A Rose by Any Other Name by Dorothy Courtis

 Names matter. Getting the right name for your character makes a huge difference to how you feel about them, how you write about them, and how your readers respond.

There are a number of ways to find good names for fictional characters. For my historical novels, based in my home county of Caithness, I trawled through the 1911 census for people who would be the right age, in the right occupation, or have the same status as my character. Then I counted the number of entries for each name so I could see whether it was a common name or a strange, unfamiliar one.

I wanted 'normal' names for my characters and once I had a small number for each, I was able to choose the one that 'felt' right. You'll guess correctly that I enjoy research and nailing down facts!

Another way to find excellent and appropriate names for characters is a wander through a local graveyard reading the gravestones. You'll soon find plenty names to choose from.

Names in the UK carry more than simply evidence of parental good (or bad) taste! In the fishing villages of northern Scotland, it was the custom for  the first daughter to be named after the mother's mother, the first son after the father's father, and so names were carried down through generations.

And there were clear social rules on naming. A tale is told of an aristocratic lady interviewing a would-be parlour maid. When asked her name, the girl answered, 'Annabelle.'

'Good heavens, child!' the grand lady declared. 'Whatever was your mother thinking? That will not do. You will be Annie here.'

I must admit I have ground to a horrified halt reading historical novels set in English stately homes written by non-Brit novelists who do not realise that the son and heir of an Earl would probably not be be named Elmer or the kitchen maid Marie-Louise (unless she was an aristocrat in disguise!). Maybe a copy of Burke's Peerage is as essential to the writer as Roget's Thesaurus.

The internet is a great help but these nuances need another level of help. Which is why I'm asking for help! I'm up against the deadline for my fourth and last book in my Somerset Mystery Series, and I have given one of my older gentleman characters a Thai girlfriend. She's not a criminal working a romance scam; she's a lovely lady and provides a nice touch of happy-ever-after.

But what should she be called? I've Googled to the best of my ability but am wary of simply picking a name in case of the kind of problems I've laid at the door of non-Brit authors above. Can anyone help? (And you'll get an acknowledgement in the book!)

Dorothy Courtis writes as Dorothy Stewart. After four successful historical novels, she decided she should write the kind of books she likes to read, and is in the process of finishing her first crime series. A new series is waiting in the wings, to be launched in the autumn.