My assignment was to memorize the names of the stars."
"Which stars?"
"All of them."
"You mean all the stars, in all the galaxies?"
"Yes. If he calls for one of them, someone has to know which one he means. Anyhow, they like it; there aren't many who know them all by name, and if your name isn't known, then it's a very lonely feeling."
-A conversation between Meg and Proginoskes in A Wind in the Door, by Madeleine L'Engle
I wonder if my characters feel lonely until I've named them? How patient the characters must be whose names I keep changing! Sometimes I forget how much they depend on me, for everything.
Proginoskes and Meg are both Namers. Here's something else Proginoskes says: "When I was memorizing the names of the stars, part of the purpose was to help them each to be more particularly the particular star each one was supposed to be. That's basically a Namer's job."
Here's a FAQ about Fire. (In case you're completely spoiler-phobic: since I'm talking about the reasons for characters' names, I do refer to the general natures of some of my characters. Proceed at your own peril!)
How did you come up with the names in Fire?
Hm. Well, ever since rereading Edith Wharton's The Age of Innocence, I've wanted to name a tall, handsome man Archer. I think Archer may have grown from his name, actually; his name (which is a nickname) is how I realized he was so good at archery. My sister, secret codename: Cordelia, has always despised the name Nash for various reasons, but I've always kind of liked it, so I decided to reclaim it and prove to her that it was worthwhile. Nax seemed like the perfect variation for Nash's no good father. Cansrel... a dear aunt was dying of cancer around the time I started writing Fire. The similarity between the two words is not a coincidence.
Musa was a dancer on So You Think You Can Dance whose name I liked. Mila was my dear friends' dog. Larch converted well to the thing I needed it to convert to ;). Brocker, Roen, Tess, Gentian, Neel -- they just felt right. Mydogg and Murgda... well, don't they just sound unpleasant? The horses... again, the names just felt right.
Clara, Garan, Hanna, and Brigan. I loved the way these names sounded when extended to their full royal titles: Claradell, Garandell, Hannadell, Brigandell. I particularly liked the way Claradell sounded like Clarabelle, but wasn't, and the way Hannadell sounded like Annabel, but wasn't. And Brigan's name was always Brigan (just like Archer's was always Archer's), because it sounds like brigand, and that's how I thought of him in his early appearances in the book.
I don't remember thinking up Fire's name. I think I must have always known it.
Here's a question for YOU: Do you like your own name? What would you name yourself if you could choose?
(To hear me and other authors talking about our own names, go here. ^_^)
(Oh! And to see me, Suzanne Collins, Justine Larbalestier, Libba Bray, Scott Westerfeld, and Michael Grant, go to Books of Wonder tomorrow, November 10, from 6-8pm, at 18 West 18th Street in Manhattan!)
Comments
I have never been much attached to my name. My first name is Amy and I was born in the 1970s, so the only way it could have been LESS unique is if I'd been a Jennifer. But I do like the meaning of it, "beloved"; I like the fact that it's the Latin root for countless words having to do with love and friendship across so many languages. I kind of clung to that at times in my unpopular youth: "I know I'm not totally rejected-- my name SAYS so!"
When I married and took my husband's last name, my single friends asked me if that was confusing, and I said, actually, not at all. My maiden name is one of those complicated Eastern European names that no one can pronounce or spell, whereas my husband's is simple, one syllable, four letters (although it amazes me how often people still get THIS one wrong!). It's PRACTICAL. But not only do I still consider myself a [insert maiden name here], I even consider myself a [mother's maiden name] and even a [paternal grandmother's maiden name]. So I think you've got your practical everyday names, but your True Names are a lot longer than you would ever write anywhere!
So I think if somebody wanted to work magic using my True Name, they wouldn't get very far using Amy. But maybe that name is just a shadow of the True one.
*PS: this daughter is 6 months old and so her eyes haven't settled into their color yet, and yesterday one was distinctly more blue than the other all morning. I asked her if she was a Graceling, and she just laughed at me. She may have a Grace for being REALLY LOUD, but that's all I've noticed so far...
I'm horrible with names. I remember people by who they are more than what they're called. For example: That beautiful red headed girl who offered her seat to the old man behind her.
