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Stereotypical names


Tools for generating characters' namesWhat connotations do these character names confer?Writing a character that has many namesAre words like 'cunt' too provocative for use in the current fiction market?Guidance on pacing the introduction of new charactersWhen naming a character, is thematic naming or realistic naming more important?Are connotations with certain names inevitable?organising complex networksGiving nonsensical names to thingsHow to describe my character using they/them so the reader doesn't know their gender until their pronouns show up later?













5















In every country, some names are particularly common: 'John' in the UK, 'Juan' in Spain, 'Ivan' in Russia. Those names are common almost to the point of being stereotypical (consider 'John Doe').



If I have no more than one or two characters from a particular place, is it bad form to use those extremely common names? On the one hand, those names are common, that's real life. It is quite realistic to have a character from that location carry that name. On the other hand, it feels almost lazy to have a guy from Spain named Juan, and his sister is of course Maria. Like I couldn't be bothered to do the research and find some other names, and went with the most stereotypical ones instead.



Is there a way to strike a balance between conveying a strong sense of location with the names, and not being "too stereotypical"? (My particular situation is a setting in space with people from all over.)










share|improve this question



















  • 1





    In the case of Spanish, keep the traditional names but use their nicknames instead (Juan > Juani). Or give them second names and then use the nicknames too (María Teresa > Maité). For other languages, see what is possible. Keep in mind that some 'stereotypical' names have become olf-fashioned (eg. José isn't common nowadays amidst young Portuguese men). Sorry, don't have much time right now for a full answer.

    – Sara Costa
    1 hour ago















5















In every country, some names are particularly common: 'John' in the UK, 'Juan' in Spain, 'Ivan' in Russia. Those names are common almost to the point of being stereotypical (consider 'John Doe').



If I have no more than one or two characters from a particular place, is it bad form to use those extremely common names? On the one hand, those names are common, that's real life. It is quite realistic to have a character from that location carry that name. On the other hand, it feels almost lazy to have a guy from Spain named Juan, and his sister is of course Maria. Like I couldn't be bothered to do the research and find some other names, and went with the most stereotypical ones instead.



Is there a way to strike a balance between conveying a strong sense of location with the names, and not being "too stereotypical"? (My particular situation is a setting in space with people from all over.)










share|improve this question



















  • 1





    In the case of Spanish, keep the traditional names but use their nicknames instead (Juan > Juani). Or give them second names and then use the nicknames too (María Teresa > Maité). For other languages, see what is possible. Keep in mind that some 'stereotypical' names have become olf-fashioned (eg. José isn't common nowadays amidst young Portuguese men). Sorry, don't have much time right now for a full answer.

    – Sara Costa
    1 hour ago













5












5








5








In every country, some names are particularly common: 'John' in the UK, 'Juan' in Spain, 'Ivan' in Russia. Those names are common almost to the point of being stereotypical (consider 'John Doe').



If I have no more than one or two characters from a particular place, is it bad form to use those extremely common names? On the one hand, those names are common, that's real life. It is quite realistic to have a character from that location carry that name. On the other hand, it feels almost lazy to have a guy from Spain named Juan, and his sister is of course Maria. Like I couldn't be bothered to do the research and find some other names, and went with the most stereotypical ones instead.



Is there a way to strike a balance between conveying a strong sense of location with the names, and not being "too stereotypical"? (My particular situation is a setting in space with people from all over.)










share|improve this question
















In every country, some names are particularly common: 'John' in the UK, 'Juan' in Spain, 'Ivan' in Russia. Those names are common almost to the point of being stereotypical (consider 'John Doe').



If I have no more than one or two characters from a particular place, is it bad form to use those extremely common names? On the one hand, those names are common, that's real life. It is quite realistic to have a character from that location carry that name. On the other hand, it feels almost lazy to have a guy from Spain named Juan, and his sister is of course Maria. Like I couldn't be bothered to do the research and find some other names, and went with the most stereotypical ones instead.



