Names play an important role in defining characters and can inform readers of what they should expect from a text. But not all names need to be serious—indeed, for much of the last century, comedic names have been preferred.
Funny Names Are Serious Business
Ian MacAllen
Ian MacAllen is the author of Red Sauce: How Italian Food Became American (Rowman & Littlefield, April 2022). His writing has appeared in Chicago Review of Books, Southern Review of Books, The Offing, 45th Parallel Magazine, Little Fiction, Vol 1. Brooklyn, and elsewhere. Find him at IanMacAllen.com.