Are these names problematic, misleading or too similar to existing ones?

[Vafnir]

Hello everyone, it is me again. With a topic about my characters. Again.

I am a sucker for creating meaningful names for the characters in my stories, or in any other media for that matter. I believe there is always a source of inspiration for a name or concept, even if we're not able to put our finger on it consciously or even subconsciously.
I'm nowhere near finishing my first book, but it's become a bad habit of mine to worry about things in advance. The other time it was about the genders and their representation in my story, this time it's about the names.
My questions about these names are rather simple: Do these names seem problematic in an way? Do they make you think of something specific (this would let me know if the name is rather misleading)?
Here are the names and my thoughts on them:

Quince- This one was supposed to mean "Fifth of his kind" in the character's language, but I've been hinted that quince is actually a kind of fruit. I'm thinking about changing the spelling to "Quins", but this probably wouldn't help the association too much, I assume.

Belladonna - What would your association of a character with such a name be? I liked this one because it had a Romance language sound to it for me, though I know this is a name of a toxic plant also known as deadly nightshade, which (I assume?) might be misleading if a non-deadly, non-shady character has that name.

These two were rather minor, but my main concern is about the following two:
Feruna - This was supposed to be the name of my world. However, I learned that the name of the world the Dungeons & Dragons adventures take place in is called Faerun, which I was not aware of, since I am not a DnD player. Are Feruna and Faerun that similar that it could lead to confusions?

Euthastasia - this is the name of the goddess of death and the inevitable. Since this name is a mix of the words "euthanasia" and "Anastasia", I'd like to hear your opinion on this one whether it is insensitive or just as legitimate as any other death-related name. This goddess will have quite a prominent role in the book, so it would be important for her to have the right name.

 

[Queshire]

Quince and Belladonna seem fine to me. Feruna could go either way, but I would vote no on Euthastasia.

 

[ThinkerX]

Rule of thumb - keep the names short and easy to pronounce.

 

[Prince of Spires]

second rule of thumb (rule of index finger? ): make sure you like writing the name and don't feel silly doing so.

For main characters and major side characters you'll be writing their name a lot. If you dislike writing the name or hate the name, then you'll grow sick of it by the time you're halfway through the book. Don't do that.

 

[Pyractus]

"Feruna" sounds a bit close. I like "Quince", and "Belladonna". For "Belladonna" I didn't think of the plant at first, my first association was Bilbo's mother Belladonna Took. So, I think you're okay there with readers not overly associating her with the toxic plant. "Euthastasia" is interesting, it doesn't raise any red flags for me personally, other than it does seem like a bit of a mouthful. But, euthanasia is a fairly decisive issue in a number of countries, so it might be worth a second look over.

 

[pmmg]

My issue is that Euthastasia sounds Russian, and the others don't. As the God likely belong to the same culture, I would find this name unlikely.

 

[Finchbearer]

Euthastasia sounds too much like euthanasia, Feruna has a nice ring to it. Quince is a fruit, very popular in medieval time here in Britain and maybe elsewhere and looks a bit like a pear and has a haunting scent. Quince in Latin means ‘fifteen’ not five. And Belladonna just means ‘beautiful woman’ in Italian I think but is a popular girls name…in Italy. I don’t personally think Belladonna goes with the others. I vote yes for Quince and Feruna, no for the other two.

 

[Nighty_Knight]

Euthastasia sounds like a death metal bands name. So I guess it’s a good name if that is kinda what your going for.

 

[Vafnir]

First of all, thank you for your opinions so far, they started helping me sort things out.

second rule of thumb (rule of index finger? ): make sure you like writing the name and don't feel silly doing so.

For main characters and major side characters you'll be writing their name a lot. If you dislike writing the name or hate the name, then you'll grow sick of it by the time you're halfway through the book. Don't do that.

I don't dislike any of these names, this is not my issue here. The only thing that somewhat irks me would be the other spelling of "Quince". "Quins" just doesn't sit well with me, but there are worse things than changing a name's spelling, I assume.

My issue is that Euthastasia sounds Russian, and the others don't. As the God likely belong to the same culture, I would find this name unlikely.

And Belladonna just means ‘beautiful woman’ in Italian I think but is a popular girls name…in Italy. I don’t personally think Belladonna goes with the others.

You both have raised a fair point. I seem to lack some consistency when it comes to names. This might be because I like to get inspired my different cultures. In fact, I want there to be two opposing and somewhat cooperating dukedoms, one inspired by slavic culture, the other one by nordic culture. While Euthanasia as a Russian-sounding name could fit in there, Belladonna misses the mark entirely (though I knew the name comes from Italy), but I already plan to change her name to "Beylasonna", which would roughly mean "beaufitul servant".

Quince in Latin means ‘fifteen’ not five.

I know, I probably should have taken a different base for the name, maybe quint or something. I mainly took quin and added a quasi-suffix which had a nice ring and suited the character in my head.

Euthastasia sounds like a death metal bands name. So I guess it’s a good name if that is kinda what your going for.

This is what I'm going for, actually. There are many other death-related names out there which are mostly overused, this one I came up with myself.


So I can see split opinions when it comes to Feruna and Euthastasia. While Feruna does have a nice ring to it, it seems almost dangerously close to Faerun. And While Euthastasia ideally portrays the goddess in question, it seems to have several problems, such as being quite a mouthful and unfitting in sound, and it seems to refer to a death-related issue too much. However, isn't death in general a sensitive/problematic topic?

