Sometimes I'll make secret references to my favourite characters of other books (if they're not too unique) but most of the time I'll just imagine talking to the character till a name pops up in my head.
It depends on the period and the character's age. I find it a bit jarring if an Englishwoman in mid-nineteenth century New England has a name popular in Texas in the mid-twentieth, or an old lady has one of the current trendy baby names - unless, of course, it's come around again.
I kinda collect, in the back of my head, a file of names I hear that I like. If I have to find one that isn't in that file, I old-school it with a baby name book I have, which gives not only the name's meaning, but also its original version and language, translations into other languages, nicknames, and any famous people who have had versions of that name. If I'm doing fantasy, I try to follow the naming conventions of the culture I'm basing my characcter's people on. If the culture resembles ancient Babylon, for example, then I try to choose something that mimics the Babylonian way people were named (so far as we know).
I've just had to find a name for a character I didn't realize existed yet, she showed up in a paragraph that decided to write itself.... While I sometimes collect names like Grammar above, I also use name generators from time to time. In the instance today though, I thought I'd like to name her after a galaxy or something of that nature. So I went looking at galaxy names, and found the Mayall's galaxy and created a name out of it.
It's definitely all about what you want from the name, much like naming a child. Are you reflecting a culture? Personality? Is it going to play into the story, or into character interaction?
Find the meanings up names, maybe take names from people you know that they are similar too, or sometimes it just comes to you. For last names, you can always just misspell a regular word. Wolfe, Bleu, Sunn, etc.
20000-names.com is one of the best websites i've ever found for names. The list names from all over the world and even have special lists for certain things (like warrior names or dragon names or dark names, etc...) and all the names have origins and meanings listed next to it. I'm a person who likes to have a characters name meaning mach up with something about them so it's an amazing resource. I've probably spent hours on here just looking at them all!
Naming characters is my favorite thing to do. When I'm bored, I'll design random characters just so I can give them a name. It's a guilty pleasure but I take it very seriously. A name can make or break an important figure. There are many things to consider when naming a character. 1. What time period is your character in? The time period may seem like an obvious thing to consider since common names vary greatly depending on when the plot takes place. You won't see many Diggory's walking around today and there certainly were not any Shaneekwa's hanging around Queen Elizabeth I. However, considering the time period is more detailed than thinking of the general era. From the 90's to 00's, unique and unconventional names were very popular. Parents were naming their kids anything from Cappucino to North West. Today, a new and upcoming trend is to name kids more tasteful and classic names like Theadora or Edmund. 2. What do you want the name to say about your character? Before you have even met someone, you may have a predetermined conception of the person based on their name. Personally, names like Bianca or Calvin leave a bad taste in my mouth (no offense to those with those names, it's not your fault). Certain letter combinations and name lengths may invoke different emotions and bring out certain traits in a person. An example I like to use is Paul Blart. The 'Mall Cop' series is respected for it's high-class humour and the name of the main protagonist is simply unforgettable. Jokes aside, Paul Blart: Mall Cop would have had a completely different feel to it if it was called something like Lawrence Reed: Civil Protector. Thinking about the character's persona, how others percieve that character, and what you want your audience to think about the character is very important. This may seem complicated but is very simple in practice. Short names with harsher letters are usually attributed to "common folk" like Jack, Dan, Meg, or Kim. Two or three syllable names with softer letters like 'L' and 'soft A' that are generous with vowels are generally sophisticated and respectable like Nathanael, Elijah, Evelyn, or Noora. The accent and inflection applied to a name may also change the "feel" of it as well. A classic name like Eleanor (el-uh-nor) could be a royal member or a wise maternal figure while Eleanor (el-eh-ner) might be the daughter of a farmhand or the love interest of a wild cowboy. Length, syllables, accents, letter combinations and biased name connotations can how a name portrays a character completely. 