A Vaulter's Insanity

I havnt written much over the years, but everything Ive written Ive been able to find good names for my characters. But now I'm stuck. So Im just wondering where everyone gets inspirations for their characters name. Do you research names at all? Or does it just kind of come out naturally as you write?

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RomanticRose

Either they just come to me, or I consult my great naming oracle -- my phone book collection. Anytime I'm out of town, the first thing that goes in my suitcase at the hotel is the local phone book.

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seigfried007

Depends entirely on the character.

Some walk into my head, more or less full-fleshed like Athena from the brow of Zeus. Really charismatic characters tend to do this.

Sometimes, I find a name or randomly draw one from some strange recess of my mind and assign a personality to it. Happens pretty often with minor support characters I don't plan on using much.

Most of the time, I see the character and get a feel for the personality first, then introductions are made--either because I randomly assign the character a name, or because the name gets pried out.

Some characters are touchy about people knowing their names (for instance, a demon named Ein Fukt took months to tell me his birth name and instead let anyone call him any nickname over that name).

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terrib

Romantic Rose, got it right with the phone book. I also look at the end of a show at the names of the cast and crew. You'll be surprised.

Shen

i listen to people speak in language i dont understand and catch some words that sound cool and turn them into my characters names.

lilacstarflower

Mix of both really.

One of my MC needed to be called Noah - I just couldn't write about him if I called him by any other name. Have no idea where it came from. In fact, most of my characters are that way

I have researched some names - because I write historical fiction as well.

One character in my sci-fi has a specific name which essentially tells the reader who/what he is and that was also researched. It's an ancient Scots name so kids are probably too stupid to pick up on it until it's actually explained in the book...if it ever gets read by anyone...

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Joe Moore

I put together some tips on character name creation for a SleuthFest panel a few years back. Hope it helps: Welcome to Joe Moore's website

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Tiamat10

Some names just click, some just don't and require extensive perusing of babyname websites. My tome of every name I've ever needed can be found here:
20000-NAMES.COM: 20,000+ Names from Around the World--baby names, pet, pets, sim, story character, meaning, origin, etymology, etymologies, meanings, origins

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Sabsz

I use the same website ^.^ It's great. I name almost all of my characters with that website. The first time I saw the name 'Ace' I knew it was my character's name. Or well, his nickname. Same goes for my character Audrina. I just really like names that start with 'A'.

terrib

thanks Joe, I added that one to my favorites. Good idea Shen, never thought about that.

Non Serviam

Some few years back, I got hold of a copy of the local electoral register, which is still my source for names. (To my eternal joy, in 1987 a lady living in my town was called Hazel Nutt.)

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terrib

Oh...thats funny, Non Serviam.

SevenWritez

Name's aren't important. Just give them a name and they'll grow into it. If you don't like it, then change it later on.

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cowpops

I use a baby name book, the same one my parents used in naming me.

But sometimes before I get to that point, I had started the fiction with a character in the first place, already named and ready to be manipulated at my fingertips.

And sometimes at 3AM I wake up with a start and go, "Oh! Jeremy!" and fall back asleep.

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A Vaulter's Insanity

Thanks guys. Those sites helped a lot. Ive found lots of good names, now I just have to choose which one!

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