I sometimes make things up, sometimes go for Latin or Greek translations. Sometimes I take names of places or people and mix them up. It really depends on the story. My guilty pleasure is the "choose your baby's name" book. For animals, I invent a history and take key concepts from that history, which I translate to different languages, mix up a little, or simply keep in English.
The worst for me is naming instrumental compositions. I would so love to call them "Snowstorm" or "Rainy day". But that is much too mushy and sentimental. Usually, I end up calling them "Opus" or "Composition" or something equally vile and abstract.
