For me choosing the names for my characters was an important part of finding their identity. Overall, it was fun and a little stressful. I wanted to make sure the name suited the character and wasn’t too popular or outlandish. Let’s start with the last name – Remmington. I like Remmington because it is long and I am partial to last names towards the end of the alphabet (as a W I was usually last on roll call and had to sit in the back of classrooms. My fellow end of the alphabet-ers will sympathize!) I added in the extra ‘m’ to be a nod to the extra ‘e’ in my last name. Just like the extra ‘e’ in my last name, I think the extra ‘m’ gives the name more symmetry and balance.
Remington vs. Remmington, idk I guess they both look nice, but I liked the double m for some reason.
For Mr. Remmington, I was debating between Charles and Scott. I wanted something manly and slightly old-fashioned, something that a baby born in the 60s would be named. I have watched a little bit of Little House on the Prairie and Michael Landon, who plays the father, Charles Ingalls, is a heartthrob. So, I thought Charles would be a nice name for a dad. Not that I picture Mr. Remmington as looking like Michael Landon but I like the way the name sounds. It sounds like a dependable and capable man, a certain dignity and dad-ness.
For Mrs. Remmington, I chose Rose because I think it’s a beautiful name, I like the alliteration, and I like that it is a short name to compliment her long last name. Now this is her married name, not her maiden name. I don’t know her maiden name… but probably something English like Crockett or Clarkson. What do you think her maiden name should be? Leave a comment with your suggestions.
For the children, I wanted names that were unique but not totally out there and names that were somewhat popular during the 90s and 2000s but not in the top 50 or 100. I did not want to limit myself to only saint names or Biblical names, I wanted the Remmington’s to be able to name their children what they wanted.
With Beckett, I was between Beckett, Bennett, and Emmett. I liked the ‘ett’ sound, as it felt older brother-esque. I settled on Beckett partially because I used to be obsessed with the show Quantum Leap, whose main character is named Samuel Beckett. He is played by Scott Bakula, a native St. Louisian. Also, I had felt like Bennett and Emmett were a little too popular for me.
I love ‘A’ names; I think there are so many gorgeous ‘A’ names. I really liked Addison. I’ve never met someone named Addison and I thought it was original and beautiful. I take a little inspiration from Grey’s Anatomy, but only with her hair and name. I liked the length too, not too short and not too long.
I also love ‘L’ names—Lily, Lillian, Lucy. I decided on Lila because it is short to contrast with her long last name, like her mother, and while not a flower, it is flower-esque. I thought it was pretty and would sound nice with the last name.
For the triplets, I did not want the names to be too matchy. I did not want the same starting letters or rhyming but I wanted them to kind of go together in their own way.
Heather– I like the length of the name, and it is flower-adjacent. It is feminine and in 2001, it was not in the top 100 names for girls, according to BabyCenter. Heather is a unique person, and I didn’t want her to have a name that was popular at my high school.
Toby– I was between Tobias and Toby, but Toby felt right. Modern, short, and simple. I liked imagining Toby signing his name as well, easy, only 4 letters. Not that his parents knew he was hard of hearing and would later communicate using ASL when he was born. Still, I could imagine Toby fingering spelling T-O-B-Y in my mind. According to BabyCenter, Toby was not in the top 100 names for boys in 2001.
For Isaac, I was between Isaiah and Isaac. I liked Isaac because I feel like it is an interesting name- two a’s right next to each other, so cool- without being too quirky. It is biblical and a saint name, unlike the other siblings. Plus, I just like the way it sounds. According to BabyCenter, it was #47 for boys in 2001.
Heather, Toby, Isaac, I felt like they sounded good together but not too similar.
Amelia– like I said I love A names. I liked the length and the sound, and I think it’s feminine and creative. I used to love the Amelia’s Notebooks series in middle school! Amelia is a popular right now, but according to BabyCenter in 2002, it did not make the top 100 list for girls.
For Hayley, and Mark, the in-laws, I had a bit of trouble. Hayley was probably the hardest name for me. I didn’t feel super attached to a name for Beckett’s wife because I knew she wouldn’t play a big role in the story. At first I named her Haley. But I felt like Hayley had more symmetry and was more familiar to people. Hayley is a popular name for the 1990s and 2000s and a nice, everyday girl name. I did feel like the name was a little similar to Heather, which could get confusing. But I didn’t feel like finding a totally new name.
For Mark, again, I was influenced by Grey’s Anatomy. Something about the names Addison and Mark sound perfect together! I liked the name, but I still haven’t decided what Mark’s last name is. I picture him as Italian or maybe Greek with an olive complexion and dark hair. I was thinking Moretti or Mancini, so his first and last name have alliteration. What do you think?
Ruth, sweet baby Ruth! I just think it is a sweet, short name, and alliterative with the last name. It is biblical and I think the name is having a slight resurgence. And I did like the little pun of Baby Ruth for the candy bar.
Anna Marie– again I love A names. I also love double barrel names. One of my friends has a sister named Anna Marie and I thought it was such a beautiful and cool name! So I went with Anne Marie. It is a good Catholic name as Anne is Jesus’ grandmother and Marie is a variation of Mary, Jesus’ mother.
For most of the side characters I tried to choose names that I heard a lot in high school or college. Shoutout to my friend Michaela! I gave her a book character name because I wanted to.
What do you think of the names in The Remmington Triplets?
Blessings,
Kristina
