So here is the next post in my Week of Freaky Name Coincidences. This one is originally from January, 2012. Also, I should point out that I absolutely love sexually ambiguous names. I have no idea why. I'll probably give them to any children I have, but for now I'll settle for my characters...
What's in a Sexually Ambiguous Name?
Let me preface this by saying that the “What’s in a
Name” blog was not supposed to be a two-parter. But as usual, things are beyond
my control. Believe me, I couldn’t make this stuff up if I tried.
I had a new character to name. Since she was only
going to appear in one chapter (and in a quick cameo near the end of the book),
she wasn’t all that important on the grand scale of things. But in the chapter itself,
she was very important. I call her the “Last Straight Temptation of Jordan
Palmer,” since he almost has sex with her before deciding that he’d rather lose
his virginity to a guy.
Within this chapter, she’s a very striking
character. Almost like the female counterpart to Jordan, an adversary even. She
shows up suddenly, challenges his attitudes, his beliefs, and serves as a
temporary temptation. Basically, she doesn’t put up with his bullshit, which he
finds incredibly sexy, and her desire for him may or may not be completely based on getting revenge on another girl, so he finds that intriguing. So at least for this scene, this girl was important, and
to give her some dignity, I had to name her.
Since I started writing my novel in early 2011, I
have it stuck in my head that this is when it takes place, so I figured this
15-year-old girl was born in 1995. So I cruised the internet to my favorite
name site, behindthename.com, and found the list of popular names in 1995. I
scrolled past the typical names—Jessica, Ashley, Emily, Brittany, and my own
name, which was #5—in search of a name that spoke to me.
My eyes stopped on #29: Madison. I liked it
instantly. And not just because it was different than all of those stereotypical
girl names, but because, like Jordan, the name could be either a boy’s or a
girl’s. It seemed kind of perfect, to put both characters on the same level and
watch them butt heads.
That would have been the end of it—the decision
had already been made—but curiosity got the better of me. To the left of the
list of girls’ names were the top 100 boys’ names for that year as well. I’m
not sure what made me look at it at all. Some force of nature, it seemed,
because then I just happened to see #29 on the boys’ side. It was Jordan. Those
two names had been standing side by side the entire time, and I hadn’t even
noticed. Madison was even more perfect than I had thought.
I can’t really explain why these things keep
happening to me. I just kind of go with it. I’m sure someday I’ll be writing
Part Three…
Like on Friday! Come back to check out the strange
coincidence with my main characters’ middle names…
That's crazy, and awesome at the same time. I think sometimes those coincidences are to show us there's a greater power at play. ;) I love the new profile pic, btw. Very nice.
ReplyDeleteI don't see Madison as a boy's name often -- and as a former teacher, I see a lot of names. But it was a boy's name first, historically speaking, and I used it for one of my all-time favorite male lead characters ... in a historical fiction book that never got picked up, sniff, sniff.
ReplyDeleteWow, that's weird but it must mean they go perfect together!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful profile picture!
ReplyDeleteMy name Loni (Lonny, Lonnie) is also ambiguous. I hadn't realized it, until I met a few guys with the name. I've known more males named Lonny than I have females (despite being named after Burt Reynold's wife, Loni Anderson). The most entertaining part is watching people spell my name after I tell them it. Worst I've seen: Lawny... Yes, I'm grassy like that.
Using the names Jordan and Madison was clearly fated. And I love your new picture! :)
ReplyDelete