Naming a minor character

[JT Woody]

At the very end of my series, there is a time skip that shows my MC in her new life and reveals she has a child.
Its the final chapter and i have no idea what to name the child (or if i should give the child a name).

If i give him a name, it has to be meaningful.
I have 4 options:
- naming him after the MC's little brother (the whole series starts with her wanting to give her little brother the best chance he could get at living a normal life, and she harbors guilt when she leaves him and believes hes dies along with the rest of her family)
- naming him after her mentor (this character was like an older brother to her and he sacrificed his life to save her... but this would SORTA be weird since she'd be naming him after her husbands brother?)
- naming him after his father
- coming up with a whole new name.

(Note: naming him after the other chracters means incorportating elements of their names)

 

[Naomasa298]

Is there any one of these choices that feels truer to your characters than the others?

 

[CatrionaGrace]

Kids ought to have a primary personal name that is unaffiliated with anyone else. Tributes can be added as middle names. My father, uncle, brother, a couple of cousins, and nephew are all named William. When I had a son, I did not name him William.

 

[Hammer]

How old will the kid be in the scene? It's reasonable to "stare into a baby's eyes knowing that life will never be the same again", and anything up to a toddler could easily be "little [brother/father]" without actually being called that, but if he/she is four or five years old they should probably have a name of their own. As above, do what feels comfortable in your world - if "Hagrad son of Hagrad" is commonplace, go with that?

 

[JT Woody]

Makes sense... maybe im just forcing the name.
I just figured that since he's mentioned more than once, a name would just be easier?

Is there any one of these choices that feels truer to your characters than the others?

Not really. The character is a baby and doesnt have a personality. Nothing seems to "fit"

 

[Banespawn]

You don't have to pick just one. Lots of people have middle names. Some even have multiple middle names.

Maybe the first name is the father's, and the middle names are for the other 2.

 

[Naomasa298]

Not really. The character is a baby and doesnt have a personality. Nothing seems to "fit"

Ah, no, I meant the parents, as in, what choice would they make?

 

[Stuart Dren]

You could use one or two degrees of separation. Perhaps there was something that inspired her, her brother, or mentor: an obscure martyr or a landscape feature (like a particular tree for a boy e.g. Ash or a name of a place where something important happened like Herald Ridge, name the boy Herald etc.).

That way it's meaningful but still fresh.

 

[Homer Potvin]

i have no idea what to name the child

Homer!

 

[Rigor Mortis]

but this would SORTA be weird since she'd be naming him after her husbands brother?

Naming him after his uncle isn't all that weird, is it? I say this as someone with the same first and second name as my father's brother, including the quirk of always been known by the second name. The family pattern runs through the names give to most of the 12 of us. I also say that as someone who didn't follow family names with my own kids.

I'd avoid the younger brother's name as that sounds more like replacing than honouring, unless she's aware he didn't perish. Having said that, it could be a discussion point if they meet up later.

If you go first, second name, you could cover a few things: family with second (my son's second name is my wife's surname); and a name that translates as a positive attribute for the first, like Hope, but more masculine.

 

[Rath Darkblade]

Makes sense... maybe im just forcing the name.
I just figured that since he's mentioned more than once, a name would just be easier?

Not really. The character is a baby and doesnt have a personality. Nothing seems to "fit"

If you're unsure, consider the family's history and beliefs. (Note: I've no idea what the setting is, so my suggestions assume that they're English. If not, feel free to change this).

Are they very religious? If so, they might name the baby after a saint (or even one of Jesus's disciples), like John, Thomas, Simon, Peter, Andrew, Matthew, or Philip.

If they are staunch royalists, they might name the baby after one of the English kings (e.g. William, Henry, Richard, or Edward). OTOH, if they're anti-royalty, they might name the baby Oliver (after Cromwell).

Or, supposing they're Americans: do they admire the Founding Fathers? Perhaps they'll call the baby George, John (Adams), Thomas, James, Benjamin or Alexander.

If they're modernists, they might decide to take a surname and make it into a first name: Jackson, Taylor, Parker, Harper, Hudson, Quinn, Sawyer, Carter, or Madison. (If they're very modern, they'll use a variant spelling like Jaxon). I've even seen people use the "cool" factor when choosing first names, and going for names like "Bowie", "Anniston", or "Winslet". (It seems rather silly to me, but...) *shrug*

Maybe, if the parents want a really unusual name, they could call the baby "Apple" -- because he's the apple of their eye -- but that's a good way to make your future son hate you (and probably get bullied in school).

Anyway, sorry for going on and on about this. I hope it gave you some ideas.