By Elaine Viets
My St. Louis high school class had at least three girls named Kathy, two Peggys, a Debbie, and a Connie. Among the boys were a pair of Tims, two or three Bobs, a Curt (or Kurt if he was from the German side of town) and at least one Dick. I don’t have to tell you why that last nickname declined in popularity, but Dick Nixon didn’t help.
These names marked my class indelibly as baby boomers. Now those names are rapidly losing popularity with new parents.
Gen Xers, the babies born between 1960 and 1980, have a boatload of Amys, Jennifers, Elizas, Angelas and Marks.
Gen Z parents prefer names on the mystical side, including Luna, Nova, Orion and Kai.
When you’re naming your characters, choosing an appropriate name will help age them properly. There are a zillion baby-naming websites (that’s an exact scientific figure). My favorite is nameberry.com, because it has so many helpful lists, including Victorian baby names, trending baby names, and badass girl names, like Scarlett, Lilith, and Jupiter.
In novels with well-named characters, grandparents and great-grandparents will most likely have boomer names. Their children, the ones now driving the old folks to their doctor appointments, will probably have Gen-X names. And those parents may be wondering what the heck Kai means, and if it’s a boy’s name or a girl’s. (According to nameberry.com it’s gender-neutral, though most Kais are boys. Kai is a Hawaiian name usually associated with the sea.)
If you give your character an unfamiliar name, be sure to check its meaning. I like Mazikeen, but Neil Gaiman invented this name for a character in his comic book series, “The Sandman.” The name may have come from the Hebrew word “mazzikin,” which are supposedly small harmful spirits. In the TV series “Lucifer,” Mazikeen is a companion demon for Lucifer Morningstar. Mazikeen would be a good name for a minor villain, but probably not an ideal baby name.
Here are three names I’ll never use for major characters I like:
Ernie. One of the most popular boys’ names in 1948. Ernie Pyle was a heroic World War II correspondent killed in Japan. Unfortunately, a less-than-heroic Ernie lived next door to me when I was a kid, and I can’t erase his image. This Ernie was a flabby, pot-bellied old geezer with cigar ashes trailing down his wifebeater shirt. He was usually sozzled by dinnertime.
Sara and Emma. Sara is a much-loved Gen X name, and Emma is one of the most popular girls’ names in the US. But nothing can erase the images of the first Sara and Emma I knew: my terrifying great-aunts. By the time I came along, Sara and Emma were in their eighties, had thin white hair and sturdy black Enna Jettick shoes. They wore black dresses, steel-rimmed glasses and talked about their surgeries. They also had white chin whiskers, which I didn’t know ladies could get. Sara and Emma scared the daylights out of me. No matter how many talented, glamorous women are named Sara or Emma, they can’t overcome the image of those old women. Or their whiskers.
As for my name, Elaine, it’s French and Scottish, and means “bright, shining light,” though those two adjectives don’t apply to me before I have my tea. Elaine was in the Top 100 names in the early 1920s, and peaked at Number 42. Now, it may be making a comeback. Nameberry suggests that “parents looking for a more unusual name, try Yvaine.”
Don’t do it, Mom and Dad. You’ll condemn your girl to a lifetime of saying, “No, it’s Yvaine. That’s spelled Y, like in yacht. V, like in victor, not B as in boy. Then A. I. N as in normal . . .”
How do you name your characters?
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“Ernie Pyle was a heroic World War II correspondent killed in Japan.”
Yes, Ernie was a Pulitzer Prize winning columnist who covered WWII in North Africa, Italy, and Normandy, then in the Okinawa campaign. He died on Ie Shima in April of ’45, struck just below his helmet by a machine gun bullet.
My mother, like many in the US, loved Ernie a lot. She read his column faithfully and we had a copy of his book, “Brave Men.” She was shocked and saddened when he died. On our last trip to Hawaii, she and I and a Nisei couple from Honolulu visited Punchbowl Cemetery and placed flowers on Ernie’s grave.
I’m glad Ernie is still remembered and honored. He was an example to reporters everywhere.
I usually do the math backwards to find my character’s birth year, then do a search on ‘most popular baby names of XXXX.’ Then I try to picture my character with a certain name and ask him or her if it fits. I did have a secondary character in one of my books named Kai, short for Malakai.
Smart.
Fun topic, Elaine! I can see your aunts (and those clompy Enna Jettick shoes).
Celebrities influence many parents. Lots of middle school kids named Jada, Kobe, and Taylor running around.
In my boomer kindergarten class there were five Debbies, maybe inspired by Debbie Reynolds who was then America’s sweetheart? During the Depression, Shirley Temple made that moniker popular.
Right now, “Karen” is having a moment with negative connotations. I feel sorry for several good friends who definitely don’t fit the stereotype. One hates to give her name at coffee shops. Barista says, “Double skinny mocha for Karen” and everyone turns around to smirk.
