@dizzywizz's post on Artfol
how do yall come up with names for oc’s? i can’t be the only one who struggles and picks basic names like phil and bob 
Mar 2, 2024
Mar 2, 2024#oc
#names
#generic
#question
Comments
I Google boy/girl/unisex names of different nationalities and choose what sticks. If they have a meaning that fits the character, it's usually the winner.
I recently came up with a Feliadrin character. I want their culture to be influenced by african and indian culture. So naturally, I try to pick names from those nationalities. I named them Kaikura. It sounded pretty cute and it means "ground squirrel", at least according to the sites, and it just fits them nicely. Not to mention another character nicknames them after squirrels.
Or I just pick a name that either sounds good to my ears or I hear a random npc from the game say another random npc's name in a funny way cough Andol cough cough
I recently came up with a Feliadrin character. I want their culture to be influenced by african and indian culture. So naturally, I try to pick names from those nationalities. I named them Kaikura. It sounded pretty cute and it means "ground squirrel", at least according to the sites, and it just fits them nicely. Not to mention another character nicknames them after squirrels.
Or I just pick a name that either sounds good to my ears or I hear a random npc from the game say another random npc's name in a funny way cough Andol cough cough
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Sometimes you just gotta forget about the name for now yk,,
Like if you really can’t find one that sticks then just draw them and think about their character and all that and eventually you’ll think of something
But also i agree with the other comments
Like if you really can’t find one that sticks then just draw them and think about their character and all that and eventually you’ll think of something
But also i agree with the other comments
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I don't pick them, I just pick the first name I think of, assuming i like the name.
I'm against setting names based on personality or fitting them so it's easier for me.
I'm against setting names based on personality or fitting them so it's easier for me.
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Here is what I do
I scroll babyname sites for hours
Choose a placeholder name until I find a better one
Get too attached to the name and keep it
Sometimes I just choose a name by vibes idk
I scroll babyname sites for hours
Choose a placeholder name until I find a better one
Get too attached to the name and keep it
Sometimes I just choose a name by vibes idk
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•Hear a name you like? Write it down. Learn a new funky word? Write it down. Come up with a random but pleasant string of sounds? Write. That. Down!!
You'll collect a lot of names over the years this way
You'll collect a lot of names over the years this way
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It's like weird brain lottery to me, on one hand I have something nice like Rondo then on the other hand I have a character literally named Protagonist.
And then there's Greg.
And then there's Greg.
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One of the things I do is to take existing words and I would change it up to make it sound different/interesting or sound like an actual name. Like my oc’s nickname is Dire and her full name is Direnesse Per. Dire Per. There’s also a website I like to go to it’s “behindthename” or smthng.
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Usually going to baby name websites and looking at the meaning of names that fit the character’s personality and choosing the one that fits the best.
Other times it’s like “well they look like someone with the name of [insert name here] so I’ll go with that” or some name I already like and give it to the new OC
Other times it’s like “well they look like someone with the name of [insert name here] so I’ll go with that” or some name I already like and give it to the new OC
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When in doubt, baby name websites. With fantasy names, you can just smoosh syllables together until something interesting comes out.
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If my oc have a power I try to name it after that. Like one is called Vein and he has Blood Manuplation. 
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When I don’t already have a name in middle for the oc I’ll pick a trait, Attribute or something that goes with the character and then go search what names mean [blank], Ex; what names mean strong willed, after that I hope on some good old baby naming websites and scroll until I find something or try searching something that else and repeating that step.
Though I will say it’s okay to have characters named basic names, even if it’s just to start. For the longest time I had an OC named Bob because I thought him being a prince and having a real basic name compared to his sister was really funny but as I grew older I decided to change it and chose Peregrine and gave him the nickname Perry because it just fit his character so much better.
Though I will say it’s okay to have characters named basic names, even if it’s just to start. For the longest time I had an OC named Bob because I thought him being a prince and having a real basic name compared to his sister was really funny but as I grew older I decided to change it and chose Peregrine and gave him the nickname Perry because it just fit his character so much better.
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honestly naming ocs is one of my least probs. I get names from the most random places, save them in the notes app or physical notebook. sometimes I draw an oc then name them, sometimes I have a name I wanna use and make an oc around it (but usually the former). think of the white women naming their kids Mackaylahh etc, you can do better! names are everywhere! Dusty. Candle. Lux. Cappuccino. Echo. Peachy. all of names, all from random inspiration. just keep a list of nice names/words on hand, and don't worry if it sounds like "a name" or not!