Is there a way to strike a balance between conveying a strong sense of location with the names, and not being "too stereotypical"? (My particular situation is a setting in space with people from all over.)







creative-writing characters naming






share|improve this question















share|improve this question













share|improve this question




share|improve this question








edited 1 hour ago









Alexander

3,640412




3,640412










asked 1 hour ago









GalastelGalastel

37.8k6113200




37.8k6113200







  • 1





    In the case of Spanish, keep the traditional names but use their nicknames instead (Juan > Juani). Or give them second names and then use the nicknames too (María Teresa > Maité). For other languages, see what is possible. Keep in mind that some 'stereotypical' names have become olf-fashioned (eg. José isn't common nowadays amidst young Portuguese men). Sorry, don't have much time right now for a full answer.

    – Sara Costa
    1 hour ago












  • 1





    In the case of Spanish, keep the traditional names but use their nicknames instead (Juan > Juani). Or give them second names and then use the nicknames too (María Teresa > Maité). For other languages, see what is possible. Keep in mind that some 'stereotypical' names have become olf-fashioned (eg. José isn't common nowadays amidst young Portuguese men). Sorry, don't have much time right now for a full answer.

    – Sara Costa
    1 hour ago







1




1





In the case of Spanish, keep the traditional names but use their nicknames instead (Juan > Juani). Or give them second names and then use the nicknames too (María Teresa > Maité). For other languages, see what is possible. Keep in mind that some 'stereotypical' names have become olf-fashioned (eg. José isn't common nowadays amidst young Portuguese men). Sorry, don't have much time right now for a full answer.

– Sara Costa
1 hour ago





In the case of Spanish, keep the traditional names but use their nicknames instead (Juan > Juani). Or give them second names and then use the nicknames too (María Teresa > Maité). For other languages, see what is possible. Keep in mind that some 'stereotypical' names have become olf-fashioned (eg. José isn't common nowadays amidst young Portuguese men). Sorry, don't have much time right now for a full answer.

– Sara Costa
1 hour ago










5 Answers
5






active

oldest

votes


















2














The problem about this is that most of the time we want to read something about special people. Sure, we want to be able to sympathize with the character and for example superhero comics have a history of making it look like everyone could be Superman - or Shazam the 14-year-old-boy-transformed-into-a-superhero - but characters in books, comics, etc. tend to be special in some regards. By giving your protagonist a name that seemingly every second person has they can appear quite boring.



What name do you think would be more memorable: "Shazam" or "Billy"?



Yes, the protagonist in the linked comic series is named "Billy", quite the typical name. But most people will likely find his superhero form more memorable. Maybe you could use this and give your "Juan" and "Maria" interesting and memorable nicknames. Especially if they have a name that seemingly everyone else around them had that could be a reason to try and stand out. How do your characters feel about their name? Do they like this typical name? Maybe they like the feeling of proudly representing the majority. Or maybe they want to be special. Different. Not just another "Juan" or "Maria".



A lot of this depends on the setting. In fantasy or sci-fi settings it's far easier to just come up with new names. In modern day settings like in a thriller you will more likely use "normal" names. But this also depends on a lot of factors. Are you in a rural area where older names are more present? Or a metropolitan city with influences from all around the globe? Is the social class of your characters focused on traditions or innovation?



As you mention that you have a setting with lots of people from all over the world you could use steretypical names a few times. Maybe one or two out of a group of five people would feel like something that can actually happen while still not feeling as if you were simply too lazy to look up other names. But you should think about other options to refer to these characters and you should think about how the characters feel about their own names.






share|improve this answer






























    1














    There is nothing wrong with using common names for characters unless you over use them. If everyone has the most common names for their region, the readers may start paying attention to that instead of your story.



    That being said, there are ways of playing with it. You could use it to break expectations. Maybe Ivan is from the UK?



    Heck, any of them could be from the US.



    Maybe have two characters named John. One will end up being called by a nickname. My name isn't incredibly common but for one event we had five people with my first name on a radio net. That was a fun mess. With 95 people on the radio net, last names were out as well.



    Maybe have John meet Juan. Having the "same" name might be a running gag for the two.






    share|improve this answer






























      1














      I look for popular names, but not the MOST popular names. For example, I just googled "most popular names in the UK" and found this at the top link. An excerpt:



      Boys



      Oliver - 6,259
      Harry - 5,031
      George - 4,929
      Noah - 4,273
      Jack - 4,190
      Jacob - 3,968
      Leo - 3,781
      Oscar - 3,739
      Charlie - 3,724
      Muhammad - 3,691


      Girls



      Olivia - 5,204
      Amelia - 4,358
      Isla - 3,373
      Ava - 3,289
      Emily - 3,121
      Isabella - 2,627
      Mia - 2,590
      Poppy - 2,527
      Ella - 2,452
      Lily - 2,405


      Just pick something not in the top 5, it would be realistic, but not obviously stereotypical of the region.






      share|improve this answer


















      • 2





        Anyone else amused by the #1 names in both lists being the male and female equivalents of each other?

