Character Naming

>>54091684
SLAB BULKHEAD

1. take word from my first language
2. change it up

>>54091684
scrabble

National football teams if you want real world culture names, just looking up historical records if you want names from antiquity.

For fantasy names, take an appropriate thematic word about the character, translate it into a few languages that might be cultural analogues to your characters origin, then mess around with the letters a bit to make it slightly less obvious.

>>54091684
https://www.behindthename.com/random/

>>54091706
FLINT HARDCHEESE

Puns. Puns fucking everywhere. But then im running a superhero game, so it makes a bit more sense. If i can't think of a decent joke, just slap a word related to their powers into the ole' translator.

>>54091684
My characters always have gimmicks or something characteristic in their background, my names tend to be puns or words related to those gimmicks/points in different languages (depending the origin of the character).

For example, for a game setled in Not Japan I rolled once a doctor, but got shitty as fuck stats, like absurdly shitty, I called him "Useless Medic" in Japanese

>>54091768
>But then im running a superhero game
Last time I played a superhero game I got randomly only super hearing and echo sonar as powers...I called him Superhear-O. I almost got punched to death by my group.

I steal them from books, movies, video games, etc

>>54091684
>Base character off of another character
>Rearrange letters into something aesthetically pleasing.
>Great success!

For example
Venom Snake becomes Menov Kanse.

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>>54091790
You sir, are amazing, and are, in fact, my nigga. May i steal that from you?

>>54091684
Depends entirely on the game.

In a more serious game, I talk with the GM about typical naming conventions, or if a certain land is based on a real-world equivalent, I look up naming conventions of that area. Taking something common or semi-common from that area is sensible. If the GM allows me to decide the naming conventions, I generally go with something related to the culture of the people there. A lot of names are taken from the bible and whatnot, so taking something from a myth or a hero of legend is good. If I'm making those up too, whatever feels like it fits. I try to stay away from things that reflect my character's role or personality, since parents wouldn't know that when giving the name.

In less serious games, I just make shit up, usually. I'll make the character, then sit on the idea for a bit, see if anything comes to the surface.

I try to limit the complexity of the name or go for things that are easily shortened, since long names will inevitably be shortened.

>>54091763
BIG LARGEHUGE

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>>54091684
Or http://donjon.bin.sh/

>>54091867
Thanks, and yes, you totally can, may your group be more understanding than mine

>>54091733
What is your first language anon? Can you give some examples?

>>54091839
I did this for a doctor character ni a Star Wars Universe, with Gaius Baltar and an irl inspiration

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Shakespeare first names, last names connecting me to the world's lore

>>54091927
BRICK PUNCHBRICK

>>54093221

MIC MICMUSCLE

>>54091927
RAPESTAB McGENOCIDE

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/v/ helps, sometimes.

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>>54093308

>Mr Lister The Sister Fister

Always lose it to that one.

First name that is theme appropriate usually with the same letter as my name. Last name relating to place of origin (maybe make it easy to turn into a teasing name).

>>54093308
>Josef Stylin'
Hot damn.

>>54093308
>Not Broseph Styling

>>54091684
I scroll through Youtube comments until I find someone's name that I like and use it. Or a name generator.

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>>54091684
DO NOT abuse the descriptive two-word-surname naming convention.

By that I mean an elf named Ashrinel Leafbow, or a dwarf named Ivor Ironbeard, or a rogue name Gares Backblade. Pretty much the only time it's good is if it's an alias or an earned nickname. Example, "Gares assassinated the Dread Captain Ironbeard so now we call him the Backblade" or some such, but if it's his actual family name then that is a fucking travesty. "It's easier to remember" NO. Don't buy that lame excuse. They ought to make some god damn flashcards if their table's attention span is that bad.

There is a time for descriptive names but overuse of them makes me want to strangle something. Please never be the guy that does that OP. The world needs less of it.

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This is still my goto naming program despite the issues it has after not being updated to work with any windows os past Vista.

