Finding a name for your character

A name is a vital part of your identity. It's at the top of your character sheet. It's how you introduce yourself and what people will associate you with for the rest of your life.

It can speak volumes about you or deceive others. It can show your past or display your future.

And you really want to leave something as important as that up to coincide? You want to top off your whole character with a meaningless title given to you by a machine?

You want to name your baby using a Fantasy Name Generator?

Yeah, I didn't think so.

So let me help you find a name that will encom and represent your character better than any random creation ever could.

Let's get started by deciding...

Step 1: Structure

Pick a structure for the name you're going to create. Here are some examples.

- Collection of Nicknames

Over the course of a person's life, they are likely to be given more than one Nickname. They can derive from appearance or past deeds.

Examples are: Sam the Slayer, Dagmer Cleftjaw, Strong Belwas

- Aquired Titles

Knights, scholars or prodigies of other kinds are likely to have aquired official titles that they are fiercely proud of.

Examples are: Barristan the Bold, Maester Luwin, Geralt of Rivia

- Family Lineage

Some people, great or small, have families or houses that they want to represent.

Examples are: Thorin son of Thror son of Thrain, Nimue verch Wledyr ap Gwyn or other versions like Cersei of House Lannister

- Heritage

No matter if nobleman or street urchin, most people have a place they come from or feel at home.

Examples are: Meriadoc Brandybuck, Cat of the Canals, Yennefer von Vengerberg

Step 2: Words

Most modern names are slightly altered versions of words that would describe a person's appearance, character or occupation.

Flowers, Trees, Animals

Dandelion, Weasel, Emhyr (Urchin), Tsubaki (Camelia)

Places, Landscapes

Seashore, Highland, Feykro (Forest), Stella (Star)

Characteristics

Hope, Red, Bella (beautiful), Regis (to rule)

Deities

Verna (Spring), Morrigan (War), Diana (Hunt)

Step 3: Languages

You found the perfect word to represent your character, but Caterpillar of the Warehouses doesn't sound poetic enough? Well, what about Eruca sin Stordai? Sounds... moderately cooler.

Let's get to translating!

Welsh, Irish Gaelic, Cornish, Celtic

These sound very old and airy and make good classic Elven names.

Niwilowedd (misty), Sionnach (Fox), Avon (River)

Latin, Greek, Arabic

The three (western) languages of culture and progress make great names for scholars and other intellectuals.

Navis (Ship), Chronos (Time), Izraal (Blue)

Russian, Polish, Czech

The slavic (I know Polish isn't, but it sounds similar) languages are more rustic and coarse. That's why they work great for Barbarians or tribal warriors from the cold mountains.

Volya (Freedom), Ognisko (Fire), Vitr (Wind)

Chinese, Japanese, Hindi

If you're looking for a more eastern feel, take a look at these popular languages. They work especially well for Monks.

Lujing (Path), Hikari (Light), Chidiya (Bird)

Zulu, Swahili

African languages seem warm and round. So if your character comes from a tribe or has a familiar personality, this might fit perfectly.

Ekhanyayo (glowing), Simba (Lion), Chekundu (Red)

Finnish, Norwegian, Icelandic

For a soft and mystic feeling, try the north of Europe.

Talvinen (wintery), Bjørn (Bear), Galdranorn (Witch)

Mythology

Not a language, I know, but you can still try to translate single words into their mythological or religious context.

Selene (Moon Godess), Morrigan (Crow Godess)

Conlangs

Many artificial fantasy languages also have online dictionaries.

Like Tolkien's Sindarin, Game of Thrones' Elder Speech .

Tinuviel (Nightingale), Yuvon (Gold), Crevan (Fox)

Disclaimer!

I speak German, English, Japanese and a tiny bit of French.

The purpose of this post is not to teach and educate, but to inspire and help with finding names. If this post makes you want to study one of these languages more in depth, that's great! But I'm not going to take responsibility for the correctness or accuracy of this Wiki. I did my best.

That being said, if you have any suggestions or corrections to make, please let me know.

Step 4: Attitude

A name given to you by your family is one thing. A name earned is another, and one chosen for yourself is an entirely different thing.

What kind of attitude does your character have about their name? Do they celebrate their heritage or would they rather hide it? Maybe they use a con name or a pseudonym. Some might have a childhood name only known to close friends. Or have they earned a name they are ashamed of and would rather not be addressed by.

This is a good chance to give your character more than one name and slowly revealing them as the other party gain their trust.

___________________

That's it! That's all I want to say about this topic at the moment.

Although I might elaborate on some points in the future.

If you would like me to help you find the perfect match, feel free to message me and I will delve with you into the depth of translation tools and name dictionaries. I would rather spend four hours doing research than leave you with a random creation.

(This is my second time writing this post because I lost the fist draft)

Have a pleasant night,

- Chipmunk