What Do You Name Your RPG Characters?

[likalaruku]

Ever since I first played LotRO &, I've taken to using Tolkein or Dungeons & Dragons name generators. If the game lets female characters wear red pans, I play as a redhaired human sorceress named Lina Inverse. I never use my name or make a character that looks like me unless I'm playing a casual game. Before LotRO, I used to go through a Hawaiian or Latin dictionary & name my character after a color, plant, or gem, or pull a Dr. Suess & make up an alien sounding name.

 

[Lonewolfm16]

For more real things, I like to go with John, though the last name is variable. For fantasy settings, I am Avander North-Wolf.

 

[Flight]

I usually just pick a name that I think will fit my character and sound good. For instance, I named my Shepard Elaine, my Cousland Warden Alexandra and my Hawke Lydia.

 

[Hero of Lime]

If the character has an established or suggested name, I'll go with the default. I only use my name in Pokemon games.

 

[MrMixelPixel]

I usually make a character from scratch before the game starts, whatever name I happened to give them is their name.

Examples:

Mass Effect: Gideon Shepard

Dragon Age: Markus, Malcolm, Ulrick

Skyrim: Anowan

 

[The Eupho Guy_v1legacy]

In terms of the Disgaea games, I usually name them with whatever comes to mind first (i.e. Bule Mage named Shiva). As I restart my Disgaea 2 file, I'm naming my units after characters that I've created in my fictional works.

I usually hammer on select (random name) until I see something interesting, although I have started keeping a mental list of names of characters that have done something awesome at one point or another. It all started with the little red skull that could, Uber. Uber was the only survivor of the final boss battle in Disgaea 2 and managed to survive a hit to deliver the killing blow. All my Red Skulls have been named Uber in his honour.

Other characters include:

Expired, the Rouge (Stole a rank 40 item with a 10% chance first time)
Epsilon, the Galaxy Mage (One-shotted a final boss)
Wassup, the Male Warrior (General Asskicking, my first character to pass 10M damage dealt)

 

[ThePenguinKnight]

Isaac for male characters and Mirage for female characters, although I use Twattycakes sometimes.

 

[AgedGrunt]

I don't think I want to know someone that never changes a character's default name, if presented the opportunity. Being terrible with names I don't have any particular pattern, just something random, spontaneous and frequently silly.

However, MMOs really need a diligent set of name guidelines. While I enjoy a good, creative and endearing name, running past an evil-looking warrior named Taternuts420 pretty much kills the experience.

 

[drh1975]

It depends on the game and the character's gender. In Mass Effect, my male Shepard is John, the default name. But my female Shepards are Layla (because I like the name), Alison (after my oldest niece), and Rebecca (which would have been my name if I'd been a girl).
Dragon Age: I go with all default names, except for the female human mage. She, like Shepard, is Layla.
Fallout 3 and New Vegas: Since I only play them on the 360, I name my male characters after characters from PS3 games, like Cole and Nathan.
Skyrim: Male Nord- Skarin (after the hero of Viking: Battle for Asgard)
Female Nord- Freyja (after the Norse goddess)
Male Argonian- Lar-Ree (pronounced "Larry"). No reason, other than it's kind of funny.
Female Khajiit- Selina (after Catwoman)
Male Orc- Skaar (after the Hulk's son)
Female Redguard- Ororo (after Storm)

 

[Madmanonfire]

I tend to stick with two names nowadays:
Groose - a reference to the greatest character in Skyward Sword.
Satan - because I find a fictional devil guy as a heroic protagonist funny.

 

[xeyra]

Most of my characters in different games have different names. I tend to vary a lot. However, I have noticed my propensity to name my characters with names started with A. I like A-names, especially invented fantasy-like names. Allya is a favorite. Arya. Allyara. Ashallea. A something or other. And whenever possible, a last name too. Unless it's Guild Wars 2, where I didn't know when creating characters you could actually have a two word name and all my alts but the last one didn't get a surname.

 

[roushutsu]

It depends on the game. Here are some of the ones I tend to use often:
Cerise
Felicity
Fairsong
Gracelynn
Conrad
Maynard
Tobias

And sometimes I just feel like being an idiot, such as when I named my Skyrim wood elf archer Dig Dug.

 

[Xarathox]

Xarathox, or some variation of it.

I've explained before where it comes from, so I'll shorten it a bit. Zarathos is the true name of Ghost Rider in the comics, so I kinda lifted it for a "personality" I created a long time ago for use in games.

In short, my Xarathox is similar to the original in that (s)he's an extra dimensional being that cannot exist in his/her true form outside of his own reality without the use of a mortal vessel. But, (s)he can hop from one reality to another at will, makes RPing fun.

 

[piinyouri]

I've got a lot, and I mean a LOT.
If you really wish to see OP let me know and I'll post them here sometime.

 

[TheLaughingMarcus]

I always go with the preordained name if the character has one, i.e. Cloud in FFVII is Cloud, Link in LoZ is always Link, etc.

But in games like Fallout or Elder Scrolls where it's up to me, I have a different name for each character, depending on how I plan on playing them.

 

[Garland]

I always use custom names, typically the handles of my friends and family to party members if applicable:

Nephestia (female protagonist, default)
Garland(male protagonist, except in Final Fantasy IX)
Dexedi (Zidane in Final Fantasy IX)
Melon (male party member with close ties to protagonist)
Frantos (male party member, strong or stubborn)
Punchy (pet name)
Belladonna (female party member, Belle for short)
Layix (male party member with close ties to the protagonist)
Caramia (female party member, typically stubborn or physically imposing)
Kazi (male party member, somber typically)

Surnames are almost always Volkov or Garu or Garo, with the occasional Ramasama if I feel mischievous.

Those are the most commonly used, but I have a few more in case there are more than three female characters or two pets. I also have a list of custom weapon names, town names, and spell names which doesn't see much use outside of Elder Scrolls titles.

 

[Dragoon]

For dudes it's usually Farenor or just Faren, it means Adventurous (even though it's technically a girls name but I like it so meh)

For the ladies I go with Firenor, Firenora or Lilium.

 

[Metaphysic]

When I'm not acting like a 12-year-old, I usually use music-related words like Legato or Aria.

My favorite character name/concept was Jim Rip-Sphincter. He started as a Cleric/rogue in Pathfinder who tried to start every fight by sneak-punching opponents in the butt and screaming about the Great Brown Eye in the Sky, and other variations of my made-up fecal deity. The DM shortly slaughtered him and banned me from ever recreating this character. <.<

Grabby Pisscock is also a fun name.

 

[hoboman29]

No matter what kind of RPG I am playing and no matter what character I am playing there's a good chance I just named them either "Hobo" or "Hoboman" (I think you can guess why). It also fits with how I play RPG's seeing as I wander around looking for an adventure which would technically make my character homeless. Also you can't deny the humor in the almighty evil seeking to destroy the world being defeated by a hobo.

 

[gentlemanghost]

Naming/customizing a character, for me, is the most arduous task of the game. It can take me at least 20 minutes before I decide on a name, appearance, attributes, etc.

Usually, I go with something like "Zara" or "Zarina." My KOTOR character was female and I had already planned to go Dark Side, so I named her "Darth Bitchious"

I'm really surprised no one has used the "South Park" name of "Scrotie McBoogerballs."

Or some of "The Simpsons" prank call names: "Amanda Hugnkiss," "Oliver Clozoff," "Hugh Jas"

Of course you can always use the classic "Gonad the Barbarian"