Character Names

[Aximili]

I don't know about you, but one of the most challenging obstacles I confront when creating a new character, is giving him a proper name.

Usually, I resort to copying the a name from on of the various examples given in so many PrC's description. But I'm starting to run out of options right now, and so I come asking for help to my most beloved D&D forum.

At first I just hoped to get some good names suggestions. But, who knows, this might just turn into one big Names Compendium thread. (hey, a guy can dream, right?)

So, if you remember a cool name from a character you once played, read a name somewhere worth mentioning, or have thought of one that's simply burning up in your head waiting to get out, bring it here.

(when I say "cool name", I mean anything worth mentioning. please don't be shy)

[dungeon_munky]

I usually just take names from characters I like in other sources, like Kankurou from Naruto or Athos from the Three Musketeers. However, when I'm making up a name, I usually pick a letter to start with, then make up something that sounds cool after...this spawned my personal favorite of my characters, Estorias.

My friend on the other hand, has normal earth names with strange spellings like Baughb (Bob) and Xofer (the x as in christmas, so his name was christofer)

[Dhavaer]

Characters I've played:

Aerethi
Alais
Alaryas (my avatar)
Khithil
Chantal

[Goff]

I suggest the Middle Name Generator at barrowdowns.com, just type in a mundane name and *bang* you've got a range of high fantasy names to use.

[Fat Daddy]

I like normal earth names that are somewhat less common. For instance, I played a Paladin named Sebastian and a Cleric named Caleb. If you want some good old fashioned sounding names... I actually recommend the Book of Genesis in the Bible. When they are going through the geneology, there are pages of cool names.

[Jacob Orlove]

I like http://rinkworks.com/namegen/ a lot. You get a phenomenal amount of control over how it randomly generates the names, and can just keep refreshing until you get something that looks good.

[The_Werebear]

I'll list off the names of the characters currently in my Profiler

Aimedeno Wraiths Blade
Alexius
Garrel the Flayed
Grendas the Wild
Kerrul Spinesnap
Lasral Astaroth
Baltasar de la Cruz del Norte
Sjael
The Son of Umberlee
Silverblade
Targon Quicktounge
Xazar Blackflame

[Catch]

Name generators are always a help, but maybe my dirty little secret will help:

Spoiler

Show

Steal one from a book. I read a few fantasy novels here and there, and whenever I need a character name, I take the first or last name from a minor character (protagonists are a no-no) and pair it with another name from another character (maybe even from another book). Works every time.

[Townopolis]

I like normal earth names that are somewhat less common. For instance, I played a Paladin named Sebastian and a Cleric named Caleb. If you want some good old fashioned sounding names... I actually recommend the Book of Genesis in the Bible. When they are going through the geneology, there are pages of cool names.

Seconded.

Also, if you have a certain culture your character is based off of (even sort of), you can google names from that culture.

Gaelic names, Scandanavian names, Chinese names... most of what turns up isn't in popular use, so it doesn't have the same effect as a character named 'Bob' does.

And they're real names too!

[Samurai General]

Falcoon or Falcoon_X if I want fancy is my favorite charater name.

[Enzario]

I prefer a common-sounding name that seems to fit with the character's personality and basic idea. For instance, I'm currently playing a dwarf ranger with some Russian flavor who loves to drink and get in fights. His name is Lars.

[Ashdate]

I like using the Babelfish translator to create names. For example, perhaps I was creating a sorcerer. Translating 'Fireball' gives the following:

Vuurbol (Dutch)
Aérolithe (French)
Feuerkugel (German)
Bola de fuego (Spanish)

The German one sounds a little weird, so I'd probably throw that one out, but I could totally see changing a letter or two to create 'Verdol' the Sorcerer, or 'Arieal,' or even something like Sola de Fenego as you change the name to have a nice sound, or whatever.

My trick at least.

- Eddie

[The Great Skenardo]

Some sample names:

Yog
Albert Wooster
Sumner Kesh
Livina Lightfoot
Jurgen Gazzu
Stigg
Bronsk Sieffson
Tony 'Catseye' Grye
Haftan the Green
Jumenja Kree

[Lemur]

I often have trouble with names, but I've used some of the methods already mentioned before.

