How do you name the BBEG?

[Steamsaint]

As per the title: How do you name the BBEG? Do you go to a random name generator, search through baby name lists etc.?

Personally I go through the names of ancient pantheons or mythologies e.g. Greece, Norse and try to find a somewhat obscure name such as Deimos, the personification of terror.

Wikipedia is great for this.

[Serpentine]

My ex and former DM liked the scientific name of the yabbie (Chyrax destructor), and tweaked it into a truly awesome villain name (Tyrax Destructor). It was pretty great.
Mostly I go through baby name sites til I find one that works.

[grarrrg]

As per the title: How do you name the BBEG?

Step 1: Go here.

Step 2: Pick one at random.

Step 3: Profit.

[GodotIsW8ing4U]

For the most part, I just string syllables together until I find something I like, though occasionally I go for things that are more in-jokes.

I remember once coming up with a Shardmind Psion villain who was going to be kind of like Long Feng from Avatar: The Last Airbender. He was going to be the manipulative head of an elite organization of warriors, the real power behind the throne, etc etc etc.

His name? Mandelbrot.

[AshDesert]

I usually tweak names from mythologies, both historical and fictional, when naming most of my characters. For villains, since they're usually fiendish in my games, I really like to draw from minor figures in the C'Thulhu Mythos as inspiration for names. The only time I've ever not used mythology for character names was for my Awakened cat, who was named Mittens

[Agrippa]

First I determine what sort of culture the potential Big Bad comes from. That of course decides the language his or her name comes from. Then I just pick a standard run of a mill name for the villain. I might give them some sort of nome de guere/alternate identity, but not very often.

[Crossblade]

Depends on the race. Most, I will google a Fantasy Name Generator, a few, like my current Big Bad, will have stereotypical fantasy names. Case in point, my current BBEG, is a Half-Orc, Half Blue Dragon named Thunder Stormreach... because blue dragons are electricity based so that's how his named developed.

If PCs can do it, so can I.

[GodotIsW8ing4U]

Another thing to remember: as long as you aren't actually publishing and/or selling your adventures or anything, you can steal names and even characters. The 4E DMG tells you point blank: steal shamelessly. Steal, rework, tweak the names a bit, etc. Obviously, producing a carbon copy of an existing character is boring, but a stolen character can easily be tweaked into something just new enough to be interesting.

[Fuzzie Fuzz]

I use medical dictionaries. There are some great words for really obscure diseases, which make really fun fantasy names with a bit of tweaking. One of my players named his character Cheiropompholyx, which is an obscure skin disease of the hands. I actually have a pretty big list of words I pilfered from such sources. Chalazion, Epidermolysis Bullosa, Tinea Cruris, Calefacient, etc. It's always fun when you have a character named after Jock Itch, but your players have no idea.

[Cealocanth]

As per the title: How do you name the BBEG? Do you go to a random name generator, search through baby name lists etc.?

Personally I go through the names of ancient pantheons or mythologies e.g. Greece, Norse and try to find a somewhat obscure name such as Deimos, the personification of terror.

Wikipedia is great for this.

I usually use Seventh Sanctum to com up with a name for humans. The BBEG is the same as anyone else of his people isn't he, so why shouldn't he have a name like the others around them.

I have two BBEGs, currently, there's Aorek Shipman, the high priest of Midnight Shore, and Segura, a black dragon.

[Admiral Squish]

My latest method of random-generating names is to spasm on the keyboard, delete all the vowels, then 'fix' the resulting consonants with new vowels. Edit until satisfied.

[Amiel]

I would name the BBEG according to his and/or her backstory, personality, aspirations (including goals) et al.
According to such convention, the greatest assassin in the world would have the following name: Twinkletoes McGee.

[Sir_Chivalry]

I use Behind the Name for humans or human-like ones, using a culture appropriate to that one. Bland sometimes, but meanings can be coached effectively:

Had a behind the scenes guy named Donovan O'Doyle. The party laughed at a fairly normal sounding name for a big bad, until I pointed out it was like naming your kid Dark of Dark (actually more like dark brown of dark stranger, but you get the point)

[Duos Greanleef]

I like to use tweaked pop culture. My PCs had a vampire to kill a few weeks ago. He was The Count Collin Von Edwardson. If you didn't see it right away, that's okay. There might still be hope for you.

[Callos_DeTerran]

As per the title: How do you name the BBEG? Do you go to a random name generator, search through baby name lists etc.?

Personally I go through the names of ancient pantheons or mythologies e.g. Greece, Norse and try to find a somewhat obscure name such as Deimos, the personification of terror.

Wikipedia is great for this.

Depends on the game I'm trying to run...if it's more serious/dramatic then I make the name similar in fashion to the rest of the setting so they don't stick out like a sore thumb as an evil creature and let the PCs determine that for themselves.

On the other hand, in a more...pulpy type game (and I do so love pulp fantasy) I go for the most ostentatious name possible. Like..

Dread Lord Tiberius of the Ruinous Legion, Harrowing Emperor of the Hell-Realm Averssus.

