Are there some names that you think are overused in Fantasy novels? Which names would you steer away from, because you think they are 'too popular'?

No particular names come to mind but I have noticed quite an over use of of Anglo-Saxon and Norse names in fantasy mostly because of Tolkien's use of them I suppose.

Aiden is the first that comes to mind. That one is used...A LOT. And for good reason, it's a cool name.

Medieval style names are probably the most used that I've heard, and it has gotten a little tiring. But then, I am a bit tired of the medieval fantasy trope in general, anyway.

Hrothgar is the only thing that comes to mind. =)

In older fantasy, a lot of Biblical names come up. Sarah, John, Matthew, Aaron, Luke, Elizabeth, Josh, etc. The girl's names Maddie/Matty show frequently too. I'd avoid using them except for maybe smaller roles where a name like 'Estovianelik' just isn't going to work.


(Although, I don't know of many "Hrothgars"...)

Hmm, I haven't seen a lot of those names, but you probably read more fantasy than me! Yea, Aaron is one I've seen used quite a bit, and Luke.

I've never heard of Hrothgar either.

I understood that reference.

There's a balance in overused names, I think. If they're from Earth, choosing a common name is just choosing a common name. It's more so when a fictional culture perfectly emulates a real world one (or worse, a different fictional one) that it becomes a problem.

The first ones that come to mind are strong sounding names that start with R (Rowan/Ronan and derivatives), and villains and evil things being called "harsh" names with too many M's and R's, or G's, K's, and U's (Murtagh gets bonus points there).

I think what tends to make them overused is that they don't let the characters or cultures have any secrets. The name is right there, so what you see is what you get. We've all come to expect certain things from certain named characters, and there isn't really a lot of diversity in that formula.

I can't think of any names in particular, but I would agree with the Bard about the type of names used. For instance, I've seen too frequent uses of the suffixes "wyn" or "mir" or "dan" etc. Oh, and the name Rory. I love the name, but it's all over the place.