What's In A Name? More Than You Suspect

Dale Carnegie, author of How to Win Friends and Influence People, once said: “The most beautiful sound anyone can hear is the sound of their own name.”

I don’t know if I agree with that, but I do know that names are fascinating because most have a story behind them.

I met a woman years ago who was named Walter Smith VI. Her last name wasn’t really Smith, but I’m withholding her surname. Her parents had daughters but kept trying for a son to carry on her father’s name.

When she arrived, her dad named her Walter anyway. I guess he never expected her to marry and take her husband’s surname. She was pretty and well-adjusted which goes against what many psychologists think, that a person with an odd or obnoxious name is socially ostracized and develops personality problems.

I’ve also met Enigma, a nice young woman who was a member of the wait staff at an expensive private club. I never hesitate to ask questions. When asked about her name, she laughed and said her mother just liked the sound of the word.

Writers and Names

I spend a lot of time thinking up names because, of course, every book requires new people—new names. I comb through baby names books, look through phone directories I’ve saved, and search online.

If I have a character of a particular ethnicity, I want a name that matches his background. Also, a name must give a hint of personality, socioeconomic status, educational background, and so much more.

The short story released in March, Liam’s Wild Irish Rose, set during the engagement party for Cheyenne Dawn Smith and Luke Harper.

But the main characters are Luke’s brother, Liam, and the woman he loves, Maura Rose O’Reilly, who of course is Irish since the story is set on St. Patrick’s Day.

Cheyenne Dawn Smith, readers already know, was named after the title of a historical romance her mother was writing. In the world of A Moment in Time, the short story series, the mother is a famous historical romance author known as, wait for it, Lorelei Lorelle!

Yes, that’s over the top, but I couldn’t resist. In “real life” the author is plain Margaret Jane Smith.

Naming characters is one of the most fun aspects of writing. (By the way, Liam’s Wild Irish Rose is only 99 cents.)

7 Fun Name Facts

(1) In the 1300′s in England, two out of every three men were named Robert, William, Richard, Henry, or John. (Hmm. Still very popular names.)

(2) Donald Duck has a middle name. Bet you didn’t know that. He’s Donald Fauntleroy Duck. *snicker*

(3) Two U.S. agencies compile data on first and last names. One is the Social Security Administration which releases an annual list of first names given to babies born in the United States. The other is the Census bureau which provides a list of last names of individuals living in the U.S. once every decade or so. (This is a Census year so be sure and answer.)

(4) From a fascinating website about American name statistics comes this tidbit. “There are 4,746 people with a identical first and last name with the most frequent being Thomas Thomas, James James, Alexander Alexander, and Santiago Santiago. On the female side, the most frequent is Rose Rose. Then there’s Ruth Ruth, Grace Grace, and Rosa Rosa. (Honestly, is it so hard to think of a different name for the given name?)

(5) The #1 baby names right now are Liam and Emma.

(6) Some Native American tribe members have two names but only one is made public because knowing both names would give a person power over the other. (I don’t know if that’s true, but I do know my great grandmother was named Morning Amanda, with Morning being the nearest English word for her name in Cherokee or so the family story goes.)

(7) Then there are the celebrities who name their children something which makes one think they
must have hated the child.

Examples: The late Frank Zappa’s kids: Moon Unit and Dweezil Zappa. David Duchovny who named his kid, Kyd. Sam Worthington and wife Lara who named theirs Rocket Zot.

I always wanted an elegant distinctive name, but seeing the rather exotic names given some of the children of celebrities makes me appreciate my very simple, easy to spell name. Joan.

Takeaway Truth

Now you’re ready with some esoteric knowledge for a trivia game or maybe for Jeopardy!