Naming Chars

claybugg · Newb Joined: 14 Jan 2005 Posts: 22

How do you name your original characters?

For my fanfic i'm writing, i'm looking up names that translate into a characteristic/quality that that person has. For example, I have a Queen named 'Avari' which means "from heaven". She's not actually from heaven, though she would think she is, she's a total elitist and thinks she is above everyone else.

Does anyone else use things like this? Or am i just reading too much into it?

eidan_eishou · Very bored Joined: 28 Jun 2005 Posts: 120

I just make up names. ^^;

dolphinprincess · Posted: Wed Jun 29, 2005 7:38 am Post subject:

I like to pick names that I like, or, if it suits the character or plays a part in a story. For example, I have two characters who are twins. One's a boy, and the other's a girl. The boy's name is Ray, and the girl's name is Luna. In my manga that I am working on, there are these gods/goddesses who have been reincarnated. The god of Sun, Tai Yang, was reincarnated in Ray, whilst the goddess of Moon, Ming Yue, was reincarnated in Luna. Also, their personalities go with their name. Luna is dark and quiet, while Ray is proud and outgoing.
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Captain_Hook · Very bored Joined: 28 Jun 2005 Posts: 217

[quote="claybugg (Sintro)"] i'm looking up names that translate into a characteristic/quality that that person has. [/quote]
hey! that's wat i do with some of my characters! the rest of the time i just look for weird but common names! Very Happy

Stratadrake · Posted: Wed Jun 29, 2005 9:08 am Post subject:

I tend to prefer names that sound normal... or [i]could[/i] sound normal in that world... in other words, nothing too exotic. Focus too much on picking out a symbolic name and you lose the rest of the character in the process.
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Stratadrake · Posted: Wed Jun 29, 2005 11:27 am Post subject:

I pull names from just about everywhere:

"Aeryn" (moniker I use in games like Dark Cloud) - creative spelling of 'Aaron'

"James" ('Never Again') - Because I wanted to include the line "He's dead, Jim" somewhere in the story
"Andrake" (same) - created by taking the 'm' off of the word 'mandrake' and changing the pronunciation a little (it's said 'ON-drake', not 'ANN-drake')
"Mark" (same) - Wanted to name main characters after the 12 disciples for some reason (e.g. Jim, Mark, Pete, Tom, Bart, Lucas, etc.)
"Reed Alexander" (same) - nameswap of 'Alex Reed', which was in turn a malaprop of 'Allan Reed' (a robotics mad scientist from the game 'Warzone 2100') - char. is also a robotics scientist

"Katra" (a story I've yet to upload) - Inspired by Gundam Wing char. Quatre
"Kindra" - an alteration of the above (new name for the same char)
"Hunter" (same story) - originally "Spy Hunter" (really long history there, don't ask)
"Marcus" (same) - Inspired by Babylon 5 character Marcus
"Vrynn" (same) - alteration of 'vyrn' (as in 'wyvern' - the character was a wyvern)
"Strato" (...) - alteration of Stratus, the rain/storm type clouds
"Ravisse" (...) - a raven character
"Skylark" (...) - a bird character
"Draconus" (...) - a dragon character, also a nickname I used on some forums
"Arsena" (...) - another dragon character (think 'arson')
"Aurex" (...) - Name inspired by one of the Wizard of Oz books (a healer character named Aurex = Rx = pharmacy = healer... get it?). Actual character is no relation.

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Rindi_chan · Posted: Wed Jun 29, 2005 4:53 pm Post subject:

I used to be a big fan of changing letters around to make an interesting-sounding name. My two favorite dragons' names are 'Flykyr' and 'Raudi' - obvious respellings of 'flicker' and 'rowdy'.

I tend to give my anthro characters descriptive names - 'Flint' for my weasel warrior, 'Slypaw' for my weasel thief, 'Polaris' for my northlands wolf mercenary, etc.

For my more recent characters though, I just pick names that sound cool. Influences come from all over. 'Jesper' is a slight modification on 'jasper', 'Thraxxin' sounds dangerous and appropriate for an assassin (shares some of the same sound as 'anthrax'), 'Xanshaa', 'Na'veen', 'Koroko', and 'Ko'dakka' all just... sounded good. And 'Fury' just sounded appropriately demonic.

