How to create STRONG character names | Writers Start Here

[@dillonlong5596]

I'm convinced you're just using this channel to soft launch your rap career.

[@Writing-Theory]

Exposed

[@jaredjenkins1310]

Drake’s been real quit since it dropped.

[@AathielVaDaath]

Remember when it seemed nearly every KZbinr was doing that? Pepperidge Farm and all that

[@Pulchra902]

I knew it! He needs to go on tour one day or i'm gonna explode

[@joela5136]

You mean like Wang woo John fong Etc lol

[@kasagure.]

i'm sorry, but nothing will ever top the perfection of Ebony Dark'ness Dementia Raven Way

[@Artist_of_Imagination]

Ah shit, nostalgia

[@ManubibiWalsh]

QUEEN

[@becauseican4653]

👌👌👌👌👌👌👌

[@saanvi3399]

Could sb tell what this is about? I read this in a bnha fanfic

[@ManubibiWalsh]

@@saanvi3399 it’s a name from a fanfic that was written to be bad and troll “edgy” writer types. It’s called “My Immortal”, and we still know nothing about the author lol

[@SOBEKCrocodileGod]

Two things I just wanna say: 1. “Kat” is one of the most overused names ever. Especially for characters who are meant to be somewhat rebellious 2. You can name a character “Alice” WITHOUT TRYING TO SHOEHORN IN ALICE IN WONDERLAND REFERENCES AND PARALLELS AND METAPHORS. Y’all know it was a name before that book, right?

[@uboa8060]

Ah, but Alice in wonderland is just fun

[@SOBEKCrocodileGod]

@@uboa8060 it is. But not every character named Alice needs to be some sort of reference to it lol

[@alicedodobirb2808]

I like the second name

[@poxie2637]

also "Luna".... ive seen so many yt channels that keep using that name far too many times, i kinda just expect that if i stumble on a kids channel they are very likely to use Luna in some form. 😂

[@TheSimpleMan454]

I hardly ever see Kat anymore. The bad ones are Raven, some variation of Alice or Victoria that isn't Alice or Victoria (swear I saw a Vyktorea recently, and binned the draft almost immediately before I felt a little bad, and decided to just bleed on it instead.), and Luna...

[@shhinysilver1720]

Whatever you do, don’t name a disabled person “Abel walker”

[@strixfiremind]

Why? Some of us are. Specifically don't give that name to someone who can't walk, but a guy with one arm named Abel Walker would be hilarious; because at least he has that much.

[@mikavanpolen8418]

No. Do it. It'll be hilarious.

[@Dalek59862]

​@@strixfiremind guy with no arms named Abel Walker.

[@strixfiremind]

@Dalek59862 "don't piss Abel off, he can't punch you, but he'll walk all over you!!"

[@Dalek59862]

@@strixfiremind his dropkicks kill gods

[@Fabulist]

The names in The Hunger Games of Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Wotshisface (I forget what it is) was a reaction to every making dumb portmanteau names of couples. “Bennifer” and all that. When you do that with those names, you get either Katpee or Penis. It’s kind of a brilliant meta-commentary on society in a book that’s a commentary on society.

[@keithparker1346]

Interesting

[@hodgeelmwood8677]

Katniss is actually the name of a plant.

[@redline841]

That guy from Zathura

[@TikiArtdog-eq1rz]

I don't know if that was intentional, but there are so many things in that series that just has so many levels.

[@BlipInTheCode]

It'd be funny to give the side characters the most hardcore and amazing names possible and then the main character's name is just Guy

[@JishinimaTidehoshi]

In The Road, the main characters are just named Man and Boy

[@Anat20081]

Guy is a real name in Hebrew

[@Lala-g4p]

​@@Anat20081it's a real name in english too

[@nugget1044]

is that a reference to free guy?

[@Mr_Leo_DS]

Guy McPerson

[@an683ok9]

I love it when authors be like: "Q'äe'vïn'n, it's pronounced Kevin" 😂

[@raeoverhere923]

My coworkers and I made a game out of spelling names as ridiculously as we could in our downtime; Qeighttlihne is Caitlin, for instance. When I worked as a cake decorator, I did get a really crazy Mackenzie: Mykkeinzzy.

