It was the Beckhams who brought to public attention the practice of naming your child after where it was conceived – hence Brooklyn.
I was in my gym in Kingston and heard a mother call 'Oriana, come here' in a loud voice. (Oriana, for those not in the know, is a cruise ship). This opens up dramatic new opportunities for parental ambition – as well as of course a whole series of logistical challenges. So how about Eiffel, Reichstag or Forum?
Most writers spend a long time thinking of names for their characters, and so can be thrown into paroxysms of indecision by the need to name their own offspring.
Teachers are said to face particular difficulties as they have always taught unappealing pupils with the names they most like, so maybe educational writers are doubly handicapped.
The one resource we do have to hand is characters in other people's books. As a straw poll, within our local reading group, we have two Annas (both inspired by Karenina), two Tesses (both by of the d'Urbervilles), one Emma (Austen) and my own Harriet (Vane, the heroine of Dorothy L Sayers' wonderful Lord Peter Wimsey stories – but the choice also triggered by a particularly brilliant adaptation for the BBC with Harriet Walter, one of my favourite actresses, playing the part, just before she was born).
Best wishes,
Alison Baverstock (author & trainer)
- Read more about Alison, including her tips for new writers and getting feedback on your work, in our special Insider Interviews section.
- She will be leading How to Get Published: a Conference for Writers in September.
What a thought-provoking post from Alison and actually, if you're one of our users, I'd also be really interested to know the names of your main characters, and how you chose them. Or do you have literary names for your children? Do tell...