>>54094536
but senpai I don't have vista

>>54094518
To be entirely fair, a bunch of surnames in real life basically equate to that.

My birth surname translates to Greenleaf.

>>54094555
It still works in Windows 10, you just can't get rid of the limits imposed on it that would be gotten rid of by "registration" (running a separate file which did some mumbo jumbo now no longer supported). So you're stuck only getting a few names at once, and a few irritations to usability.

Puns, wordplay, and scientific names. I've had a sword wielding aquatic character named Xiphidar, a play on the scientific name for swordfish, a blue winged fairy named Sibi Rica after sibirica irises, and a mage who can change her size at will named Levy Thann, a play on Leviathan.

>>54091684
>Rich the Witch
>Razer the Ranger
>Saladin the Paladin
>Magnus the Magus
>Marian the Barbarian
>Punk the Monk
>Vogue the Rogue
>Gerard the Bard
>Eric the Cleric

>>54094564
True, but it's far enough removed from the original context that it no longer sounds quite so literal. A name passed down through generations is unlikely to be that on-the-nose.It'd be like if everyone with the last name Smith becomes a blacksmith or locksmith. It's just lazy and irksome to me.

>>54093237
LORD EVIL McBABYPUNCHER

>>54091684
I string together words typically thought to be "metal" to form a ridiculous and nonsensical name. It must also be in all uppercase lettering.

Examples include FUCKHATE MEGASMITE. GENOCIDER BLOODANNIHILATOR, ASHBREAKER OMNIDEATH, and POPE SKULLDOOM.

>>54095850
KILLJOY BABYEATER

>>54095922
Al four of those are perfect SenZar villains.

>>54095922
There is something unbelievably funny about the idea of standing atop a pile of corpses and screaming "I AM GENOCIDER BLOODANNIHILATOR"

Choosing a dominate attribute or trait, translating it to a language that feels like it fits and modifying it to sound name like if it doesn't already.

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I have a little program I wrote that outputs random strings of Hiragana written in English characters, run it a few times, then look for one fun to say.

>>54095922
Is that you, Liefeld?

>>54095923
THICK MCRUNFAST

>>54094864
My last name is Wright, and I'm a shipwright....

>>54094864
>It'd be like if everyone with the last name Smith becomes a blacksmith or locksmith.
But that's where the surname "Smith" comes from. Same with "Miller". And "Baker". And "McGenocide"

>>54096178
SLEDGE FISTHAMMER

>>54095922
DREADSKULL ERADIKILL

>>54096202
Tavish McGenocide, of the mighty McGenocide clan, rulers of a thousand leagues of blasted earth.

>>54091684
Depends. Usually I pick an ordinary name (a simple one especially) and give an adjective or something as a nickname. If it's supposed to be a bit more serious, I translate that into some other language.

>>54094518
Litteraly every dwarf in my universe is mineral+bodypart for the last name. Irondick, Bismuthbutt, Gypsumface. You get the picture. Its great.

>>54096255
Goldeneye

>>54096265
Goldfinger

Puns and references

>>54096277
Goldmember

>>54096287
Groovy.

>>54096204
KIRK BABYKICKER

>>54096318
BRONC DRYWALL

>>54091684
I always set sail for Port Manteau.

>>54095850
>LORD EVIL McBABYPUNCHER

No no no. You need to include Baron and Von for maximum evilness. And maybe a vaguely German name as well.

BARON WOLFGANG VON EVILBABYPUNCHER

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>>54096392
Pretty much.
Hiragana phonetics flow nicely even when you just grab a shit ton and spread them randomly, hence why I made it.
https://pastebin.com/59UbN6By have 10,000 of them.

>>54091817
bingo

1. Take characteristic of character
2. Translate to mongolian
Done
Also alliteration in the person's title if it's all in english

The titles of Rush songs with some minor changes seem to work for me so far.

