I need a name for an European island for a SciFi novel I'm writing. It doesn't matter if it has a english or scandinavian,etc name just as long as it sounds some sort of European. I've been looking for one for ages now, translating words into other languages, looking at real island names for ideas but I have absolutely no imagination for names. The one name I found that sounds great, I later find it has already been used haha. Thanks in advance
How can it sound European? There are probably 30 languages in Europe. It isn't like we can hear a new name and say, "Oh 'Indacarinda', that sound's South American" because it has Spanish lilt. To sound European could be a name in Irish, English, French, German etc. Scandinavian or Nordic may have more of a collective sound or even Baltic could be good for you, depending on your climate as well as other features in on your fantasy island.
My favourite island in the whole world, where I grew up, is called Zlarin. It's a perfect island name Some other old island names in the Adriatic are Hvar, Brac, Vis, Brioni, Cres, Krk, Pag etc.
I've been Greek island hopping but always wanted to go to Croatia and do it, it looks beautiful! Compare those names now to islands in Western Europe, Arran, Raithlin, Cannon Rock, Rough Islands (Ireland) or take Southern European islands such as Corsica, Sicilly, Sardinia (Italy). Europe is too personal to be lumped together as European.
By European ,I meant pretty much any language that is in Europe. I just didn't want an asian Island or something.
Oops, accidentally missed your post! Hvar and Vis sound actually like something I am looking for, though I would still have to change it a bit so it doesn't get mixed up with a real island. Havar, or Visc sound good?
It's a rather popular technique to name islands (and even cities) after plants or animals that are found there or a prominent physical characteristic. There are the Cayman Islands (named after the caiman, and formerly Las Tortugas, after turtles). An alternate name for England is Albion, which refers to the white of the cliffs of Dover. There are also places named after people, like Darwin, Australia. There are also a ton of "New" places, named and settled by immigrants as well as places that share names, like Miami, Oklahoma and Miami, Florida (though I'm sad to say they aren't pronounced the same). So, uh, consider the geography, flora, and fauna present and explorers involved in its discovery. Darwin was named by a ship captain who sailed with Charles Darwin. A lot of people who named places weren't particularly imaginative in this venue either.
I think they sound great! I especially like 'Havar'. Also 'havaria(havarija)'' is a slang term for an extreme event, like a crazy party, or a riot or when things go spectacularly good or bad or funny etc.
I suggest that you take a word island, and translate it into some of lesser european languages. Might be interesting experience for you.
I'm still not sure what type of a name you're after. You have gotten pretty nice name suggestions so far though. Islands in the Mediterranean have beautiful names. But on a sidenote: What's Asian? Like Japanese? Here are Finnish island names: Oravisalo Ukonkivi Vaskiluoto Huovari To me those also sound Japanese. Except they're European. How about ö? That's 'island' in Swedish. Å is a type of a river. To me those come off a bit Chinese, being so short. Funny, huh?
How big an island? Smaller ones could be named after an individual feature or local animal. "Holy Isle" (with an ancient monastery), "Bass Rock", "Whale Island", "Two Tree Island" are all names of real islands, and it would be easy to adapt a name of this type. Larger islands have the whole gamut of names of regular place names (possibly with "Isle Of" on the beginning of the name). Europe has a VAST range of different cultures, each with different languages - narrowing down the culture/language you want will help narrow down the choice of name (depending on how you're going to use it, of course - perhaps the culture/language is not relevant to your needs).
Making names... Decide which culture inhabits the island, then think what you want to name it after, whether people, fictional even, or a characteristic of the place, gold beaches for example. Take the language of the culture you picked, mish mash words, and adapt the resulting word to the language you're writing. I did this once for a side project, worked pretty well. I took some Swedish and German words and made something up.