Some people think that's wretched, they seem to think it somehow dehumanizes someone to recall them by something other than a name. But what's in a name?
If I could rename myself, I'd probably choose something like 'Wild-haired Girl Who Writes Her Dreams Down' :)
My daughter's named Margaret, with a nickname of Meg ... very much because of Meg Murray from L'Engle's books. (and for her great-grandmother).
Kristen
That was the first time I realized it was kind of pretty, but I don't have it anymore.
I would love to have an original and unique name, that describes me as a person.
I actually just got through looking at names and the name Xexilia means blind of self beauty. I think it's a beautiful name that is obviously very orginal and that it fits me; even though I don't look like an Xexilia, ^_^.
I love how authors present me with names all the time- names that cannot be pronounced, cannot be spelled, names you cannot find anywhere else. It makes my reading so much more unique.
My name is Lindsie- it was inspired by a soap character or the actress playing the character :) My mom has no connection to soaps now, so I find the fact that me and my older sister were named for pop culture.
I used to be annoyed when I couldn't find my name on things (like keychains and other souvenier vanity junk that I abhor these days :) but now I love when people ask "Lindsie with and -ay or -ey" and I say "IE" and throw them for a loop.
The one downside is that substitute teachers take a look at the rosters and think my name is Leslie 9 times out of 10 (though the worst of that was during high school...) I'm sure I'll encounter that more, but I truly love the unique spelling of my semi-unique name...
However, I have always loved my last name (Dear) and I have always intended on keeping my last name, even if I get married. Plus, my name has some pleasant alliteration (Debby Dear) which seems fitting for an English major.
The biggest issue I've always had and always will have it pronunciation. Because my mom thought she was being creative by combining Melissa and Allison to make Alissa, that "i" instead of a "y", as per usual, totally throws everyone off. I dont understand how a person can read the name Melissa, which has an "i", and say it properly, but give them my name and they say Alicia, Alisha, Alice, etc. Seriously, people? Also, when I say my name to people they will then repeat it incorrectly. It's apparently an amazingly difficult name for most folks to articulate. I've gotten used to answering to Phyllis, Elizabeth, Allison, Melissa, so on and so forth. To make matters worse, I'm really not a fan of my middle name. I don't like to share that at all. But I will...Denee. Just like Renee but with a "d". Ugh. Then the cherry on top is when I got married and have an equally hard last name. Totally throws everything off. So, when I go to the doctor, or anywhere, I just spell my name for them. I know they are going to need me to anyway. It's just too hard. :)
Wow, this makes me sound bitter about the whole name thing. Ha!
It could've been worse...my mom was going to name me Amber Autumn. No offense to anyone out there, but that totally sounds like a stripper name to me! Haha!
When it comes to naming character's, however, it becomes serious business! It has to feel right. The great part of names is that you can always change them for characters in a book. Not so easy to do with a child :) I think I changed my main guy's name about 5 times before I got one that finally felt right.
I love this post, btw. I wondered about Cansrel. And I wondered correctly!
and I do like my name - even if it is fairly common...
I like my name. I've met very few Elyse's. Upside it's unique, downside it's unique. lol. No one pronounces it right! If they see it in writing, they say 'Elsie'. Most everyone calls me 'Eleece' but it's actually pronounced 'Eleez'.
I've always wanted to be Genevieve. Such a beautiful French name! I have a huge list of names for my babies. :D They're all going to have to have 2 or 3 middle names because I'm not going to have 30 boys and 30 girls! lol. I was supposed to be Daniel because my parents had 4 boys before me so they just figured I'd be a boy. So when I was born they decided to name me Elyse, after my mom's great-grandmother, and Yvonne, after my mom's grandmother.
I've always loved the name Fiona. It just sounds so colorful to me. If I'd be to change my change, I'd probably change it into Fiona. :)
Now, I love my name. I like that it's different and sort of special although it has become a little bit more mainstream lately. :)
My name is Melanie, and I guess it's okay. When I was younger I wished my name was Amy because 1. My mom told me that if my brother had been a girl, he (she?) would have been Amy, and 2. My last name is 12 letters long and I just wanted something shorter and faster to write! Also, I found out that it means something like "dark-skinned" (based on melanin, the chemical in your skin that causes freckles), which didn't sound very romantic to me. Now, I'm not so upset about my name. My mom chose it because it sounded pretty to her.
