Sometimes they’re just so obvious. Of course his name is Eddie Haven, what else would it be? Isadora Peabody. Eliza Flyte. Michelle Turner. Olivia Bellamy. Mary Dare. Will Bonner. They just popped into my mind and stuck, helping to shape the character.
Other times (um, now), it all feels so artificial. I think it was Elmore Leonard who said (I’m paraphrasing), “Don’t let your characters’ names sound like made-up names.”
So here’s where I am. I’m writing about two sisters, Isabel and Tess. That’s fine, they sound like sisters. The surname is what’s tripping me up. Due to a backstory that accesses an event in WWII, they need a Danish or maybe Swedish surname.
So far, all I’ve come up with are names that sound like Ikea furniture, or…well, you be the judge.
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Christensen
Johannessen
Yes, those are classic and mainstream, so they don’t sound made up. But they don’t “go” with Isabel & Tess due to all the S sounds. I could use them if I could come up with new first names. Ava would work for Tess. Hmmmm….
Lindberg sounds good 🙂 good job Emilie! ….. lots better then Kock or Klitgaard…LMAO 🙂 oh Susan you crack me up! Thanks for the laugh..
Christensen
Johannessen
Yes, those are classic and mainstream, so they don’t sound made up. But they don’t “go” with Isabel & Tess due to all the S sounds. I could use them if I could come up with new first names. Ava would work for Tess. Hmmmm….
Lindberg sounds good 🙂 good job Emilie! ….. lots better then Kock or Klitgaard…LMAO 🙂 oh Susan you crack me up! Thanks for the laugh..
Lindberg…Lindgren…Lundgren…
(or my best friend’s last name: Lindquist)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_most_common_surnames#Sweden
Oh, Lindberg is very interesting since the backstory has some mysterious stuff in it. Also there’s a Lindberg property (former) on the island where I live. I often like borrowing famous names for my characters–Bennet, Bellamy, Peabody, etc.
Lindberg…Lindgren…Lundgren…
(or my best friend’s last name: Lindquist)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_most_common_surnames#Sweden
Oh, Lindberg is very interesting since the backstory has some mysterious stuff in it. Also there’s a Lindberg property (former) on the island where I live. I often like borrowing famous names for my characters–Bennet, Bellamy, Peabody, etc.
I am thinking of some names….Jess, Jamie, Claire
I am thinking of some names….Jess, Jamie, Claire
I have Swedish friends with the last names Nilsson and Lunnikin.
I have Swedish friends with the last names Nilsson and Lunnikin.
Mortensen
Mortensen
Eliason
Anderson
Hoenicke
Hovinghoff
I teach in an area full of Scandinavian families.
Eliason
Anderson
Hoenicke
Hovinghoff
I teach in an area full of Scandinavian families.
My friend Marta is Swedish and
Her grangmother played some sort of role during the war
Her last name is Brandstromskelding
She says it means woman who carries a great sword.
It is 2 names joined together: Brandstrom and Skelding.
Useable?
Very inspiring! Love the meaning behind the name. I bet there’s a whole story there, from your friend Marta. I might have to tuckerize Marta. (tuckerize=borrowing a person’s name for a fictional character)
My friend Marta is Swedish and
Her grangmother played some sort of role during the war
Her last name is Brandstromskelding
She says it means woman who carries a great sword.
It is 2 names joined together: Brandstrom and Skelding.
Useable?
Very inspiring! Love the meaning behind the name. I bet there’s a whole story there, from your friend Marta. I might have to tuckerize Marta. (tuckerize=borrowing a person’s name for a fictional character)
Trying again… lol
Swedish name ideas: Brodin, Boven, Bystrom, Dahling, Dahlgren, Edelberg, Farin, Floren, Halgren, Hjelm, Hoving, Landeen, Leander, Lovgren, Norlin, Norlander, Nystrom, and Rosing. Danish name ideas: Bigsby, Handel, Kiersted, and Rayner.
Trying again… lol
Swedish name ideas: Brodin, Boven, Bystrom, Dahling, Dahlgren, Edelberg, Farin, Floren, Halgren, Hjelm, Hoving, Landeen, Leander, Lovgren, Norlin, Norlander, Nystrom, and Rosing. Danish name ideas: Bigsby, Handel, Kiersted, and Rayner.