[@CodeNameX001]

I once knew someone in real life named "Karizmah"

[@emeralddraegon]

​@@raeoverhere923This game sounds awesome. I want to try it with my friends now. And oddly enough my friend that would be great at it is named Caitlin! 😂😆

[@ДаэтоОрех]

Sounds more like quevilin lo me

[@shakukon-to]

That's just Goidelic languages (I'm sorry Ireland and Scotland)

[@coralhayward7350]

Ok but Peeta is a variant of Peter which means Rock. Pita is a kind of bread.

[@suppotato1235]

Fr. I never would have noticed the pun if he hadn’t have pointed it out.

[@sisyphusmarble8460]

It can be both

[@justsomejerseydevilwithint4606]

Peeta the baker

[@LeoMark-q6y]

Yeah those aren't pronounced the same I'm pretty sure

[@marioalbertomoreno3819]

And let's not forget Peta xD

[@avrilrowland1913]

The kiki/bouba effect is another good naming practice. Basically auditory character design. People were shown 2 shapes, one a bunch of spikes and the other a rounded blob, and asked which one was kiki and which one was bouba. Vast majority named the spiky shape kiki and the round shape bouba. It’s a great example of how we associate sounds with visuals and traits. We can do the same experiment with characters instead of shapes. Character 1 is lean and thin, clever, and quick. Character 2 is hulking, fat, quiet, and gentle. Kiki feels better for 1, bouba feels better for 2. They can be switched for subversion too. Personally, I like this method for stories that use modern American naming more than using names with meanings that align with the personality. It’s less on the nose. Also for stories where I haven’t decided on cultural naming practices.

[@Writing-Theory]

Wow, the Kiki/Bouba thing is a GREAT point!! I wish it had crossed my mind when making this video because there is something to be said for why some names feel “right” and others don’t. Great connection there and something that I’ll keep thinking about moving forward. 10/10 comment

[@avrilrowland1913]

@@Writing-Theory thank you!! I’m a writer who does art as a hobby. I love packing character design into everything, it’s fun for me to do. Naming is just another facet we can use!

[@dytamic]

i literally have two characters who ARE kiki and bouba, what now liberal

[@doodlehq7722]

I kinda do this except I make the name first and make the design fit after...

[@Cotfi2]

I've been cheating my language learning. I run a D&D game where my NPCs are named for relevant vocabulary I'm trying to learn. So, the lich in the library is named Toshokan the Learned. It felt silly at first, but then I watched Frieren and felt totally justified.

[@monroerobbins7551]

Dude, that’s so dope, and makes so much sense!

[@elhazthorn918]

Noooo, that's my biggest pet peeve! Calling your dog "Perro" is just calling your dog "Dog" with extra steps!

[@odinlindeberg4624]

Wait, Frieren actually does get her name from the Norwegian word for suitor???

[@odinlindeberg4624]

Apparently it comes from the German word for freezing... 😢

[@LaSneky]

​@@elhazthorn918 Perrito then :3

[@intellectually_lazy]

sometimes for antagonists, i borrow parts of names of people i don't like

[@haneulc.7244]

LMAO I’M STEALING THIS

[@Maryannhowto]

Perfect

[@Thepeanutcollector]

MUAHAHAHAAH

[@CaptainKillroy]

Same

[@maki85107]

Ah yes, a Mary Lee Walsh

[@gustavonomegrande]

Toriyama: what name should I give to a prince... * Looks at his salad * ah, that should do it.

[@rivy-lurk-869]

Hmmm, what should I name this Alien Overlord? *looks at his fridge* PERFECT

[@intellectually_lazy]

is that how allah came up with the name saladin?

[@DOG_EATER_1887]

​@@rivy-lurk-869"FREEZER! IT'S PERFECT!"

[@RokuroCarisu]

​@@rivy-lurk-869 Now, what should his minions be called? *opens the fridge*

[@TheDarkestMarcus]

Hmmm, but what should I name his home planet? 🤔🤔🤔

[@ithinkflutterawesome6511]

Not joking when I say my main character changed names FIVE TIMES. It was so hard to find something that fit the aesthetic, their cultural background, and felt right for their personality. Literally every other character changed names once, max.

[@Writing-Theory]

Honestly, maybe that should be more common! Characters evolve over the drafting and editing process, why can’t their names?

[@jeffanderson8165]

I've got something brewing right now where I had to rename nearly half the characters as well. When it wasn't serious, I had fun with all the (early) characters having first names starting with the letter "J," but found that the central hero, Jason, and a very peripheral character, Justin, were so close that I expected any reader (?) might get confused. Then there were the two lead female characters, Jessie and Jenny, who despite being sisters were as different as chalk and cheese...

