Diverting Project: Let’s Name Some Fictional Characters!

So I am starting work on a new writing project and I need some help with the names. The main characters are the Winters sisters. The oldest 2 are identical twins and I am calling them Cora and Rose, short for Coraline Elizabeth (I think Elizabeth but not 100% on it) and Rosalind Something. The little sister is Lucy Short For Something Some Middle Name. The dad is…I’m not sure. Pipe smoking tweed wearing philosophy professor. I’m thinking about Neil as Neille was my dad’s middle name but I;m not sure and I don’t want the dads name to also have 4 letters, just the sisters. Also, the mother. I really need help with the mother. She’s meant to be closed off, rather inscrutable to her daughters, a bit cold, but a woman trying her best. I feel like some sort of Highbrow Name would work best but everything I’ve come up with seems not quite right or it has associations for me that I do not want to pass along to the character–Margaret, Judith, Janet, Alexandra, Catherine, Charlotte…

if you have any suggestions I would LOVE to hear them!

 

I think for me the time period makes the most difference. But without knowing that, I can still give an opinion: for the parents, I would look one generation earlier than Coraline/Rosalind/Lucy, whenever we think those names are from: maybe modern, maybe old-timey. Coraline is difficult: I don’t know much about it, but I think of it as recent. And yet it SOUNDS old, because of the Cora and Coral and Caroline elements. Rosalind hasn’t spiked enough to be tied strongly to a particular generation; it sounds old-timey to me, yet ready for a revival soon.

For Lucy, Lucinda seems like the better long form with those sister names. If they’d written to me, I might have pointed out the repeating -ind- sounds in Rosalind and Lucinda, but on the other hand that’s a nice way to help tie the three sister names together; and the parents don’t seem to mind repeating sounds, since they went with two -alin- names for the twins.

Lucille or Lucia might also work, but it has less of the Right Sound to me. That is, I wouldn’t expect the parents of Coraline and Rosalind to choose Lucille or Lucia.

For middle names, I’d expect Rosalind to have a long classic name similar to Elizabeth, since the parents clearly like coordination. I wouldn’t even be surprised to see something like Isabella, though that doesn’t really work with either first name. Maybe Amelia: Rosalind Amelia and Coraline Elizabeth; but then her initials spell RAW. Maybe Victoria, for coordinated royalty. Rosalind Victoria and Coraline Elizabeth. I like that best.

Lucy’s middle is too hard to pick at this stage, but would be easier once her first name and her sisters’ middle names were settled. One thing to decide is this: are their parents the sort who would coordinate the twins’ names but not be too finicky about coordinating the third daughter’s name, and/or want to AVOID coordinating her name with the twins’ names? or are they the sort who would stick to their established pattern?

If the dad is the professor type, I might expect to see some educated/literature names: Cordelia, Beatrix, Miranda, Octavia, Imogen, Cressida.

If you’re looking for something similar to Neil but not four letters, I’d be thinking along these lines:

Allen
Bernard
Charles
Daniel
Edward
Francis
Glenn
Harris
Lewis
Martin
Philip
Richard
Roger
Russell
Warren

I’m not sure about the ones that end in -s like the surname. Francis Winters? Charles Winters?

For the mother, it’s hard for me to picture someone inscrutable, cold, closed-off, with a very plain classic name, giving such fancy names to her daughters. I might want to have a reason for that in the story: either it’s her husband’s influence, or she always disliked her plain name, or she’s using family names, or she became cold/inscrutable later on, after becoming disillusioned from earlier romantic ideals.

Some names similar to Neil, but for the wife:

Ann
Beverly
Constance
Diane
Dorothy
Frances
Helen
Jean
Joan
Lorraine
Lydia
Marilyn
Mary
Phyllis
Ruth

I could also see her naming her first daughter after herself, either first name or middle. So perhaps her name is one of the four names used for the twins. Or perhaps one name is a variation on hers: perhaps her name is Rose (though not if her daughter is going to be called Rose), or Eliza. Or perhaps her name is Belinda, and that’s why she has an -ind- in all three daughters’ names.

38 thoughts on “Diverting Project: Let’s Name Some Fictional Characters!

  1. Squirrel Bait

    Ooh, Cecilia does seem kind of perfect here for the mom.

    I like Albert, Frederick, or Milton for the dad. (Long forms, obviously — no nicknames.) Have you tried looking at the list of faculty on the website of the Philosophy Dept at your favorite university? Maybe inspiration would strike there…

    I also like Beatrix somewhere in the mix for the daughters’ names.

    Reply
  2. beeejet

    I agree with swistle that time period would help here.

