Names, Pick Some Different Ones!

[aeriedraconia]

Ever go through a whole pile of books and run across the same names over and over? It's like there's a popular name book or name web site with a small collection of names that everybody draws from. Here is my list of over used names that I'd like to stop seeing

Comments

[sartorias]

Guys named Blayne, or even worse, Blayze.
Both sexes called Blair--seems very eighties to me. (Along with the zillions of Mc names for girls, with weird spellings to make them female--McKynna, McKayla McKynzi, etc.)

[sartorias]

The Blaines and Blayzes were mostly romance names in the late seventies, but as I recall there were dozens of them. Or it seemed that way--the pirate Blayze, Lord Blayze, Blaine, Duke of Raven* (* being croft, castle, tor, keep, etc)

[aeriedraconia]

Heh, I played a Ravensloft/Keep (I can't remember now) RPG campaign once as a teen so that one makes me go, 'Gamer geek!' and laugh.

I read romances in the early eighties where the names were the hero names were mostly Greek flavoured (and the heroes were horrid).

[barbarienne]

I could go for Blaise spelled the proper way, but it would have to be a particular type of character. Also, Bleys is acceptable, but that's only because of the Chronicles of Amber association.

[heleninwales]

Oh, a lot of the old names have come right back in fashion in the UK. Jack, Zack and Sam are currently top names for boy babies. Not sure whether Ben is still "in" or not, but there were quite a few Bens the same age as my son who is now 28. So though I associate a name like Jack with doddery old geezers, but, as with girl's names like Alice and Ruby, they've come full circle. Not Stephen though, that's more for people my age.

If you're writing mainstream, you're rather stuck with what would be a plausible name for the period, but if these are fantasy books you're referring to, then more imagination is definitely required.

[aeriedraconia]

The worst offenders fiction wise have been in UF and...I guess you'd call them paranormal mysteries. No more Abbys, Maxs or Sams, please.

I demand names that fit there era but where were talking modern settings, the names can be anything so why Abby, Max, Sam and Ben all the time.

Note: I'm completely setting aside RL life names. Personally, I went to school with a bazillion Julies, Lisas, Jennifers, Michelles, Jasons and Jeremys.

[queenoftheskies]

I remember seeing an entry on my FL recently where someone was complaining about the exotic names writers tried to use for UF males (especially those of the supernatural persuasion). Dante was one that was specifically pointed out as being over-used.

[aeriedraconia]

I haven't really seen anything exotic in UF, mostly Max, Sam, Ben...

I like Dante. ;-)

[frigg]

I've never really noticed it. I'm probably not reading enough books, also I read German and Danish books as well, which gives a broader variety of names, I guess.

[aeriedraconia]

I used to see a lot of Norse names sprinkled with a few Germanic names in older traditional fantasy back in the 80s.

[anghara]

Unh I committed a Ben in the Worldweavers books. Sorry about that.

Other than that... girls named anything that ends in i where a y is ordinarily indicated - things like Traci - scream cheerleader to me and I am supremely disinterested in cheerleader antics.

And just be grateful that there isn't an army of boys called Albus or Severus out there right now.

[captlychee]

I was just ponering the Albus and severus situation. The traditional Hogwarts staff have exotic wizardy names suvh as those, but the new crop of students are normalising the student roll in a major way. Apart from Ginerva Weasley and Draco Malfoy, they all have names welded to the late 20th century. How sad that must be for the older Professors there.

'Bronte' is a popular girls' name that completely throws me.

[aeriedraconia]

Oh, wow, Bronte? That would throw me too.

[melissajm]

Uh-oh. And I was so PROUD of my new character.
Um, Ben, we have to talk...