[@nyx6903]

Definitely relate to this, my main character is the 14th iteration of a character I first made when I was about 5/6. Name changing can be a great thing 😂 (the original name will never see the light of day)

[@mahou-blaer]

There's one character that went from Ultra, to Zealot, then Fanael, then got a nickname of Foral. Ultra was just my username at the time, it was a uncreative name. Zealot did not mean something similar to Jealous, like I had assumed, English betrayed me. Fanael was just sounds that sounded good together; it could've alternatively been written as Fanale, if it were pronounce like how a English speaker would read it, /fan-ail/; however, I read it with Russian phonetics, so it's pronounced /Fan-a-yel/; it's not too different. Then, the nickname, Foral, is fine to read as "floral" without the "l". That's not a conventional name, so it makes sense to get marked as a misspelling; but a different character, Harlie, keeps getting marked as a misspelling of Charlie. Harlie is a name that regular people use; there's even the popular character, Harlie Quinn. It doesn't make sense for that to happen.

[@saeorwss1670]

​@@mahou-blaer pretty sure it's Harley that's a common name and not Harlie, it's definitely Harley Quinn too

[@nawarb.4226]

I once chose the name Lorelei for a villain who's compared to a siren, and I only later found out there's a famous folktale about a siren with that exact name

[@trigger7ff6]

i have a character whose name is essentially an archaic version of a more common modern-day east asian name, and so far nobody has pronounced her name right. this is relevant, because the reason she has *that spelling* of her name is because the person in charge of legally noting her name down misheard her several times and she decided to just go with it.

[@blazerchocobo]

Which is something anagraphic offices used to do a lot (or just regular clerical errors): my mother and my maternal aunt have different *surnames* because of this.

[@charles_capet321]

@@blazerchocoboI’m kinda curious which language this is an the character’s name

[@blazerchocobo]

@@charles_capet321 I'm Italian. It's not a character, but my real life aunt, so I won't reveal the name for the sake of my own privacy.

[@percivalyracanth1528]

I guess you could say, that guy said her name Wong *bdumtss*

[@trigger7ff6]

@@blazerchocobo same with my paternal grandparents, as far as i know! thats how i got the idea :p

[@amethystb12345]

I'm writing a fanfiction were my main character's name is actually an acronym of their parents names but its so normal that its not even noticable lol 🤣😆

[@louisenichols6825]

4:12 Honestly, mixture of things. It depends on the vibe of the character, but I absolutely pay attention to the root or meaning. One of my characters is called Cas, short for Cascabel, which is a snake. Most of it is just "does it sound right", but if I'm really stuck, I take a word related to that who that caracter is, and change a sylable, or the order of the letters.

[@Writing-Theory]

Cascabel is a great name. Love that! And I think everything you put here is a much more succinct way to present how I do the naming as well. You hit every point.

[@Mii..]

That's exactly how I do it too. If it sounds right, I give it and it usually matches. And then I may look up name meanings when I need too. For example: I have a character named Akakios, which means "innocent" or "not evil" and that plays a part later in the story.

[@oakland7561]

One of my favorite things to do when naming characters who come as a "set" (whether they be parallels to each other, lovers, or are just some way tied together narratively) is i like to give them matching names. This doesn't mean similar sounding names or something like that, but rather using a similar number of syllables, using opposite vowel sounds, or tying their etymological meanings together. In the novel I'm working on, the protagonists are named Louis (lou-ee) Zhang and Cassidy Archer. Their names can both be shortened, to Lou and Cas specifically, which fit together in very pleasing way. They both end in an -ee sound, but "Cassidy" is very sharp sounding with the sound coming from the back of the mouth, while "Louis" is very round and projected forward. Their last names also mean the same thing; the root of the name Zhang means (according to google at least), to tighten or pull a bow string, and it's associated with archery. Being that they're lovers in a time where gay marriage isn't legal in America, i thought it would be sweet to have their last names still matching.

[@elkboy2538]

I have many methods for how I name my characters, but I generally follow these rules: 1: It must look good and not stupid on paper. 2: It must match the character in question. 3: If Google or Apple translate can pronounce it the way I want them to, then it’s a go. 4: If my gut tells me to go against the previous rules, I will.

[@dianamarcu8939]

omg im romanian and i was so caught off guard in the best way!! no one ever talks about romania haha i got excited. amazing video and editing btw!!

