Character Names

[Chinkoln]

I need some help. If you look at some recent topics, you will see that I am planning to write a book. The problem is, I can’t come up with any names. I don’t want any generic names from Earth, but I don’t know how to come up with names like Kaladin, Elend, or Raoden. If you can think of any innovative names, please post them below.

[Spren of Kindness]

Baby name books are super helpful.  You can find a lot of names in there that aren't very common.

[revelryintheart]

I just use this website and keep clicking until I find names I like.

https://www.fantasynamegenerators.com

[Frustration]

30 minutes ago, revelryintheart said:

I just use this website and keep clicking until I find names I like.

https://www.fantasynamegenerators.com

Do that, and then modify them to your tastes, but my best and most memorable names just come to me, I was stepping outside once and my favorite name just hit me right then and there.

[BreezeCauthon]

Here's what I do:

Use relatively uncommon Earth names: Rowan, Uriah, Maxmillian 

Take Earth names and corrupt them: Andrew --> Andar, Calvin --> Calvar, Ethan --> Aethyn

Make up random words that sound nice: Belfan, Yagmar, Ellian 

[Channelknight Fadran]

Go to the Super Smash Bros Ultimate roster and commit plaigarism! (That's not actually how I got Corrin's name, but it could work).

Or fall asleep and let your dreams do all the work! (That is how I got Aurora's name).

Take your friends names and do BreezeCauthon's method of corrupting them. (Macy -> Lacy)

[Darkfinder]

I think of a naming scheme for that culture and use that.

Meaning I find some letters or a sound or structure that that the culture uses in names and then use that to make all my names.
 

Spoiler

This advice may or may not be useful. I'm horrible at thinking up of names it's in my member title so this might not help. Also the names might sound terrible.

 

[Xardan Ta'Caran]

Several of the names I used when I was writing a novel came from WoW. I just ran around looking at character names in the big cities and wrote down the ones I liked best.

[BethOvermyer]

I really like Behind the Name for figuring out what to call my characters. Sometimes I'll take last names as first names, or something in nature will inspire me. Also, listening to Enya (her songs in Elvish) and writing down what it sounds like she's singing, then tweaking it so its not Elvish is another thing I've done in the past. Oh, and taking everyday words as names. I have a character who's a bit slow, so his name is Quick (for irony's sake.) And his sister is Jinn (Djinn with the D taken off, obviously.) Hope that gives you some ideas!

[Bearer of all agonies]

Thank you for this! I was going to post this because I need new character names. 

[DramaQueen]

I kind of use the character's traits sometimes. For example, I had a character who was a leather-worker and I looked up something along the lines of "names that mean leather/leathery" and Hleotha came up, though I now can't find that anywhere, so maybe it was a dream.

Or, I know someone with a character named Silvester who had silver hair, so names that sound like a word that describes them could work. (It also makes it easier for the reader to remember their name and what they look like at the same time)

Or things that they like, for example, I also had a character named June Aspen because she was a summery naturey fairy girl.

Or maybe you'll think a word sounds cool, like I really like the word "Cascade" so I could use that as a name, or change it slightly to "Cascand," "Cascine" or "Casade."

[I Am A Fish]

I find it helpful to add prefixes and suffixes to a preexisting name. Or just find names that sound cool.

Ex: Asher-> Vasher

Ex: Kace -> Kacen 

Or just keep with Kace cause that sounds cool.

[Bearer of all agonies]

Thanks for this!

[Condensation]

Can I get some help with names? I need some Elantrian names. I'd prefer if they were based on Aons, but really anything from Sel will work.

[BreezeCauthon]

On 9/1/2020 at 0:22 PM, I Used To Be A Fish said:

I find it helpful to add prefixes and suffixes to a preexisting name. Or just find names that sound cool.

Ex: Asher-> Vasher

Ex: Kace -> Kacen 

Or just keep with Kace cause that sounds cool.

Personally, I think Asher sounds cooler than Vasher. But that might just be because that's my name.

[I Am A Fish]

6 minutes ago, BreezeCauthon said:

Personally, I think Asher sounds cooler than Vasher. But that might just be because that's my name.

No, I wholeheartedly agree.

[danex]

I like to have multiple people from the same culture have similar naming schemes. For example, my character in the FOtT world, Radriarc. Honestly, I’m still not sure if I like that name, but I am going to use the naming scheme of “-iar” followed by a hard consonant. So other names from his culture could be Leviart, Hethiarm, Kompliark. None of those were particularly good, but they were easy to come up with because I had a pre-set idea for how to form the names. 

[Frustration]

7 hours ago, Danex said:

I like to have multiple people from the same culture have similar naming schemes. For example, my character in the FOtT world, Radriarc. Honestly, I’m still not sure if I like that name, but I am going to use the naming scheme of “-iar” followed by a hard consonant. So other names from his culture could be Leviart, Hethiarm, Kompliark. None of those were particularly good, but they were easy to come up with because I had a pre-set idea for how to form the names. 

That's big brain.