Names

[nizzy]

I was wondering, how do you guys choose the names for your characters? I've been using Gaelic names, and just scrolling down a list of them until I find one that I like, and using google translate to put a word describing the character into gaelic for their surname

[visualspice]

For me, it depends but I generally put a lot of effort into it as I feel a name really can define a character. Sometimes I look through name sites, other times I simply make up a name to suit the character and on occasion, a typo might end up a name as well :)

[Ickedu]

Very different. Sometimes I just use names that I like and that fit to my character when I think about it.

Sometimes I look for names of characters in legends/fairy tales/stories  that have similarities to my character.

Or I use scientific classification terms for things that relate to my characters.

But often I use name generators or translators for elven/hobbit/latin/japanese/... names in which I translate words that describe my characters. Sometimes I additionally modify the resulting names.

[GoblinFae]

Behindthename.com is my god-send. I love to search for messages via meanings. If that doesn't work for me then I keyboard smash and see what I get XD

[Winters-Feather]

oh, god. I use a whole lot of methods XD lol often they're made up, but generally are based on different languages.... recently i've been looking up arabic names and playing around with the sounds. very rarely does the actual name stay intact...

sometimes personality comes into play.

[Cronowind]

I generally find the best names are 'borrowed' from other things such as fiction, games, real life experience and dead forums. So long as the -name- is borrowed, and not the character itself, it allows for characters to still be unqiue and chances are nobody is going to be able to guess where your character names come from. :) 

Granted being original never hurts too :P 

[Ivory]

20000-names.com is always my go-to for names.  I'm lazy like that!

Sometimes, though, I steal a name from a character I like elsewhere...or just reuse names over and over again across role-playing sites...  *whistles*

[Anadwen]

random generators, or simply making it up completely. sometimes it can work to combine two names of already existing characters or just some random names/words/whatever. also sometimes I try to base the name on the type of personality the character has (though it doesn't always come out the right way, and I end up with an assassin with a kinda-cute name).

for some characters, mostly spirits etc. I use translators for the language of the culture to which the character belongs (for example a katana's spirit is named in japanese) and translate the words that have something to do with the character.

generally varies by character, though I often reuse names from my other stories and RP sites, too.

[Sentry]

I use a LOT of things, random generators, behindthename, babynames, etc. I always try to make sure that the name I am choosing fits the character in some way shape or form, especially when it's a preexisting name with a meaning.