3. How does your character represent the name? Whether or not the name is appropriate for the time period and has a certain "sound" do it or not, your character should, in a way, make the name. A successfully named character will force the audience to immediately thing of him or her whenever they hear that name. An average guy with a name like Ben Thompson isn't going to leave a lasting impression and the audience might even forget the guy entirely. However, giving an over the top, OP, Mary Sue, character a wild name like Xenobia Bloodmoon Chasm is just too much. The most successful, foolproof methods of what type of name you give a character is as follows: a) An rare, unique, or completely original name that's so fitting that no one questions it This might seem like a challenge but in practice it's not so hard. This is scene in cases like Darth Vader, Rapunzel, Shrek, V, Neo, and Seven of Nine. My favorite example of this would be Daenarys Targaryen (AKA Daenarys Stormborn and Khaleesi ) from Game of Thrones. For those who have not watched the show, she is a platinum haired, purple eyed, dragon-wielding young lady whose goal is to take back her throne and become Queen. Any normal name would have been lost on her. Giving any other character such a special name would have felt out of place. For such a powerful and impactful character, a unique name should go with them. It may help if the name has a nickname to go with it if you need to make them more "relatable" at times. Daenarys is affectionately called Dani and this successfully brings her down to earth in an emotional scene.b) An not-so-common, but definitely not "unheard of" name for a character with enough personality and individuality that they become and "icon" for the name This is usually a go-to option since it is usually the most applicable and generally simple way to create an impactful and memorable name. However, many character creators may mess this up by giving them a far too common name or overreach and give them a nonfitting but "special" name. This naming schematic has been applied to many characters and franchises that we consider to be iconic. These names include Indiana Jones, Bart Simpson (or any of the Simpsons), Hermione Granger, Samwise Gamgee, Lisbeth Salander, Norman Bates, Donnie Darko, Anakin Skywalker, and Forrest Gump. It's hard to go wrong with these names. Although we might question who decided to name their baby boy Indiana or Bart, the characters pull it off very well and it feel natural. c) A pretty common, everyday name for a character so unique and unforgettable themselves that it's impossible to forget their name It may seem like a mistake to name a powerful and strong character something like Susan but "unique and unforgettable" doesn't have to be as complicated as it may seem. You may know a few Jims, an Ellen, a Jack, James, or Mary but if you were to think of your favorite characters associated with those names, it's hard to forget them. The mischief office worker Jim Halpert, alien mother Ellen Ripley, unpredictable Jack Sparrow, sophisticated James Bond, and the magical and charming anny Mary Poppins. Common and regular names become iconic when associated with these characters who are anything but "regular". Although I feel that these are all very important points, there is no rule when it comes to naming. "A rose by any other name would smell as sweet." There are also many other things to consider such as nicknames, last names, and characters who go by multiple names. All of these tips and tricks aside, you usually know when you've found the right name so don't just settle for the first thing you find. Be adventurous, explore. Search for different combinations or names from different cultures. Many "caucasian" names usually aren't strictly European so look at indexes for Latin, Arabic, Hebrew, or whatever you find interesting. For a good source of names, I personally use Nameberry.com since it has many different names. You can search by language, country, gender, rarity, and many other filters. There is also a helpful feature to find "similar" names. If you like the way Saul feels but dont think it fits, then maybe you'll like Lenny or Micah. There are also many articles, forum posts, and unique categories to find the perfect name.
For fantasy I usually just pick a random word and start to play with it (this is my favorite when commuting, therefore I have a long list of fantasy names in my phone): garden -> Dengar ( name of a nordic warrior? ) gardening -> Deninggar -> Deningar ( nordic village/town? ) Fisherman's Wharf -> Arfhan Mreshif -> Rafhan Mershif ( merchant from the far south ) - ok, probably this is not the best one I have ever came up with Blue Moon -> Eulb Noom -> Elub Nomo -> Elum Nobo (or Elumon, Belum, Nobul, Ulmone, Obelun, Munebol)
For me it varies. Sometimes a name just randomly clicks into place, sometimes I do the meaningful name thing or indulge my weird sense of humour if I think I can get away with doing so, sometimes I just hit the names lists until I find something that works, and sometimes I ask for suggestions. Sometimes I also go with a theme, for instance I've got a few AI characters in various works who were named after various science fiction authors (yes, there is an Isaac among them). I do have a policy though of not giving any characters the same name as anyone in my family since I don't want to risk anyone getting the wrong end of the stick.