Historic names are fun to check out. Know anyone named “Maud” or “Blaise” these days?
Yes, I feel bad for the Karens too. Kind of akin to being named Benedict in America.
Karens everywhere have my sympathy.
Choosing character names is one of my least favorite parts of writing. Sometimes I’m inspired with a name I’ll use for a protagonist or another character, but most often, to me this is the ‘chore’ aspect of writing. And if really torn, I’ll go through some of those baby names sites to help me choose.
The popularity of certain names seems quite cyclical. As a Brenda, for decades I never ran across anybody else with that name (and as an older adult I regret not having asked my parents how they settled on that name ‘cuz I’ve never heard of the mention of another Brenda in the family). But then all of the sudden the name Brenda got popular again with a show that was on in the 90’s (I think called Beverly Hills 90210). And in my current job, all of a sudden there were 3 Brendas at the same company. A never before seen feat. (but one had the audacity to go and retire recently so now we’re down to 2! LOL!)
Maybe you were named for singer Brenda Lee? She has a gorgeous voice.
Brenda Starr from the comic strip? She was cool!
Yes! and who could forget the mysterious Basil, Debbie? And the orchids.
My mom liked the name Terry and didn’t know there were different spellings for boys and girls. I was registered for shop class in junior high and asked to pledge a fraternity in my senior year in high school.
I go to baby naming sites and include the decade of birth. Because I’ve written in some international settings, I’ll also check ethnic names. Or I’ll look at the ethnic populations in the towns where my book is set.
One thing I’ve learned — keep a spreadsheet or some way of tracking names or you’ll end up with Mary, Mona, Mara, Mira, and Maud. I once had three Hanks and my then editor didn’t notice.
Definitely yes to the spreadsheet, Terry. It’s way too easy to get stuck on one letter for names.
I usually use the Social Security baby names website to get my characters name – they are listed in popularity according to decade.
My name, Patricia, came from Patricia O’Neill – my mom really liked her. When I started writing, I did not want to use that name, so I started looking for other names. I asked my mom if she liked certain names and she’d say, “Meh.” Finally after I asked her if she liked the name Olivia, she said, “ if I hadn’t thought the name Patricia was pretty. I would not have named you that.”
And that is why I write under the name Patricia Bradley.
Your Mom was right. Here’s what the Website MomLovesBest says about Patricia:
Patricia is a name that commands respect while remaining approachable. It carries a distinct “vibe” of mid-century poise, evoking images of pearl necklaces, handwritten letters, and timeless elegance. While it may feel vintage to modern ears, it possesses a structural dignity that many fleeting trends lack. It is neither flimsy nor overly ornamental; it is solid, professional, and undeniably classic.
The name is rooted in high status, literally translating to “noble” from its Latin origins. While it had its heyday in the 1950s, the current year, 2026, offers a unique opportunity for parents to reclaim this name. Verdict: Patricia is an excellent choice for parents seeking a “bridge” name, one that connects the grandeur of Roman history with the sweet nostalgia of the 20th century. It is perfect for a girl who will grow up to be a leader, offering her a name that will never sound childish on a résumé.
I know a wonderful young lady named Sky. Her little brother is Timber. No really.
My high school graduating class had nine Davids. Class of almost 500. One David didn’t want to be part of the crowd. The day after his 18th birthday he changed his name to Demitri. Then he went to college and fell in love. Then he brought his wife to a class reunion, and she wondered why everyone called her love David not Demetri.
I have worked with school databases for 20+ years. One school of 700 students had 13 Christines. I worked in a school that had; Alexis, Alexus, and A Lexus (really) as names.
My children have Hebrew names. Four and five letters, phonetic. They get mangled every day. Yael is a common name in Israel. Several Yael’s died in Gaza. Only two Meravs.
Catholic school kids had to have saints names when I went to school, Alan. My name was a variation of St. Helen, so that was OK. One girl in my class was named Sandra, and so the nuns made her take the name Mary. She was Mary Sandra throughout school. I can’t tell you how many Marys and Maries and Marias we had.
Not St. Helens the volcano, St. Helen the patron saint of new discoveries and mother of the first Catholic Emperor, Constantine the Great.
Sometimes I just pick a name that I think would fit a character, but often I name characters as a reference to people who were special to me when I was growing up. I used Lois and Halcyon in honor of two of my favorite aunts. (Those were their middle names – not the names they went by in life.) I sometimes parse syllables from family names to come up with a surname like Penterson. Cassie Deakin and Frank White are coded names that refer to two special people.
I don’t know many people named Kay. It’s a name that doesn’t seem to be particularly popular, but endures.
One of my good friends from Ocean City, MD is named Kay. Halcyon is a lovely name.