 18th Century. King George III  (or last king) had a daughter named Sophia. And so, Sophia’s War.

If one character is named, say, Emily, I won’t use Evelina for another character. If someone is called Pip, I won’t use Rip.

In the Poppy books all the forest mice have names of flowers. Hence, Poppy, and her father, Lungwort, a mouse given to pompous speeches. My editor, Elise Howard, suggested the city mice in the book, Ragweed, have something city in their names. I decided on car parts, hence, Clutch. Sometime I name characters by way of suggesting what the person is like, both their nature and the way they act. Bear in Crispin is big, and bear-like.

In my own reference library I have books of names, modern, historical, and by nationality. And of course nothing is better for name choosing than a phone book.

What is your favorite fictional character name?