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My PCs over the last 10 years:

> Vance the Prodigal (male half-drow sorcerer)
> "Smilin'" Jack Eddows (male human fighter)
> Shepherd William Bale (male human fighter)
> Gareth (male human wizard)
> Tian Bak Xi, the Dollmaker (80 year old female human cleric)
> Celestine Percedal Fel (female human inquisitor)
> Boren the Antiquarian (male necropolitan necromancer)
> Isaac Hawkins (male human magus)
> Valen Kai, Last Knight of Solace (male dusk elf magus)
> Cap'n Aubrey Maturin (female human rogue)
> Ser Tristan d'Arras (male human paladin)
> Bjorn Artos (male human druid)

For villainous NPCs, in order of appearance in my campaigns since I started DMing 7 years ago:

> The Exile
> Ilseda Belvane (vampire)
> The Monitor (demon)
> Hierarch Demetrius d'Avannon
> Durga the Magnificent (dragon)
> Hans (also a dragon)
> Nicci
> Anath, Breaker of Chains
> Cullen Shaw (half-giant)
> Edwin Francis Isard
> Nala Nalovha
> Orhmoz Khassadar Taranis (dracolich)
> Marcus Ireneus Koskai (lich)
> Aron Vala, the Herald
> Delton Nerada
> Aron Balaur, King of the Pale
> Aron Macelar, the Butcher
> Aron Tetra, the Maiden
> Aron Syn, the Tutelary
> Izzy

If you can figure out a pattern, you have schizophrenia.

If you guys where forced to choose one of these names what would you? >>54096591

>>54096202
Yeah, I know. But not all smiths are Smiths, and vice versa. It would be super weird if that were the case.

>>54096195
Dammit anon, what are you doing? You were supposed to become an attorney!

Take a word or a person's name from the language used by the cultural my character's culture is most similar to.
Change it a bit or combine a few things.

>>54096942

Ryadaar Songaxe wouldn't be a bad name for a Dwarf Bard.

>>54094518
This, fuck the memesters that use meme names

I try to make common sayings into a name, for example

"Alls fair in love and war" becomes Alzfaran Lovenwar

"Feel the burn" becomes Felix Teburn

>>54091684
Remove almost all sense of shame.
Then take whatever is nearby and name your character something like that.

Eg: Tinta Azul-female swordbitch named for what was written on my box of pens. This was spanish for blue ink.

The Unnamed-Lovecraftian hero in a supers game. The character creation program defaults to Unnamed until you name the character.

Namov-a half ork gunslinger for pathfinder based on a Russian streltsy. Default entry for the character maker; "Name of"

Agendir. A half elf asshole mage. Got the name from mishearing a line from Skyrim "Nice to see you again, dear.

And, as a friend told me, just start taking any two words and think of them as a name. This will result in unfortunate things like Marmalade Camwhore, but it starts to work better after a while.

>>54096978
I feel like I should specify

It's for a Primarch that is Fulgrim if he landed on a Fenris-like world and became a wandering warrior bard who went around fixing his planet's problems after getting a dose of humility after having his beautiful face burned the fuck off

>>54096995

I was going to tell you to fuck off, but I once played a loose cannon cop named Louis Cannon.

I also once named a turncoat spy character Aidan Comfort, but I stopped myself because even I'm not that big of an asshole.

>>54091930
Fucking stupendous

>>54091768

>Mbobo Mali, African witchdoctor necromancer
>Ziplock Baggins, hobbit burglar
>Ermagerd, female paladin
>Brootle Backbreaker, Minotaur gladiator

Right there with ya pal.

I do word association until the chain of thought that gets me to the final name is so convoluted I won't how I got there the next day. For example, if I were making a detective character, my process might look something like this:
>detective
>Sherlock Holmes
>Watson
>Watt
>Electricity
>Key and kite
>Benjamin Franklin
>Founding Fathers
>Alexander Hamilton
>James Reynolds
>Detective Reynold "Ray" Keys

If I need a fantasy name, I do the same thing but run some of the words through translators.

>>54097309
I'm stealing this. This is good.

