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HelpMale Names for Unconventional Hero Character
I'm writing a story and having trouble choosing a name for the male lead.
Context: The hero does not start off as the obvious love interest. He comes off as a passive, boring throwaway character when he meets the leading lady, it's very uninspired and mundane. He soon later proves himself in a life or death situation and it is discovered along the way that he and the main girl are actually compatible and they begin to develop a connection after subsequent events, they just both made bad first impressions on each other.
I want to choose a more unconventional hero name that is still considered normal but isn't seen too often in modern literature or even pulp romance novels. Not one that's currently out-of-fashion, out-dated, or considered stuffy (Larry, Dennis, Stanley, Ralph, Ernest) but neither the trendy, cool, fanciful, or supremely handsome names that a large amount of the dashing heroes in modern literature have (such as Logan, Jake, Reese, Liam, Remington, Jack, Gavin, or heaven forbid, any name ending in -son or -den.)
I'm looking for more ho-hum everyman, middle-ground names. Could be any guy just walking the street.
My current front-runners are Joseph and Adam, but if anyone else would like to give suggestions, or even better, explanations to their suggestions, I'd love to hear it.
Context: The hero does not start off as the obvious love interest. He comes off as a passive, boring throwaway character when he meets the leading lady, it's very uninspired and mundane. He soon later proves himself in a life or death situation and it is discovered along the way that he and the main girl are actually compatible and they begin to develop a connection after subsequent events, they just both made bad first impressions on each other.
I want to choose a more unconventional hero name that is still considered normal but isn't seen too often in modern literature or even pulp romance novels. Not one that's currently out-of-fashion, out-dated, or considered stuffy (Larry, Dennis, Stanley, Ralph, Ernest) but neither the trendy, cool, fanciful, or supremely handsome names that a large amount of the dashing heroes in modern literature have (such as Logan, Jake, Reese, Liam, Remington, Jack, Gavin, or heaven forbid, any name ending in -son or -den.)
I'm looking for more ho-hum everyman, middle-ground names. Could be any guy just walking the street.
My current front-runners are Joseph and Adam, but if anyone else would like to give suggestions, or even better, explanations to their suggestions, I'd love to hear it.
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Replies
Adam is nice, but I think it also could have bad-boy vibes. Joseph is pretty spot-on! Some other possibilities could be:
Henry - it’s fairly commonplace, and it sounds a little bit soft to me
Jonathan - kinda similar to Joseph, but maybe slightly more preppy
Nicholas - at first glance this isn’t a super exciting name, but it always had a slightly heroic/ good-guy vibe to me. It doesn’t stand out, but it sounds pleasant and steadfast.
Thomas - you could shorten to Tom, but I like the long form better just because it is smoother and less abrupt sounding
Henry - it’s fairly commonplace, and it sounds a little bit soft to me
Jonathan - kinda similar to Joseph, but maybe slightly more preppy
Nicholas - at first glance this isn’t a super exciting name, but it always had a slightly heroic/ good-guy vibe to me. It doesn’t stand out, but it sounds pleasant and steadfast.
Thomas - you could shorten to Tom, but I like the long form better just because it is smoother and less abrupt sounding
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maybe Carl? or Gregory? or maybe Henry?
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What about George? Everyone knows it, nobody seems to use it. And, if need be, it could shorten to Joe.
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Joseph sounds stuffy to me; Adam doesn't. Also, Joseph isn't an everyman name unless he's called Joe. It's stuffy.
Adam fits your bill. Adam sounds youthful and slightly comic (like he could be a witty guy) but not silly. So if it's not a purely dramatic romance, but one where there is a lot of raillery between the characters, it suits. It's slightly hunky, too, though. I feel sure there have been Adams in bodice rippers.
What about John? The most everyman of all, IMO.
Daniel "Dan" and Thomas "Tom" seem about right, as well. Dan seems wittier than Tom. Tom seems less liable to come off as author's fantasy.
Adam fits your bill. Adam sounds youthful and slightly comic (like he could be a witty guy) but not silly. So if it's not a purely dramatic romance, but one where there is a lot of raillery between the characters, it suits. It's slightly hunky, too, though. I feel sure there have been Adams in bodice rippers.
What about John? The most everyman of all, IMO.
Daniel "Dan" and Thomas "Tom" seem about right, as well. Dan seems wittier than Tom. Tom seems less liable to come off as author's fantasy.
This message was edited 1/12/2023, 10:21 PM
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