Character Names

[FireRock]

I definitely have a character's personality almost completely done...then I'll think a letter that goes with that personality...their first name will begin with that letter.

Then I just look through name books or online or wherever for inspiration...I very much take the meaning of the name into consideration. For last names I just look at the authors on books around the house. I've actually started compiling a list of last names in a notebook. I think they're often harder to find and come up with than first names, but i almost always give my characters a last name, even if I never use it.

I like the putting letters together and mixing up names to come up with new ones...I've tried that before and come up with a couple of good ones.

 

[nowbeginsforever]

I do the weirdest things coming up with characters names. I either spell out a name or a word backwards and tweak it, or I scramble the letters in a word that does mean something to me, and often come up with a good name.

 

[Narmegil]

That's pretty cool, backwards and scrambling sound really fun.

 

[youthwalk]

I loosely base my names on mythology. As in the meaning of a historical or mythological name influences my character name according to their personality.

 

[nowbeginsforever]

It is kind of fun! I haven't found a better way to make up names. =P

 

[Bree1]

I don't really make up names. Mostly I use names that I've heard before and that I like. Sometimes they're unusual, sometimes fairly common. A few examples from my current work in progress:
Kathleen, Raylene, Heather, Padraic (pronounced Parrick), Lucy, James, Alex, and Randall.
Occasionally I'll use baby naming books or websites to help me come up with ideas.

 

[peacebypeace]

Hi--
I try to update character names from mythology, based one if their heroic, then a hero's name, evil, then a villains name, etc. etc. At times I have to mix different myths, Norse with Roman. It's fun, but can be time consuming.

 

[Templedweller]

When I name my characters sometimes it comes from an attribute they embody or represent. The Right, The Good, The Pure, Hatred, Darkness & Evil have been some characters in my writings.

I have done the mixing up of letters like some of the others. Sometimes my characters have been somewhat type-casted and they get their names that one might shake their head at and be like "Oh-my how typical?" in some of my younger writings.

But then there are some characters that I have just been way highly descriptive with. Maybe too much at times...and I have let The Cashier Clerk With Dyed Orangey-Purple Hair in the Grande Cloud of Raspberry Watermelon Bubble Gum, embody my characters with no name given and with her all they'd have to do if they actually had a problem with her is give a description of her to the manager Cuz she had too many award pins and stickers of service on her name badge anyway You couldn't see her name for it All!!!...somethin like that.

Writing is wonderfuland I really enjoy it too


Sincerely,
Templedweller

 

[fullthrottle]

I usually like to use unusual names by making them up or looking at a website with lots of baby names, if i cant find anything unusual then i take a name i like and change the spelling and pronunciation to make it more unusual. Another way if i cant find or think any names i like is you make a sentence with just a few words (something like "the water is cold") and then pick a number ( i usually use something short like 3) and then cross of every third letter (or whatever number you chose) and keep doing that until the name is whatever length you want it. After i do that i usually change the spelling just a bit until it looks good. Thats a good way to find unique names if you cant think of anything. Hope i explained that good

 

[Buskanaka]

short names are good. It's hard to get into a story if you can't remember who the characters.

I like to use name databases, and use foreign and unusual names. I like finding names that have a particular meaning that fits the personality for my character.

 

[Becky153]

I like to just let my mind wander and choose the most random name that pops up; Yalena, Belin, Altakey (pronounced Alla-key), Tehkry, and Jharsh--also like to think of how they talk and how they are portrayed in society

 

[Soldier_For_Christ]

Name-creating is a fun but difficult process for me. I've also found some very interesting things about some names. For example, I named one of the elves in the book I am writing Athalia, but then a friend of mine found that that name was already used...in the Bible, of all places. Yep, turned out that Athaliah (my character's name plus an "H") was an evil queen in 2 Kings. So...suffice it to say, I'm now considering renaming Athalia...heavily considering...

As to exact technique, I kinda just do whatever comes to my mind. Scrabble is good, as are online name search engines, but most of the names I come up with using the kind of technique where I start saying syllables and sound out the name until something sticks.

 

[sunstruckdream]

i LOVE the naming process

i have a baby name book. i google name websites all the time. i make names up. i mix them till i have something i like.

it's FUN!!!

hehehe....sorry, but i really do enjoy it as much as it sounds like...if not more