: Re: Are connotations with certain names inevitable? In my book (fantasy novel), there's a character named Brad. Unfortunately, Brad has become synonymous with "douchebag". Now, when I first introduced

@Bryan361

Vote Up Vote Down

Names definitely carry connotations. It may be totally unfair to the people having these names, but certain names bring up an image in our minds. For example, I would be very surprised to hear, "The winner of the Nobel prize in physics this year is ... Bambi Desire."

I've occasionally wondered if there's any real correlation. Does having a certain name influence one's behavior? Or are the sort of parents who would give you a certain name likely to pass on corresponding of genes, or raise you differently? I don't know. I wonder if anyone has done a sociological study on this. But regardless, I think it's something that's commonly in people's heads.

Unless you're trying to make a point against stereotyping, or trying to surprise the reader, I'd just go along with such expectations. Name the nerdy scientist "Dexter" and the mob enforcer "Bruno" and it will help establish the character in the reader's mind.

All that said, I've never associated "Brad" with "douchebag". Brad seems a fairly neutral name to me. I suppose that's part of the problem with this sort of thing: the associations in my mind are not necessarily the same as those in yours. They may be highly individual, or regional.

The name "Barney" immediately makes me think of the character from the Flintstones cartoon, Barney Rubble. That would make me unlikely to use the name Barney for a character in anything other than a comedy.

(I recall hearing a sermon once where the pastor mentioned a woman in the Bible named "Gomer". He then made a little side quip, "She was a very beautiful woman. Her name wasn't beautiful, but she was. Or maybe if you had known her, you would think of 'Gomer' as a beautiful name." I'm sure he had some deeply profound point, but that comment is all I remember of the sermon. Because I wonder: Yeah, do our associations with names come from something about the sound of the name itself, or from people we've known with that name or famous people with that name.)

(0)

Login to post a comment!