        – Mason Wheeler
        15 mins ago


















      1














      It is bad when your "national" character is one-dimensional. It is perfectly fine when this character is non-stereotypical.



      Creating a "representative" characters with stereotypical names is a bad (and well-worn) practice when those characters also reinforce popular stereotypes of a certain nation or racial group. On the other hand, if such character has depth and well-developed, steretotypical name becomes insignificant.



      This trope was humorously subverted in the 2002 movie The Cuckoo, in which one of the main characters, a Russian, has name "Ivan", but his newfound friend, Finnish sniper Veikko is not believing it because




      when they first met and Veikko asks for Ivan's name, Ivan replies "Get lost!" (in Russian) - and this is how Veikko had called him ever since.







      share|improve this answer
































        0














        It depends on what sort of story you want to write.



        If you want your character to stand out (superhero, famous outlaw, rebel leader, etc.) it's probably better to pick a name that stands out.



        If you're trying to show that this is an ordinary person, living an ordinary life, then using something more common can be an effective tool. Think of Winston Smith from 1984 - his last name's meant to sound like a generic, boring British guy. There's nothing particularly remarkable about him. He's a guy who tries to rebel and fails.



        A generic name can also be an alias meant to make an interesting character sound less remarkable (spy, secret agent, etc.). For example, John Reese in the TV show Person of Interest.



        There's the humor angle, too. Maybe you're writing about some poor guy named "John Doe" that no one can take seriously.





        share






















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          5 Answers
          5






          active

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          5 Answers
          5






          active

          oldest

          votes









          active

          oldest

          votes






          active

          oldest

          votes









          2














          The problem about this is that most of the time we want to read something about special people. Sure, we want to be able to sympathize with the character and for example superhero comics have a history of making it look like everyone could be Superman - or Shazam the 14-year-old-boy-transformed-into-a-superhero - but characters in books, comics, etc. tend to be special in some regards. By giving your protagonist a name that seemingly every second person has they can appear quite boring.



          What name do you think would be more memorable: "Shazam" or "Billy"?



          Yes, the protagonist in the linked comic series is named "Billy", quite the typical name. But most people will likely find his superhero form more memorable. Maybe you could use this and give your "Juan" and "Maria" interesting and memorable nicknames. Especially if they have a name that seemingly everyone else around them had that could be a reason to try and stand out. How do your characters feel about their name? Do they like this typical name? Maybe they like the feeling of proudly representing the majority. Or maybe they want to be special. Different. Not just another "Juan" or "Maria".



          A lot of this depends on the setting. In fantasy or sci-fi settings it's far easier to just come up with new names. In modern day settings like in a thriller you will more likely use "normal" names. But this also depends on a lot of factors. Are you in a rural area where older names are more present? Or a metropolitan city with influences from all around the globe? Is the social class of your characters focused on traditions or innovation?



          As you mention that you have a setting with lots of people from all over the world you could use steretypical names a few times. Maybe one or two out of a group of five people would feel like something that can actually happen while still not feeling as if you were simply too lazy to look up other names. But you should think about other options to refer to these characters and you should think about how the characters feel about their own names.






          share|improve this answer



























            2














            The problem about this is that most of the time we want to read something about special people. Sure, we want to be able to sympathize with the character and for example superhero comics have a history of making it look like everyone could be Superman - or Shazam the 14-year-old-boy-transformed-into-a-superhero - but characters in books, comics, etc. tend to be special in some regards. By giving your protagonist a name that seemingly every second person has they can appear quite boring.



            What name do you think would be more memorable: "Shazam" or "Billy"?



            Yes, the protagonist in the linked comic series is named "Billy", quite the typical name. But most people will likely find his superhero form more memorable. Maybe you could use this and give your "Juan" and "Maria" interesting and memorable nicknames. Especially if they have a name that seemingly everyone else around them had that could be a reason to try and stand out. How do your characters feel about their name? Do they like this typical name? Maybe they like the feeling of proudly representing the majority. Or maybe they want to be special. Different. Not just another "Juan" or "Maria".