For example, I'll look in name indexes, such as this one for names, usually foreign for ideas. Also, mythology provides some ideas as well (Tokien took a lot of names out of Norse mythology, for example). I like to make sure that names I borrow aren't going to stick out as copycats, so names that people won't immediately recognize, or come from obscure sources are my preferences. Even if people know where "Savara" and "Ixmucane" come from, I doubt that they'd find the reference irritating or uninspired.

From there, I may "corrupt" the name somehow if I don't quite like the sound of it, or it needs some other sort of adaptation. I might turn the name 'Amrit' into something like "Amarede".

One final tactic, which I've adopted as a result of watching too much anime: take a foreign word that you like, even if it's not an actual name. This is the fun one, since names like "Kiatu" or "Gokiburi" double as personal jokes. While it wasn't my finest moment, I did name have a dwarf named Iowa once.

Another thing, I don't know about the rest of you, but long, complicated names piss me off. That doesn't mean I don't use them, but rather, if I do, I make sure that it's easily abbreviated into a simple nickname. An odd name like "Tormash" isn't actually too complicated, but you can just call him "Tor" for convenience's sake.

[Diggorian]

I take a few words that describe the concept then mix the letters/syllables to my liking. Hobgoblin samurai concept conjures Oni (demon) and Ryu (dragon). Oniryu I dont like, so I change it to Noriyu. End it with a K for a goblin touch: Noriyuk. This is where most of my character names come from.

Examples:
dwarf Emoadan (immoveable)
human Gregarion (gregarious)
aasimar Corrain (reigning courage)
human Alastaire (alacrity)

pirate sorceror Riggalletto (RIG-ah-let-OH), just rolls off the tongue

[Quirinus_Obsidian]

Character names are a quandry for me too. What I tend to do is think of a few letters that look really cool together, throw a couple of syllables on them, and either a masculine or feminine inflection to it, and WHAM! Gotchaname. Otherwise, I look at history, or babelfish a name for the character based on what it does.

Some examples:
Quirinus Obsidian - Human (Sorc/Cleric) Mystic Theurge
Aezetyr - Half Fey Sorceress / Stormcaster
Maer Zhan - Water Orc Warblade
Kih Samanh - Smoke Genasi Marksman (psionic ranger type)
Kusari-Musha - Kyton Swordsage (his name translates literally from the Japanese as Chain Warrior)

[Theodoxus]

Theodoxus
Reginaldi
Alathena
Fendarus
Melyen
Aerithandrinom

Those are names I made up when I was a kid, and have kept alive in various tabletop and computer rpgs.

I'm on a kick for at the moment for more 'normal' names - my friend and I are playing halfling twin rogues named Alex and Alton. I have another halfling concept for a ranger named Blaze Wolfrider.

Most of the time, I seek out sounds and place them together - Theodoxus, for instance came to me at church when I was about 10. Theo for god and doxus from doxology. It wasn't until much later that I found out it was also the greek form for a couple of Roman Emperors (Theodocius). Its probably most famous for being the species name of sea snails... google image it sometime (you'll probably find a pic of me in LARP garb too /sigh)

Fendarus just sprang to my head for a monsterous humanoid game one evening. He was a 2nd ed Firbolg.

Aerithandrinom is an elf, and very pretensious, for me at least. A friend borrowed the name, but he came off more down to earth, but that's ok. In my head, he's always Aerithandrinom, and never Aerith, or Nomi (shudder)

Alathena was pretty easy - added 'Al' to Athena - came off kinda middle eastern, and I was shocked to find it wasn't common at all.

Melyen was my corrupted name for a coworker - Marvin. He's Navajo, but is the splitting image of Pat Murita, so I slanged his name into how I thought a Japanese would say it (I'm so bad, I know)

Reginaldi just sounded perfect - adding an 'i' to Reginald, creating a very italian sounding name... It's fun how some words completely change by simply adding a letter to the end of them. Vowels work best, but some words can take a consonant nicely.

