Originally by kalindria:

How do you all come up with your characters' names and place names? Random fantasy name generators? Tweaking some earthen name? Another language? A combo of all of the above?

Elladine:

Probably a combination of all of those things.

I try not to use too many 'fantasy-esque' names in my writing, even when it is fantasy. I'm one of those people who would prefer to use 'normal' names, rather than names like Elmisyn. On the other hand, sometimes an extraordinary name is all that will do. In which case, much as I just did, I usually just make them up.

I've found that using the phone book to find the names of small suburbs in different areas of the country also provides me with ideas. Sometimes I'll use a suburb name, and sometimes it will give me an idea for another name.

But, honestly, most of the time I don't have too much problem - my characters often jump into my head fully formed, and tell me their names, refusing to be known by anything else.

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paloma:

I don't like name generators. I tend to have certain sounds that are most prominent in a language/region, and other sounds that aren't used at all, and make names up from that. Sometimes I take natural languages and change them, but usually I don't. For one of the countries in my latest piece, I made up a few names, decided that it sounded vaguely Japanese, and got a list of Japanese names. I don't use them directly, but I kind of grab patterns or syllables from them. For places, sometimes last names, I'll use certain endings more than once. Like, in English, -son, -er, for names, -ford, -ville for towns.

If I'm not writing a fantasy, I'll usually just grab a phone book or go to one of those sites with lists of first and last names, pick a few randomly and write them down for when I need a new character's name.

My characters' names change fairly often before they settle down. Some people say that bothers them, but I don't really think of them by their name anyway so it's just a different label for me.

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Eisel:

For fantasy novels, I can usually come up with something (though I kept trying to use Calendria yesterday, so maybe they are plagarized, unknowingly), but when I really get stuck, I look to the stars. Amazing how many star names can be adjusted and soon become character names. Some I've used: Asterope Lacarta, Yed Prior, Reg Deneb, Cassiopea Tuscana . . .

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paloma:

I'd never thought of stars. Oh, but that reminds me. I have used ingredient labels before. On lotions, processed foods, shampoos, whatever... all of those chemical names. Just tweak a bit and there you go.

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Eisel:

Ooh, you could use food ingredients too. Garlicana, Niacynthia, Phosphatius . . .

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paloma:

*snarf* Phosphatius...

Glutamia, Ascorbin, Tartarius...

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lady jane:

Iced teaius? Coca Colaus?

Ok, this doesn't work for me... LOL

Seriously, I just kinda make 'em up. And my non-fantasy or non-RPG characters are far more difficult to name than the fantasy ones. I've used baby name lists for historically appropriate choices and also look at geneaological sites for names from certain time periods. Normal names are far more difficult for me.

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Eisel:

that is really bad. Aluminy Phospaten. Cornola Starchan. Xanthan Gummer.

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Einna:

I make random names generators myself with actual formula's and stuff, and every now and then I'll make like, 500,000 names and stick them all in a note-pad, then when I need a name I just read through the Notepad until I find one I like. This is my most common method.
After that is probably just on-the-spot naming. I can come up with some good ones that way.
If I want a name with a certain flavour (for example I once needed to populate my entire middle-eastern style country) then I'll watch or listen to something in that language, writing down random snatches of words. I have since bought a computer programme with 31 languages on it for this very reason.
And I think maybe once I used and anagram. Nasastaia is an anagram on Anastasia, a Russian name meaning rebirth. The creature is a snake, often kept by royalty, and reproduces/rebirths itself by growing a 'fringe' of baby snakes along it's back. The mother dies as these are born and it's beleived that she goes into her babies, because if you wrong a Nasastaia, you will be dogged by the offspring for the rest of your life. When the last one is alive, she too will grow the frings.

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lady jane:

I used an anagram too. Some idiot who really made me mad during NaNo got turned into a worthless pile of poop character and killed by his own father. His name? An anagram of the real pile of poop!

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paloma:

That's a good idea. Anagrams of irritating people's names... I've got two in mind right now. Looks like someone's gonna die soon.

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lady jane:

It was very satisfying. I guess if the name didn't lend itself to becoming an anagram, I'd have just changed it around a bit to sort of disguise the guilty party. But I highly recommend this form of revenge!

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Eisel:

Somebody made you mad during NaNo??? You never told me. And I love gossip.

I, too, keep a list of names in excel, with a different worksheet for each letter of the alphabet, and cruise it when stumped. I cull names from everything I read, particularly things like Beowulf.

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lady jane:

Nobody you know, Eisel. A jerk at the car dealership's service center. Thought he was a big shot and I'd be impressed. Let's just say I wasn't AND I took time out from NaNo to write a pithy complaint letter to his boss and his boss's boss.

Take that, Chad! I mean Dach!

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Scarlett9284:

For first names, I usually chose a name based on the meaning of the name, even if I don't mention the meaning in the writing. It's just something that is special for me. Like in my nano story, my main character is a female hired assassin. Her name is Lorna which means alone, solitude. It fits her. As for last names, I make them up. The same goes for places.

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paloma:

Speaking of name meanings, does anyone know of a good reference for looking up names based on their meaning? Those text searches just don't cut it, especially when I want to browse.

What I'm looking for is a site that lists meanings, or groups names based on meanings. All of the ones I've seen list names... I want meaning categories, because I'm lazy and want someone else to do all the work for me

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Eisel:

Not only can you search for names by meaning, but it is one of the best sites for names of all kinds - Behind the Name: http://www.behindthename.com/
Names in numerous languages (try Arabic for some great fantasy names), name generators, etymology, search by meaning, name themes . . .

I typed in 'pure' for a meaning, and got 20 names in various languages.

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paloma:

Yeah, that's a good one, but you can't browse for meanings there either. You have to do a search.

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Eisel:

Well, yea, you have to know what meaning you want a name for . . . :lol:

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paloma:

Exactly my point :) I want to browse possible meanings, not search for a specific one.

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Thekherham:

I have a lsit of names soemwhere on a sheet of paper that I wrote some years back that I refer to, and I always come up with new names for characters and places and things...

I try to come up with names not seen before in any fantasy or sf book.

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kalindria:

I have lists of puppy names from the days when I was breeding the occasional litter... :lol:

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Eisel:

I keep a list in excel (each letter has its own worksheet). I'm always saying I will find someone who knows how to turn it into a generator . . .

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LadyAkatari:

BehindtheName has a browsing area--it's called "Name themes." I do admit, however, that it's not completely browselike.

And I once named a whole bunch of countries using the Periodic Table of the Elements. ;) Chem class is justified! Some (like Errum--iron ("ferrum") got the whole element name ripped off, whilst others, such as--uh, I forget exactly--now I feel dumb--were the abbreviations of some of the odder names all smushed together. I believe that there was an "Indion" or some such...I forget. *sigh* I'm a bad worldbuilder...

And then of course there are the acronyms--on the same continent, an isthmus with a channel through it was called "Iminap." Yes, that's Panama, with only one letter changed in the acronym. *grin* What that actually meant was that I couldn't spell. I thought it was a real acronym until I got home and checked it.

Character names--I'm hopeless. Just...hopeless.