 

[Finchbearer]

I way prefer Feruna to Faerun, and I wouldn’t personally say they’re too close. I use names that are inspired by existing names all the time, why not? They will have been inspired by something else, or otherwise the same origin. I have also never heard of Faerun…

Quinn is a girls name as far as I know it as, I’ve heard of a few Quinn’s. But I actually like Quince. Don’t overthink it.

 

[Demesnedenoir]

Go with what you like. I always associate Belladonna with deadly nightshade, but so what? It's a beautiful name, IMO. Of course, I also associate it with a song by The Legendary Pink Dots, but again, who cares?

 

[Vafnir]

I way prefer Feruna to Faerun, and I wouldn’t personally say they’re too close. I use names that are inspired by existing names all the time, why not? They will have been inspired by something else, or otherwise the same origin. I have also never heard of Faerun…

Quinn is a girls name as far as I know it as, I’ve heard of a few Quinn’s. But I actually like Quince. Don’t overthink it.

Well, some say an inspiration is fine, as long as it's not a complete rip-off, which wouldn't be the case. Guess I do worry about it too much for that moment.

Quinn is, in fact, a gender-neutral. I have known at least one dude who has that name. Also, Quince is a male character in my story.

Go with what you like. I always associate Belladonna with deadly nightshade, but so what? It's a beautiful name, IMO. Of course, I also associate it with a song by The Legendary Pink Dots, but again, who cares?

Yeah, the more feedback I've gotten here, the more I am fine with names such as Quince and Belladonna, except the fact that Belladonna doesn't fit theme-wise, as some pointed out. Also, I seem to be fond of naming characters after plant, the more I look at my other characters, and why not.
My biggest worry has been Euthastasia. Except the fact its sounds might or might not fit thematically, I think the name's association makes sense for the goddess I've chosen it for, so I'll stick to it for now and worry about it later, I guess.

 

[FifthView]

Euthastasia - this is the name of the goddess of death and the inevitable. Since this name is a mix of the words "euthanasia" and "Anastasia", I'd like to hear your opinion on this one whether it is insensitive or just as legitimate as any other death-related name. This goddess will have quite a prominent role in the book, so it would be important for her to have the right name.

For me, it's interesting that the name Thanos, the Marvel villain, always makes me think of death, "Thanatos," but really derives from the Greek name Athanasios, meaning "immortal." It works either way, and the associations cause no problem. The associations help.

Euthastasia, on the other hand, might make us think of euthanasia, but it's too easy a twist on the spelling, while bringing up other etymological associations. (Also, a quick search just now also reveals the name Anastasia means "resurrection," so that's a bit odd for a goddess of death.)

 

[Demesnedenoir]

Euthastasia might be too "clever" for its own good. But, it really depends on the book. It could work, or not.

 

[Super Fantasy]

They are fine names.

 

[Vafnir]

Euthastasia, on the other hand, might make us think of euthanasia, but it's too easy a twist on the spelling, while bringing up other etymological associations. (Also, a quick search just now also reveals the name Anastasia means "resurrection," so that's a bit odd for a goddess of death.)

I realized that when I came up with the name "Euthastasia", that's why I'm thinking of making her the goddess of the Inevitable, which is life and death. This would fit the theme of my book even more due to the fact that people are indeed reborn after fulfilling a one hundred year long journey in the afterlife, coming back to the world without memories of their previous lives. I have a whole description of how that exactly works, but this is not the right thread for it.

Euthastasia might be too "clever" for its own good. But, it really depends on the book. It could work, or not.

In what way might it be too "clever" for its own good, how exactly do you mean it?
Either way, I'm considering your previous advice and will stick to the names for now.

 

[Demesnedenoir]

It all depends on the flavor of the story. "On the nose" names can work for some tales and not others. Changing names is about as easy as it gets, so if at some point you decide it's not working, Find/Replace, heh heh. Back in the old days that would suck.

I realized that when I came up with the name "Euthastasia", that's why I'm thinking of making her the goddess of the Inevitable, which is life and death. This would fit the theme of my book even more due to the fact that people are indeed reborn after fulfilling a one hundred year long journey in the afterlife, coming back to the world without memories of their previous lives. I have a whole description of how that exactly works, but this is not the right thread for it.

In what way might it be too "clever" for its own good, how exactly do you mean it?
Either way, I'm considering your previous advice and will stick to the names for now.

 

[Amabaie]

Quince- This one was supposed to mean "Fifth of his kind" in the character's language, but I've been hinted that quince is actually a kind of fruit. I'm thinking about changing the spelling to "Quins", but this probably wouldn't help the association too much, I assume.

Belladonna - What would your association of a character with such a name be? I liked this one because it had a Romance language sound to it for me, though I know this is a name of a toxic plant also known as deadly nightshade, which (I assume?) might be misleading if a non-deadly, non-shady character has that name.

These two were rather minor, but my main concern is about the following two:
Feruna - This was supposed to be the name of my world. However, I learned that the name of the world the Dungeons & Dragons adventures take place in is called Faerun, which I was not aware of, since I am not a DnD player. Are Feruna and Faerun that similar that it could lead to confusions?

Euthastasia - this is the name of the goddess of death and the inevitable. Since this name is a mix of the words "euthanasia" and "Anastasia", I'd like to hear your opinion on this one whether it is insensitive or just as legitimate as any other death-related name. This goddess will have quite a prominent role in the book, so it would be important for her to have the right name.

Quince, why not? Belladonna, pure classic, somebody of beauty and distinction, could be either good or evil, but definitely with a veneer of good. Feruna. no idea. Euthestasia, mixed feelings. Hard to pronounce and probably best for a character we can't get close to.