            A lot of this depends on the setting. In fantasy or sci-fi settings it's far easier to just come up with new names. In modern day settings like in a thriller you will more likely use "normal" names. But this also depends on a lot of factors. Are you in a rural area where older names are more present? Or a metropolitan city with influences from all around the globe? Is the social class of your characters focused on traditions or innovation?



            As you mention that you have a setting with lots of people from all over the world you could use steretypical names a few times. Maybe one or two out of a group of five people would feel like something that can actually happen while still not feeling as if you were simply too lazy to look up other names. But you should think about other options to refer to these characters and you should think about how the characters feel about their own names.






            share|improve this answer

























              2












              2








              2







              The problem about this is that most of the time we want to read something about special people. Sure, we want to be able to sympathize with the character and for example superhero comics have a history of making it look like everyone could be Superman - or Shazam the 14-year-old-boy-transformed-into-a-superhero - but characters in books, comics, etc. tend to be special in some regards. By giving your protagonist a name that seemingly every second person has they can appear quite boring.



              What name do you think would be more memorable: "Shazam" or "Billy"?



              Yes, the protagonist in the linked comic series is named "Billy", quite the typical name. But most people will likely find his superhero form more memorable. Maybe you could use this and give your "Juan" and "Maria" interesting and memorable nicknames. Especially if they have a name that seemingly everyone else around them had that could be a reason to try and stand out. How do your characters feel about their name? Do they like this typical name? Maybe they like the feeling of proudly representing the majority. Or maybe they want to be special. Different. Not just another "Juan" or "Maria".



              A lot of this depends on the setting. In fantasy or sci-fi settings it's far easier to just come up with new names. In modern day settings like in a thriller you will more likely use "normal" names. But this also depends on a lot of factors. Are you in a rural area where older names are more present? Or a metropolitan city with influences from all around the globe? Is the social class of your characters focused on traditions or innovation?



              As you mention that you have a setting with lots of people from all over the world you could use steretypical names a few times. Maybe one or two out of a group of five people would feel like something that can actually happen while still not feeling as if you were simply too lazy to look up other names. But you should think about other options to refer to these characters and you should think about how the characters feel about their own names.






              share|improve this answer













              The problem about this is that most of the time we want to read something about special people. Sure, we want to be able to sympathize with the character and for example superhero comics have a history of making it look like everyone could be Superman - or Shazam the 14-year-old-boy-transformed-into-a-superhero - but characters in books, comics, etc. tend to be special in some regards. By giving your protagonist a name that seemingly every second person has they can appear quite boring.



              What name do you think would be more memorable: "Shazam" or "Billy"?



              Yes, the protagonist in the linked comic series is named "Billy", quite the typical name. But most people will likely find his superhero form more memorable. Maybe you could use this and give your "Juan" and "Maria" interesting and memorable nicknames. Especially if they have a name that seemingly everyone else around them had that could be a reason to try and stand out. How do your characters feel about their name? Do they like this typical name? Maybe they like the feeling of proudly representing the majority. Or maybe they want to be special. Different. Not just another "Juan" or "Maria".



              A lot of this depends on the setting. In fantasy or sci-fi settings it's far easier to just come up with new names. In modern day settings like in a thriller you will more likely use "normal" names. But this also depends on a lot of factors. Are you in a rural area where older names are more present? Or a metropolitan city with influences from all around the globe? Is the social class of your characters focused on traditions or innovation?



              As you mention that you have a setting with lots of people from all over the world you could use steretypical names a few times. Maybe one or two out of a group of five people would feel like something that can actually happen while still not feeling as if you were simply too lazy to look up other names. But you should think about other options to refer to these characters and you should think about how the characters feel about their own names.







              share|improve this answer












              share|improve this answer



              share|improve this answer










              answered 1 hour ago









              SecespitusSecespitus

              6,69733274




              6,69733274





















                  1














                  There is nothing wrong with using common names for characters unless you over use them. If everyone has the most common names for their region, the readers may start paying attention to that instead of your story.



                  That being said, there are ways of playing with it. You could use it to break expectations. Maybe Ivan is from the UK?



                  Heck, any of them could be from the US.