Haha, Strata, I've been using the name 'Aeryn' for a long time in various online games... but I treat it as a creative respelling of 'Erin'. Razz

Rindi_chan · Posted: Wed Jun 29, 2005 7:34 pm Post subject:

Well, Redwall was a big influence for me, back in the day... Actually Redwall introduced me to the internet - I found an online MUCK about Redwall and I begged my parents to let me join. First time I ever found a reason to go online. ^_^

Haha, I realized Raos was 'soar' spelled backwards about two seconds before I read your post, Lindsay. XD

falconwing · Member Joined: 22 Oct 2004 Posts: 82

I tend to use names that mean something about my character for example one of my characters is called Ille Vulpus, which means the fox in Latin, as a title. Though his name is actually Otium, which means peace.

If you put the two together it implies that he is a sly character, that would rather avoid confrontation

JINTEIthe76thKAISER · Posted: Sun Jul 03, 2005 6:01 pm Post subject:

I try all kinds of weird syllables. If I like the outcome, I use it as a name.
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--People don't mean to kill each other. It happens because they are poor or desperate or really thirsty or in need of a vacation or something.

Yokoana · Posted: Mon Jul 04, 2005 4:51 pm Post subject:

For most characters, I used this site. But for some (especially if they are in a fantasy setting) I go to my favorite Elvish/English Dictionary. ^-^ (Don't ask...)
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JINTEIthe76thKAISER · Posted: Mon Jul 04, 2005 8:41 pm Post subject:

I'm curious, though. What's an Elvish/English dictionary?
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--Small minds talk about people, average minds talk about events, great minds talk about ideas. But of a humble heart, the Lord wil not scorn, and from its abundance the mouth speaks.

--People don't mean to kill each other. It happens because they are poor or desperate or really thirsty or in need of a vacation or something.

Brianhjh · Posted: Tue Jul 05, 2005 2:17 pm Post subject:

I almost always choose a noun and look for foreign words of that noun.

For example, in Korean,

Magpie (bird related to raven) --- Kkachi
Three matches ---- Segebi

Japanese:

Black ---- Kuro
After ---- Agari

And French,

Pebbles ---- Caillou and Galet (Names of Twins as they are synnonyms)
Dolphine ----- Dauphine (A good girl name I find)

and yadayada

Japanese translated names are cliched nowdays though.

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Yokoana · Posted: Sat Jul 09, 2005 4:55 pm Post subject:

[quote="Animemaster2334 (Lindsay)"] Sounds like something in the back of one of the LOTR books or something written by Tolkien. Smile

[/quote]
*ding ding ding!* You're right Lindsay! It is the Tolkien language. I have a book called 'The Languages of Middle Earth', and it has an English/Elvish dictionary in it, although small.
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Defender_of_Darkness · Very bored Joined: 08 Jul 2005 Posts: 125

what i do sometimes is look at a word, and spell it backwords. then If it sounds good, that word might explain there personallity
for intace

Mean------>Neam
Nice-------->Ecin
happy------>Yppah, well i dunno about that one...

but you got the idea.

dannyrog · Newb Joined: 19 Jun 2005 Posts: 23

I just take the name of somone i know (or the character is based on) and change it around a bit. Luke-lou, daniel-nielus (add da and remove us), jamie- jame, anthony-ant, siobhan-sivon. its soo much easier.

Defender_of_Darkness · Very bored Joined: 08 Jul 2005 Posts: 125

Nice Idea, I never thought of that.

Heathcliff · Rookie Joined: 18 Oct 2004 Posts: 29

All the names, up until now, I use, tend to be names I'd consider giving to my offspring. My characters just tend to be given names I like, no other meat to it than that, really.

Veilius · Byte me Joined: 06 Feb 2005 Posts: 256

celestina67 · Would like fries with that Joined: 26 Jun 2005 Posts: 811

hm...i don't know how i came up with the names...they just popped into my head out of nowhere Cool