How do YOU name characters?

[Firia]

So, I'm a writer and an illustrator. Summer just let out, and I'm trying to write and illustrate a comic over the summer. I have 4 months to achieve this goal. I think it's very do-able. There is a problem though... names.

I don't know how to name characters very well.

I've been reading some sites that give writing tips about naming characters, and have a couple tricks. Though, the standard advice seems to dance around the linguistic assembly of concentants vowels rhythm and syllables. They target the personality connection to the name, which I completely agree- but is not the avenue of advice I'm looking for.

If you're a writer, and feel your work is good- or at least your characters are well named, and you have a system to how you build a name for a character, I'd like to hear it.

Spoiler: Bonus stuff about what I'm doing.

None of this is pertinent to the topic, but I'll share.

I'm writing a fantasy comic. Very Tolkien, or Weis, I'll admit. I have no problem with this niche environment. I've long played games like D&D, and made successful names for characters. They serve the character sheet well, but won't translate into written-for-print media. I have one solid name I'm sure to going forward with 100%, but that particular character dies in the first act. The main character is entirely fleshed out, but is still running in the script with a place holder for a name. There's an elf maiden even that, well, in the script she shows up as [Elven Maiden] for a place holder.

I'm several characters and concept images through, but names are the one hurdle I can't seem to leap.

How do YOU name your characters? In your advice, tell me if you're a writer or not, professional or not, and/or college educated or not.

 

[RanD00M]

I usually just come up with some random shit that kinda sounds like a plausible name. Or just use the names of girls I know.

 

[Sacman]

For a male character, I pick a random US President... or world leader...

For a female character... I just pick a name I like...

 

[Wuggy]

The fact that I'm Finnish helps. I usually take Finnish words and names and twist them to sound more English. Same works with Latin and Greek words.

 

[MrJKapowey]

I generally just use the first name of someone important to a recent piece of homework (for the Cuban Missile Crisis essay - Nikita, Nicky, Nick) or someone I know. For the second name I am pretty bad, I often pick that of someone I know. An example would be Martin (an essay on Dr King) Neil (a friend's surname).

I'm not a writer (unless participating in RPs count...). I'm not proffessional and I am doing GCSEs. I guess that means I'm not college educated, not that it makes much difference to something like this.

 

[alittlepepper]

I usually turn to names from smaller countries, like the Czech Republic and find a name I like the look of or sound of. In a fantasy setting you could easily alter a few parts of such names to make them "more fantasy", but I've actually always preferred characters with simple names.
I have done a little bit of writing in my past, though nothing professional, but mainly I just use that method to name my video game characters.
If you get really desperate though you could always use the Fantasy Name Generator. Just google it. It's pretty hit or miss, but once again you can always swap out letters for different ones.

 

[ReservoirAngel]

I combine the first and last names of people I know, or used to know, what fit the role.

Like...if I need to write a bully, I go with something like Ryan Knight. First name of one bully, last name of a different one.

 

[Wintermoot]

Retroboy (if that doesn't fit simply retro)
with the exception of the DA2 guy I named him Mike...Hawk
I name female Characters Retrogirl or some variation on it.

 

[Agent Larkin]

Wikipedia's Random Page button.

First name from the first person you get and last name from the second person you get.

Works like a charm every time.

 

[Andy of Comix Inc]

My parents have this "Big Book of English Names," which is used to help name newborn babies. It has, like, the origins of the name and what it means. It's useful to flip through until you find something that fits the character your going for.

That, or Bob.

 

[CakeDragon]

I usually pick a normal word and swap some letters around, or chop some words up and mash them together. Or a mixture of the two!
It also depends on what/who the character is; a more regal character will have a more regal name, whereas someone like a troll or an orc will have a shorter name with lots of Ks and Zs in there.

 

[OmniscientOstrich]

Take words that mean something relating to your character in a different language. For instance Altair Ibn-La Ahad translates roughly to 'Flying one - Sone of no one'. For added fun take completely different languages for the first and surname or take part of each word and combine them into one: Character named Hawkeye 'kull' is hawk in Estonian, 'szem' is eye in Hungarian ergo 'Kullszem'. Food for thought.

 

[Shameless]

For me, I use other languages as a reference, like the meaning of love in Persian and so forth.

Or you can always rely on captcha

 

[Continuity]

name generators.

They litter the internet. Use them.

I used one yesterday in fact.

 

[Deadfishfilms]

I'm a writer also and while i used to simply attribute random names to characters there are several examples of characters where i look very deeply at who they are and what they stand for. For example i was helping my friend name her secondary character, a female English Historian. I simply deduced that Christianity was the major religion in england, and in Christianity the closest thing to a symbol of knowledge is Archangel Gabriel, thus the character was named Gabrielle. Hope this helps and good luck with the comic.

 

[[Kira Must Die]]

When it comes to female names, I usually come up with a name I like. However, I always find it awkward naming male characters.

 

[SckizoBoy]

My 'naming' convention for the principle overworld that I'm writing for at the moment is rather stupid, actually:

Western ethinicities:
1) Honorific names: vague Greek/Latin names (historic & mythological, preferably associated with people of questionable motives at best)
2) Personal names: vague names, bastardised from Greek/Latin/Phoenician translations of themed words
3) Surnames: vague historical figures, slightly changed, or hash-ups of random sources

Eastern ethinicities:
A lot harder, because the main language is based on German & Latin.
If it's Arabic, I just use meaningful Arab names, Japanese/Chinese, done much the same way (though they're mostly double/triple-barrelled names for funkiness).

*meh* For what it's worth...

 

[larysalove]

Being Ukrainian, I tend to fall back on Ukrainian names because I think they're beautiful. But, I am not very good at naming characters. I tend to use name generators and just scroll through until I get a first, middle, and last name I like. I also have a number of fallback names. I mix them up until I get a combination I haven't used before that still sounds nice.

 

[S3Cs4uN 8]

S3Cs4uN 8 - use it in every game i have