>>54091684
Language research
What sounds good to me
Random words sloshing around in my brain
Mix well and serve.

I'm trying to come up with a couple dozen silly names to swap between on my character in a not very serious Pathfinder game. He's a grippli alchemist with the vivisectionist archetype. I plan on going full body modification. Extra arms, Wings, Tentacle, Mummification, Tumor Familiar, etc., and shank enemies with quintuple+ Crippling Strikes.

So far, I've managed to come up with:

>That one guy what be a frog
>The group's toady
>Mysterious Croaked Figure
>Tad Poole
>Doc Hoppiday
>Technically got tail
>Spider-Frog
>Dead-Eyed, Four-Armed, Flying, Tentacled People Stabber

Any suggestions, punny or otherwise, would be greatly appreciated.

>>54097403
I love Doc Hoppiday for a gunslinger, also Mysterious Croaked Figure. I'd probably end up choosing something dumb like Victor Froggenstein but all of these are pretty good.

>>54094518
Settle down, Salty Mensesflow.

>>54093402
>Lister's Sister the Fist Resistor
It's like a one-two punch for me anon

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>>54097403

Wait, you're playing a mutated anthropomorphic frog?

Bufo Peperius Shadilayne.


Thank me later, pic unrelated.

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>>54091684
Look at a map of my home village's street names, chop those up, and rearrange the results as needed. I use this more for naming places but it can also give decent family names).

Dig through a list of German nouns and old German names.

Look at the setting I am making a character for and dig deep into whatever info I can find on naming conventions. I really dig D&D's habit of including example names at the end of each race entry and tend to use those as guides to making my character's name sound plausible.

There are many methods available and the choice of which to use is yours OP.

>>54097477
That's not dumb at all. Dr. Victor Froggenstein actually works really well.

And after the horrifying mutations:

>Froggenstein's Monster

>>54096497
>https://youtu.be/6wicmK4tsAs isn't on the list

I am disappointed Anon

>>54096888
What did Aron ever do to you?

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>>54097926
I don't decide the names, the computer does
I just tell the computer to do it's thing and then autopilot cruise control into cool.
Maybe if I ran it a few million times that would come out, but on the potato I'm on currently that could take an hour for all I know.

>>54097486
I call them how I see them, Afag Sucklecox.

>>54097869
>Froggenstein's Monster

Froggenstien's Mankster?

>>54096951
Only in the modern era is that weird it would absolutely be the case in a medieval setting. Surnames were not common unless you were noble born so at most you would have a location or occupation if differentiating was needed.

Alfred von Hessa
Markus the Miller
The "surname" literally denoted where you were from or your family occupation.

Just take words from Hebrew if I can't think of anything. Easy peasy, and no one ever catches on (: plus it's such a nice sounding language that all the names sound great. Marmatz is my latest dwarf, before that was Aviv (the mage of course) and before that, the beauty Pinah.

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>>54096312
Gravy

>>54091684

First ask your GM if they have set a naming schema in their campaign. Sometimes, they'll want everyone to have an ancient Greek or Latin name; maybe Slav, Egyptian, or Korean names.

Barring any restrictive guidelines from the GM:


Buy baby name books; go through them, looking for interesting names that mean something.

Take Scrabble letters one at a time out of the bag, and try to assemble a name from them(set a number of letters you feel comfortable with). Try to use them all.

Use the Tolkien appendix that has the name-elements to cobble something together.

Assemble a set of syllables that you like the sound of.

And finally:

Name your character Drizzt, no matter the race, class, sex, or gender.

>>54096322
BUTCH IRONSTAG

>>54097580
LAND OF FOLKS?!!? THAT'S WHAT MAINE GETS?!!?

>>54091684
STUDY THE SETTING AND MAKE AN APPROPRIATE NAME BASED ON YOUR CHARACTERS BACKGROUND YOU LAZY TWAT !

>>54100641
>THAT'S WHAT MAINE GETS?!!?
Don't blame the rest of the world for having a name that means something shitty.

