Naming Characters

When you're constantly writing new material, it's easy to fall in a rut with names. Look over the skits I wrote during my days as director of the Dramamaniacs and you'll find a ton of scripts with characters named Brian, Neil, Nick, Steve, Kathy, Angela, and Sarah. Why? That's who I worked with. Those were the first names to come to mind. Thus, when I was in a hurry, those were the names that got used a lot.

I still get stuck on certain names. But I've learned and used a number of strategies for adding some variety to character lists. Here are just a few ideas:

A baby name book is a good place to start. Pull it out and find a name you've never heard.

You could take names from people you know in real life who match the personalities. What was the name of the preppy cheerleader you knew in high school? Or the obnoxious boss you had? Giving them a name that has a face will also help you give them a voice.

Borrow names from old movies and TV shows. David Lynch and Mark Frost used this device cleverly in "Twin Peaks"; every character's name was taken from an older movie or TV series. I actually used this same method to create character names for a Western play. The villain, Cactus Jack, is named for one of wrestler Mick Foley's many characters. And the leading lady, Penny Priddy, owes her name to the cult classic Buckaroo Banzai.

Another method is to choose names that reveal character, either external or hidden. The TV show "Lost" is a great example. Matthew Fox plays the leader of the survivors, a man whose last name is, appropriately, Shepherd. And how about that mysterious man who may hold the keys to the island's secrets, a man named Locke? (His name may have multi-layers of meaning in reference to the philosopher; that mystery remains to be revealed.)

Of course if all else fails, there is one more method for using unique names: the find and replace function in your word processor. It works, but use it with care. Yesterday I did a find and replace changing a character named Kit into Lilah. It worked, but a few scenes that took place in a kitchen were moved to something called a "lilahchen."