Googling "name lists" seems to work well. You can also search for baby name lists. There are thousands of those available to you for free. You can also pick up a cheap baby name book.
I generally take a list of first and last names (an employee directory is good) and play around. Removing the first couple of letters or adding extra letters works well. Off the top of my head...I looked at a calendar, saw the month October and changed it to Octover - in fact I think I will use it...
behind the name is a good website for names - using its generator you can choose names from certain cultures, tweak them a bit. I have several groups of names: My main group have names like Angus, Jack, Socrates, Nate, Tom, Matt etc (yes it is a fantasy set on another world lol) Then I have the Order of the Sea which have oriental/far east type names like Kazuto, Chao, Bai, Shun etc Then I have the Order of the Wind which are Tola, Pich, Vibol etc (Khmer names I think) Order of the Earth are named after famous Greeks or Archangels Damocles, Raphael, Sariel, Uriel, Michaelangelo etc Order of the Fire I have fire related names Flare, Flame, Ember, Fyren, Blayze, Ash, Ignatia etc Fifth Element have mixed names Hai Reuben, Jimmu Abraham etc
I personally much prefer names that are relatively short and relatable. Okay, you probably do not want to use a name like Ashley, Jessica, Sarah, John, Mike, etc, but a name can still sound realistic or easy to remember even if it's one you make up. Names like Reena, Bline, Markel, Crimson, Sapphire (Fire for short), Jaden, Plake etc are "out there" enough to sound fantasy-like, but still have the qualities of "real-world" names and won't be impossible for readers. I'm personally not a fan of names that are super long with every vowel letter replaced by a "Y" but that's just me. And I agree very much with SlyChic. Invent your names yourself: that's all part of the fun.
I love using names that mean something or have a connotation to do with the character's personality. "Cecilia" means "the blind one". It's my MC's sister's name, she can't see his cruelty. I also love names from old English classics, like the knights of the Round Table, Gawain etc. I have a thing for medieval names =3
Fantasy names are both the easiest and the hardest genre to name your characters. They are so easy to find names for, but difficult to find GOOD names for. I throw letters together and see how it turns out. I change them here and there. Take a look at your character and choose letters accordingly. For example, strong sounds like K, V, and X shouldn't usually be used for a meek character. Likewise a strong character wouldn't do to well with a name full of soft sounds.
Seconded. Books, movies, games, whatever; if I can't pronounce the name easily in my head, and/or it looks like the same syllable pronounced the same way 3-4 times in the name, I'll either shorten it, or just let my eyes glaze over it so I know who in the world is talking. Fantasy names: one or two syllable names will work wonders. Despite all that, I must admit that I am absolutely horrible when it comes to names and naming characters. I wish I had the knack for names like Kirsten Dunst's character did in Elizabethtown, where I could just look at a charcter and say, "She looks/sounds/acts like a Jessica."
I use the imaginator101 software, click the nationality, hit generate first name, generate second name, bingo! Result: "Bill Clinton" wth?!
new member here. I guess making fantasy names is easy "and" hard. because well, fantasy names can be anything. But well, it gets hard cause you won't be able to think of a good name. Also the other factor would be having you make up one characters name, then suddenly you need to make more names that needs to be related to him. Gibberish names would work, but sometimes you'd want sense. But well, if you look at it, you can't make anything perfect. So sometimes just go with the first name that comes with your mind. Sometimes when I can't think of a name, I search for weapon names, or type gibberish, see how it comes out. Like aignhjaoegtisghjnaje Then I edit it a little... Aigehjaoegeishjeaje Then I cut it to parts. Ai - Geh - Jao - E - Geish - Je - A - Je Ohhh, the word Geisha appeared. Well, hope that helps.
Is it worth mentioning how Douglas Adams came up with the name "Slartibartfast"? He wanted a reason for the character being world-weary and decided it might as well be his name. So he strung together an unbroadcastable string of swear-words (look it up if you like; this is a family forum!) and tweaked it until it was just broadcastable.