>>54097988
>sees Java
>remember I should be studying and not wasting time on 4chan again

FFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUCCCCCCCKKKKKK

>>54100612
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5xhfCGcAYw
Unfortunately I don't think there's an equivalent for 12 to the Moon.

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Google.

No seriously, just type in "male/female name meaning (insert theme here)" and enjoy.

>>54097988
>class function instead of regular function
>not using StringBuilder and .(append)
>making ONE HUNDRED AND SEVEN case switch where indexed array would do
Jesus Christ, Anon, are you literally Pajeet?

>>54093236
HUNK BEEFBROTH

>>54091684
My last character was named Chad Tundercoque he was an american football player at his local highschool and he just woke with a hangover from last night's party when he saw that zombies swarmed the street.

>>54091817
This, duh. Especially if it's obscure young adult fantasy novels. Nobody will ever recognize them.

>>54100641
At least you're not "Land of People Who Speak Normally."

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>>54097988
>>54100708

>>54094864
>My name means 'to turn a lathe'
>I'm a machinist
I dunno, seems legit.

>>54091817
I did this to a somewhat obscure game for my online alias. Turns out someone else stole it and made a well selling book, and there he's some gay bartender or some shit. Now everyone asks me if I got the name from that book.

>>54091684
Take foreign words vaguely relating to the character theme and play with them until they sound right.

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I've fallen into the habit of using a handful of stock names for common fantasy races.

Otherwise, I have a few simple rules.

1) I need to be able to pronounce it easily.
2) Two syllables maximum
3) Easily nickname-able
4) When all else fails - steal something from Warhammer Fantasy.

>>54101305
There is that.

>>54106847
>Warhammer Fantasy.
Works for me everytime, Warhammer is best

For my Call of Cthulhu game, I just pick random names from the credits of old horror movies (like The Thing, In The Mouth of Madness, and Re-Animator)

>>54093308
>No Lester the Molester

Marshal Macintyre
Tobias Tamberly
Reddhall Sid
Jonas Abraham Jesswick
Jaron Syll Jaques (Lich name is Jyaarsiijyaaxx)
Vicimi Miniorite
Micheal Mennaham
Verin Vermont
Xatoreel Calebront
Fervus Felate
Anthruss Max
Sir Baldwick Brockingsworth
Baldwin Brood
Tyranitus Feck
Sulu Swdeaweedo
Harkundthou
Slappyjack
Hergundergenworth

>>54097580
>Good Place for Potatos
>Stink Onions
>go Light on the Mountains, please
>Pit Dweller's Town
kek

>>54092190
1. English
2. Chairia Tablisia

>>54099799
Which falls under earned nicknames.

>>54094518
The usual head canon justification that I use for dwarves is that when speaking in common they use the translation of their surname and not their surname itself. Like, if he were my character Bruenor Battlehammer would be a Battlehammer among foreigners but would be a Khustrumlin (or whatever) to other dwarves

>>54091684
Take a word that describes the character and translate it to a foreign language.

I use pro wrestling and weeb references

>>54111642
Then you are a weeaboo

>>54091684
I chase names around in my head. I try to conceptualize but not name the distinct aspect of my character and I'll mentally rattle off a list of names until something fits.

Konrad Moraig for an astoundingly strong knight.

Quintin Laramoore for a best of intentioned necromancer.

Androvi Pillarum Lecturis for a noble Paladin with a halberd wedged up his ass.

I try to allow the name to choose the character.

I either use generators or translate from Sindarin if it's elves.

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>>54101305

I look up cock mcfaggot in strange languages

>>54095922
>POPE SKULLDOOM
10/10 would serve under as a cleric.

>>54097580
Imagine living in the land of the river with the land of the great river just next door.

>>54115645
this tbdesu
nami is doomed to be forever normal
at least she's a qt in my book

>>54101204
MAX DAMAGE

>>54118805
Max Power
Show of hands, who remembers

>>54118805
BOB JOHNSON

>>54096942
Occitan Cincaide is the most phonetically pleasant imo, plus it avoids sounding too made-for-fantasy which aids verisimilitude.

