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Character Naming?

My naming convention is taking real names and modifying it, depending on the setting.
Example: David => Davian
Not too fancy but kind of works
 
Yusuke said:
I wanted to quickly ask others here, how do you go about naming your main characters? I usually tend to go off whatever is fresh on my mind, usually taking slight inspiration from TV, games, and comics/manga. This sometimes leads to me feeling like my characters have very... dorky names haha

And do you particularly care about a character's name?
Click to expand...
I do care a lot about the character's name. It develops a certain kind of emotion, that (hopefully) completes the characteristics of your character.
 
Open google. Type in "random name generator X" with X being whatever kind I need. Press enter. Use generator a few times until I find one I like. Done.
 
Consider both your own preferences and those of your partner. Names can be loaded with different meanings for different people. These we meet in life affect our perception of their names. Always ask if a name choice works for your partner.
 
I think of a characteristic I want my Main to have as a strong part of their personality, and then look up names that go with that, taking into account heritage, ethnicity, and current culture of the setting.
 
I typically use random name generators based on the theme I'm going for. Or, I'll look at a list of baby names. Also take inspiration from games/movies/etc., whatever I'm into at the moment.
 
I generally pick an ethnicity first, and then browse through lists until something grabs me. (Or other genre/theme/fantasy species if they're popular enough to find lists.) But I'll usually fuss quite a while about getting one I really like the sound of, with a vibe that fits the character enough for me, and hopefully without associated meanings that completely clash.

I've only rarely been asked to change them, but I don't usually mind doing that. I'll just take a little while picking other options. Sometimes I can't decide in the first place and I'll toss out a few choices at the start.
 
Dave, every character should be called Dave...

Seriously, this is something which should be easy but at times causes me to overthink so much it's just unreal.
 
If in a modern / realistic setting: Age, Sex, Location, Era. Then I goggle common names for "year of birth" and "birth place". Pick one that starts with S, L, A, V, or E. In order. Then look at the top 100 most common last names in that country. Pick number 69.
 
I usually go to an AI generator of some sorts and basically ask for a list of names that were common around the time period and then just pick one that sounds good and with a meaning that suits the type of character I have in mind. That's for historical roles mainly.

For modern day roles I have a few that I like to use repeatedly, but I'll always stay away from names of people I know in real life.
 
Honestly? I reuse the same names over and over and over again. 95% of my characters are named either “Greg” or “Derek”. Greg for darker characters, Derek for lighter ones.

I have a shitty memory for names, so it’s one less thing I need to keep checking back for. The name doesn’t really matter anyways most of the time.
 
I look up the definitions for names and use the one I think sounds the best to me. That way I don’t get tired of hearing the name over and over again, and the name of the character is a sort of Easter egg. So it’s a reward for those who figure out the puzzle. The name’s definition is usually a little nod to the undertone of the story. Sometimes I choose an awesome definition/name though based on ethnicity or time the story takes place in. So I rarely reuse the same name(s) for these reasons.

Ex.
Vincent: Means “Conquerer” and I used it for a character that had his body conquered. Vincent was possessed by my real character (Deus) who I was playing. This was a vital plot point to the story since everyone thought he was a regular human but in reality had something more ancient lurking beneath the skin
Connor: Means “Son of wolf” which I used for a werewolf character
 
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