What's in a Name?

A good name is good, but the perfect name is priceless.
Ever struggled with naming a character?  I have many times. Like it or not, the name you choose for your character holds value with your reader.  For many years I've used baby books to learn the origin and meaning of names for my characters.  Of course, one can always delve into the past to find a good one.  Nothing like using a modified version of the name of a childhood bully when you need to kill someone off  or you're searching for the name of your story's spineless traitor.
Recently, when researching 19th century sailing ships for LURE, I came upon a few sites that contained passenger lists of the ships that traveled during that time.   I felt as though I'd struck gold.  These sites listed entire families' names and ages, births, deaths, and doctor's anicdotal notes (which was a GREAT resource when reseaching the lexicon of the period).  Honestly, it wasn't as though I found any new and exciting names, and I already had the common sense to know that a 19th century English boy would probably not be named Racer or Chad.  It was just seeing those lists, those families who took what they could carry and risked life and limb to start anew.   Those names had value to me, they were real.
I chose to mix and match first and last names from these lists to name the few characters whose names weren't working for me.    If you're having trouble with names, you may want to try it too. if your work is historical make sure you include the time period in your search.
Let me know if this post was helpful and if you have any tips for naming characters. I'd love to hear from you.   Happy naming!
C