I’ve always been fascinated by names. When I was young, I told my mother I wanted to have children just so I could name them. At the time, I was leaning toward Esmeralda, a name that – in my mind – was strangely underused.

I did not end up using that name for either of my children, although I still see its appeal. But I did put a lot of thought into their names. To me, a name should pass four tests:

  • It should sound good when it’s yelled out the back door late on a summer evening.
  • It should sound good when it’s announced at sporting events. As in, “Now on the line shooting one-and-one …”
  • It should sound good completing the sentence, “According to noted Supreme Court justice …”
  • It should sound good with the last name and not be so unusual that the child is condemned to a lifetime of spelling and pronunciation problems.

If you write fiction, the same amount of thought you spend naming real children should go into the names of your characters. This is not the place to make a quick decision. Think of well-known children’s books. Would Newbery winner The Higher Power of Lucky been as effective if it had been called The Higher Power of Kayla?  Would The Wednesday Wars have been as powerful if Holling Hoodhood were called Bruce Smith?

Sometimes, I see books where it seems like the author took the easy way out.  Naming errors I see often fall into one of two categories:

  • The names aren’t current. The book is set in a present day middle school and the main characters’ names are Roger, Susan and Betty. There’s nothing wrong with any of those names, but very few of today’s pre-teens have them.
  • The names aren’t diverse. Schools today are much more diverse than they were when many authors were growing up. And unless you’re specifically writing a story where the cast needs to all be the same race, it helps to have characters who reflect the actual make-up of the schools where the book will be read. Obviously, no names belong exclusively to people of one background, but being conscious of why you chose the names you use and how they might be interpreted by your readers helps. For an enlightening look at author Lauren McLaughlin’s decision to diversify her books, read this blog post.

Looking at baby name books and Web sites is one good way to find modern name options. Another way is to look at the names posted on lockers and over coat hooks at schools.

You may be amazed at what you see. Here’s a sampling of names I’ve seen posted at the schools, sports camps and other activities my kids take part in. And I don’t live in an especially diverse area.

Alberta, Alfonso, Araceli, Arun, Ashlyn, Athena, Azalea, Bram, Brigit, Carnita, Daijon, D’Angelo, Darius, Dharma, Diamond, Emmanuel, Ezra, Felix, Gordon, Greenleigh, Griffin, Harley, Haven, Helena, Ike, Irene, Isndro, Jade, Kyrie, Lelah, Leo, Magdalena, Masha, Milinda, McCall, McLain, Nazelah, Nico, Niharika, Orlando, Oscar, Sage, Sasha, Selma, Solara, Tawyme, Thiago, Trinity, Vivian, Xavier, Yume, Yuritzr and Zeb.

Happy naming! If you’re looking for more advice, try these sites: