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Need names

Hey guys I started writing my script about Romans and Saxons and I kinda realized I don't have any names for my characters besides my main guy. So here are a few characters which I need names for, I need names that fit and make sence.

So can you guy help me or give me a hand?

Father- Roman noble man who is the mayor/governor of a small town north of the empire in Europe. He's an important person and of a noble house hold-

King- He is the leader of a secret Saxon city and is a fierce warrior and killer-

Friend- He is from a small roman village. He has no paretns and is a street child who does not know who his parents are. He is a street child.(I need two names, a real one before he is captured and then a new name that the Saxons give him)-

Thats all I need for right now. I'm going to start writing and put *** when ever their names appear until I get a good set of names. Thx alot guys.
 
Okay, at the risk of pointless belligerence, I gotta ask: you need names? your biggest problem with creating great characters is ... their NAMES ?!

I need names that fit and make sence.

How does a name make sense? Do you mean the big man on a Roman campus needs to be named Maximus Homo Campusii ?

"Tony Romo"

Seriously: characters aren't mere names. I'd go so far as to suggest that giving characters "meaningful names" runs the risk of being too "on the nose" anyway. You seem to have a good grasp of interesting characters ... just slap a freakin' name on them. "Meaningful" names makes you end up with labels, not characters.

On a related note, one of my all time fav scenes for falling off the couch laughing is the scene in Monty python's LIFE OF BRIAN where Pilate starts rattling off his list of friend's Roman names ... "My betht friend, Dickus Longus ..."

I laughed so hard I couldn't breathe! Hence the danger of "meaningful' names imo. Just my opinion. Create great characters, then open a phonebook to get the name. "For a good time call Octavian Glycimmus: VII IX II - VI III VII IX"
:)
 
I was going to suggest "Naughtinus Maxximus", but I see the Monty Python gags are already done. :mope:

So I'll fudge a gag from "Rinse The Blood Off My Toga"
smiley_roman.gif


Private Eye: Bartender, gimme a martinus.
Bartender: Don't you mean a martini?
Private Eye: If I wanted two, I'd have asked for 'em!


Seriously though, I've no idea how to generate authentic roman names. I know there are name-generators for various things (including Lord of the Rings, Star Trek, Star Wars) which use a databse of words & syntax (matched with the various rules for each race, etc) - dunno if there are any for actual historic periods, given that it's a lot easier to get away with fictional languages. (I mean... who's gonna say it's wrong?!)

Hmm. I'll try ye mighty search engines and see what I can find.

Very interesting question, actually.

Come to think of it, in more recent history, we've been able to make use of Cencus records to see what most common/popular names are (and how they've changed) over the past several decades.

I'm rambling.

Edit: Click this link, and try out some of the generators. No idea how authentic any will be (or even if you can add titles, such as Mayor), but should be a fun start.

http://www.google.com/search?q=roman+name+generator

Woo! o/
 
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Just my opinion. Create great characters, then open a phonebook to get the name.

I'm fairly certain the issue here is that period names are not very common these days, and as such much harder to come by than just "opening the phonebook" as you say.

Well, I thought by that point everyone would've been recognizing it was mostly (if not all) whimsy, borogove! ;)

That, and I'd moved on from the specific to the general: create great characters, then worry about a name, etc.

Sorry for the romp.
 
Hey Zepplin! Hope this helps,

Father - "Avitus Appius". Avitus: ancestral / Appius: a Roman statesman of 3rd century B.C. responsible for the first Roman aqueduct.

Saxon King - "Aglaeca Thunor" or "Wigmund Thunor". Aglaeca: fierce enemy, combatant / Thunor: thunder / Wigmund: battle, fight, war.

Friend - (Saxon name) "Ethelstan Glaedwine". Ethelstan: noble stone / Glaedwine: bright friend. (Roman name) "Gaius Faustus". Gaius: very common Roman name (origin unknown) / Faustus: lucky.

GOOD LUCK!!
 
Okay... I guess I'll be the asshole here...

FIND YOUR OWN NAMES.

That's part of performing the NECESSARY research for your screenplay. You're kind of pawning that off on those of us here that are simply going to turn around and perform some of that research for you and come up with a name or two but you know what?

You and your story won't benefit from any of that research because you're not the one who did it.

The more YOU take the time to know your characters -- EVEN THEIR NAMES -- the better your story is going to be. You shouldn't be plugging in character names handed to you. I understand others' willingness to help -- seriously I do but names?

This almost makes me wonder if you actually know ANYTHING about what you're writing... Because IF you don't, it's going to become painfully obvious when someone ends up reading it.

And please don't think I'm picking on YOU... I'm serious. This is DUE DILIGENCE that you need to be performing on your own unless you're collaborating.

filmy
 
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