Friday, April 15, 2011

M is for...

McHenry, Murphy, McLean, Mulligan, McGee, Malloy, Mallone, Maloney, McCoy, Mitchell, Moore, Morrisey, Murray, Morgan, Mooney...

Okay, I'm talking about names. Mostly Irish names. When I write fiction, I have a marked preference for Irish names: Mollie, Maeve, Maureen, Meghan, Moira, Mitch, Micheal (yes, that's the Irish spelling, it's not a typo!)...

I also like Irish names that don't begin with "M." For example, my dog is named Delaney, which means "son of the challenger."

I also like the first and last names of a character to involve some illiteration: Michael Murphy, Mollie Lynch, Neill Mooney...

What are some of your "rules" when it comes to choosing names for your characters?

4 comments:

  1. Names are so important - Delaney's a fabulous name - and it's worthwhile checking the meaning of names too. In my novel I only noticed as I was more than half-way through writing it that one of the main characters had the same initials as me! I changed them quickly (his not mine:) )

    ReplyDelete
  2. i like to mish-mash names from real objects to mythological stuff... like mango myth and she is a exotic dancer who fights crime...
    A to Z Blog Challenge Participant
    Jeremy [iZombie]
    izombielover.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  3. I usually choose names that mean something related to a trait I've given the character. I'm so glad I've found your blog. I'm stopping by from the A to Z challenge and I look forward to reading more from you.

    ReplyDelete
  4. @ Lauracea: I agree about the meaning of names. FYI, my daugher went to school with a red-headed Irish girl named Darcy. (Darcy means dark-haired!)

    @iZombie: Great idea! Thanks for visiting. I'll be checking out your blog.

    @Sylvia: That's also a great idea...it keeps your reader focused on that trait. Glad to meet you!

    ReplyDelete