Here are some Danish suggestions for you…Jeppesen, Østergaard, Vestergaard, Villadsen, Nguyen, Buch..and here are some sweish surnames for you…Agardh Ahlquist, Ahlstad, Anckarström ,Anderberg, Andersen, Bashe ,Bbjornstrand , Westermark Wetterstrom Wetterstrum
Here are some Danish suggestions for you…Jeppesen, Østergaard, Vestergaard, Villadsen, Nguyen, Buch..and here are some sweish surnames for you…Agardh Ahlquist, Ahlstad, Anckarström ,Anderberg, Andersen, Bashe ,Bbjornstrand , Westermark Wetterstrom Wetterstrum
Bergeson from/or Birger (Swedish) meaning one who saves, protects or helps.
Wallgren (Swedish) meaning grassy bank
Holden (Danish) a safe place
Berwald (Danish) ruler of the forest
Holden is great because it’s all about the family estate in the town of Archangel, CA–their “safe place.”
I think the meanings of names is important, especially when you have the option to come up with your own!
Bergeson from/or Birger (Swedish) meaning one who saves, protects or helps.
Wallgren (Swedish) meaning grassy bank
Holden (Danish) a safe place
Berwald (Danish) ruler of the forest
Holden is great because it’s all about the family estate in the town of Archangel, CA–their “safe place.”
I think the meanings of names is important, especially when you have the option to come up with your own!
How about:
Rayner – Danish meaning – Leader of the Danes
Gadsby- Danish meaning- gade, street, gate town
Farraday – Gaelic meaning inquisitive, prying, curious
I personally like Isabel and Tess Farraday!
Oooh, Farraday! Love that one. I wonder if there’s a Nordic equivalent. Thanks!
I found at that Farraday came from the name Farraideach. Hope this might help. Good luck I can hardly wait to read it!
How about:
Rayner – Danish meaning – Leader of the Danes
Gadsby- Danish meaning- gade, street, gate town
Farraday – Gaelic meaning inquisitive, prying, curious
I personally like Isabel and Tess Farraday!
Oooh, Farraday! Love that one. I wonder if there’s a Nordic equivalent. Thanks!
I found at that Farraday came from the name Farraideach. Hope this might help. Good luck I can hardly wait to read it!
Farraday and Holden sure are good ones!!
Farraday and Holden sure are good ones!!
Go to genealogy.familyeducation.com/browse/origin/swedish.
and you will fine alot of Swedish surnames.
I have a question to ask you I wrote a book and on a next one which I’m almost done. By problem is where do I put the chapters in. And sometimes I run a sentence on. I was wondering if you can read it and tell me what I need to do to emprove my writing and the book.
I love reading your books. I’ve only read three so far and I just bought another one.
Go to genealogy.familyeducation.com/browse/origin/swedish.
and you will fine alot of Swedish surnames.
I have a question to ask you I wrote a book and on a next one which I’m almost done. By problem is where do I put the chapters in. And sometimes I run a sentence on. I was wondering if you can read it and tell me what I need to do to emprove my writing and the book.
I love reading your books. I’ve only read three so far and I just bought another one.
I think Svensson goes well with their names. I also like Jurgensen(sounds smooth and soothing like Jergens lotion) and Korsgaard….the name could guard the course of their lives….sounds like it deals with their destiny.
I think Svensson goes well with their names. I also like Jurgensen(sounds smooth and soothing like Jergens lotion) and Korsgaard….the name could guard the course of their lives….sounds like it deals with their destiny.
Oooh.. Im likikng the Farraday one. It sounds cool.
Oooh.. Im likikng the Farraday one. It sounds cool.
Daniel Farraday is a character on Lost… but that doesn’t matter, right? I like it.
Daniel Farraday is a character on Lost… but that doesn’t matter, right? I like it.
ok – I am glad I am NOT the only one who cracked up at Kock and Klitgaard….please PLEASE Susan, do NOT go with those…I couldn’t take the story seriously!
ok – I am glad I am NOT the only one who cracked up at Kock and Klitgaard….please PLEASE Susan, do NOT go with those…I couldn’t take the story seriously!
I have a Danish last name! (I got it from my husband.) You can use it in your book. I would be thrilled. Paludan is one of the most common surnames in Denmark. It’s kind of like Smith or Jones.
And…just an FYI, don’t use a surname with special foreign characters if at all possible. You don’t want to drive your editor crazy with having to embed the fonts, and even if he/she does embed the fonts, that’s no guarantee that they will look the same in the Kindle reader. Just my 2 cents.
Good advice about the characters, no matter how enamored I am of the O with the slash through it.
Paludan is nice. Which syllable is emphasized?
Reminds me of that old Western show, Paladin. (sp?)
My husband and his brother pronounce our name like the old Western show character of Have Gun Will Travel: Paladin with emphasis on the PAL-a-din.
