Picking names for my characters was one of the first things I tackled…and the most fun. After I decided what characters would be necessary to populate the plotline, there were several ways I went about finding the perfect name.
1. Instinctive name… don’t know why, but in my mind, my protagonist for The Uninvited Guest was always named Gwen. Not sure, but I think I named her after the 40’s actress and dancer Gwen Verdon. When I named “Hal”, I was recalling the face of the ultimate gentleman Hal Holbrook. Most of the other names were a struggle, and went through several revisions before the name felt right for the character.
2. No one I know… as I was searching, I was careful NOT to use names of anyone I know personally. I didn’t want any misunderstanding among my friends and relatives that a character was based on them in any way.
3. Mongobay website… this was a fantastic resource based on the U.S. Census to search the most popular names by year of birth. http://names.mongabay.com/most_common_surnames.htm
4. Baby Naming Website… the source for most of the first names. They can be searched by originating country and sex.
5. Name Meaning website… explains the origin of the name… quite interesting if you’re trying to go deeper. http://surnames.behindthename.com/php/search.php?terms=English&title=English+Names&usage=yes
6. Numerology Text… names are assigned a numerical equivalent along with an in-depth analysis of the person who carries the name, but don’t use the name based on this.
7. Say the Name Out Loud… pretend you’re a narrator of books on tape to hear how the name rolls off your tongue. It also needs to feel like the character you’ve created. I changed a few names several times before they sounded like a good fit.
8. Other Naming Tips… in various texts about the craft of writing, I’ve found these additional tips: begin all names with different letters of the alphabet; use single-double-triple syllable names; don’t end the first name with the same first letter of the last name; don’t use a name that ends in ‘s’.
Debi Graham-Leard 
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