[@NormanDimmick]

I'm personally a big fan of giving characters long egregious fantasy names with easily parsed nicknames. It allows you to convey the foreignness of a culture and/or whatever specific connotation you want (like nobility in your world favoring long, pretentious names) while still making the name accessible to most readers. It's also a strategy that allowed me to inflict all 12 Ancient Egyptian inspired syllables of my character's name on my poor unsuspecting tabletop gaming group without them hating my guts every time they had to address my character, so that was a big plus.

[@intellectually_lazy]

my primary main objective in naming one of my characters was to beat dot (the warner sister)'s real name. kinda a tie. leni has more names. dot has more syllables

[@emilyrln]

I love doing this, too!

[@voxelking3180]

At 12:46 he was lucky he didnt choose Russian there, he wouldve had to name the character "Schit" in that case 😂

[@marrymikeymcbee6832]

while in my creative writing class, I would go to cemeteries and take charcoal impressions of people's headstones. I figured nothing would sound more realistic than real people's names. I guess you could do the same with online obituaries

[@intellectually_lazy]

like sleepwalkers

[@jayemover_16]

In my work, the main cast's names are names not given to them at birth because they're existing video game characters. Sky: Children of the Light has names for spirits that aren't actual names as people would use them. I plan on using a whole slew of names with different origins, since other players are helping give them names half the time. Some are named after other characters, like Deacon from Fallout 4 or Viola and Sebastian from Twelfth Night. Others are names that sounded nice, such as Morgyn (with the "y" being so it's pronounced "morgin" rather than "morgan"), Julius, and Nephena (I do not have an explanation for this one). Yes, that does mean I am naming every spirit in the entire fucking game. The only characters with actual names, though no longer canon, are the Elders. Wish me luck.

[@kadeorade5296]

Whenever I see a name I like or a word that could be a cool name, I write it down. Then, when time comes for me to name a character, I look through my list and choose something that works best with the character, their story, and the culture they’re from. If there’s nothing, then I go word hunting. I look at color names since you can usually find some cool ones hiding in there, I search random nouns and adjectives in a thesaurus and see what there is, and I mash letters together and then simplify them until I find something.

[@SnakeWasRight]

I usually take existing names and twist them slightly

[@treelicker]

I do a similar thing, I take existing names and spell them as if they originated in Gaelic. The language I'm using is loosely based on Scots, so it kind of flows better that way.

[@gardenofroses197]

I do this with names from the Old Testament

[@KevinJones-ef1yx]

My character's names reveal how they die in a different language with slight alterations. For example, the character's name 'Kaznen' gets executed which is казненный (pronounced Kaznoilnay) in Russian.

[@Istarteddreaming]

That's so cool!

[@kellwillsen]

One way to help with "hard to pronounce" names is to has another character struggle with them, and be corrected. Or use the nickname effect to show how part of the name should sound. Iestyn may look hard to an English speaker, but it's a real name. Have someone guess at "Eye-styne", and be corrected, or have a friend give him the nickname "Yes-man", and you'll quickly clue the reader in on the correct pronunciation (Yes-tin)

[@lucierodriguez1532]

I use different techniques for character names. Sometimes I search for names on the Internet (for a fantasy story set in a Viking world). I also sometimes create names that just sound right for the character I am going for like : Anok, Scozar, Mivalis… There are times where I mishear things and I’m like “Hey! That’s a good name.” : Membramone, Magmafur (I didn’t speak English at the time so I didn’t know the word “magma” and “fur” existed in another language. There is also one time where I didn’t name a character at all. He is “The Hero”, he will save us all, that’s what he is for, when we need help we call him… he doesn’t have a name because he is the most perfect hero there is and he must keep this facade. Always. He basically lost his identity, so he will be known in the book as “The Hero” and that’s it.

[@Galactic_15]

Im of the firm belief of, "please dear god just name them like a normal person".

[@intellectually_lazy]

tf is a "normal" person?

[@Galactic_15]

@@intellectually_lazyI mean like a real person. Writers tend to give characters weird names instead of names a normal person would have.

[@ironiccookies2320]

@@Galactic_15 I played a game where two NPCs were named "Back'n" and "Forth" because of how they always bickered with each other back and forth

[@sophiezhao8260]

@@ironiccookies2320 If this is the game I’m thinking of those two NPCs were crosstalk performers

[@denisl2760]

I hate the Gr'aagvmavk-xurzz type names you see in sci fi. Just makes it unnecessarily hard to read.

