Whereas naming a child is an event of the present, characters may exist in the past or the future they may live in the realm of realism or in worlds of fantasy and they may be of less than ideal вЂњcharacter.вЂќ Parents would not assume their newborn child to be a criminal or neвЂ™er-do-well, yet in all likelihood, some characters will be.ДЄbove all, a name has to fit the character, suiting the personality, qualities, insights, and more. Naming fictional characters involves additional considerations. Then, too, parents may choose names that they simply like, often reflecting trends of the times. In naming children, parents rely on convention and custom (family, cultural, or religious traditions) and/or choose names, based on etymological meanings, that convey traits either that a child has or that they hope the child will develop. Cratylus believed that the correct names, rather than being arbitrarily contrived, derive naturally from the true character of that being named so that there is only one name that could apply, the name which unequivocally describes the essence of the subject. In the dialogue Cratylus, Plato presented a discussion between Socrates and two philosophers about the вЂњcorrectness of names.вЂќ Hermogenes posited that names come about by custom and convention, suggesting that cultures with different customs may come up with totally different, unrelated names for the same thing. вЂњIf names be not correct, language is not in accordance with the truth of things.вЂќ вЂ“ Confucius, The Analects of Confucius Read on to learn the basics and tools of character naming and how I, along with some of our best writers, including George Lucas, use those tools to create the perfect character names. I am in good company in using etymology (word origins and meanings), charactonyms (based on distinctive traits), and phonaestehetics (word sounds) to craft names that help propel the stories. The вЂњcorrectвЂќ character names are as important as the plot, the setting, and, indeed, the characters themselves. Yet, when it comes to giving a character a name, the converse generally applies вЂ“ a characterвЂ™s essence should help dictate that characterвЂ™s name.Д¬reating meaningful character names was vital to the stories I wanted to tell. SomeoneвЂ™s name does not define the essence of that person. Juliet proclaims her love for Romeo despite his family name. In William ShakespeareвЂ™s Romeo and Juliet, Juliet asks, вЂњWhatвЂ™s in a name? That which we call a rose By any other name would smell as sweet.вЂќ (Act II, Scene II).

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