[Opinions] Calluna
What are your thoughts on the name Calluna (https://www.behindthename.com/name/calluna/submitted) for a female literary character, with the possible nicknames Callie or Luna? I'm writing a story set in the near future (around 2046) in the UK (either Scotland or Wales, to be decided) where each character is based on a plant of some kind, and the main character is based on heathers. Her surname is Lingard and she's 24 years old at the story's start. Other options I have for her first name are:
Heather
Erica
Hadley
Kanerva (https://www.behindthename.com/name/kanerva/submitted)
Alternatively I may just choose a different plant, and have a male character named Heath instead.
Dod yn unrhyw beth
… solla solla solla
Heather
Erica
Hadley
Kanerva (https://www.behindthename.com/name/kanerva/submitted)
Alternatively I may just choose a different plant, and have a male character named Heath instead.
… solla solla solla
This message was edited 6/25/2023, 4:04 AM
Replies
There is a YouTuber by this name. I find her vaguely annoying so the name isn't my top choice, but I still find it noteworthy enough to have in my (vast) collection of long and/or fancy. It's interesting to me
I like Calluna and Kanerva. They both sound good but Calluna has nicer nickname options like Cal, Callie, Lune, Luna. And it looks like Kanerva is a surname so maybe that's not the best first name.
Heather and Erica sound nice but I don't like their connotations (Heather is an 80's person and Erica is just... some random person, most people assume it's a girl version of Eric and don't even think of the plant).
I don't like Hadley.
Don't like Heath for a boy either, it feels branded almost because of Heath bars and actors (maybe it's just Heath Ledger but I feel like there are a lot of actors called Heath? idk).
Heidrich would be a cool male name for heather.
Heather and Erica sound nice but I don't like their connotations (Heather is an 80's person and Erica is just... some random person, most people assume it's a girl version of Eric and don't even think of the plant).
I don't like Hadley.
Don't like Heath for a boy either, it feels branded almost because of Heath bars and actors (maybe it's just Heath Ledger but I feel like there are a lot of actors called Heath? idk).
Heidrich would be a cool male name for heather.
What time period is the story set in and how old is the character?
Hadley and Calluna seem very modern/current for babies and preschoolers, where as Erica and Heather sound like they were born in the 1970s/80s. And Kanerva shouldn’t be anyone’s name.
Calluna is fine. It looks like a mash up of Calla and Luna. I’m not a fan of Luna at all and don’t get the hype. It has a fairy-like feeling to it and I would expect it to be a fantasy story rather than literary.
Heath on a male is nice (I prefer it to Heather on a female).
Hadley and Calluna seem very modern/current for babies and preschoolers, where as Erica and Heather sound like they were born in the 1970s/80s. And Kanerva shouldn’t be anyone’s name.
Calluna is fine. It looks like a mash up of Calla and Luna. I’m not a fan of Luna at all and don’t get the hype. It has a fairy-like feeling to it and I would expect it to be a fantasy story rather than literary.
Heath on a male is nice (I prefer it to Heather on a female).
Totally forgot to add that info in! The story is set in the near future in the UK (torn between either Scotland or Wales at the moment, leaning more towards Scotland but still figuring things out), the character is 24 years old and would have been born around 2022. I think I was drawn mostly to Calluna because it seems plausible as a name and has the association with heather without it being obvious (Calluna vulgaris being the taxonomic name for common heather), and I'm not the biggest fan of Heather as a girl's name. Like you I prefer Heath on a boy to Heather on a girl.