                  Maybe have two characters named John. One will end up being called by a nickname. My name isn't incredibly common but for one event we had five people with my first name on a radio net. That was a fun mess. With 95 people on the radio net, last names were out as well.



                  Maybe have John meet Juan. Having the "same" name might be a running gag for the two.






                  share|improve this answer



























                    1














                    There is nothing wrong with using common names for characters unless you over use them. If everyone has the most common names for their region, the readers may start paying attention to that instead of your story.



                    That being said, there are ways of playing with it. You could use it to break expectations. Maybe Ivan is from the UK?



                    Heck, any of them could be from the US.



                    Maybe have two characters named John. One will end up being called by a nickname. My name isn't incredibly common but for one event we had five people with my first name on a radio net. That was a fun mess. With 95 people on the radio net, last names were out as well.



                    Maybe have John meet Juan. Having the "same" name might be a running gag for the two.






                    share|improve this answer

























                      1












                      1








                      1







                      There is nothing wrong with using common names for characters unless you over use them. If everyone has the most common names for their region, the readers may start paying attention to that instead of your story.



                      That being said, there are ways of playing with it. You could use it to break expectations. Maybe Ivan is from the UK?



                      Heck, any of them could be from the US.



                      Maybe have two characters named John. One will end up being called by a nickname. My name isn't incredibly common but for one event we had five people with my first name on a radio net. That was a fun mess. With 95 people on the radio net, last names were out as well.



                      Maybe have John meet Juan. Having the "same" name might be a running gag for the two.






                      share|improve this answer













                      There is nothing wrong with using common names for characters unless you over use them. If everyone has the most common names for their region, the readers may start paying attention to that instead of your story.



                      That being said, there are ways of playing with it. You could use it to break expectations. Maybe Ivan is from the UK?



                      Heck, any of them could be from the US.



                      Maybe have two characters named John. One will end up being called by a nickname. My name isn't incredibly common but for one event we had five people with my first name on a radio net. That was a fun mess. With 95 people on the radio net, last names were out as well.



                      Maybe have John meet Juan. Having the "same" name might be a running gag for the two.







                      share|improve this answer












                      share|improve this answer



                      share|improve this answer










                      answered 1 hour ago









                      ShadoCatShadoCat

                      54114




                      54114





















                          1














                          I look for popular names, but not the MOST popular names. For example, I just googled "most popular names in the UK" and found this at the top link. An excerpt:



                          Boys



                          Oliver - 6,259
                          Harry - 5,031
                          George - 4,929
                          Noah - 4,273
                          Jack - 4,190
                          Jacob - 3,968
                          Leo - 3,781
                          Oscar - 3,739
                          Charlie - 3,724
                          Muhammad - 3,691


                          Girls



                          Olivia - 5,204
                          Amelia - 4,358
                          Isla - 3,373
                          Ava - 3,289
                          Emily - 3,121
                          Isabella - 2,627
                          Mia - 2,590
                          Poppy - 2,527
                          Ella - 2,452
                          Lily - 2,405


                          Just pick something not in the top 5, it would be realistic, but not obviously stereotypical of the region.






                          share|improve this answer


















                          • 2





                            Anyone else amused by the #1 names in both lists being the male and female equivalents of each other?

                            – Mason Wheeler
                            15 mins ago















                          1














                          I look for popular names, but not the MOST popular names. For example, I just googled "most popular names in the UK" and found this at the top link. An excerpt:



                          Boys



                          Oliver - 6,259
                          Harry - 5,031
                          George - 4,929
                          Noah - 4,273
                          Jack - 4,190
                          Jacob - 3,968
                          Leo - 3,781
                          Oscar - 3,739
                          Charlie - 3,724
                          Muhammad - 3,691


                          Girls



                          Olivia - 5,204
                          Amelia - 4,358
                          Isla - 3,373
                          Ava - 3,289
                          Emily - 3,121
                          Isabella - 2,627
                          Mia - 2,590
                          Poppy - 2,527
                          Ella - 2,452
                          Lily - 2,405


                          Just pick something not in the top 5, it would be realistic, but not obviously stereotypical of the region.






                          share|improve this answer


















                          • 2





                            Anyone else amused by the #1 names in both lists being the male and female equivalents of each other?