[@5Gburn]

Jason Bourne's name does mean something--at least "Bourne" does; it's a play on "born." Jason Bourne finds himself, and in a sense becomes "born" (reborn) after losing his memories. It's pretty clever, I think...because it *does* sound mundane and is therefore relatable. Thrillers can get away with this type of naming convention. Lucky bastards.

[@rottensquid]

The problem with Jason Bourne and the like isn't that they don't mean anything, it's that they're so blatantly on the nose, it's absurd. And I'm not sure they're getting away with it. They just do it anyway, because that's the language their audience speaks, that audience being people in airports looking for a paperback that's effortless to read even while your brain is being addled by the baby screaming directly behind you for eight hours, but can then be thrown away and forgotten halfway through. Jason Bourne is a name that gives away the subtext on the cover.

[@5Gburn]

@@rottensquid Eh, well. My experience with it (prior to becoming a writer) was to think it was cool that it sounded like "born"--and I proceeded to watch the movie and didn't ruminate over the title being symbolic, never mind "on the nose." But you're right in that too many of those in the moviehouse turn audiences off.

[@rottensquid]

@@5Gburn Jason Bourne is certainly not the worst I've ever heard. And it's just right for the audience. I feel like "Reacher" is a little too much though. Everything about that guy from the name down felt contrived, regardless of how well plotted the stories are. But again, I'm hardly the target audience.

[@Amann0407]

Plus the book version of Jason Bourne basically had David Webb take the name of a traitor in Vietnam called Jason Bourne, who was said to be absolute scum and probably Australian IIRC? Webb killed him and adopted the name later on as his alias. And its a bland enough name for a covert operative.

[@jof9089]

Idk, Robert Ludlum's Covert One series has a protagonist names Jonathan Smith... Later books make a joke about his name but that doesn't really excuse it IMO. it's soo boring and cliche. Like, you really couldn't come up with a better name? Every time I read his name I cringe. And I'm so tired of action/thriller books with the main character Jack or Jon/John. Especially newer books. Sometimes I find myself skipping a book because the protagonist is called Jack. Really, thriller authors need to meet at a convention and outlaw some of these overused to death names.

[@Lo_.]

Idk if it’s good naming advice, but i usually take something off of the character’s appearance or personality (or both) and try to match something with that. I mostly only write about animals though, so casual human names don’t really go with my settings usually. Also makes naming off of appearance more logical. Example - if i have an average red fox as my character: Appearance based: Tuft (as in tuft of fur). Personality based: Frey (something random to resemble fierce, but not necessarily matching the vibe). Personality & appearance based: Snarl (idk if snarling counts as appearance, but easily gives the character an association with being grumpy). Edit: i just included behaviour under appearance, cuz just like appearance, you can SEE behaviour.

[@BuckBlaziken]

Another thing: it’s believed that people generally find names with even number or multiple of 5 syllables more pleasing to say. For that reason you could also take that into account while making a name you want to ‘stick’ with people.

[@brew.3032]

Fantasy name generator has been a staple for me for sooooo many years 😂

[@Adoumoui]

I either go with something simple or I search for random ideas that feels somewhat okay and check the different meaning. Special/difficult names, I try not to abuse them. Sometimes it takes time

[@quagsiremcgee1647]

Usually I name my characters off of what I want them to resemble. Like a have a raven like character named Corvin. It just means like a raven. His mother is literally called corvidae. The plan is that he won't resemble crows too much that it feels too on the nose. I was thinking of referencing Odins ravens at some point.

[@Yokar_mova1212]

I use old names from the history of not well known countries and twik them a bit.

[@Sienna6164]

In my series, children are named after the parents and grandparents as well as being given old family names. But I always work to make sure that the names fit. I also name them after names that were trendy in a historical time period

[@KittyBGaming]

I use baby name sites to mean something like Phoenix not only being in tune with Fire but it’s also a mythical bird creature that represents rebirth and transformation. It really fleshes out the character My backup plan is just… when I can’t decide between two names, I try to combine it as best as possible My last resort is just shuffling the letters in normal items like villain being vini

[@ochonnidaecunniculus8002]