...y'know...just so the PCs know who they are dealing with.

[Halae]

My latest method of random-generating names is to spasm on the keyboard, delete all the vowels, then 'fix' the resulting consonants with new vowels. Edit until satisfied.

This method will help me greatly.

I also like using the name generator that Dwarf Fortress has. Plus, some of the names, when translated out of whatever language they're in, are really hilarious. one of the players found out what I named on villain, and then looked it up

"You named our BBEG... Sotho Cleanedpants?"

[Keinnicht]

I like to use tweaked pop culture. My PCs had a vampire to kill a few weeks ago. He was The Count Collin Von Edwardson. If you didn't see it right away, that's okay. There might still be hope for you.

That would've been such a satisfying kill.

[SilverLeaf167]

I use an online dictionary to translate some thematically fit words into another language, mix-and-matching them as appropriate. The exact language depends on the theme; for example, I might use Portuguese for a pirate campaign, or Latin for the church inquisition game I'm currently planning.

As for the matter of BBEGs having odd names, they are often either sons of greater evils etc. or change their names to sound scarier. Of course, that doesn't really work with sneaky BBEGs who try to masquerade as normal people.

[Mecharious]

I actually come up with them on my own. One day I decided to write a list of names that I thought were really cool-sounding with the help of some friends. Whenever I need a name, I look on the list.

The last villian was the ancient demon Caltabactos.

[Callista]

Deimos isn't obscure enough; it was used to name one of the moons of Mars and most people would recognize that name.

I'm partial to baby-name sites, myself.

[Lord_Gareth]

I prefer either normal-sounding names or stark, one or two word names that come from ordinary objects. Sometimes there's a title or an honorific, but it's usually simple (I think the most complex I've ever done myself was "Pendulum Butcher", while my favorite from a DM of mine was "The Ashbringer" for a demon lord). I find that less is typically more when you want to intimidate players, as lengthy names make 'em giggle.

[Serpentine]

I prefer either normal-sounding names

I like "real" names that aren't used very often and/or sound exotic.

or stark, one or two word names that come from ordinary objects.

The first - and, oddly, only - thing that comes to mind from that is "Chair".
But I suppose that could be because of Chairface Chippendale.

[Mystral]

Easy: Asmodeus.

[Halae]

The first - and, oddly, only - thing that comes to mind from that is "Chair".
But I suppose that could be because of Chairface Chippendale.

Personally, when he said stark, the first name I thoughyt of was "Tark", and then I realized it made an excellent name for a half-orc or something

[Gensh]

I don't actually use any special method for villains. The method I usually use for names in general is to pick two words related to the character and mesh them together, sometimes changing a letter or two, sometimes translating them to the Earth equivalent for the character's ethnicity. Nebata, for example, is Nebuchadnezzar and tower, referring to how the character Hamon ends up building a Tower of Babel of sorts. I still have no clue where I got Selpe from, though.

Another thing is that I typically only use exotic last names for most characters. If the players are used to meeting Georges and Steves, then they know Excardalion is either special or a loony. Using my above examples, Hamon was an ordinary sort of name for the setting, while Selpe's name was just Jack, so they didn't think much of him when they first met him.

[Remmirath]

I typically do the same thing I do naming any character - I fiddle around with sounds and letters until I come up with something that sounds good at the time. If it still sounds good next time I work on the campaign, I go with it; if not, I try again.

I try to make it fit in with wherever they're from in the setting, so that means that I usually end up avoiding ordinary names because they would stand out. To date, my villains have usually been demons, devils, or (oddly enough) elves.

Sometimes I'll do things like name dragons in draconic, but only if I'm low on inspiration just then. If I do that, I generally go with something that doesn't sound like it would be villainous.

[Lord_Gareth]

Example names from BBEGs or recurring villains in my campaigns (3.5 and otherwise):

Tyler Vici, Daemon Magus
Knives, Pendulum Butcher
Seraphina Lumiere
Madam Murder
Miss Envy
The Ash Maiden
Jakob Havrik

[Souhiro]

I have a little trick:

1: Close my eyes
2: Move a bit
3: Open, and read the first thing you can see.
4: Tweak it a bit
4.1 I saw a tube of hair gel called "Giorgio Navieri" in the house of the GM", so "George 'Joe' Nagi" was born.
4.2 I need an Evil Knight as an 'end of act' boss. I saw a comic of Asterix, where Obelix whas with a cooking pot in his hands (In Spanish it is called a "Marmita") so Narmitad was born
4.3 I need a final overlord. I opened The Sacred Order of Stick and saw Haertha... So I'm still hoping I don't get sued for it!

[Lord Vukodlak]

I take names that would be cheesy in English and use babel fish to translate them into another language.

For example Lord Blutgott, its German and translates to Lord Bloodgod.
It was an ancient vampire psychic warrior.

[Lord_Gareth]

I take names that would be cheesy in English and use babel fish to translate them into another language.

For example Lord Blutgott, its German and translates to Lord Bloodgod.
It was an ancient vampire monk.

Because successfully defeating the PCs (without killing them) with that character would be too epic for words.