Is a Last name on a character needed tomake them believeable

[Full_Moon_Werewolf77]

This is a question that has always stumped me whenever I'm making up Characters and it's if they need a last name? I mean I've only been able to come up with one super, clever, sounds legit, last name for one out of 20 characters (that still need last names this is not including relatives that would otherwise share their last name)in the same story line. Is it o.k. to have a few characters with last names and others you just don't find them out even if they are a main character?

[The Mysterious Gunslinger]

I don't see why the last name would be that important. I'm sure you'll find something as you write the story - but for now, just stick with what you have.

It's awkward to name a character, say, Tom Buchanan and keep saying that every time you talk about them. If the characters just refer to them by one name, and the last name isn't mention - I believe it's quite alright.

I believe that happened in quite a few books I've read.

[Full_Moon_Werewolf77]

The Mysterious Gunslinger

I don't see why the last name would be that important. I'm sure you'll find something as you write the story - but for now, just stick with what you have.

It's awkward to name a character, say, Tom Buchanan and keep saying that every time you talk about them. If the characters just refer to them by one name, and the last name isn't mention - I believe it's quite alright.

I believe that happened in quite a few books I've read.

Alright thanks for the advice.

[Sir Icehawk]

Names are not even required to make a character believable.

If you need a last name, make one up. If you don't, don't waste your time worrying about that. If a scene comes up where it'd be of use, just throw something in there. Change it later.

[the hidden ghost]

If I really want to include a surname, and get stuck for finding one, I use a super common name that I can change later. Something like Smith. If you get really desperate, pull out the phone directory and see if there are any names that catch your eye. Just don't spend hours looking for a "perfect" name when you could be writing.

[Pseudo-Onkelos]

Surnames aren't necessary, but I think I understand what you're experiencing. I like to have fictional characters have a surname.

[Aha]

Currently, the main character of the story I'm working on doesn't even have a first name. I'm not sure I want her to have one either, as I've come up with a bit I really want to write at the end that almost needs her not to in order for it to work.

But if you really want them to have a last name, just flip through a phone book, close your eyes, and point to a random spot on the page. Whose ever name you land on, use that until you come up with a better one. Just don't get so stuck on your character's name to the point of not writing.

[marshmallowcreampie]

I once read a rather thick book where the main character (who was also the narrator) never even had their first name revealed. If the last name isn't important to any aspect of the story (which it probably isn't, though there can be exceptions) you don't NEED to add it.

[Marshmlow1]

I would say it is not entirely needed..But it is not bad to ahve some kind of last name for the main characters taht are actually an important part..It does depend on teh kind of story you're making. School setting, you pretty much should have last names, but if it's soem kinda action series, or fantasy..You won't really need one, unless they are being asked for their name. And then it's up to you to put in a last name or not.

[LoperDoper]

the hidden ghost

If I really want to include a surname, and get stuck for finding one, I use a super common name that I can change later. Something like Smith. If you get really desperate, pull out the phone directory and see if there are any names that catch your eye. Just don't spend hours looking for a "perfect" name when you could be writing.

That's EXACTLY what I do. Smith, Jones, or google "Top 100 British surnames" and choose one from there.

[InkMistress]

If they live in the modern world and it's a fairly realistic story and they're normal people, then they'd have last names. But the readers (or you as the writer, really) don't have to know what that last name is. I'm saying, you don't need to tell us the character's last name, but don't tell us that they don't have a last name at ALL unless there's a very good reason for it. Especially in short fiction, the amount of details that the readers/writer needs to know about the characters is pretty limited.

[Cogent Dream]

Unless the surname is relevant to the story, there's no need to stress over including it. If, however, you have certain situations requiring the existence of a surname (social/political/formal protocols, etc.) it may be easier to come up with one rather than spending the entire story trying to avoid using a surname.

In the end, it still depends on whether you need it or not. But no, a believable character is a complex interaction of emotions, reactions and personality traits. The name is only there for a matter of convenience (for the most part).

[TottWriter]

If your character's surname is realistically going to be used at some point - say, you're writing about teenagers at school, and they have teachers - yes, you need a surname.

If you're only ever writing about your characters in a more informal setting, such as at home or with friends (or they depart on a fantastical adventure somewhere), you don't need a surname unless you think it adds depth.

In any case, I usually think up surnames buy rifling through the phone book at random, or looking at the credits for films/games. Then you make sure the surname fits the location your story is set in. So, for a German character in one of my stories, her surname is not going to be "Jones".

[Niamh the Fae]

I'd think you'd only need to know if someone is likely to call them by their last name? And if they do have last names, but the names aren't important to the plot, it's not important that the reader find out the last name if it just doesn't happen to come up in the story.

[LostPriestess]

It seems to be a popular point of view among modern (predominantly young) writers that they should know and plan out every detail about the personalities and lives of their characters-- And a lot of them go over the top about it. I'm sure that most of us can think of at least a few people that we interact with whose full names we don't know, and this does not make them any less believable as really people. Why should it be any different in a story?

All in all, characters are tool used to tell a story, and if their surnames are not an important part of that story they don't need to be there.

Actually, in the story I'm currently working with the opposite problem. None of the characters are in the kind of relationship that they would be on a first-name basis with each other, so there are a couple of them that I am debating whether or not they need first names.