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Name Central



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Tue Apr 10, 2012 8:24 pm
SidereaAquila says...



If I need a normal name, I tend to trust my instincts and go with the first thing that pops into my head, with maybe a few nicknames or tweaks for the character's personality.

I have a different method for fantasy names. For the novel I'm working on now, a lot of the names came from the asteroid database of my virtual planetarium software. I just scroll through the list, read the names out loud, and pick something that sounds right. If I don't find something there, I pick a Latin word or phrase that reminds me of the character's personality and anagram it until it sounds right. I learned that method from a friend.
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Fri Apr 13, 2012 7:22 pm
liagiba says...



i have a character called Amanda which is fine but her best friend is called Samantha, i always think they sound too similar,
"Things? Hello! What kind of things? Interesting things? I love things. Ask anyone." - the 11th doctor :) :)
  





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Mon Apr 23, 2012 12:04 am
deleted11 says...



What I generally do - if the perfect name doesn't present itself right away, as it often does - is scan through a couple of favorite books and look at some of my favorite names. Then I pick a few that sound like they match the personality of my character and take little bits from each to create a totally unique and fitting name. For example, once I was looking for something appropriate for a proud yet kind fellow, willing to beat the snot out of anyone looking for trouble.Strong- and mean-looking, yet with a frequently showing soft side. Long, wavy black hair, light green eyes, and a little on the tall side. I took the names Graystripe, Braveheart, Storm, Flash, and Sunstream. Though the character is a man, some of those are female names, which is fine. I came out with StormFlash Graystream. As you can see, I didn't use all of them, because it wasn't necessary. I like odd names, but you can make a fairly ordinary or an extreamly far-flung name using this technique.
  





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Tue May 15, 2012 12:53 am
nikkikajeh says...



What I do sometimes is think about the background of my character (heritage wise) or what nationality I think they look like then search names from said country.

Spoiler! :
I always have a hell of a hard time with last names
Spoiler! :
I shower naked
“Sometimes you climb out of bed in the morning and you think, I'm not going to make it, but you laugh inside — remembering all the times you've felt that way.” Charles Bukowski
  





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Tue May 22, 2012 9:54 pm
MaryEvans says...



Naming has always been quite an annoyance for me. Sometimes the names just come naturally. I imagine the character and the name just pops up on its own. But in most of the cases I leave them nameless for chapter after chapter simply because I can’t think of anything suiting or cool. To solve it I sometimes use name generating websites (I’ve been sticking to http://www.behindthename.com/ . It has quite the vast database and pretty cool search options.) Sometimes I go for something more common and simple, other times for more exotic or odd sounding names, it all really depends on the particular character. I look at their stories, think of what they are like, how they act, and then, if I am still stuck, go to a name generating site and search for names with certain meanings or history that I think relates to the characters. Else I suggest thinking about the characters origins, nationalities, family etc. when it comes to family names, or even first. For example I had a character with a Scottish mother so I just browsed through names with such origins until I found something to my liking. If all that still doesn’t help with finding a name it at least gives me a general idea a direction in which I should search.

I also like my names to actually look good. I don’t like them to be too made up or too unordinary with too many syllables or vowels or... well you get what I mean. Taking a piece of paper and writing names and name combination down helps greatly to actually get a feeling of the names and weed out those that don’t fit.
As for names for concepts or creatures or religions or whatnot I am pretty much at a loss. If I do need to think of one though, which I had to a few times, I just leave it blank and wait for inspiration to hit me. Sometimes I just hear a name I like or invent a name I like in which case I just write it down and wait for an opportunity to use it.

In any case if you are still stuck don’t think too hard about it, you don’t necessarily need a name right away, give it time and it should come on its own. Or try later when your mind is swarming with less thoughts and ideas.
  





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Thu May 31, 2012 7:46 am
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Spinme says...



Sometimes I have pages FULL of various ideas for a name for one character. It's so troublesome because

a) It has to sound right. Is it easily said? Introduce a last name and the two have to link nicely. (i.e. "Harry Potter" is a really easy name to verbalise. Rolls off the tongue :) )

b) Gotta be memorable, and can't be confused with any other names in the same book or other books. What a problem!!


For me, Ive found that certain letters have personalities. V is sharp and hard, suggesting strength and dominance. A is inspiring, heroic, the first in line. E has a natural feel to it, a certain trustability. G is old, ancient and wise. As for every other letter, its sorta just free-run haha.