>>54118825
Who doesn't?

>>54092190
Swedish. I usually relate it somewhat to the character. Idea I've never used (becauuse half races Suck): a half orc named Brug (Brygga is swedish for bridge, and a half orc is like a bridge between the races). stuff like that.

>>54094864
Pretty sure there was some statistic stating you're slightly more likely to become a profession related to your name.

CHUCK BEEFINGTON

>>54119637
>a half orc is like a bridge between the races
>Swedish

Jesus, /pol/ is always right...

>>54091684
1) Find a list of actual historical names.
2) Have my Nation/Races basically emulate an actual culture (Orc: Seljick Turks, Elves: Dark Ages Sweden, ect.)
3) Use the names appropriately (Suleiman, Ragnar, ect.)

>>54118993
MIKE ROTCH

As a GM, and mostly as a player as well, I've long since realized that people tend to remember actual, real names a thousand times better than made up fantasy bullshit names. I just mostly give everyone real names that fit the vibe. Unless it's some really weird thing like a demon or something.

Seriously, I can't even remember how many times I've seen myself or some other DM give their NPCs made up fantasy names they thought sounded good, only to end up repeating it more or less literally every time someone wants to talk to them and can't remember the name.

Nobody's going to remember Murakiel Doran (or whatever), but nobody will have a hard time remembering that the NPC's name is Michael.

Shit is especially bad in a lot of premade material. Pathfinder is fucking terrible about it. I can remember maybe three names from Rise of the Runelords, and I've DM'd it for my group.

>>54091684

One syllable. Always. GM's, other players, and NPC's get more attached to character's that have names you can pronounce and remember easier. The immersion also is easier because everyone is saying your character's name instead of 'Barry's Elf' or 'your Alchemist'.

No one ever remembers the name Flynlndlblindlinlinden.

>>54091684
Honestly, trial and error. Just go FirstName AdjectiveNoun/VerbNoun/NounNoun until you get something thematic and that rolls of the tongue.

>>54091684
Puns. How obscure depends on how serious the game is supposed to be.

>>54091768
This, and I'll usually take a different language sometimes and use that along with it sometimes.

Like I had a vampiric death knight focused on cold damage named Viktor Degurraturi(romanian for frostbite).

Current game I have a character who the DM describes to other people as "an Ice Climber pair of Bards." We're in a Japanese-style wuxia game, and the backstory is that they're part of a group of 6 identical twin brothers that, in fairy tale fashion, grew from some magic seeds they're hermetic dad planted shortly after expressing fear of never having children.

The two I'm playing are named San-Shido and Go-Shido. Literally translated as 3-Seed and 5-Seed. No one else in the group has caught on yet.

>>54094101
>I scroll through Youtube comments until I find someone's name that I like
Oh, that's not a bad one.

>>54119637
I've named a necromancer Liv.

>>54124465
How about Lynyrd Skynyrd?

>>54091684
make something up, then assign a translation.

>>54115921
>Main villain is an epic level cleric named POPE SKULLDOOM.
>Head of a church that's trying to prove his God is the only thing one needs to survive.
>"By his decree we burn down the sun."

I take something thematically appropriate like Night Light for a Drow paladin. Then I put it through Google translate late on some obscure language (in this case Slovak) and boom Nočné Svetlo is born!

>>54121209
KRAKENBOLT MEGADOOM

>>54094518
My IRL last name translate as Free Mountain.
Also, here in Sweden we have what are called soldier's names which are last names given to soldiers so that the whole regiment wouldn't all be known as Svensson or Karlsson. These soldiers names are larpy as fuck since they are common words relating to their profession or the the place. I'm taking names like Sword, Shield, Stream, Cannon, Brave and Forest Grove.

>>54092190
want some arabic sounding names senpai? Maltese has the latin alphabet so it's easy for you to write it down