When naming a character, is thematic naming or realistic naming more important?
Or is there a way to strike a balance between thematic naming and realistic naming?
Thematic: When the name relates to the character directly. Example: someone who only wears black clothes has the surname Sable, which means "black".
Realistic: What a character from a particular place and time is likely to have as a name based on statistics. Example: the common surnames in the United States are Smith, Brown, Jones, etc
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1 answer
There are many factors that would affect what names would work better for your characters.
First, is the character using a name, nickname or pseudonym? A nickname would be given for some reason, a pseudonym would be chosen with some thought in mind. It therefore makes sense for nicknames and pseudonyms to reflect some trait of the person using them.
Second, who gives a name, and when? In some cultures, a person receives a new name when becoming an adult, or when joining a particular profession (for example - Geisha). This trope is also quite common in fiction. Tolkien's elves, for example, acquired names in the course of their lifetime, given by people close to them, based on traits.
A name given as we're used to in Western society, by the parents, could be thematic in a different way - it could reflect what kind of background the child comes from. Take for example Michael Carpenter, a religious character from the Dresden Files series. His children are named Molly (that's short for Mary: sourceenter link description here), Daniel, Matthew, Alicia, Amanda, Hope. See a trend here? So, for a minor character, a name would provide information on the character's background.
Finally, when you pick a realistic name, you have a long list of names to chose from. There's no reason why you shouldn't pick something thematically appropriate. Take Michael Carpenter, mentioned above. It's not a name that stands out in a crowd, is it? But what if I told you the guy is a Knight of the Cross? Suddenly both his surname and given name become thematically appropriate, don't they? (And you don't even need to know what exactly a Knight of the Cross is.)
In some settings, you can ignore realism entirely in favour of thematic names. This works best in humorous works, not meant to be taken seriously, or in works for children (think of Cruella De Vil).
However, some readers (me) might find names that are too thematically in-your-face detracting from the story you are trying to tell. The main character in "Good Omens" being called Adam - that's a stroke of genius, tying together the themes of the book. Remus Lupin in "Harry Potter", on the other hand screams to me "my parents knew I was going to become a werewolf, so they gave me both a name and a family name that would fit."
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