Places to find character names

My son graduated last Friday. There were 388 kids in his class. As I read the program, in which all of their names were listed, it occurred to me that it would be a great source for character names. There was a lot of diversity -- from Indian to Asian to American. I pitied the poor soul who had to read the names during the presentation of the diplomas. I totally would have butchered many of the names.

I went to my niece's graduation the following day. There were only 34 kids in her graduating class. She graduated from a small Christian academy. But there were some really unusual names in her program as well.

So here's my tip for the week. Lists of graduates are a great place to find character names. And, you can also use the lists of students on the distinguished honor and regular honor rolls. Many of these lists are published in your local newspaper or available on your local newspaper's website or on the school's website.

Other places to find names in the newspaper:
Wedding and engagement announcements
Obits
Divorce listings
Marriage license listings
Crime reports
Birth announcements

Can you add to this list?