I used to do this really weird thing (some of you may find this useful) where I'd list out the personality traits of a character like so:

F U N N Y
R O U N D
B E A R D E D
A N G R Y

Then try and get a name by choosing a letter from each column.

R O A N Y

Sometimes the letters are an absolute mess so I'd just rearrange them and maybe swap a few in or out. I've since stopped relying solely on this because its works for fantasy but not much else haha :P

It's all about the sound of the name. Does the name match the character?
  





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Tue Jun 05, 2012 11:08 pm
ColleenTremain says...



When I have to think of a character name I do two things, one is that I use friends names or last name or I simply google baby names or character names.
  





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Thu Jun 21, 2012 5:48 pm
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KatKage says...



Most of the characters in my head don't have names and when I try to tell my friends about them, I can't cause I'm like 'then this character did this,...no you're thinking about THAT character, I'm talking about the one that...' ^^''
The thing to do is let inspiration strike you ^^ I look up meanings first and then go with my instincts ^^ sometimes I spend hours and still can't find a good name, then a week later I look for five min. and find the perfect one ^^
This one time, I was in my car and I had just come up a new idea and all of a sudden I hear a name 'tetsu' and I was like "Holy dang what was that!?!?!" and then i said 'oh, that name fits' ^^ later I looked it up and it means iron, which fit my character so well ^u^
So, ya. just go with your gut ^^ it knows more than your head
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Sun Aug 12, 2012 5:39 pm
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barefootrunner says...



What always works for me is to walk through a library or go through a lot of books and look at the names of the little-known authors or editors and whisper them to myself until I find one that fits. Then I match it up with the surname of a different author. Or sometimes I am just stuck for a first name or a surname and already have the other ready.

The pronunciation really matters for me. I remember finding an Irish name, Ceridwen, for a minor character I wanted to introduce into a story. It looked really nice, but the pronunciation was Kerry-dwen, and the first two syllables sound exactly like "curry" in my home language. I was so put off that I scrapped the idea entirely. Goodbye minor character.

But anyway, did you know that JK Rowling used astral names for her characters?

Sirius is part of Canis Major, the big dog (ironic,isn't it?) and Bellatrix is right beside Betelgeuse. Rigel is also part of Orion. Saiph, of the same constellation, is still up for grabs, though! Then there's Aldebaran, Hamal and Achernar to name but a few!
"Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts" - Einstein
  





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Sun Aug 12, 2012 9:17 pm
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wordsandwishes says...



I find that when having trouble with character names, it helps if you reflect on the character and find something in the world that's like them.
Example: Fun, outgoing, bright eyes, golden hair, athletic, and caring: Sun
Hope I could help!

w&w
  





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Mon Aug 13, 2012 12:26 pm
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AlfredSymon says...



Sometimes I don't even use names for characters. It gives them the sense of mystery, an unfinished know waiting to be tied. Anyways, when I do name, I do symbols or motifs. For example, if I'm writing a modern-day love story, Romeo and Juliet are good names. Or if I'm writing about, say, horror novel about teenagers, I go with some stereotypical names like Julie, Steve, Maureen, Nick and the like.

Oh, and some research isn't a bad idea, too. Using symbols can either work or break the character. So it's best to use them sparingly, as in if you're very sure the name clicks.
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Fri Aug 17, 2012 1:35 am
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Cadence says...



It took me about 3 years to come up with a name for the character in the story I'm writing now. I settled on Ember Mae a little while ago, and the name of one of my other main characters, Juvenis, came from a list of names given to me by a friend. It's apparently supposed to be a boy's name, but it works for the female character. Only one left that I'm shaky on - Annabelle or Quinn? Something completely different? I'm leaning towards Quinn, but I'm open to other suggestions. Please help! :shock:
- Cadence
  





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Fri Aug 17, 2012 4:24 am
KatKage says...



What's her personality? ^^ Names that play on personality are always a good way to go ^u^
I am a Leaf on the Wind,
Watch me Soar
~
Kyrie Eleison down the road that I must travel,
Kyrie Eleison through darkness of the night
  





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Fri Aug 17, 2012 4:28 am
Cadence says...



A bit shy but regal nonetheless, in a position of power, definitely a good person through and through, very warm and caring..... I think I'd use the word elegant if I could only choose one, or soft, but with an adventurous side
- Cadence
  





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Fri Aug 17, 2012 4:37 am
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KatKage says...



Annabelle seems to be the best choice to me ^^ That's just my opinion though ^u^
I am a Leaf on the Wind,
Watch me Soar
~
Kyrie Eleison down the road that I must travel,
Kyrie Eleison through darkness of the night
  








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