    Here are a few for Mother
    Clarice
    Lillian
    Eleanor
    Winifred
    Wilhelmina
    Helena
    Lorraine
    Virginia
    Eugenia
    Nell (not with Neil as the father of course)
    Alma
    Estelle
    Edith

    As for Lucy… I think Lucille is the your most appropriate long-form.

    Other suggestions for middles name :
    Hannah
    Frances
    Josephine

    Reply
  3. Kerry

    My vote is that the mother’s name is Pearl. Or maybe Opal? It would be very helpful to know what time period the story is set in though. Both Pearl and Opal are names that had steep drops in popularity in the beginning of the 20th century, so the name would make sense for a mother who was a little distant/out of touch in the 1940s or so…but it’d be an unrealistic name for a mother in the 1980s or today.

    My first instinct is that Lucy is short for something surprising, but I can’t think of what that would be.

    Reply
    1. BSharp

      Luciana
      Lucrezia
      Melusine
      Lucasta
      Lucienne
      Lucretia! After Lucretia Mott, the abolitionist and women’s rights activist. This is my favorite.

      Coraline Elizabeth and Rosalind Maria (because both are classic, expected middles—but I dearly love Rosalind Victoria)

      Lucretia Dian(n)e, Lucretia Victoire, Lucretia Noelle, Lucretia Irene

      Not-Neil: I second Nigel and Walter, and Neal would be great too. I’d suggest Duncan, David, Donald, Malcolm, Cyrus, Cyril, Cecil, Basil (as a tweed-wearing, pipe-smoking lady who went to a philosophy college, those resonate!)

      Cold-Mama: Jacqueline, Irene, Celeste, Corinne, Anne, Blanche, Josephine

      Reply
      1. BSharp

        Also for Mama: Margaux, Cecily, Eugenie, Susanna, Damaris, Colette

        Dad: Thaddeus, Geoffrey, Clive, Godfrey, Theodore, Christopher, Paul, Peter, Dean

        Reply
  4. Ash

    Mother as Evelyn! Other suggestions: Lorraine, Lucille, Frances, Sonya, Hyla, Maeve

    Father as Truett, Joseph, Jerry, Lincoln, Wilson,

    Sister as Rosalind Amber

    Lucy Jewel

    Reply
  5. Megz

    It would be really helpful to know when this is set and how old the characters are. However, I’m going to make some assumptions…

    Let’s say that it is set now, and that the twins are teenagers. That would make mum somewhere between 40-50 years of age. But to be honest I can’t imagine anyone in that age bracket being a “Pipe smoking tweed wearing philosophy professor”. So let’s assume dad is a wee bit older. Say maybe 60.

    In fact, let’s say that dad is considerably older than mum. Maybe he was her college professor? Perhaps she became infatuated with him and began a relationship with him while still at college. It was exciting at first but then as she found herself a mother to twins, while he was busy doing his professorish stuff, she became disillusioned but trapped. And thus turned into a sort of closed off, cold person!!!!

    So for ease of maths, let’s say the twins are 18 and their mother was 22 when they were born, making her 40 now. So she was born in 1975. And let’s make dad born in 1955. So we’d be looking for names like…

    MUM
    Susan
    Sarah
    Megan
    Maria
    Michelle
    Melanie
    Tracey
    Stacy
    Stephanie

    DAD
    Keith
    Kevin
    Geoffrey / Jeff
    Bruce
    Greg
    Bill
    Tim

    Sorry if I got a bit carried away there. Good luck with your project and I’d love to hear the result.

    Reply
  6. Ms. Key

    I like the suggestions of Bruce, Richard, Charles, or Edward for the father.

    I echo suggestions of Eleanor or Evelyn for the mother.

    Love Swistle’s suggestions…
    Coraline Elizabeth
    Rosalind Victoria
    With…
    Lucinda Marie (Swistle + Bonnie’s idea)

    Reply
  7. Marelle

    What about Anastasia for the mum?

    Is there any particular reason why all the girls have four-letter names? If you changed one of them maybe the pattern would be less noticeable and you could use Neil for the dad. I think Penelope, nickname Penny, could work well in this family group.

    Neil and Anastasia Winters, and their children Cora, Rose and Penny

    Or you could use Neville for the dad, which is also quite close to Neille.

    Reply
  8. Emily

    At first I thought Walter and Ruth MUST be the parents, but someone said Opal, and I think that works well for mrs. Winters.

    Reply
  9. Kim C

    Lucy could be short for Lucretia. Lucretia or Lucrezia.

    Nigel is an excellent suggestion for the father and I think Nathaniel Winters would be appropriate too.

    Antigone or Rosamund would fit in well here too. Antigone Jane Winters?

    Cora could also be a nickname for Cordelia or Coriander.

    As for the mother’s name, Honoria, Louisa, Susanna, Celia, Anastasia, Marguerite, Drusilla, Francesca, Evelyn or Sybil all sound great!