My friend (who plays Alton) tends to take common household items he sees while generating the character and changes them. Most often it's simply reversing the letters. He almost played a character named Ynos, but I convinced him that Sony actually worked better. Probably his most favored name is Darcian - which is such a cool name, evokes an image of a gallant Paladin or Knight at the very least - full plate and longsword at his side... I'm planning on writing a novel using Darcian and Reginaldi in a sort of Caramon - Raistlin kind of tale... Knight and Necromancer, I think.

Anyways... I think naming characters is one of my alltime favorite things to do...

Theo

[Lord Iames Osari]

I use the Rinkworks Generator for certain cultures in my homebrew setting that have a specific structure to their names.

Other than that, I generally cast around for a name that seems appropriate. Some names I've used, and where they came from:

Iames - an adaptation of James
Aerin - borrowed from Robin McKinley
Ariaj - adapted from backwards "Jaina" of the Star Wars EU.
Xarakh Nam - many incarnations ago, adapted from the name of a Vietnamese dish. I kid you not.
Casfal - stolen from an anime
Namuras - Saruman backwards. *shrug*
Zlalquiss - I have no idea where it came from.

[Ashes]

I'm boring. I use regular English names. My current character is named Evan, and I've been known to use Gavin and Garret a lot as well.

Nobody remembers or uses long names with multiple apostrophes anyways, so this actually allows people to stay in character instead of just saying my (the player's) name or just "fighter" or whatever.

[Talya]

Calishiite sorceress from Calimport:

Nara Aesera Nahid.

Yes, that sounds arabic.

Nara = Flame, Fire (Bloodline of Fire feat...she's decended from an Efreeti)
Aesera = Of Captivating Beauty
Nahid = One with full, round breasts. Also Persian name for the Greek Goddess Aphrodite. (I'm a heartwarder of Sune. Sue me.)

[LoopyZebra]

http://www.behindthename.com/random/

http://20000-names.com/

Want a knight? Give him a lesser-known French or Arthurian name. Want a barbarian? German or a Scandinavian language will do. Want a samurai? Japanese.

Really, if you didn't think of that last one by yourself, I should slap you.

[Wooter]

I like inappropriate names. A necromancer named Jimmy, an elven wizard named Bubba, a Half-orc barbarian named Alexander Chesterfield Xavier Beauregard.

[Hyrael]

I Often wind up stealing names from awesom fantasy books that no one else has read.

Shannan (shan) Originaly the name of a fat, absent-minded artificier, now my best RP character evar, a sorceror/rogue
Mairsil, the name of an awesom villain and master mage, now the name of a LN Summoner who loves to order around infernal minions

Or just make something up. Sometimes names come easy, sometimes they dont. Just try coming up with demon names on the spot, when you're playing a fiendbinder.
Zigfrizyglz (Ziggy), a Mezzoloth, Big, stupid, and crude
Marenal, a Erines, AKA bitchpants McCrabby, arrogant and cruel
Agryzbyifen (Arby), a Blue Abishai, Just plain creepily sociopathic little gargoyle-guy. Regenerates, so the other devils love to rip off his head every now and then. Even mairsil likes to cave in his skull.
Einen, a Harvester Devil, now banished to oblivion for 99 years, acted like an insurance/car salesman, but for souls.
Jub-Jub: Fiendish Monitor Lizard Familiar
Yep, we're all one big messed-up family.

Other character names:
Basalt(warforged Warblade), Greeg(Gruwaar Warlock), Bithoran (killoren Ranger), Adamaron (dragoloth), Lacrimosa (half-vampire monk), Hyrael (raptor Arcane Heirophant), Thared (raptor Barbarian Horizon walker)

[ocato]

I often pick names based on a sort of mental attribution of an existing people's cultures. Like in a campaign/story I was working on, the main characters are based on different regions/peoples during medieval europe.

Drata Sudeton: Human Paladin. Drata is a Czech name and the Sudetenland is (formerly) the region of Czechoslovakia where German speaking people lived. He represents Christian Europe.

