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[Opinions] Mary, Carrie, or Sam?
Split between Mary Carrie and Sam (short for Samantha) as first names for a character I have, (Time period is late 2000"s)
Other name suggestions also welcome!

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I like Carrie best but if the story takes place in the late 2000s I’d probably go with Kerri or Keri.
Mary would be more interesting. Sam is probably more modern than Carrie. Depends on what you want.
I actually like the name Mary the most, but it may seem too old to some people.
I think a Mary would have to be old and/or Catholic. It would seem odd on a youngish person in the late 2000's without an explanation. I like Carrie in theory but it reads as very "sweet", less of a main character and more like someone's innocent young daughter who gets killed off for the plot. Sam / Samantha is more common but also seems to have more spirit and personality and more potential main character energy, or at least a character with a realistic personality. You'll need to describe the character's age and personality before I could come up with other suggestions!
Age of character as that may change the answer.
Carrie. Samantha would be my first choice if it was full name only. Mary is boring and overused.Other suggestions:
Alexandra, Annabelle, Ariana, Cara, Cassidy, Christina, Gabrielle, Faith, Isabelle, Jada, Karina, Katherine, Lauren, Marissa, Miranda, Natalie, Serena, Tara

This message was edited 5/24/2024, 2:19 PM

Sam would be my pick. Mary is too old fashioned, and Carrie is pretty dated too. Callie could work well, depending on how old they are supposed to be.
I'd go with Samantha first, then Carrie. You could tweak Mary to something like Maria or Marie. Other suggestions: Jessica, Angelica, Lindsay, Bethany, Heather, Lisa, Rosemary, Audrey, Irene, Olivia, Lydia, Katelyn, Penelope "Penny," Joy, Claudia, Danielle, Juanita, Francesca, Kellie, and Erin.
Carrie. Mary is nice, but it doesn't scream late 2000s to me, and I feel like Sam is just a little cliche.
Additional suggestions: Abbie/Abigail, Anna, Corrie, Kat, Jessie, Victoria, Taylor, Lauren, Grace, Rachel, Molly