    Good luck and happy writing!!!

    Reply
  10. Maureen

    Great response, Swistle!!
    Scrolling through I comments, I really like Milton or Nigel for Dad!
    Letter Writer: Please update us!

    Reply
  11. vanessa

    THIS IS SO EXCITING (this is my letter). Bernard is obviously the perfect name for the dad and I don’t know why I didnt think of it but that’s why we have Swistle! Time period: one part (while the girls are adults, around 35 and 28 or thereabouts)) in the present day and the other section when they are 13 and 6, so 1993-ish, which would have put the twins birth around 1980 and Lucy’s in ’86. Does that help?

    Reply
  12. vanessa

    OH so grateful to the commenter who pointed out that Cora can be short for Cordelia! Cordelia and Rosalind is a much better combo.
    The girls all have 4 letter names because my general feeling is that the mother is also, like me, perhaps a Tad Obsessive.
    Lucrieta is fantastic for the little one. Unusual and a bit strange and I think the mom was a flaming feminist in college before she settled down so it would make sense for her to give her youngest a name reflective of that.
    you guys are SO HELPFUL!
    Also I am thinking of changing their last name to Finch.
    So far nothing feels quite right for the mom. She isn’t a bad person, I don’t think. Somewhat cold, yes, and definitely inscrutable, but ultimately (I hope, I just started this whole thing) sympathetic.
    THANK YOU ALL!

    Reply
  13. vanessa

    Lorraine would be great for the mom but I don’t want repeating initials. HMM. I am intrigued by Phyllis though…Bernard and Phyllis Finch? But Phyllis makes me think of that horrible woman who is all anti-feminist. Marian is good too I think. Maybe. For some reason the mom is the hardest for me to name!

    Reply
  14. Kerri

    I think the name Eve for the mom could work. Very matter of fact. Although it’s kind of hard to say with Finch… Works better with Winters.

    Reply
  15. JMV

    Nigel and Agnes for parents’ names. Persephone with the nickname Cora could work, if the other daughters’ names are literary-inspired.

    Hmm. Wondering if they could be in some sort of alphabetical order. (N)igel, (O)ctavia, (P)ersephone, and Q. Hmm. Quintessa with a nickname Tess? Since Quintessa would make them a family of five, this sings to me. :)

    Reply
  16. Ms. Key

    Bernard Winters… now I really like the suggestion of Marian for the mother. Bernard & Marian Winters fits well. Also continue to like Evelyn.

    Other possible mom names if she has kids born in 1980/1986 (let’s say, age 24 when she had the twins? 30 when she had Lucy? A common-ish mom age for the 80s)… Having her born in 1956…

    Possible ideas from Top 50 Names of 1956:

    Deborah
    Sandra
    Kathleen
    Margaret
    Catherine
    Denise
    Judith
    Gail
    Beverly

    Reply
    1. Ms. Key

      Sorry! Finch, now. I didn’t read that update.

      Bernard & Marian Finch, Cora, Rose, and Lucy
      Bernard & Deborah Finch, Cora, Rose, and Lucy
      Bernard & Margaret Finch, Cora, Rose, and Lucy
      Bernard & Judith Finch, Cora, Rose, and Lucy
      Berndard & Gail Finch, Cora, Rose, and Lucy

      Reply
  17. Ashley

    Just had to share my name idea for the father:
    Thurston Oliver
    This has been my husbands favorite boy name since he was a kid and I’ve always said I envisioned the baby coming out “smoking a pipe, wearing an argyle sweater”! Loved that that was your description too. Good luck!

    Reply
  18. Marelle

    If Phyllis isn’t quite right, what about Priscilla? Its popularity peaked in the 1940s but was still in the 200s in the 1950s.

    Reply
  19. Kimma

    My Dad has a friend about the same vintage who is named Nealon. This could work as a nice tribute to your own father. … Though I wonder if you associate the fictional father with your own father if it might lead to offence if your mother feels compared to the fictional “cold” mother?

    Reply
  20. Kimma

    Valerie would be my pick for the mother. Lucinda for the younger sister and Cordelia for the twin. Good luck with your project.

    Reply
  21. Megz

    I wonder if the mom is the hardest to name because maybe she doesn’t fit her name. You want her to be highbrow, but maybe her name isn’t. Maybe she’s Barbara or Patricia or Judy. Or Jennifer. Maybe she gave her daughters fancy names to make up for her own common name.

    Remember she wasn’t born a Finch (or whichever surname you choose). In that regard Phyllis Finch is realistic because if I were naming baby girl Finch I wouldn’t choose a name with alliteration like that (or Phoebe, or Fiona, etc). But if she grew up and married and changed her name to Finch then it wouldn’t be ideal but it’s not the end of the world either.

    Reply

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