Dola Hudona: Human Bard. Dola Hudona sounds both intimidating and intelligent. Dola represents the Norse people, but not in the barbaric sense that is overly used. The people of Scandinavia were also navigators, artists, and peaceful, devout people, as well as 'vikings'.

Sannix Coppercleave: Dwarven Barbarian. Very dwarven name. Sannix represents the nonchristian europeans, mostly barbaric tribes like vandals, goths, etc. He is a direct opposition of Drata in both alignment (LG vs CN) and personality.

Magwyn Forestsong: Elven Druid. Plenty of letters for the elven feel, and allows a very accessable nickname: Mags. Magwyn represents the british isles in that she is both classy and without refinement. She is both London and Stonehenge.

Armim Sal'allas: Human Wizard. Amrin was supposed to represent the Muslim and middle eastern influences in europe, being the smartest person in the party and also the least likely to act rashly.

Celina Undercobble "Leenie Longknives": Halfling Rogue. Leenie represents the merchant class and independant governements of Italy. She is conniving, smart, and ruthless. Undercobble is a good halfling name (the phb helps sometimes) and 'Leenie' gives a good feel for a halfling.

[Nebo_]

I like names that don't sound made up. A regular sounding name usually works.
Some of my characters:
Ulric
Theodore
Cassius
Silas
Duncan
Erik

[magicwalker]

Use DnD sources as inspiration... MtG cards... Warlord cards... fantasy books... TV shows... I'm not a huge fan of random name generators, but you could use that just to get something that sounds good and then take it from there. It's not really a big deal to take a name straight from a source, but shoot for the less common. iotw, anything that sounds cool

[Fax Celestis]

http://behindthename.com/random/ is your friend.

[Duke Malagigi]

These characters use both Dicefreaks (for the infernal prestige classes) rules and necromancer variants converted (not by me) from the Second Edition Complete Book of Necromancers. So, how do you like these five names?

Maxwell Stockton, LE male human Philosopher (necromancer) 12/ Stoic of Mephistopheles 5. Professor of philosophy (joke, just a little one) and biology. Suspected of such ethics violations as using his own students as unwitting guinea pigs, but most people are to afraid to question him on these charges.

Frederick Cromwell, LE male human Anatomist (necromancer) 10/ Rogue 6/ Mogul of Dispater 12. He's a thieves guild leader and professional body snatcher.

The Blood General Armadal Canonach, LE male ogre Fighter 12/ Dark Marshal of Bael 16. Once "pacified" an enemy city by executing half of its population, then enslaving the rest for six years in hellish "reeducation camps".

Countess Angelique De lorme, LE female human Archetypal Necromancer 23/ Ex-Druid 9/ Despoiler of Lilith 11. She keeps both humanoid and awakened animal children caged and shackled in her palace. Her purpose is to weed out what she believes to be genetically weaker children "for liquidation", while keeping the others for "breeding stock". She uses torture, mental and otherwise to break these children down in more malleable psychological molds.

Doctor Jonathan Ellington, CG male human Anatomist (necromancer) 28/ Master Anatomist 15. Current president of the Redbark necromantic academy in the elven capitol city. He is his world's greatest arch-necromancer and defends it demonic, daemonic and diobolical incroachments. His main mortal enemies include Frederick Cromwell and the Countess Angelique De lorme.


Characters I need help naming.

1. He is a large awakened brown bear wearing armor made out of deer bone. At a young age he was apprenticed to his tribe's elder magician so he could learn the healing arts (curative necromancy). Unfortunately, while an older cub, his village came under attack from a human necromancer named Angelique (see above). The warriors of the clan all fought to defend their village, and many of them lost their lives in the battle. During this battle the clan's magician strode out from his thatched hovel, and using his great knowledge and cunning destroyed many scores of these undead monstrosities while providing healing and comfort through his arcane powers. Seeing this display of power as a young cub, our esteemed ursine necromancer resolved not to become an anatomist like his former mentor but to become a more focused slayer of the undead. After this invasion was repelled he went off to rescue his fellow bearfolk (I can't think of a better name yet) and to receive training as a deathslayer. During his travels he became a great and thoughtful warrior and studied tactics, philosophy, history (outside his tribe), the social graces, and religion. His studies in theology lead the ursine necromancer to veneration of the celestials known as the Defenders of Freedom. These great angels bestowed upon him great, but limited powers, making him into a marshal of liberty. He currently teaches a class on combating the undead and offensive necromancy. He's around 7'2" and weighs around 534 pounds with thick light brown fur and black beady eyes.

