One of the characters in my latest novel, The Sinfully Seductive Rakish Rogue’s Mysterious Midnight Mistress of Pleasure, is a shameless namedropper (confession: she’s based upon a woman I once met at a dinner party). This means that I must casually mention lots, and lots of names.
- Don’t tell anyone, but Lady So and So mentioned to me, in the strictest confidence….
- Lord Something looked so dashing tonight!
- Can you believe the nerve of the Countess of Blah?!
- I heard from Lady A that Lord B is having a wild affair with Lady C...
Sometimes, I find names for characters at baby name sites (and then have had awkward moments when the BF finds that screen open on my laptop). I also like to peruse the list of dukes, earls, etc at answers.com. But if anyone has any suggestions of Regency sounding names, please post them and I shall make good use of them!
Hi Maya,
fellow author Suzanne Enoch had a contest a year or so ago called “Name that hero”, which I won (I don’t know if that was because my names were so good or because the winner was chosen randomly, though…). So maybe you like those, too:
Damian St. Claire, Aidan McLachlan, Gideon Wright, Desmond (Des) Brookmore, Julian Mahone, Gregory (Greg) Sullivan, Tyson Montgomery, Morgan Effrington
As for titles (can also be made into female ones):
Earl of Chesterfield, Viscount Redleigh, Duke of Minnington, Earl of Byrnham, Duke of Emdon
And for the women: Amelia deCourtenay, Daphne Endicott, Tabitha Worthing, Viola Larkinson
Whew, that’s about it, I think. Can’t come up with more at the moment.
I hope you like some of those, I’d clearly love to read a name in a book that I’ve come up with!
LisaK,
You are totally my favorite person right now! I think you won the contest because your names are fabulous. I will absolutely use some (if not all) of them. THANK YOU!!!
What was the winning name of the hero, btw?
Maya
I like the name Gerard. It might not be regal enough but I think it’s sexy nonetheless.
Hi Maya –
These are actual names (or combinations of names) on my family tree from the late 1700s to 1800s. There are some really funny ones, like Jennie Toothaker and Mitchell Twitchell, but I thought that some of them made great character names:
Lizzie Kellet
Leona Linden
Jenny Twitchell (daughter of Mitchell Twitchell!)
Abigail Abbit
Simon Emery
Mehitable Loud
Eva Lillis Glidden
Hattie J. Hartford
Benjamin Dodge
Cornelius Thomas Bickford
Ursula Soule
Granville Phippen
Arthur Kent
Siblings: Nehemiah, Bartholomew and Elizabeth Heath
I’m sure my family would love to see long, gone relatives immortalized in your novel! Very fun!
Araminta…Fern…Jemima….Millicent…Wyatt…Merritt…Finley…Crawford
Thanks Maya, I’m feeling really honored. *blush*
I have to admit that I don’t know which name made it. Suzie is kinda secretive when it comes to her upcoming releases, so I’m as curious as you…
Oh, and Bernadette, I love your names (especially Mitchell Twitchell, that is so cool!).
Bernadette, you must be joking! Mitchell Twitchell is definitely on my shortlist of names to use, along with Mehitable Loud.
Christina and Vanessa–excellent suggestions, which I will certainly use.
Thanks everyone!
I’m sure Mitchell Twitchell will make an interesting character. Can’t wait to hear the name dropping on him.
Thanks all, aren’t they fantastic?! Mitchell Twitchell is one of my favorites too. I could post for days (my thanks to my cousin who built a monster family tree chart for us).
A bonus name from the tree for fun: Flavilla A. Tibbits
I was thinking that Mehitable Loud definitely sounds like a parson, don’t you think?
Flavilla A. Tibbits kind of sounds like a rapper…