Duplicating Names

[McClance]

Have you ever come up with a name and later found that same name (or something very close to that same name) was used in another book or another production?

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Once, my oldest nephew came up with a name for a character that he wanted me to include in my story--Vorok. About the same time I was writing the story, a Klingon appeared on Enterprise with that same name spelled the same way.

I've also named a character K'Ron--six years before I read Moreta, where there's a blue rider named K'lon.

[Bamy]

I have never read or seen names that are the same though on looking back at my names list I have written a name down twice.

[Kath]

Sharra is a good one.

Sharra #1 Jaxom's wife
Sharra #2 Marion Zimmer Bradley's Fire-demon
Sharra #3 Character in Guy Gavriel Kay's Fionavar Tapestry

[Keita]

Yup. I have a yough knight called Kierran in one of my stories, only to find that it is used as a name in "The treason of Dortrean". Beisla'a NaNoWriMo story also has a similar name in it.

[Shalyn]

Sharra is a good one.

Sharra #1 Jaxom's wife
Sharra #2 Marion Zimmer Bradley's Fire-demon
Sharra #3 Character in Guy Gavriel Kay's Fionavar Tapestry

I think I saw Sharra as another name somewhere, but now I can't remember it. >.<

However. Two words (names).

"Katherine Inskip" from Jayne Anne Krentz' The Pirate.

[Ian]

I wouldn't worry about it, there's no copyright on names. There's nothing stopping you having a character called F'lar who's a blacksmith or a soldier or a priest, but there would be problems if you had a character called F'lar who rode a bronze dragon! The same applies to titles, I know of at least one other book called Dragonquest, but as long as the story is different, there's no problem.

A lot of my character names (at least in my present-day stories) are normal everyday names, so there's bound to be real people somewhere with those names...

[Anareth]

However, you could get sued if you named someone Luke Skywalker, especially in a fantasy/Sf story. Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Princess Leia Organa, et al, are registered TRADEMARKS of Lucasfilm. And while you could name a book "Dragonflight", you couldn't write a story about the Dragonriders of Pern. Books are copyrighted, names and titles can be trademarked and those that have been are the property of the TM holder.

Like Ian said--when you write normal people, people will have those names. Happens to me a lot, at least partial names.

[McClance]

What if I named a starfighter carrier "Enterprise"? Since there's been many real-life sea ships with the name...

[Kath]

I think I saw Sharra as another name somewhere, but now I can't remember it. >.<

However. Two words (names).

"Katherine Inskip" from Jayne Anne Krentz' The Pirate.

Nothing to see here, move along!

(Yes, as well as sharing my name with a younger cousin, I also share it with a romance novel protagonist. :roll:)

[Anareth]

"Enterprise" is not trademarked (probably because if they'd tried, the Navy would have taken them to court.) However, I wouldn't unless it were an in-joke or just a passing reference to a naval vessel with a direct-line history to the US Navy and their Enterprise-class ships, and if I didn't have any other similiarities to Star Trek to boot.

[Vyon]

Enterprise is a straightforward English word, as in "A new enterprise" How can anyone trademark that?

[Brenda]

Not as an ordinary word, but as the name of a ship.

[Jay_Quessir]

My names from my last NaNo are really unique and I ahve not seen them anywhere.

The main characters were

Erilan which is similar to the person that I based the character on, Erin
Tredan where the heck that came from I do not know...a former RP I believe
Jonon which is similar to the dad that I based this character on, John


This year, my main character's name is

*drumroll*

I don't know. Help me vote in the POLL

Titled: A NaNoWriMo name for Jay

[Weyrwoman Kalina]

Oh yeah, I definitely have! I can't remember what names those are at the moment... oh, yeah I can! I think it was Aliana, which I ended up finding a few years later in one of the newest Pern books. I actually think it was the name of a star... in Skies of Pern maybe...