I prefer to name my characters based on their name meaning. I take history of the name (such as famous people with the name) and origins in to consideration, but I mostly focus on the meaning.
I once read a writer say that most parents don't intentionally name their child "dead sexy manslut love interest", so we shouldn't give characters a name that their parents wouldn't logically give them (obviously that wasn't the name meaning they used, but you get the idea). I like the idea of this: we must take parental influence into consideration, but as a writer I can make the parents any way I want. If I want my LI's name to mean "dead sexy manslut love interest", can make his mother into a gold digger who wants girls to find her son irresistible.
We have the power to do anything.
I have used my power to name my LI... David. The name works extremely well based on the history, meaning and parental influence.
My only problem...
I know a lot of people named David.
I am no ways naming my character after them, but it's difficult to write a really romantic scene when I remember how my cousin David made fun of me for liking Disney Channel when I was 7.
How do you name your characters/ problems you face when naming characters>?
