Top Ten Tuesday: Favorite Character Names

This week’s Top Ten Tuesday prompt is Best Character Names (make this as narrow/broad as you’d like). I had a hard time coming up with a list because I don’t always remember character names unless they are significant. And then I’d probably end up doing ten names just from Lord of the Rings! So instead, here are ten interestingly awesome character names or surnames.

Lazlo Strange from Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor: Not only is Lazlo Strange one of my recently new favorite characters, but his name is a favorite too. It just is so different and perfect for the character.

Stanley Yelnats from Holes by Louis Sachar: By far one of the best names in literary history, Stanley Yelnats backwards is… Stanley Yelnats. How fun is that?

R.F. Jackaby from the Jackaby series by William Ritter: I don’t know about you but a name like R.F. Jackaby just elicits this image of a tall, lanky man wearing a trench coat and maybe a scarf as he runs around the streets of turn-of-the-century New England solving supernatural mysteries. Or is that just me?

Newt Scamander from Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by J.K. Rowling: At this point, names from the Harry Potter books are just iconic, but my favorite will always be Newt Scamander. He sounds like a guy who spends his life hiding animals in his magical suitcase.

Locke Lamora from The Gentleman Bastard series by Scott Lynch: This name. This name!! I love it. It’s iconic. It’s amazing. And the plot twist involving it… I’m still screaming about it.

Hiccup Haddock Horrendous the III from the How to Train You Dragon series by Cressida Cowell: As if Hiccup wasn’t a cool enough name, when you add “Haddock” and “Horrendous” and “the III” it becomes even better. Because just imagine: there are three people with the name Hiccup Haddock Horrendous. Three.

Serendipity Jones from Gunslinger Girl by Lyndsay Ely: This name just embodies a western vibe. I like the way it sounds, making a typical name like “Jones” stand out. I hate, however, whenever the characters in the book nickname her “Pity.” It just loses all the power behind it.

Aslan from the Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis: Of course, one of my favorite names from literature is Aslan, mainly because it’s the Turkish word for lion. But whenever I hear or think of or read the name Aslan, I just get this sense of excitement inside, reminding me always how much I love the Narnia books.

Last names from the Shadowhunter Chronicles by Cassandra Clare: While I may not be a huge fan of Clare’s work, I do appreciate the names she chose for her characters, specifically the last names: Herondale, Branwell, Waylain, Starkweather, Fairchild, Morganstern… Magnus Bane? They’re just so solid and memorable. They seem like names that are part of these grand dynasties and family trees. It’s great.

Names from A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket: From Baudelaire to Quagmire and Count Olaf to Montgomery Montgomery, the names in this book series are all types of fun. I mean, doesn’t Count Olaf just sound like the name of a villain? Isn’t it funny that the owner of the Lucky Smells Lumbermill is simply called Sir? Or that the last name Snicket just implies something mysterious and clever? I just love the names in these books.

What are your favorite character names? Don’t forget to join the link-up!

 

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