Need a name for a bully

[Quillwitch]

Hi everyone:

I´m trying to rename my bully whose name was Spike during the first draft but it seems too American and I´m looking for something with more of a British feel to it. Any ideas? What do you think about Spike? too common? overused?
So, this is for a tween novel, and the character is a piece of work ( think Ace from Stand by Me or the baddies from Karate Kid). But he also goes to a wealthy kid´s school and bullies the MC for not being as good as them. He is a minor character, but important enough to give him a name. I had also called him the Evan´s boy, but then someone mentioned that Evans is a very popular surname and would not make sense if he is showing off his lineage.
What do you think?
Go!

 

[Tim James]

Jasper
Griff
Buster (a bit cliche perhaps)
Carl
Terry
Vernon (always found that name a bit menacing, don't know why and I hope I'm not offending any Vernons out there)

 

[Rich.]

You might call him Zane or Zac, both kind of upper-middle-class British, and both start with a 'Z', which is a nice spiky letter. As for a surname, if he's British, goes to a posh school, and wants to show off his name, go for something double-barrelled – like Casterleigh-Smyth or Woolford-Brock – or something French – all the real old money in Britain is French.

 

[Quillwitch]

You might call him Zane or Zac, both kind of upper-middle-class British, and both start with a 'Z', which is a nice spiky letter. As for a surname, if he's British, goes to a posh school, and wants to show off his name, go for something double-barrelled – like Casterleigh-Smyth or Woolford-Brock – or something French – all the real old money in Britain is French.

Huh! Interesting observations!

 

[Quillwitch]

Jasper
Griff
Buster (a bit cliche perhaps)
Carl
Terry
Vernon (always found that name a bit menacing, don't know why and I hope I'm not offending any Vernons out there)

Vernon is taken...as in Vernon Dursley. Any nicknames you can think of?

 

[Tim James]

Brad
Dirk
Natt (Nathan)

 

[Amber]

I like Rufus as a mean first name.

British Baby Names

 

[AngryPI]

When I think Spike, I think Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It also sounds implausible as a name--did the parents actually call their child Spike as a baby/toddler/infant? Even the fictional character in the TV show adopted the name as they were turned.

Could his "friends" be forced to call him by his surname? Evans? Or perhaps a nickname that emphasises his particular brand of bullying, i.e. Windsor for tying his victims up in Windsor knots?

 

[Quillwitch]

When I think Spike, I think Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It also sounds implausible as a name--did the parents actually call their child Spike as a baby/toddler/infant? Even the fictional character in the TV show adopted the name as they were turned.

Could his "friends" be forced to call him by his surname? Evans? Or perhaps a nickname that emphasises his particular brand of bullying, i.e. Windsor for tying his victims up in Windsor knots?

No, of course not. I´m looking for a nickname AND a name or surname. or Either/Or. I think maybe my original post was not very well written, sorry. I wrote it without thinking. Anyway, his last name was Evans and his "stage" name was Spike. I´d like to change both of them. And he didn´t have a first name.
I like that idea of a name that goes with his brand of bullying! I´ll have to think about that. Nice idea!

 

[Quillwitch]

I like Rufus as a mean first name.

British Baby Names

hmmmmm, all that comes to my mind is Rufus Wainright and he´s not a baddie...but I can see the connection. It´s a name that was used for dogs back in the day, wasn´t it?

 

[Quillwitch]

Brad
Dirk
Natt (Nathan)

Oh, yes indeed! My villain is called Nathan!!

 

[Amber]

hmmmmm, all that comes to my mind is Rufus Wainright and he´s not a baddie...but I can see the connection. It´s a name that was used for dogs back in the day, wasn´t it?

Rufus Sewell usually plays a bully. That's the only Rufus I know. I should have prefaced my try at name picking by saying I'm not usually any good at it.

 

[Paul Whybrow]

Using an innocent-sounding name, one that sounds unthreatening, could be scarier than calling them something tough. Trevor, for instance.

 

[lrholland]

Donald.

 

[Katie-Ellen]

If he's about lineage, Rufus could work. We had a king Rufus. William Rufus. he got murdered.

If bully boy's an aristo, he's likely to have a trad name or else a 'family' name, like a surname used as a first name. Nathan isn't particularly 'public school'. Trevor, no way. Donald, maybe, if he's Scottish. Too Celtic for ye landed families.

