Looking for creative input -

[Left Is Write]

I need to name a male character in a story I'm cooking up. I want him to represent evil/the devil. I want his name to reflect that, but not obviously so (not Lucifer, Damien, Daemon, or similar). Likewise, I want to name a character (male or female; I haven't decided yet) who will represent good. Again, I want the name to reflect that without being obvious (not Gabriel/Gabrielle or Michael/Michaela).

Does anyone have any ideas? I don't want the reader to immediately guess that it's a story about "the devil."

[leftofthedial]

1. Malcolm

Gloria

[Left Is Write]

2. Ooh! Those are good!

Thank you.

[leftofthedial]

20. no worries.

already used them meself ....

[stinkeefresh]

3. how about "Lucky"

for the devil. Short for Lucifer.

And "Angie" might connote angel without being at all obvious.

[Deja Q]

4. George

It's a nice nonassuming name. How could nobody see 'George' as evil? :evilgrin:

[hickman1937]

5. Would Pilot be too odvious?

for the guy? As in Pontius? Probably Jude(judas) would be.

[cruadin]

6. If there's a spiritual element to your story---

Evil dude = Chuck Faith

Good dude = Mo Grace
Good dudette = Honore Church

edit <typo>

[amazona]

7. my post may be unhelpful

But I think symbolic names are a bit stale.

[johnnie]

8. Angela for a girl is obvious but not too obvious

I like what the poster above me suggested for a male name "Jude". That's pretty good. Devon is a male name..isn't it? That might work.

[Left Is Write]

9. Jude made me think of Julian.

Julian would be good and not too obvious, but I'm loathe to use it. It's my son's name. ;)

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

10. Iblis

is the name for the fallen angel in the Islamic tradition. "Nur" is a Name for God that means "Light".

[Blue in a Red State]

11. From a book of names I have

Nigel, Dark (Latin)
Mallory, Ill-omened (Old French-Latin)

Justine, The just or upright (Latin)
Candida, The white and pure (Latin)
Catherine (all forms), Pure (Greek)

[Left Is Write]

12. *smacks self*

I should have thought of Catherine. It's my name! :D

Thank you - these are great suggestions too!

[WCGreen]

16. There is also a Catholic site that names the saints

and what they were known for. I think that is a cool way to come up with names for charactors... Sorry, that book mark is off on another computer....

[Mabeline]

18. Nigel is good, I mean bad...

[Floogeldy]

13. Gregorio and Darla

!

[Not_Giving_Up]

14. George, Donald, Dick... n/t

[ashmanonar]

15. how about...

gildas for the good guy ("serves god" in celtic), morfran for the bad guy ("demon" in celtic), and aigneis (or agnes) for the "good" female character....


heh, interesting find...http://www.20000-names.com/male_celtic_names_02.htm">20000 names
apparently kerry means "dark" in celtic...

[NashVegas]

17. How about "Karl"?

it could work.

[sans qualia]

19. This might be more input than you were looking for

and if it is I apologize in advance, I'm just thinking. Maybe you could go with an androgynous name for one or both characters? Obviously I don't know the specifics of what you're writing, but gender stuff is so deeply ingrained in most of us that it's sometimes difficult for readers not to turn obviously good or bad characters into lazy gender-based archetypes (righteous hero/scurrilous villain for males, innocent flower/deceitful seductress for females). Maybe making the characters less overtly masculine or feminine would make it easier for them to represent the abstract concepts of Good and Evil instead of the very human figures of Good Guy (or Girl) and Bad Guy.