                            – Mason Wheeler
                            15 mins ago













                          1












                          1








                          1







                          I look for popular names, but not the MOST popular names. For example, I just googled "most popular names in the UK" and found this at the top link. An excerpt:



                          Boys



                          Oliver - 6,259
                          Harry - 5,031
                          George - 4,929
                          Noah - 4,273
                          Jack - 4,190
                          Jacob - 3,968
                          Leo - 3,781
                          Oscar - 3,739
                          Charlie - 3,724
                          Muhammad - 3,691


                          Girls



                          Olivia - 5,204
                          Amelia - 4,358
                          Isla - 3,373
                          Ava - 3,289
                          Emily - 3,121
                          Isabella - 2,627
                          Mia - 2,590
                          Poppy - 2,527
                          Ella - 2,452
                          Lily - 2,405


                          Just pick something not in the top 5, it would be realistic, but not obviously stereotypical of the region.






                          share|improve this answer













                          I look for popular names, but not the MOST popular names. For example, I just googled "most popular names in the UK" and found this at the top link. An excerpt:



                          Boys



                          Oliver - 6,259
                          Harry - 5,031
                          George - 4,929
                          Noah - 4,273
                          Jack - 4,190
                          Jacob - 3,968
                          Leo - 3,781
                          Oscar - 3,739
                          Charlie - 3,724
                          Muhammad - 3,691


                          Girls



                          Olivia - 5,204
                          Amelia - 4,358
                          Isla - 3,373
                          Ava - 3,289
                          Emily - 3,121
                          Isabella - 2,627
                          Mia - 2,590
                          Poppy - 2,527
                          Ella - 2,452
                          Lily - 2,405


                          Just pick something not in the top 5, it would be realistic, but not obviously stereotypical of the region.







                          share|improve this answer












                          share|improve this answer



                          share|improve this answer










                          answered 57 mins ago









                          AmadeusAmadeus

                          56.2k572183




                          56.2k572183







                          • 2





                            Anyone else amused by the #1 names in both lists being the male and female equivalents of each other?

                            – Mason Wheeler
                            15 mins ago












                          • 2





                            Anyone else amused by the #1 names in both lists being the male and female equivalents of each other?

                            – Mason Wheeler
                            15 mins ago







                          2




                          2





                          Anyone else amused by the #1 names in both lists being the male and female equivalents of each other?

                          – Mason Wheeler
                          15 mins ago





                          Anyone else amused by the #1 names in both lists being the male and female equivalents of each other?

                          – Mason Wheeler
                          15 mins ago











                          1














                          It is bad when your "national" character is one-dimensional. It is perfectly fine when this character is non-stereotypical.



                          Creating a "representative" characters with stereotypical names is a bad (and well-worn) practice when those characters also reinforce popular stereotypes of a certain nation or racial group. On the other hand, if such character has depth and well-developed, steretotypical name becomes insignificant.



                          This trope was humorously subverted in the 2002 movie The Cuckoo, in which one of the main characters, a Russian, has name "Ivan", but his newfound friend, Finnish sniper Veikko is not believing it because




                          when they first met and Veikko asks for Ivan's name, Ivan replies "Get lost!" (in Russian) - and this is how Veikko had called him ever since.







                          share|improve this answer





























                            1














                            It is bad when your "national" character is one-dimensional. It is perfectly fine when this character is non-stereotypical.



                            Creating a "representative" characters with stereotypical names is a bad (and well-worn) practice when those characters also reinforce popular stereotypes of a certain nation or racial group. On the other hand, if such character has depth and well-developed, steretotypical name becomes insignificant.



                            This trope was humorously subverted in the 2002 movie The Cuckoo, in which one of the main characters, a Russian, has name "Ivan", but his newfound friend, Finnish sniper Veikko is not believing it because




                            when they first met and Veikko asks for Ivan's name, Ivan replies "Get lost!" (in Russian) - and this is how Veikko had called him ever since.







                            share|improve this answer



























                              1












                              1








                              1







                              It is bad when your "national" character is one-dimensional. It is perfectly fine when this character is non-stereotypical.



                              Creating a "representative" characters with stereotypical names is a bad (and well-worn) practice when those characters also reinforce popular stereotypes of a certain nation or racial group. On the other hand, if such character has depth and well-developed, steretotypical name becomes insignificant.