His parents and his older relatives say it as: Pal-OO-dan.
Check out the phonetic pronunciation for the first part of Paludan-Muller )with those two dots over the u.
http://books.google.com/books?id=wQhlhgmXU40C&pg=PA1884&lpg=PA1884&dq=paludan+pronounce&source=bl&ots=bIsUW4nEVZ&sig=6wK6XsqHUV98PJ_K94-luEudigY&hl=en&ei=LsvpSriEMJS1tgfj1rA2&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CBkQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=&f=false
At work I edited a book manuscript about Norway history during WWII and it was full of those names with special characters. Drove me NUTS!
I have a Danish last name! (I got it from my husband.) You can use it in your book. I would be thrilled. Paludan is one of the most common surnames in Denmark. It’s kind of like Smith or Jones.
And…just an FYI, don’t use a surname with special foreign characters if at all possible. You don’t want to drive your editor crazy with having to embed the fonts, and even if he/she does embed the fonts, that’s no guarantee that they will look the same in the Kindle reader. Just my 2 cents.
Good advice about the characters, no matter how enamored I am of the O with the slash through it.
Paludan is nice. Which syllable is emphasized?
Reminds me of that old Western show, Paladin. (sp?)
My husband and his brother pronounce our name like the old Western show character of Have Gun Will Travel: Paladin with emphasis on the PAL-a-din.
His parents and his older relatives say it as: Pal-OO-dan.
Check out the phonetic pronunciation for the first part of Paludan-Muller )with those two dots over the u.
http://books.google.com/books?id=wQhlhgmXU40C&pg=PA1884&lpg=PA1884&dq=paludan+pronounce&source=bl&ots=bIsUW4nEVZ&sig=6wK6XsqHUV98PJ_K94-luEudigY&hl=en&ei=LsvpSriEMJS1tgfj1rA2&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CBkQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=&f=false
At work I edited a book manuscript about Norway history during WWII and it was full of those names with special characters. Drove me NUTS!
I like Lindstrom and Glenmark…both have special meaning to me. (Too much ABBA, I think.)
Klitgaard.
I want to have that name for me.
I like Lindstrom and Glenmark…both have special meaning to me. (Too much ABBA, I think.)
Klitgaard.
I want to have that name for me.
Van Dyke, natch!
Van Dyke, natch!
what about lund or dahl? both sound great with isabel and tess… very fine (obvious) scandinavian names… i’m currently reading lakeshore christmas (it’s just the right read before i begin catching fire by suzanne collins) and i hope it inspires everyone who reads it to give generously to their community libraries if they don’t already… lakeshore christmas is also the perfect christmas gift for my bookworm girlfriends!
what about lund or dahl? both sound great with isabel and tess… very fine (obvious) scandinavian names… i’m currently reading lakeshore christmas (it’s just the right read before i begin catching fire by suzanne collins) and i hope it inspires everyone who reads it to give generously to their community libraries if they don’t already… lakeshore christmas is also the perfect christmas gift for my bookworm girlfriends!
what about lund or dahl? no s ssssounds and easily identified as scandinavian (easy to pronounce too)… i’m currently reading lakeshore christmas (it’s a perfect read before i start suzanne collin’s catching fire). everyone who reads lakeshore christmas should be inspired to donate generously to their own community library. i know i am. thank you for another enjoyable story.
what about lund or dahl? no s ssssounds and easily identified as scandinavian (easy to pronounce too)… i’m currently reading lakeshore christmas (it’s a perfect read before i start suzanne collin’s catching fire). everyone who reads lakeshore christmas should be inspired to donate generously to their own community library. i know i am. thank you for another enjoyable story.
whoops!! my computer is acting up… was offline and rebooted and now sending comments like crazy…btw i overheard someone spelling their last name at the gym this am l-u-s-c-h. just saying it would work well for a future story along with kock or klitgaard. lol!!
whoops!! my computer is acting up… was offline and rebooted and now sending comments like crazy…btw i overheard someone spelling their last name at the gym this am l-u-s-c-h. just saying it would work well for a future story along with kock or klitgaard. lol!!
My husband’s last name (and mine as well now) is Branting, pronounced Branning, silent T in Swedish. If you google it you’ll come up with the Nobel Peace prize winner Karl Branting.
My husband’s last name (and mine as well now) is Branting, pronounced Branning, silent T in Swedish. If you google it you’ll come up with the Nobel Peace prize winner Karl Branting.
I know it’s a little late, but you could use Richard, it means lion-hearted…
I know it’s a little late, but you could use Richard, it means lion-hearted…