Naming

 

In our lifetimes we don't get to name too many things: our kids, pets. In some jobs we name a product, street, housing development, etc.

One lovely thing about being a writer, I can name and name and name not just people but places and animals. Mostly I love naming humans.

It isn't always easy because the name has to fit the character in nationality, time, religion, etc.

For example, I can't have an 80 year old Chinese woman named Tiffany without a lot of explanation.

In writing Lexington, I just changed the name of the British Counsel in Boston from David to Gareth. I've named other characters David, because I like the name. My desire to name my Japanese Chin David was vetoed by my daughter--it was her dog--and I admit her name of Amadeus was better.

Where do I get names? 

• Murder in Argelès--the cemetery
• Murder in Insel Poel--The phone book when we were on the isle researching the book
• Murder in Geneva -- knowledge of friends names but there I had to deal with Swiss German and Swiss French names
• Day Care Moms -- part knowledge of the region and part checking with annual lists of most popular names I reached back to high school for a couple and used my great grandmother's name.
  
• Lexington (work in progress) The list of people on the Mayflower although I may juggle first and last names. 
• Murder in Paris -- for the historical part, Ladurie's book Montaillou.

You get the idea.