                              This trope was humorously subverted in the 2002 movie The Cuckoo, in which one of the main characters, a Russian, has name "Ivan", but his newfound friend, Finnish sniper Veikko is not believing it because




                              when they first met and Veikko asks for Ivan's name, Ivan replies "Get lost!" (in Russian) - and this is how Veikko had called him ever since.







                              share|improve this answer















                              It is bad when your "national" character is one-dimensional. It is perfectly fine when this character is non-stereotypical.



                              Creating a "representative" characters with stereotypical names is a bad (and well-worn) practice when those characters also reinforce popular stereotypes of a certain nation or racial group. On the other hand, if such character has depth and well-developed, steretotypical name becomes insignificant.



                              This trope was humorously subverted in the 2002 movie The Cuckoo, in which one of the main characters, a Russian, has name "Ivan", but his newfound friend, Finnish sniper Veikko is not believing it because




                              when they first met and Veikko asks for Ivan's name, Ivan replies "Get lost!" (in Russian) - and this is how Veikko had called him ever since.








                              share|improve this answer














                              share|improve this answer



                              share|improve this answer








                              edited 41 mins ago

























                              answered 52 mins ago









                              AlexanderAlexander

                              3,640412




                              3,640412





















                                  0














                                  It depends on what sort of story you want to write.



                                  If you want your character to stand out (superhero, famous outlaw, rebel leader, etc.) it's probably better to pick a name that stands out.



                                  If you're trying to show that this is an ordinary person, living an ordinary life, then using something more common can be an effective tool. Think of Winston Smith from 1984 - his last name's meant to sound like a generic, boring British guy. There's nothing particularly remarkable about him. He's a guy who tries to rebel and fails.



                                  A generic name can also be an alias meant to make an interesting character sound less remarkable (spy, secret agent, etc.). For example, John Reese in the TV show Person of Interest.



                                  There's the humor angle, too. Maybe you're writing about some poor guy named "John Doe" that no one can take seriously.





                                  share



























                                    0














                                    It depends on what sort of story you want to write.



                                    If you want your character to stand out (superhero, famous outlaw, rebel leader, etc.) it's probably better to pick a name that stands out.



                                    If you're trying to show that this is an ordinary person, living an ordinary life, then using something more common can be an effective tool. Think of Winston Smith from 1984 - his last name's meant to sound like a generic, boring British guy. There's nothing particularly remarkable about him. He's a guy who tries to rebel and fails.



                                    A generic name can also be an alias meant to make an interesting character sound less remarkable (spy, secret agent, etc.). For example, John Reese in the TV show Person of Interest.



                                    There's the humor angle, too. Maybe you're writing about some poor guy named "John Doe" that no one can take seriously.





                                    share

























                                      0












                                      0








                                      0







                                      It depends on what sort of story you want to write.



                                      If you want your character to stand out (superhero, famous outlaw, rebel leader, etc.) it's probably better to pick a name that stands out.



                                      If you're trying to show that this is an ordinary person, living an ordinary life, then using something more common can be an effective tool. Think of Winston Smith from 1984 - his last name's meant to sound like a generic, boring British guy. There's nothing particularly remarkable about him. He's a guy who tries to rebel and fails.



                                      A generic name can also be an alias meant to make an interesting character sound less remarkable (spy, secret agent, etc.). For example, John Reese in the TV show Person of Interest.



                                      There's the humor angle, too. Maybe you're writing about some poor guy named "John Doe" that no one can take seriously.





                                      share













                                      It depends on what sort of story you want to write.



                                      If you want your character to stand out (superhero, famous outlaw, rebel leader, etc.) it's probably better to pick a name that stands out.



                                      If you're trying to show that this is an ordinary person, living an ordinary life, then using something more common can be an effective tool. Think of Winston Smith from 1984 - his last name's meant to sound like a generic, boring British guy. There's nothing particularly remarkable about him. He's a guy who tries to rebel and fails.



                                      A generic name can also be an alias meant to make an interesting character sound less remarkable (spy, secret agent, etc.). For example, John Reese in the TV show Person of Interest.



                                      There's the humor angle, too. Maybe you're writing about some poor guy named "John Doe" that no one can take seriously.






                                      share











                                      share


                                      share










                                      answered 6 mins ago









                                      Evil SparrowEvil Sparrow

                                      64811




                                      64811



























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