I put a lot of work into finding names for my characters. I probably own fifteen resource books about first names, and I search online name sites, too. When I find a name I like, I'll write it out and say it out loud several times to see how it looks and sounds. I research the origin and meaning, and then try it on for size as I'm writing to see if it feels like the character (that goes for their surname as well as their first.)
I like names with alternative spellings, or a vintage sound, or those that aren't used very often these days. I think a great name is one that is as interesting and memorable as the character, but it should also be common enough that it doesn't jar the reader every time it appears on the page. The one thing I've never done is name a character in my stories after someone I know in RL. That just seems inappropriate (and a bit creepy) to me.
For my new series I had to first learn how Korean names are structured and the meanings behind them, and then I had to research every name I chose for the members of my group to assure that a current K-pop idol wasn't already using it. I also decided not to use family names (what we think of as surnames) in the series for all but one of the members, but instead refer to them by their stage name. In book one I do reveal the main dancer's full name as part of a funny scene at the end of the story, but that's all.
Image by TinaDemianchuk from Pixabay
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