It’s Top Ten Tuesday, hosted by the wonderful blog at The Broke and the Bookish! This week’s topic: Top Ten Character Names I Love or Top Ten Unusual Character Names
So if you know me (you do), you know I’m going to cheat/stretch this topic to the max. Breakin’ it up!
Part One: FAVORITE CHARACTER NAMES!
Part Two: WELL THAT’S UNUSUAL…
FAVORITES
Favorite Name #1: WREN
As Read In: Reboot, Fangirl, The Infinite Moment of Us, Just One Day (second half)
Also Seen In (which I still need to read): Lovely, Dark and Deep; The Promise of Amazing
I don’t know why but I just love the name Wren and it has been popping up in SO many books in YA/NA recently! I totally fell in love with it.
Favorite Name #2: OLIVER
As Read In: Going Vintage – Lindsey Leavitt, The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight – Jennifer E Smith
Also Seen In (which I still need to read): The Last Little Blue Envelope, Blue Bloods, A Darkness Strange and Lovely, The Art of Wishing
I’ve also found that I pretty much love all Olivers. I feel like I’m blanking on one that I’ve read and I don’t know why, but I’ve read two Olivers that I totally loved and I think I’ll like many, many more!
Favorite Names #3: THE CHARACTERS OF THE RAVEN CYCLE
The Raven Boys (The Raven Cycle #1) – Maggie Steifvater
The Dream Thieves (The Raven Boys #2) – Maggie Stiefvater
How great is Maggie Steifvater’s character naming ability?! Besides just making the characters themselves come alive, the names really add something magical to the characters and I absolutely love them.
Favorite Name #4: KIRI BIRD
Wild Awake – Hilary T. Smith
“Kiri Bird” kind of sounds like a noise a bird makes. It just sounds like and airy and I really enjoy it. I think it’s unique and not one of those unique names that bother me because it’s too out there! (That happens a lot haha.)
Favorite Name #5: CRICKET THOMPSON
Nantucket Blue – Leila Howland
Favorite Names #6: The characters of A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE
A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire #1) – George R.R. Martin
A Clash of Kings (A Song of Ice and Fire #2) – George R.R. Martin
A Storm of Swords (A Song of Ice and Fire #3) – George R.R. Martin
Honestly. How epic are pretty much ALL of the character names by George R.R. Martin??? I have so many favorites but the ones listed above are some of the top. Beric Dondarrion. It’s just fun to say!
Favorite Names #7: Puck Connolly & Sean Kendrick
The Scorpio Races – Maggie Steifvater
Another excellent pairing of names from Maggie Steifvater. Everything about Thisby (Thisby itself!) and the people in it are just perfect. I even loved the horse’s names. She really is fantastic at character names!
Favorite Names # 8: The Characters of READY PLAYER ONE
Ready Player One – Ernest Cline
I love the alliteration of Wade Watts, but I also love the “character” names of their avatars in the Oasis. I listening to the audio of this so I love the brilliance of “Aech”, which listening to, I totally thought was just the letter H.
Favorite Names #9: Veronica Rossi’s characters in the Under the Never Sky series
Under the Never Sky (Under the Never Sky #1) – Veronica Rossi
Through the Ever Night (Under the Never Sky #2) – Veronica Rossi
I love how… Natural these names are. Peregrine, Roar, Talon… they all fit the characters and their surroundings perfectly. And I love Aria’s name since she’s a singer. It’s feminine and seems like a real name instead of just something completely fabricated.
Favorite Name #10: CRESS
My Latest Bookish Addiction [8] – The Lunar Chronicles (my sneak preview of CRESS!)
I also love Cress’s name. I think it’s so pretty and it just a lovely name, especially for a Lunar! It’s just so appropriate.
… LEAST FAVORITE
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I really enjoyed reading ENCLAVE this past week but… Deuce…? Yeahhhh, I just can’t. Not on board with that one. Like, “Two” or “Card” would have been better that Deuce.
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I listened to the audio of BEAUTY QUEENS and honestly… Couldn’t stand hearing the name MoMo B. Chacha (or his character either, really)
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Fia from MIND GAMES also irked me. I think Sofia is such a pretty name! Why shorten it to Fia? It just felt yucky.
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You guys are probably going to hate me for this but… Hazel Grace & Augustus Waters. THE FAULT IN OUR STARS. Nah. Not doing it for me. I actually like the name Hazel just fine, but calling her Hazel Grace all the time. I don’t know. It seemed uptight or something. Just some weird connotation I have in my head. And REALLY hard to get swoony over Augustus/Gus. GUS. I just couldn’t.
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And lastly… Echo from PUSHING THE LIMITS. I understood the story behind it and sure, sure, okay. But I just didn’t like it. It was one of those names that was unique, but just too “out there” for me.
25 thoughts on “Top Ten Tuesday – October 22, 2013: Top Ten Character Names I Love or Top Ten Unusual Character Names”
The names you picked out are all so pretty! I absolutely adore the name Wren. And all of Maggie’s character names are absolutely amazing and spot on. I love reading her character names because they’re absolutely perfect for her stories.
