List of Last Names for Characters for Fiction Writers

Names have meaning because of the individual. Yet it’s so hard to pick one out of hundreds in order to describe a character. Believe me, I know. I spent a day sifting through my Pinterest inspiration board and am overwhelmed by the number of names that can be given to an entrepreneur, a criminal, and everything in between.

Last names are particularly difficult because they have to match well with the first name. Thankfully there’s many methods for surnames. Gonna detail a few ideas here, and then I’ve got a big old list of inspiration for you.

Non-Modern Surname Ideas

If you’ve got a fantasy world or futuristic apocalypse, you may want to change the “vibe” by not using modern naming. One idea I came up with for my novel was using the father’s name (eg, Maquilla, daughter of Orth). Little did I know it actually existed; the patronymic or matronymic system uses the father’s or mother’s name respectively to denote lineage.

Another method can be locations and titles. Queen Anastasia of Wilmenshire, Duke Liam of Pendlebrook. In my opinion, this creates instant respect and sets a medieval tone. And I just don’t like last names when writing; it’s another thing to remember and most people just use the first. However, if you’ve got a medieval commoner with no property or title to their name, last names were used in the “times of old.”

In doing this research, I discovered a name generator for fantasy, medieval, archetypes, and more. Definitely check out this Character Name Generator; I know I’m bookmarking it in my browser.

Onto the list! Think there’s a last name that should be added? Leave a comment and I’ll update the list.

Traditional

International

Inventive

Wanna Craft Your Own Names?

My editor dislikes the fact that I craft bizarre names basically for a living. It’s fun to create your own, and I highly suggest you try every now and then.

Your primary problem will be pronunciation. You could make a joke about getting the name wrong or have a pronunciation chart in the back, but the suggestion my editor gave me is to spell the name in a way that people are forced to say it correctly.

For example, my fantasy novel stars Maquilla. Most likely when you read that, you thought “muh-quill-uh.” We’re taught in elementary school to sound out letters in certain ways; writers can use this to their advantage. Spell based on pronunciation, test it on other people, and you’ll have your own unique name.