What's that name...Viking/Norman but also uber posh yuppie....*bashes memory*. (British landed aristos are still more likely than not to have a name used by the Normans.)

I always thought this was a really thuggish posh name (sincere apologies to proper, goodly gentlemen bearers of that name.) Rollo.

 

[lrholland]

Oh, and Rupert.

 

[Katie-Ellen]

Yes! 'The Ruperts'. Ever since Prince Rupert of the Rhine.

 

[Amber]

Donald.

I really dislike The Donalds.

 

[Amber]

I always thought this was a really thuggish posh name (sincere apologies to proper, goodly gentlemen bearers of that name.) Rollo.

Milk chocolate with a caramel center.

Rolf ... but I think that's German. Also, in The Sound of Music.

 

[Carly]

Boris, Michael, Ian, Jeremy, Nigel.

 

[Quillwitch]

Sorry about the confusion, here. I´m actually more interested in nicknames...is that a thing in the UK or is it only the US? Or because he is of an upper class he wouldn´t use a nickname?

 

[Barbara]

I once knew a guy with the nickname 'Bash'. A martial artist, so it made sense.

Or something along the lines of 'Big Man'. That would give a sense of 'size', not necessarily physical, but psychological. It might show how others perceive him (important and masculine - perfect characteristic for a bully), since in most cases others give us our nicknames.

Yes, Amber is right, Rolf is German.

 

[Carly]

Upper class nicknames aren't my bag but poss. Fitz or Darcy if he fancies himself a bit. Reggie if he's a tad thuggish. Boris (Karloff) if he looks a bit of a horror story. But I don't know many upper class people and those I do tend to have a thing about using their middle names in place of their first names, rather than their first name, or to simply use their surname. So maybe you'd be best to make a play on his surname.

 

[Katie-Ellen]

Milk chocolate with a caramel center.

Rolf ... but I think that's German. Also, in The Sound of Music.

Lol, Rolo. Not had one of those in ages. Now I fancy one. Look what you did.

 

[Erica Verrillo]

Donald.

 

[lrholland]

Flash.

 

[Marc Joan]

Cham. It's a contraction of 'champers', alluding perhaps to your villain's favourite beverage, which no doubt he swills straight from the bottle. It also has echoes of 'champ', which feeds your villain's self-image. But perhaps the nickname originated when, during a history lesson at school, the teacher touched upon the life of Samuel Johnson (The Great Cham). For reasons which only the author knows, your villain's sycophantic toady friends started calling him The Great Cham, and it stuck. Finally, the word has slightly spivvy undertones -- chum, chav -- which may be appropriate for his character.

 

[Carly]

Cham. It's a contraction of 'champers', alluding perhaps to your villain's favourite beverage, which no doubt he swills straight from the bottle. It also has echoes of 'champ', which feeds your villain's self-image. But perhaps the nickname originated when, during a history lesson at school, the teacher touched upon the life of Samuel Johnson (The Great Cham). For reasons which only the author knows, your villain's sycophantic toady friends started calling him The Great Cham, and it stuck. Finally, the word has slightly spivvy undertones -- chum, chav -- which may be appropriate for his character.

I like that, Marc.

 

[Quillwitch]

I once knew a guy with the nickname 'Bash'. A martial artist, so it made sense.

Or something along the lines of 'Big Man'. That would give a sense of 'size', not necessarily physical, but psychological. It might show how others perceive him (important and masculine - perfect characteristic for a bully), since in most cases others give us our nicknames.

Yes, Amber is right, Rolf is German.

OOOH! THATS GREAT ONE!!

 

[Quillwitch]

Cham. It's a contraction of 'champers', alluding perhaps to your villain's favourite beverage, which no doubt he swills straight from the bottle. It also has echoes of 'champ', which feeds your villain's self-image. But perhaps the nickname originated when, during a history lesson at school, the teacher touched upon the life of Samuel Johnson (The Great Cham). For reasons which only the author knows, your villain's sycophantic toady friends started calling him The Great Cham, and it stuck. Finally, the word has slightly spivvy undertones -- chum, chav -- which may be appropriate for his character.

Nice!