What's in a name?

One of the things I enjoy most about writing novels is naming all the characters. It's like having a baby - only without the labor or nightfeedings!

Often I change the name of characters several times while writing a novel, selecting new names as I come to better understand the character - or as I come to realize the drawbacks of a particular name. But the title character of my first book was called Isabella, aka Izzy, right from the start.

I chose it because it was a name that was elegant, regal and lovely - but with a potential for quirkiness. I chose the name in 1997, long before I started writing the book. That year, the name Isabella was the 114th most popular name given to American baby girls, according to the Social Security Administration. In 2004, the most recent year that data is available, Isabella was the 7th most popular name for girls. See! Isabella was a trendsetter even before I finished the book!

The Social Secuirty website, http://www.ssa.gov/, is an excellent source for writers who are naming characters. If you're writing about a character born in the 1950s, for example, you can look up the popular names of that time. Obviously, you don't always want to give your character a popular name, but it's still a good reference!