I loooveed the name Oliver when I was a teenager. I agree, Maggie Stiefvater has amazing naming ability. I surprised I love all the names she used in The Raven Cycle. I love the name Peregrine too. It sounds sooo badass.
Ah, Deuce…sigh. Kiri Bird is so perfect for the character (and the book). So glad you mentioned that one! Wren and Oliver are wonderful. Awesome picks, Brittany!
The only name worse in Enclave is Stalker!
I love the name Oliver! It’s always been one of my favorite boy names, I also like the name Puck as well as kendrick (I know it’s actually the characters last name though lol). What a great list Brittany 🙂
B! I love what you did with the names! So creative! But also, the names themselves are awesome. We had some overlaps and I LOVE IT. Especially the Game of Thrones names. Because honestly. I can’t believe I forgot about Beric Dondarrion! And I should’ve shouted out Rhaegar. Because I LOVES HIM.
Maggie Stiefvater does do great names! I love all of her characters. SIGH.
Love your list, my dear!! 🙂
I wouldn’t have thought I could get swoony over Augustus either … but it happened. 🙂 He made my list this week.
First off, I love the graphics! They are so pretty and fancy. Second, I like the names that you picked. I really like Wren.
I’m with you on Augustus Waters. It sounds a bit pretentious to me. I did like Hazel Grace, although it isn’t a favorite name. And I hated the name Echo. I loved that book, but the name was silly.
I didn’t realize so many books using Wren…how strange is that? Roar was on my list as well. The Raven Boys…how did I forget to include names from that series? Such interesting names. Great list!
Your graphics are awesome! I love them!
Wren and Aria made my list as well. 🙂 All the GOT character names are awesome. Especially Daenerys. Her name is so awesome. I also really love the name Puck. I don’t know why, I just like the way it looks and sounds.
LOL First, yes, I’m starting with “you hate Hazel Grace and Augustus?!” haha I actually don’t like Gus, but am ok with Augustus (or Augusten, Running with Sciossors), though I don’t think I’d name my kids that.
On the ones you love though! I love pretty much all of them. Not too big a fan of Puck though. I do LOVE Oliver however. And I also love how you did the graphics!! 😀 Awesome list!!
haha, I like that you included least favorites too. I totally agree about Martin! I have his names on my list too. He really does an amazing job. I forgot The Raven Boys! I just went by the first to come into my mind—didn’t have any trouble thinking up great names 🙂
Oh my god, yes, Echo, so not good. I can’t believe I forgot about Cricket, I loved that name.
I also really love the way you did your graphics, you’re always creative, I think, but these are particularly cool 🙂
I love love love the name Wren! And I’m thinking The Raven Boys is going to have to go to the top on my to-read list now. I’m also loving how you included “also seen in…” what a smart idea!!
Yes!!! Have you read The Dream Thieves yet!?
Not yet– they both are sitting on my shelf waiting for me! I am in graduate school for YA literature, but haven’t had the time to read them in between classes! (And none of the professors assigned them this semester, boooo!)
The GOT names are brilliant, good call. I actually love Hazel Grace as a full name. I think the Grace softens what is otherwise an abrasive name for me.
I can see that! I don’t know why… Just had an issue with it haha!
Oh yes, the names in The Raven Boys were good. I think Gancey would make a really good cat name. And I loved the name Calla… it’s a nice take on the now overdone Lily.
Omg, that would totally be an awesome pet name! If I have a pet, kind of want that to be its name now haha.
Your graphics for the names are so pretty. I just stared at the “Wren” one for awhile!(which is a name I picked for my list too). I’m also a fan of the Oliver’s!
I’m with you on Gus from The Fault in Our Stars. Augustus is fine, but Gus remembers me too much of a bug. Is there a children’s book or TV show with a Gus that’s a bug or something? That’s just always where my mind goes first.
Thanks, Stormy!!! 🙂 I love how we had some of the same choices! Great minds! *wink wink*
Haha I don’t know about the Gus thing… But I can totally see it too. I wonder what that is….. Maybe I’m thinking about Gus from Cinderella who was that stupid mouse? Haha!
First, I’m absolutely loving what you did with your graphics here. So creative and pretty.
I really love the name Wren and I’ve always said that if I ever have a little boy either his first or middle name will be Oliver. I’ve loved it every since Hannah Montana haha.
Stiefvater is great at naming and I adore all the Raven Cycle character names. Puck and Sean almost made my list too.
Kiri Bird is pretty cool. I still really want to read this book.
Yes Cricket! That actually made my list too, but I pulled it from Lola and the Boy Next Door.
The Never Sky names almost made my list as well. Love them so much! Especially Roar and Aria.
Thanks, Angie!!!
Haha I’m so glad you like Wren and Oliver too! I wish I could use those names for my own story but now they’re in too many places haha 🙂