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•I have multiple strategies that all come to use.
1. I have a list of names in my notes that I update whenever I come across a cool name that I might want to use in the future. One section for female names, one for male names, and their meanings in brackets behind them. I have a pirate captain oc that I'vd barely used yet, but when I wanted to name her I took a look at that name and found Valerie, which means "brave/strong one," and since it fit her character I gave that name to her.
2. Naming by vibe. Adjust if necessary. I had my favourite oc for a while already when I decided he really needed a name. Just going off of feeling, he felt like a Zach or Luis to me, but they didn't really fit the fantasy vibe of the story. My friend helped fantasify the name and made Zachir from it. Boom, unique name that looks and sounss cool.
3. If all else fails, baby name sites. Nameberry is a very good one. If you have a general feeling of "two-syllable name" or "ends with -ria," you can enter that kinda stuff in there, as well as origin, popularity, etc (just go to nameberry.com and to advanced search). Themes are also a good starting point. Sorsha was... named after a kitten someone on twitter had because I really liked the name, there wasn't really much thought behind that. I found out the name means "shining one." So when I later named her brother, I decided to look for another name with a light-related meaning and settled on Lucius.
Some people also like to look up words in other languages and pick one that looks pretty, but I'm begging you if you do that please make sure you know how it's pronounced, or take the word and change it up to make it a different word that only looks similar. I still haven't recovered from seeing an oc named Schnee being pronounced as "sknee" instead of "shneh" (with a long "e" instead of "i" sound)
1. I have a list of names in my notes that I update whenever I come across a cool name that I might want to use in the future. One section for female names, one for male names, and their meanings in brackets behind them. I have a pirate captain oc that I'vd barely used yet, but when I wanted to name her I took a look at that name and found Valerie, which means "brave/strong one," and since it fit her character I gave that name to her.
2. Naming by vibe. Adjust if necessary. I had my favourite oc for a while already when I decided he really needed a name. Just going off of feeling, he felt like a Zach or Luis to me, but they didn't really fit the fantasy vibe of the story. My friend helped fantasify the name and made Zachir from it. Boom, unique name that looks and sounss cool.
3. If all else fails, baby name sites. Nameberry is a very good one. If you have a general feeling of "two-syllable name" or "ends with -ria," you can enter that kinda stuff in there, as well as origin, popularity, etc (just go to nameberry.com and to advanced search). Themes are also a good starting point. Sorsha was... named after a kitten someone on twitter had because I really liked the name, there wasn't really much thought behind that. I found out the name means "shining one." So when I later named her brother, I decided to look for another name with a light-related meaning and settled on Lucius.
Some people also like to look up words in other languages and pick one that looks pretty, but I'm begging you if you do that please make sure you know how it's pronounced, or take the word and change it up to make it a different word that only looks similar. I still haven't recovered from seeing an oc named Schnee being pronounced as "sknee" instead of "shneh" (with a long "e" instead of "i" sound)
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I hit my keyboard randomly and then pick out anything that feels nice ^-^"
Atyqsijsdxsxosikelxuazkalwhbsuafenfekwbwdbcqhe
-> Atty Kalzuos
-> Sibyll Sufenek
-> Silkel Quehsi
Usually gets more weirdly pronounced fantasy names and plays a lot with association. But can be a nice starting point.
Atyqsijsdxsxosikelxuazkalwhbsuafenfekwbwdbcqhe
-> Atty Kalzuos
-> Sibyll Sufenek
-> Silkel Quehsi
Usually gets more weirdly pronounced fantasy names and plays a lot with association. But can be a nice starting point.
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•I suck at naming characters so literally all of them are named after types of plants or birds or rocks lol
I default to nature related names because I can’t make up my own names for the life of me
I default to nature related names because I can’t make up my own names for the life of me
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Sometimes they pop up on my head instantly, but normally I look on certain baby name websites with meanings included or themes 
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I usually search names with certain meanings that fit my characters.
But I do have an exeption to 3 characters that have names that start with the same letters as me and my sisters second names.
But I do have an exeption to 3 characters that have names that start with the same letters as me and my sisters second names.
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