When I name characters, it's typically random. Though, I do try to find an edgy-ish name if the character is edgy-ish, or a more classic name if the character is from a wealthy family. For some reason, my names actually do make a lot of sense in the story I'm working on right now. For example, two characters that could've possibly been a couple if they could look past their differences in wealth (and if one of them wasn't dead) both have names relating to "forest." Another character, the MC's girlfriend's best friend/ex has a name that apparently means "rival" according to Nameberry, which is the site I use most often. All three of those names were chosen at random, but yet they somehow connect a little, which is cool. I've also done some funny/odd things with names, which is always fun.
Whenever I mistype something in an interesting way I save it for later. After one history paper in 11th grade I ended up with a character named Seriban
Depends. Sometimes I give my characters a name that has a deeper meaning, and reflects their personality or powers, and other times I just give them a name because I like the way it sounds. Really depends how I feel. One rule that I usually follow is giving characters names that reflect their nationality, unless there's a reason as to why they'd have a foreign name.
I have a terrible habit of naming characters straight off the top of my head. The first name that comes to me. Most of the time that works, and the name sticks, but sometimes, if the character is minor and won't crop up again for some time, I can forget the name and start calling him/her something else later in the book Yes, I actually did that. Had to go back through and find all instances where I'd changed the name. Not a recommended method. For my current book I had to be a bit more careful choosing names, because some of them will be local-specific. This was helped by making long lists that were appropriate to the time and place, and choosing from names on my list. Because I write historically-set fiction, I don't have the option of just naming people whatever. There has to be some sort of factual basis for the name.
I created a character glossary for the If Eternity should Fail series. Its nothing complex, just the character and source of inspiration; usually in the order of appearance. Since the places of Triskele has real world inspiration, so does the people. This allows me to efficiently develop names that 'fit' the who, what and when of the character or place.
Makes a lot more sense than my haphazard 'system.' I'm trying to improve. It's just that names seem to pop into my head as soon as I think of a character, and that default name tends to stick.
if I don't have a name already, I'll use namberry.com or Fantasynames.org they have a place for RL names and all I have to do is pick anything I feel for the character and boom. I've got a list of ten names. I like to mix and match those. and they have place names for kingdoms and rivers and a bunch of other stuff. They do some table top gaming generators too.
Names and creating name-to-character-type relationships is a prominent part of my writing and creation process. As part of my process, I lend some focus to the concept of initials, as I like to include inner monologue for some characters in a few genres of short or long stories. As a rule of thumb, I don't use the same starting letter twice unless talking about siblings or anything ancestral. I put an emphasis on how a character's full name flows [ an example from a current work of mine is Nicole Haiden Bancroft, notice the comfortable flow]. On the occasion, I like to use less than common spelling [example: Myranda instead of Miranda]. Hope something in this helps! - TK
I'm writing a Greek Mythology novel at the minute about the daughter of Medusa and I mainly use this site to find good names and their meanings: http://www.babynameguide.com/index.asp
Mostly whatever name comes to mind. Sometimes I do look up name meanings in relation to my character's personality. But what I cannot stand, for some reason, is naming a character after a person I know in real life...maybe because I will think about that person instead of trying to come up with my character's own identity.
I usually just research on name dictionaries for names that mean something that matches the character (and sometimes I just name them something I think sounds nice...) Ex: Helena is named over Helen of troy because one of her important features is her beauty but Levi, a guy she meets on the way, is named like that because I liked the name and it sounded good for him...
Exactly the same approach With two additions: when I write fantasy/SF, I imagine a country that might serve as a prototype for my world, and try to pick names that are more likely to encounter in that country. Also, I tend to pick the names that are very different: start with different letters, have a different length, do not have similar sound combinations in them (like Jake and Blake, for example), etc.
made up names - Take well known names and change spelling or just make up words till one sounds like a name. real life names - phone book
Personally I hate picking character names, I'm very indecisive, espeacially when it comes to main characters. Surnames come much easier to me, first names are tricky. Usually I pick names based off of context. At the moment, most of my characters are of Italian-American decent, so I pick more traditional Italian names.
I have the idea that investing in a baby name book may be a good idea. Still, whenever I quickly need a name, they generally just crop up. On the other hand, what I have been reading a lot lately does help, in that I think of names I don't see cropping up much. Or, I think of names I don't hear when I meet new people. I have main characters named Samuel, Darien, and Craig in my current project.
