For major characters, it just has to feel right. I don't know if there's much logic to it feeling right. Thinking about it, all my characters have pretty traditional names... I would feel silly writing about a Sunshine Buttercup or something. I did recently Google 'strong female names' because I knew I wanted a one-syllable name with a hard consonant sound but none of the ones I thought of felt right. I settled on Kate in the end.
Strange, but sometimes I think of the name before the character. Or, when I am writing an outline, I use the very first name that comes to me. I have never used a generator, I'm going to try it!
I usually start with picturing the character, but sometimes the name easily comes with the developing of such. Though, when I have a character in mind I think about what their origins may be, since I barely use only Americans/other in my stories. Then I scroll through the lists (mostly 20000 names or behindthename) and make sure the meaning of the name and the sound of it suits the character in my eyes.
I was buying a lottery ticket yesterday and I asked the person what his name was. I liked it so I'm using it. It's that simple.
I try to get creative. When it comes to giving realistic names to characters from different parts of the world. I generally do a search for archives of names based on gender to get a reasonable result. Also last names as well. As for aliens I have to get imaginative. I don't like the random generators as it feels like cheating and it may not deliver a name worthy of the character. So pretty much just mash names together if they feel true to the characters.
I usually try to brainstorm names and I have come up with a few by just sitting at he computer. I have also looked up a couple unique names and used those. But another way I do it is I get like an add in the newspaper (A grocery add) or a yearbook. I basically change a word or name around and come up with something. I may use the names for places, first names, last names, objects. I actually got a couple names this way. I always keep the list on hand just in case I ever need to look at it later. Though I really only do this for my fantasy story. As for a story I write set on earth I usually just search names on websites or pick ones I already like.
If I want the names to follow a particular theme, then I look at a database. For instance; a piece I'm writing as of write now required Nordic names. I went over a list until I found ones that fit the character. But for my fantasy, it's entirely different. They follow a common thread of course (they must), but I always try to get them in the sweet spot of both exotic and easy to pronounce. Usually though, I do have to draw from sources for many names or inspiration.
In my opinion the following websites are a good start: http://www.behindthename.com/random/ https://www.shopify.com/tools/business-name-generator http://random-name-generator.info
A few of my characters' names have changed dramatically over the course of their existence. My writing obsession began with fantasy stories, with equally fanciful (and ridiculous) names, but as my skills matured I became embarrassed by how silly some of the names were. I changed them to (in my mind) more plausible, more pronounceable iterations. Also, two of my characters have changed genres from fantasy to modern, so that switch demanded their names be adjusted as well. As far as initial naming went? Maybe I'm just lucky with it, but names have never been difficult for me to come up with on the fly. I just stare at a page for a while and the character tells me their name.
Divinities have a "common name" and a "true name" and their racial marker. Children of Divinities have a "Given name" a "Self-name" and a "Parent name" (the Self name is the House name) Third generations and on wards follow unique race-based patterns such as: Tein names follow "Given Name /House abbr/ Mother's Given name" Cien female names follow "Given Name /House abbr./ Father's Name". Male names carry a jumble which include their name, and house abbreviation and a surname comprised of both their father and grandfather's given names. Each of the names traces back the familial lines right to divinities So a Tein name like Iebi Aoi'Dela would be parsed as "Iebi [daughter of] Dela [of the House] of Aoi". The importance of the House preceding the mother's name refers to a direct and unbroken line moving back to the daughter of Ibiki - Aoi. When two "Houses" produce offspring, the house name is lost and their children can never rejoin the "House" system. For Cien, it is more about not inbreeding since males typically will have 20-30 offspring in a year, most never seeing their own children. Thus, names are very important, it tells who you are and where you come from - and who never to mate with.
If I can't think up a good one off the top of my head, I'll use Behind the Name and SSA's Popular Names by Birth Year search engine. The latter is especially useful for historical fiction.
I have two options. 1. I make up names that suit my character or sound too cool to pass up. 2. Find a name I like on http://www.behindthename.com/ Either one usually words for me. I usually go with option two when I'm working on main characters, and option one when I'm dealing with side characters.
To be honest I don't really consciously choose anyone's name unless it is a character I desire to make a point within or around, reading a lot of stephen king I realize a name isn't reallt crucial, they're just names, somebody could be called Joe Matthews or something and be an outstanding dude ya know, when I was younger I used to agonize over calling someone something unique and had no idea what to do with the name... so these days I'm not really concerned unless the name will have some poetic/allegorical significance, that's just me though. I do like the cadence of certain names however so I'd agree with that angle but I also find many folk I've called Samantha Average Surname as delightful to explore as Enola Gay or whatever lol.
Um... I just type randomly on the keyboard or combine certain real-world names until I find a few I like. Is that bad?
I ask the characters what their names are; usually they tell me. If they don't I'll say, "Fine, don't tell me. I just call you Dan." After about a page the character usually relents and shouts, "Enough with the Dan already! Vlad, my name is Vlad!" (Or other character name as appropriate.) At which point I say, "Thank you, Vlad. I'll just use my handy-dandy find and replace function and we'll be back in business." If for some reason the character is just a real stick-in-the-mud and won't talk, I find wine helps. It's amazing how easy it is to get a character to loosen up over a nice bottle of wine.
I've got to try this one day. Should help my characters get motivated to spit their name out when I need them.
I am writing a rather massive piece of historical fiction set in 1st Century, which takes some Romans through all six of the great empires of the age. Names of the characters were a challenge! The Greeks and Romans weren't too hard. My two Arabs I used Ibrahim and Yakov, since they share a common Semitic history with the Jews, though this is pre-Islamic. My two Phoenicians I used Hasdrubal and Isdrubal, historically vetted names. I needed some help with some of the Chinese names, to make sure I didn't cobble together something laughable, since I don't speak the language.. My two translators I stuck my neck out and created my own names for them... they are of Roman descent but mostly Chinese, and have two names, Latin and Chinese. I created Si Hoar, Western Flower, for Marcia Lucia, the heroine, and Si Nuo, Western Bull, for her brother. My Chinese friends approve of them, though they are unusual. The Xiongnu were easy, since very little is known about them, even what language they spoke. Bactrians (Afghans) were a bit of a problem... I consulted Tajik baby names, weeding out the obviously Islamic ones, the Persian Shanamah book of kings, and then hit a gold mine with Dr. Nicholas Sims-Williams at U of London. He is the world's expert on Central Asian languages of the era, and provided me a list of vetted Bactrian names. He also named the king's daughter, Ranisa, which is a very beautiful and flowing name. Her father, King Vima Kadphises, is historical, he had a daughter but her real name is unknown. We wound up with a LOT of Bactrians, running caravans, riding security for caravans, and just a lot of bit characters in and out... Nicholas' list was most helpful.
