There are those who call me... Tim?

[rj_anderson]

It has been suggested to me that I change the name of my young hero from book two of FAERY REBELS (a.k.a. REBEL in the UK). I am told that for most British people, especially of the younger generation, the name "Timothy" is considered fairly radically uncool

Comments

[dichroic]

Had you asked me up to about 1995, I'd have called Harry a grandpa name.

[mistraltoes]

Oh, dang; I didn't see the 'I'm from the UK' bit. Just factor me out, sorry. I'm blaming it on the fact that I'm not wearing my glasses.

Having said that, lots of kids don't like their own names, and I'll bet there are plenty of those in your target readership. And there are plenty of odd names in the Potter books. I wouldn't change it unless your editor is the person making the suggestion.

[lizbee]

I accidentally voted in your poll, too. HOWEVER. Timothy seems like a perfectly okay name to me (Tim Brooke-Taylor!), and recent popular kids/teen novels have included characters named Harry, Ron, Hermione, Lyra, Edward ... not to mention a major UK TV series with young female leads named "Rose" and "Martha". I don't think it's an insurmountable gap -- not like naming a character "Nigel" or "Wally" or "Willy" or "Slang Word For Genitalia".

[alison23]

Rose, Martha, and let's not forget Donna... I don't know the connotation of Donna in the UK, but in the US, it hasn't been fashionable since the mid-60s, if it ever was.

[tezmilleroz]

I'm from Australia, where most names are shortened. Unless your name is one syllable, in which case it will be lengthened ;-) Thus I'd be fine with Tim or Tom, but Timothy or Thomas wouldn't be as relatable.

[camillofan]

1. I, too, always get the crazy display of your blog (I use IE on a PC). Icons do not stick to posts or comments, but instead appear in a lonely vertical line at the bottom of the page (*far* below the rest of the content and all of the images & backgrounds, accessible only by the window's outer scroll bar

[tree_and_leaf]

NOT ADRIAN. In the context of UK children's lit, it's inextricable from Adrian Mole (and is generally considered a fairly hideous name - worse than Timothy) Jeremy is also not good.

Old fashioned names are back in at the moment, anyway, so I don't think RJ needs to worry (I know a toddler called Harry, and lots of Jacks, neither of which I could have predicted ten years ago).

[camillofan]

lol @ Adrian Mole. I thought he was a cappuccino-swilling mid-lifer now. :-)

Renaming a character is an awful business.

[thewhiteowl]

Perhaps it's the circles I move in, but I know two Timothys and a Jeremy who are about my own age. All the little kids in church are very Old Testament, though: Caleb and Isaac and Abigail and Rebekah and Keziah...