2. She uses her talents in the necromantic sciences to contact the dead and in her work as an obstetrician and gynecologist. The courses she teaches cover obstetrics, gynecology, and classical necromancy. This said, except for classical necromancy she prefers to teach only female students including her daughters (the oldest of whom is 16), saying, "Since only women can bare and nurse children it makes sense that only women could truly understand the inner workings of other women.". The necromancer herself is a widow and a mother of three daughters.
She's been a citizen of the country of Talamh Saoirse (roughly translated as Freeland, elf country) for 5 years after fleeing her homeland out of fear of religious persecution, after the public execution of her husband. She’s a short (5'4" tall) and shapely East Asian (Japanese to be more specific) woman aged 36 dressed in a medium-green kimono tied off with a pale blue obi or sash. Her hands are slender, having long and graceful fingers with well-trimmed nails. Her comely and well-formed face and amber-colored eyes are framed with long straight black hair.

So, what do you people think think?

[CindyKay]

Names can be funny or quirky or descriptive.

I once played in a campaign with a pair of thieves named Chip and Dale after the Disney chipmunks.

About 30 years ago I had a mage character named Presto after a magician friend of mine named Martin Preston. And after I started playing, one of the other players pointed out that "presto" is something cheesy magicians say as a magic word. :(

I think naming characters is a very personal thing, and the way you name your characters has as much to do with one's own personality as with the character's. Of course, that's only my opinion, and I'm certain there are players out there with very specific and probably scientific methods of naming characters.

I think it will be interesting to learn how others choose character names.

[SpatulaOfDoom]

I sometimes have difficulty choosing names for characters. I try to give them names that are easy to say and remember but somehow evocative of their personality or nature.
Some of my characters.

Suicide Sam
Full orc barbarian who sings a song called "Sam I am" that actually re-counts his adventures with a simple two line verse for each adventure. Sam seems a pretty good name for a... well basically retarded but good hearted orc, the suicide bit is a nickname I added at creation because he's an anti-AC barbarian build.

Talis
Halfling Rogue and perhaps my longest running character. Talis' supposed to be styled somewhat after the freewheeling european gypsies and one of the things that the gypsies were famous for were their fortune tellers and their talis decks. No last name because he doesn't want to be identified with a particular family or place but wants to become known simply for who he is not whom he is related to or where he was from.

Nigel Bristol
Excessively british sounding elven wizard. From a noble family he's actually not quite so stuck up as the name seems to indicate.

Julian Cormorant
Human thanemage. A member of the merchant nobility Julian is something of a dilettante/three musketeers character. Julian is a normal albeit uncommon name which works for humans.

Shamiel
Shamiel is a nomadic cleric with a strong arabic flavour. "Shamiel" is a particular type of sandstorm which occurs during the hottest months in the desert, it's a fast moving wave of very hot air followed immediately by billowing sand.

A few rules of thumb that I go by when naming.

Keep it relatively simple:
No more than one apostrophe in your name. If people have difficulty pronouncing it even after you've given them the pronunciation then it's too complicated and people WILL give you a nickname or use a shortened version. It's actually not too bad if the last name is overlong or hard to pronounce since the first name is what people will identify the character with and it's the one being used.
Simple doesn't mean ordinary
The worst offenders in this category tends to be elves, I honestly don't think I need to explain this one.

No joke names: Names like Rod Hughes or Murlyn might get a laugh but it gets old very quick and no-one will take your character seriously, intentionally or not.

Make it mesh with your character: This one's pretty straightforward. Boil your character down to a one sentence description (not mechanics but do include how they go about doing what they do) and think about which of the names you've got at this point seem jarring when put with that character, discard those names.