Fun fact when I was a kid I had these two sibling characters (still do lol) and I named the girl the first thing I thought of (Mercedes idfk), and the boy was named Lincoln cause I thought it was cool. Yes. Lincoln and Mercedes. I didn’t even realize they were both car brands until my dad pointed it out to me. Nowadays Mercedes is still Mercedes, cause it WAS a regular before it was a car! but over and across the years Lincoln has become a trans girl named Lin and honestly she’s much happier for it 😂 they also found a little brother (Alison)! Also their last name was shalbury for a hot second before I noticed just how morbid Lincoln f’ing SHALBURY sounded (now it’s Melbury lol)

[@applef1uffy]

The way I unintentionally gave all four members of a family names starting with the same two letters (Maryanne, Malcom, Maria, and Maxwell). I ended up changing the latter two to Elizabeth and John since they’re less important characters but I still think it’s funny that I did that without even thinking about it.

[@JuliaOfAllTrades]

I was writing a scifi parody and had to create a new character (I didn't thought the plot completely beforehand) and decided to use the whiskey's name I was sipping while writing as character's last name.

[@destroyerinazuma96]

So, there's this anime called "Free!". All the main characters have unisex names, but they also have names kinda reflecting something about about them. For instance, when you write the character for "Makoto" in a letter, you end up with "truth/truthful". For Persona fans, it's the same character as for Makoto (Niijima) and her name was also chosen on-purpose.

[@amyquintanna5311]

Persona 5 fan!!! Hello bestie!

[@destroyerinazuma96]

@@amyquintanna5311 Hello!

[@raccoondog11]

My friend and I had a game where we'd pick a name but spell it in different ridiculous ways. (Jimmy - Gymmie)

[@kiwilemontea4622]

In the story that I'm writing right now, I used pretty much all of these ideas except for use of AI. It's set in the future, with strong ties to modern naming conventions. For a couple characters, I took a common name and changed one letter, or I mixed two common names. But then I have a different setting within this same universe... And for that setting, every character's name is a mix of two Sumerian words or names.

[@enderfire3379]

here is my go to texhnique when i want to quickly make a fantasy name: grab two letters (one has to be a vowel), and then grab an additional one or two letters this time without the vowel requirement. the put the two together, if you dislike it you can always slightly mutate it or get another one

[@scb-z9u]

In modern stories, I tend to name characters like the names I heard in grade school all around me. Some of them were really cool but most of them were average or boring. I used to have have the giant *The Writer's Digest Character Naming Sourcebook* but then I realized, people have people names. Fantasy races are just people with different cultures, so they have cool and boring names in those cultures too. I've long since tossed the book. When I was about seven, my very first character was named something like Squatirywasne. I thought it needed to sound wild and different so the character would always seem interesting. Then I went to school for creative writing and realized, dang, names are nothing but placeholders for accessing our mental RAM for the actions of these characters. In some worlds, names have power, but it's not about the name, it's about knowing the name and using it as power. I think the *Bartimaeus Sequence* sold me on this idea. The magician is named Nathaniel, or Nat, and his ancient, powerful, mischievous demon is named Bartimaeus. Bart. A name is nothing but a way to access a memory of what was said about that character up until now. Names are just labels for files in our minds crated by authors. A simpler and more recognizable version of this are the names of the Daughters of Eve, and Sons of Adam, Kings and Queens of all of Narnia. Sue, Ed, Peter, and Lucy.

[@MelissaB21]

To be fair, Harry Bosch is actually an example of the nickname trick. He's actually named after the artist hieronymus bosch and has to explain that to someone once per novel. GRRM did a lot of "normal name but with a y" for side characters.

[@CoppeRoseBush]

Naming characters really depends on the environment and story. I used to be huge into Ninjago, and all of the characters have fairly standard names (Lloyd, Cole, and Jay, for example). the only "odd" ones were from non-white cultures (Misako, Kai, and Nya - the only exception is Pixal, who's a robot and her name is an acronym). So I had a couple OCs that I named Alicia and Jackson. The names would be perfectly normal in the universe. I'm currently writing a fantasy story where I took some advice from a tweet I saw on Pinterest one time that basically said "do a keyboard smash then make names from that." So I ended up with characters named Vuisa, Jifzu, and Hrea. I do also write some fanfic for a couple of Minecraft YT series I enjoy, so really anything goes in that context. Some of my OCs from there are named Blue, Aura, Heart, and Xavon. In the context of "this universe takes place in Minecraft" they don't stand out among names like Cub, False, and Xisuma

[@RuthenianGirl]

5:29 R.I.P. to all the people who actually have these names 💀

[@Writing-Theory]

I’m not scarred of all the Harry holes out there

[@TBG1]

A character of mine is named Brutus, and he's supposed to be a soft and introverted character. As someone who's more of an artist than a writer, I never thought of a last name, but I like using the opposite thing. Like a big buff character named Little Stu, or sum. But then again, I ain't no writer I mean, most of the names I give my ocs are just names that I like. But I also have one character that's hawaiian and I did some research and it's a really interesting culture!

