Need help picking a name for character

[Fearmyboxers]

My character is a Native American orphan, he was left in a black basket with black items, and when he is ten, he finds out he has the power to control darkness/shadows. I originally had his name as Ian Midnight, but a friend said it sounded weird, and my grandma suggested Nightwalker. Because I have a hard time with last names, I decided to come here with a poll.

[FindingJackie]

I personally don't like names that tell you the character is magical and what kind of powers he has, unless it's in a universe where people know when they give the name (like if they receive the name in a coming-of-age ceremony, the whole family has always had those powers, or some sort of seer can tell at the child's birth). Also, your character was found in a basket, so it's unlikely that he will have a real last name. Think about who found him, how that person or organism would name him. Do all found kids in that place receive the same name, or does the person pick something on a whim? I opted for Black, in your poll, because it's a real last name, so it's plausible for someone to call him that, and I think the fact that he was in a black basket with black objects could be enough to make someone pick this specific name instead of something else. It's your call, though. Name your character however you want, once you'll have given it a little thought.

[Fearmyboxers]

The woman at the orphanage gave him a last name, it was dark out and with the black items is the reason I had her give him the last name Midnight, but a friend made me second guess it. the names like Nightwalker and Longshadow are like if he decides to change his own last name, after the events that lead to him finding out he has superpowers. I'm almost done with chapter 1 and I just wanted to get some opinions on my naming choices lol Ulmerson is the last name of the director of the orphanage, so I decided to throw that up into the poll. I do like the last name Black because it is a common last name, which is why that is in the poll.

[Turnilk]

I can't say I like any of the names. I read them before getting to what you said about the character, and all of them reek of "This character was named specifically to show that something special about them." That isn't how people are named I reality, and when people do it with their characters, it sounds weird and out of place. If the location of this story is in a fictional world, you might be able to get away with it, so long as it doesn't stick out like a sore thumb. So basically, you'd have to name other characters similarly. Or maybe he chose his own name, in which case, choosing something that "fits" but sticks out is kind of okay.

A run down of the names and what I thought:

-- "Black and "Harris" are the two that I would be more comfortable with than the others seeing how they are real last names.
-- Naming a character "Midnight" is like naming someone "noon" or "3 o'clock" or "happy hour", it just sounds weird!
-- "Nightwalker", "Longshadow" and "Onyx" are the worst. They scream "I picked this name because my character is special and it matches their abilities!"
-- I have little objection to "Ulmerson" other than that it reminds me of the pokemon umbreon. It could just be me that sees it though.

[Fearmyboxers]

I am going to change the names in the poll, I do agree that Nightwalker,Longshadow, and onyx were bad choices, and my friend pointed out Midnight sounded weird. Changed them to have more normal sounding last names o.o I like the name Ian, but I didn't want to go the normal superhero last name where its first and last name start with the same letter lol this is my first time actually trying to write something that isn't fanfiction or original fiction that I just write as I go.

[Bonnie McCullough]

Ian Quinn has a really nice ring to it. It sounds a little mysterious.

[Fearmyboxers]

I just did the last update of adding one last name, i hate that it gets rid of the votes afterwards x.x

[SchizoSpazz]

You could hit up a baby name website, and look for where you can find names that mean something specific, then look for names that mean 'black.' or 'night' or something to that effect, if you want it to reflect that ability.

Most first names anymore started out as last names. This shouldn't be too different.

[Desmond the Mudblood]

Fearmyboxers

The woman at the orphanage gave him a last name, it was dark out and with the black items is the reason I had her give him the last name Midnight, but a friend made me second guess it. the names like Nightwalker and Longshadow are like if he decides to change his own last name, after the events that lead to him finding out he has superpowers. I'm almost done with chapter 1 and I just wanted to get some opinions on my naming choices lol Ulmerson is the last name of the director of the orphanage, so I decided to throw that up into the poll. I do like the last name Black because it is a common last name, which is why that is in the poll.

An orphan doesn't just get their name from the first person who happens upon them. A judge will name the child if the parents are unknown, or the child's adoptive parents (a quick google search taught me that). So there's another reason to go with a normal last name.

As for suggestions for names, I can't help you. I don't know if you're looking for "cool" sounding names, or "mysterious" or what.

[Fearmyboxers]

Thank you to those who voted for the name, I decided to go with Quinn because of feedback on another site.

[Moral Gutpunch]

Fearmyboxers

Longshadow

I doubt you're still interested in using this, but just in case, this name belongs to a native american superhero (a remaned version of Apache Chief).

Ian Quinn sounds awesome by the way.