My last name is Greek, and with a different spelling means "steadfast." It's actually a common last name (in Greece and Italy), but because it has a different spelling, people assume that it's not pronounced the same way.
Right now I LOVE the names Ava (bird in Latin) and Arabelle (a mix of Ara- [Lion] and...well, -belle. Beautiful). I've contented myself to deciding to name my daughters that in the far-off future. And one of my characters in my own story is named Ava. (They are Ava, Stella, and Celeste. See the similarity? :] )
I neither hate nor love Courtney. And here's something interesting: every other letter spells CUTE.
My middle name is Page, for my mother (and also because there's some family silver with 'Page' engraved that I now get to inherit) which I like very much because it's short and not the typical spelling, but still a word that people hear and see every day.
I never really loved my name or hated it. There were always Angies or Angelas or even Angels when I was growing up.
I will say I think my parents chose my middle name, Lynn, so that when I was in trouble, my name became one whole word:
ANGELALYNN Kinda rolls off the tongue, doesn't it? LOL
What I'm proudest of is keeping my maiden name and adding my husband's. I would have preferred just my maiden name - I'd had it for 35 years! - but he was so...wounded? by me not wanting to add his. So, instead of losing a name, I gained an extra.
If I'd had a daughter, I would've named her Lydia Claire - I have always LOVED that name. And, like most who posted here, I got it from a book! :-)
plus the meaning sucks. "the son of maud" do YOU wan to be called that? as a girl?
Gotta go catch a train -- happy Tuesday, all!
Part of my job is doing transcriptions of audio files (eh, long story) but I just couldn't get out of my head the question of whether it was /B R IH G AH N/ or
/B R AY G AH N/.
I'm pretty sure, from what you said, it's the first one.
And now you know *just* how nerdy I am. ; )
Fire was fantastic. Truly deserving of the accolades it's getting!!
p.s. Word verification might be good for any future names you might need. "Bactro" would make a great super-villan.
Remember how I said it was 12 letters?
The root is from the emperor Contantine, and there are a lot of variations.
I went to the Harvard Bookstore over the weekend and there was only one copy of Fire left! But it was already signed and I want mine signed in person, so hopefully I can escape from work on the 24th for the signing.
to answer your question, yes, I like my name OK. It's a little not so common, but enough common that people can pronounce it, although they're always mispelling it!
I didn't start to like "Faye" until about high school. Nobody else had my name, and I thought it sounded old-ladyish and middle-nameish. Then I figured out the faerie connection and enjoyed how unique it was (also, it doesn't lend itself to dopey nicknames). By the time I got to college people began to actively compliment me on my name.
I still don't like how my first and last name go together, as it rhymes with "baby", plus it's impossible to format as the headliner of a resume. Gah!
(It was great seeing you again yesterday Kristin! Thanks for signing Graceling)
If I could, I would probably change my name to something short, but rare, like Ina (as in Ina Garten, the Barefoot Contessa*). Maybe something French or Finnish, as I love both languages (and countries). Tarja wouldn't be bad.
Of course, I could always go with what my father keeps suggesting and just be "second" (as I have one older sybling) in Latin: secundus.
*Whose show is a daily staple in our household.
I was named after my great grandmother, so I liked my name although I remember spelling it to correct people by the time I was three "L-O-R-A"
I didn't like my last name bc it was my father's and was not a positive force in my life, to understate it. When I was getting married last spring it occurred to me for the first time that I was not relinquishing a tie to my father, for whom I harbor no affection, but my own name. So I kept it, and added my husband's too.
I used to hate my name, because it was so different, and I have an aunt called Belinda and the whole rhyming thing pissed me off. My name has definitley grown on me now, especially since I heard how close I was to being a Sheridan (nickname - Sherry. Ew.).
Around the same time my parents told me the Sheridan story, however, the also told me that they had considered calling me Storm, which would have been kinda awesome...