[@lirenxin5472]

Interesting, cause if I see Brutus I would immediately think of the Brutus that stabbed Caesar

[@TBG1]

@@lirenxin5472 bwahahaha, I didn't even have that one in mind! But brutus creed is one that came to my mind

[@fusionblast3608]

I name mine by thinking about who they are as people and what their actions are, then used whatever name comes up in my head. I also just use names that I like.

[@mamaseesa3122]

I don't know why, but my character names are one of the most important things to me. I research FORVER to find the perfect name. I tend to connect a character with someone I know in real life, so I have their mannerisms for reference, ai can picture someone in my head to help the writing flow. When that happens, I take either their real name or something about them and research name meanings and origins until I find one I like. 'Sarah' means princess, so I research names that have royal connections. So my friend named Sarah becomes Amira, Tia, or Zara. I also look at the characters and find either a name that means something about their personality or give them the name of a historical figure just like them. Give a warrior the name Duncan or Alexander. One name in my book was absolute perfection when I stumbled across it. The character is persian/indian and he body guards another character that is basically a firebird/pheonix. The name I found is Adarvan, which is Parsi (persian/indian) and means 'the protector of fire'. Side note: I was determined my characters would have names that weren't impossible to pronounce while still being unique. Imogen, Adarvan, Devlin, Neith, Siobhan, Draken, Ezra, Adelaide, Daktari, Jericho.

[@handsomesquidward5160]

That opening sketch was hilarious

[@oldguyinstanton]

At 4:13, how I name my characters. I'm writing a science fiction novel, and I loathe the practice of creating unpronounceable alien names that, for some reason, all seem to blur together and sound similar. It's like reading a Russian novel. I've found that using riffs on familiar human name syllables is much preferable, and I usually come up with these at random. I make sure that all names sound unique, and are pronounceable in, generally, one or a small number of ways. For example, names of aliens in a family: Harlee Salkenesta, Jenkass Salkenesta, Isolobene Salkenesta, Mesbo Salkenesta. Other alien names: Drupay Culfarkharc, Salarko Treemo, Yink Patterkorn, Slavvin Cordecon.

[@Keznen]

Russians (and many other Slavic countries) only have a handful of names compared to English-speakers. But they also have several different diminutives for many of those names, so one could have two friends both named Anna but one goes by Anya (the most common diminutive) while the other goes by Nyuta.

[@oldguyinstanton]

@@Keznen smh, I could never keep track of it all. {runs screaming}

[@gilcori1234]

I draw inspiration from several places. Like most people, I look up baby names and check the meaning. I work in a field where I get templates with thousands of names every year. When I stumble upon an interesting name that I like, I add it to my list. Sometimes, I create a name based on certain letter sounds that fit the character's vibe. (Is this character a hard K or a soft S?) I pick names that have nicknames or initials that fit the character (not that form something funny when the last name is added). In a current WIP, I have a shortened first name / nickname for the MC that I don't love (though it's growing on me) but that comes from a name that's great for her (and as she's a supernatural creature blending within human society, having a cool actual name and a rather generic nickname that is commonly used matches her aesthetic): Mira's actual first name is Zelmira. I also subscribe to the rule where I don't repeat first letters for names for my main or major characters. (I haven't had to break that rule yet, but if I did, I would do it with characters introduced far apart and give one a short name and the other a long name.)

[@Frostbite08]

I cannot explain to you the loop this video threw me for when MJF's theme kicked in.

[@Writing-Theory]

As someone who didn’t know this song was used in wrestling, I find this little rap 100x more hilarious now

[@Frostbite08]

@@Writing-Theory Wrestling has a lot of stupid storylines, but MJF's theme is one of those things that (as far as I can tell) is an accidental moment of hilariously great writing. The character Maxwell Jacob Friedman, aka MJF, was introduced as that clout-chasing asshole we all knew in high school/college. He pretends he's rich and flaunts it in everyone's face, but he wears fake Burberry scarves and Rolexes everywhere he goes. So, what would that guy use as entrance music? A royalty free track, of course.

