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Fantasy Character Names


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Here's something I've always been interested in hearing from other fantasy authors: how do you come up with your character names when it comes to fantasy stories/novels?  I think it's safe to say that the majority of us want to come up with unique names; it doesn't really fit into a fantasy world if ALL the major characters are named Tom, Dick, and Harry.  For me personally, I like to give my primary characters slightly unique names to give it that fantasy feel.  But in the same sense, if every character has a bizarrely unique name, it can get confusing for the reader.

 

When I add a secondary character, I try to give them an easier name.  Perhaps something like Vic or Cal; something short and standard in our own world, but something that could also easily fit into the world I've created.  Or just something short in general, to give it a simple pronunciation.  And something that doesn't seem like it would be out of place.  If you've already got predominant characters with unusual names, why confuse the reader more?

 

One name that I distinctly remember causing confusion to me as a reader was Hermione from Harry Potter.  When I read the books (before the movies came out), I pronounced the name "Hermy-own."  It wasn't until the fourth book, when a character within the storyline also didn't know how to pronounce it, that a phonetic pronunciation was provided.  It was a cheap trick; it was obvious what J.K. Rowling was doing in that moment, giving the reader an accurate way to say the name.  However, it was somewhat necessary considering there were several people that had been saying the name incorrectly for many years.  Which brings me to another point.  Where do you draw the line with unusual names?

 

You could call a character Lled, for example.  In your own mind, it's pronounced Lead.  But maybe someone else reading your story says it like "Yed," because of the double L.  As a writer, what insights, tips, and general comments do you have regarding fantasy names?

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13 minutes ago, Disjecta Membra said:

Here's something I've always been interested in hearing from other fantasy authors: how do you come up with your character names when it comes to fantasy stories/novels? 

I posted a link to a Fantasy Name Generator I use, and it got moved from here to the Forums. There's also a website called Behind the Name, which has names from around the world. I just pick a region and find one I like.

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Just now, BHopper2 said:

I posted a link to a Fantasy Name Generator I use, and it got moved from here to the Forums. There's also a website called Behind the Name, which has names from around the world. I just pick a region and find one I like.

How about for the names of locations?  Do you use the same logic, or is there a different pattern when it comes to the naming of cities, establishments, and the like?

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1 minute ago, Disjecta Membra said:

How about for the names of locations?  Do you use the same logic, or is there a different pattern when it comes to the naming of cities, establishments, and the like?

A combination of different approaches. The Generator I use has place names as well http://www.fantasynamegenerators.com/ . If I'm looking for something more fantastical, I'll use that, or I'll take real-world names. Like I used Bucksnort, a city in Tennessee, as the name of a town for a non-GA story I did.

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8 minutes ago, BHopper2 said:

Like I used Bucksnort, a city in Tennessee, as the name of a town for a non-GA story I did.

Exactly the kind of answer I’m looking for.  An actual place name, but sounds fantastical.  And probably had a specific meaning in that story.  Thanks, @BHopper2!  I have to say, I like the way your mind works!

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I like to mix the fantastical into the ‘real’ world so I often place things in real areas on earth which are unusual in and of themselves.

 

In my Thinning Veil series: https://www.gayauthors.org/stories/browse/series/the-thinning-veil/

I used Gaelic and old Norse to come up with some names. Glenninsheen is the a made up place using Gaelic as a reference. The place it’s next to, however, The Burrens, is a real place and an incredibly mysterious place. Think of a whole area covered with Stonehenges (yes, that’s plural). That’s The Burrens.

 

The name Jorann is derived from Jöran which is actually George in Swedish. Ser is a name that just came to me probably when I read a variant of the goddess Sif of Norse Myth. Tyrex is Tyrant and King. It also is a kind of shortening of Tyrannosaurus Rex, since this person is basically the Faery Queen’s hit-man. Morgana is the actual Morgana from Aurthurian Legend since this story ties into that.

 

Foreign languages help a lot in coming up with fantasy names. Tolkien used Finnish, old English, Norse, and Gaelic diction to create names as well as the two Elvish languages.

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I use a variety of sources.  I like using a fantasy name generator, but create my own based on their suggestions.  That's how I came up with Briar Toadthistle and Shade Sourthorn in "Turnabout is Fair Fae".  If I have a specific species, I may Google 'elf names' or 'dwarf names'.  I also like to use root words and prefixes/suffixes or even another language entirely, like Dr. Schmetterling in "Faeries Anonymous".  I had a lot of fun coming up with names for that story.  

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4 hours ago, MrM said:

Foreign languages help a lot in coming up with fantasy names. Tolkien used Finnish, old English, Norse, and Gaelic diction to create names as well as the two Elvish languages.

That’s smart.  I have used baby-naming websites before as a starting point for character names, especially if I decide that I want the name to have a specific meaning to it.

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5 hours ago, Valkyrie said:

I use a variety of sources.  I like using a fantasy name generator, but create my own based on their suggestions.  That's how I came up with Briar Toadthistle and Shade Sourthorn in "Turnabout is Fair Fae".  If I have a specific species, I may Google 'elf names' or 'dwarf names'.  I also like to use root words and prefixes/suffixes or even another language entirely, like Dr. Schmetterling in "Faeries Anonymous".  I had a lot of fun coming up with names for that story.  

Using the name generator as a starting point is a good idea.  I agree with you on the prefixes and suffixes, too.  Sometimes even that seemingly minor of a decision makes a big difference.

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