Writing Tips: Selecting Fantasy Character Names

[Ther]

Writers are reminded not to choose hard to pronounce names for their characters. For fantasy writers this presents a challenge. We strive to choose pronouncable names, but yet the tags we choose need to hold the right feel--that magical quality. Consider some successful fantasy author's characters like the wizards in Harry Potter. Names like Draco Malfoy, Alastor Moody and Argus Filch are different but easy to pronounce. Other wizards like Mundungus Fletcher and Phineas Nigellus Black might be considered otherwise. But the author made the characters real. The names worked.

And what of Lord of the Rings? Today if you name your pet Frodo, people connect it to the fact you are a fan. But how about Denethor? The fact is, the author made them work. People love the stories and the characters. Fantasy character names do need to pronouncable for the most part. You don't want names so difficult that readers stumble over them and lose the momentum of the plot.

If you choose to have a few more difficult names in your writing--space them out. Develop the character and make them real. It's much like a baby being born. You first hear their name and think how it doesn't fit--but as you watch the baby grow, interact and learn--the name fits. It's the same with fantasy characters.

-Donna Sundblad

Read More! (http://www.inspiredauthor.com/blog_v2/blogs/index.php/fantasy/2007/05/31/selecting_fantasy_character_names)

If you have any thoughts, questions, or comments on the article, please feel free to discuss them here.

[Messenger]

I guess this rules my name out but indeed I do have a shorter pronunciation of my name which you all may feel free to call me seeing as my name is a bit on the long side. The reason for it is I wanted to have a name that sounds good and goes well with is background so do you guys like it?

[INDK]

I kind of wonder what the deal would be for names that are not really going to be used very much. For instance, if you just want a random name called out over a PA (or the medieval equivalent) or have a character in a thread for only a post's length of time but the situation still requires that you give him a name.

Is there any good way to selecting those?

Personally, I like to give my characters names that are actual ones, but a bit less common. Either that or names that are just mildly altered from a real name. e.g. Jame = James without the s.

[AdventWings]

Or just your average generic name if the character's a faceless one. :p

I prefer names that are easy to remember, easy to pronounce and easy to draw an image from. Like Anna for a cute girl or Zach for a big, buff guy with lots of muscle. His name just sounds powerful. :D

[Atzar]

I don't like using real-world names in fantasy, like Martin or Luke or Rebecca. Instead, I go for simple, mono- or bi-syllabic names that sound cool when said aloud. Atzar, Khariss, Bast, Galla, Keyei, Ide... I use very few names that are longer than these.

As for coming up with them... I just test random ideas out, I guess. Names with certain endings, like -ar or -us, come up often.

[Karuka]

My method for choosing names used to be similar to Atzar's - throw syllables together until you have something that sounds nice.

More and more often, though, I base names on the character's personality, then look at names with a good meaning for them from the culture or base culture of the character. I got lucky with Karu. I took "Eithne" as her middle name, and "Ethne" was an Irish goddess nursed by an Indian cow.

[Artifex Felicis]

I blame Latin class for my particular username.

As for naming normally, I try to just figure them out simply. For instance, Leon is a terribly cliche name for a cat boy. Timyon is just an altered form of Timon, from The Lion King. I normally choose the name last, after I make the character itself.

[Varia]

I have the most boring way of all, go me. I search baby name sites. Anything that sticks out to me. I usually look for French names, because they seem to flow better. Then I just pick a name I like, maybe change it a little, and voila.

Alaina was named a long ago, so her name is kinda blah. She was my very first RP character. Her last name, Varia.. Came from some random name generator that spits out fantasy names. I still have a huge list of names that came from it. I use it for NPCs, now.

[Thoracis]

It's also key to have your name be something people pronounce right. After three or so years here I came to the realization that a great number of people, including those closest to me, pronounced Thoracis as Thor-ass-iss. I can see that, because of the i after the c, but the actual pronounciation is Thor-ack-iss, which I actually changed my user title to for the longest time so I could clarify it. I think it's important though, because Thor-ack-iss to me sounds far more masculine and strong then Thor-ass-iss.

That might be a fun thread... to see how everyone pronounces each others names and how they actually should be pronounced.

[Serilliant]

I've been waiting patiently for "Serilliant" to come up in podcast to hear the fun bastardizations that could result.

Despite this name, my typical naming for fantasy characters (that is, usually those I play in MMORPGs or other free-form games when I don't go with my own real name) requires that the name be short, easy to spell, easy to pronounce, and easy to remember. This is most important in MMORPGs where you're known almost exclusively by your name and where others typing your name accurately is of importance. Names I've gone with include:

Yari (stolen from Althanas)
Quir (pronounced queer because I'm delightfully queer like that)
Bor (pronounced boar)
Vellos (sounded coolish)

Most of all, I'm wonderfully uncreative when it comes to naming and so often rely on, "ooh, that's a cool name, I'm going to put it in my files and steal it at a later appropriate date"

[Dissinger]

Just remember a lot of modern day names come from medieval names. So using a modern name is alright, so long as its a western civilization base, and preferably English or French in origin.

[Ashiakin]

I'm terrified of accidentally stealing a fantasy name from a book I haven't read, so I run all my name ideas through Wikipedia and Google. All too often my great idea has already been used by like fifty other people. Basically, I hate coming up with names.

[Amaril Torrun]

Well, when you think about it, the names in our world are used over and over again. There's five people named Chris at my work alone, and four named David.

In a fantasy world, the names that we might find a bit odd are normally common for that world. So, I while you shouldn't go and take all the names from one book and write your own story with them, I think it is ok to share a name or two with someone else. If not, then people will eventually run out of combinations of letters and we'll all start having to use names like "Luhvanderouslenoir" (Lu-van-der-ohs-len-or).

[Rayse Valentino]

It's also key to have your name be something people pronounce right. After three or so years here I came to the realization that a great number of people, including those closest to me, pronounced Thoracis as Thor-ass-iss. I can see that, because of the i after the c, but the actual pronounciation is Thor-ack-iss, which I actually changed my user title to for the longest time so I could clarify it. I think it's important though, because Thor-ack-iss to me sounds far more masculine and strong then Thor-ass-iss.

That might be a fun thread... to see how everyone pronounces each others names and how they actually should be pronounced.

Yes yes, you would be obsessed with that, Thoracris.

Having an easilly-identifiable character name is extremely important. Nobody will bother to remember a bunch of garbled pretentious elven names. Also, names that roll off your tongue are better than names with hard stops in the middle of them. I'm partial to names that fit the character.

Of course, you can have perfectly reasonable names like Thoracis or whatever and people will still find ways to mispronounce them. (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?t=7472)

[AdventWings]

You know, Serilliant, Vellos is also the name of a playable race in Ambrosia SW's Escape Velocity: Nova. Called the Vell-os Race after their Indian Prince Vell-os. ;)

[/spam]

I also like names that have contradicting meaning to the character's particular personality or background. Like naming one of my little sister "Serenity" when all her life revolved around being hunted for a crime she had no part in.

EDIT: Ouch. Looks like someone spelled your name wrong, Kylin. XD