[@hannahs3981]

I freakin love looking up the meanings of names and finding ones that sound good and this might sound weird but sound like I want my character to be imagined. That probably doesn't make sense but it works for me

[@calebshaw3892]

I’m in the middle of writing my first book right now and for a lot of the minor characters I just go onto a random Facebook post and steal a first name from someone and a last name from someone else lol

[@jumalAnni]

For me, Peeta was always a Peter of an education deprived world. And Atreides, as the book itself hints, is an Ancient Greek patronymic. Used to make the characters obviously deeply European?

[@anthony1451]

This applies to naming your kids as well

[@TheAmethystAngel]

I name my characters based on the name’s relevance to the character, like anagrams, definitions, and story(ies) behind it. That or sometimes I cheese it and come up with something random like “Tationale” or something. No idea where it comes from.

[@justwritenaomi4792]

The teacher's name is the best! Hugh Janus

[@raina4732]

😂

[@Biscuits..]

“Call me Hughe” S tier content right here

[@anastasia_852]

Most of my characters have pretty sounding names like Amelia or Meredith and they honestly just kinda come to me when I create them. Though some names require to be more unique if they have a special connection with the world/area they live in so I try to come up with something based on that.

[@mccama19]

I pick my character names after I've already written quite a bit with the character. So the personality is already pretty developed in my story, and the name seems more natural and fits the character.

[@BenTheDragon]

The Ace Attorney route makes it very fun. There are lots of fun names like 'Luke Atmey' and even 'Paul Aticion' They also have actual good names along em too. It seems to be a sort of theme with these games.

[@emidemi7211]

I have a fun technique for one of my worlds that's sort of like a couple of these ideas combined. Different cultures will have different real-world nations as the inspiration for their languages, but I'll take a few specific sounds and use them more prevalently in names. For example, one culture has a lot of [vowel]-r, [vowel]-l, and [vowel]-n sounds in their language, sounding somewhat like Japanese, while in another there's a lot of "sh"es and short vowels, and another evokes a Germanic language. Languages (and names in that language) are one of my favorite things to come up with as a worldbuilder, so I really enjoyed this video, even though only the last few minutes were about my type of fiction LOL.

[@Leto85]

22:12 'The more removed from humanlike peoples, the more strange the name gets.' This reminds me of the Elder Scrolls game series. It's fantasy and you can play as different races. Just hearing a typical orc name you already know it's an orc. The same goes for the catlike Khajiit and the reptilian-looking race Argonian. The same goes for the different types of elves and even the humans have names based on French (for Bretons), Roman (for Imperials), Arabian (for Redguards), and Viking (for Nords). I think that's a strong thing: that the reader can guess the character's species based by their name. But don't forget to deviate from that when the story calls for it: Brand-Shei is an Argonian name given to a Dark Elf and there is background reason for that. It's very reason is to a quest even. And that's how powerful names can be.

[@ghostgem27]

4:11 I name my characters through researching name meanings and culture. I have toned down the strange spellings, but I choose names that are beautiful, fit the character, and are generally unique. I just like names that are different from what we see in the real world, but seem feasible and are actual names. Last names are different and a lot less feasible. (Or I just use first names I consider a bit too unique to be first names, but still fit the character.)

[@impracticalnuke]

The only rule I follow when making names is that their name not only must be funny, but it matches the character as well. That's why I have someone named Donovan Dingle. Donovan is indeed a Dingle.

[@iamlordapollo]

I like the egg man Dr robotnik thing. Eggman was an insult til he embraced it

[@jordanhunter3375]

Probably one of the most creative names I can recall right now is Pyrrha Nikos from RWBY. Pyrrha for her red hair (also the name given for the character she is based on, Achilles, when he was dressed as a girl and sent to work in a ladies' court). Nikos, from the Greek goddess of victory Niké (she was essentially the Venus Williams of that world). But... Put them together, and you also get prryhic victory. A bittersweet victory obtained through a heavy cost.

[@AWildBoi]

Typically, when I have a character, I usually do like a theme or a trait about them to help me name them. I have character that has a lot of night and moon symbolism, so I picked a name with a connection to the moon. This character was named Artemis after the Greek Goddess of the Hunt who is often seen as the Goddess of the Moon.

[@Salmon_Lamb0]

I either make up names by gut feeling, take inspiration from other names, (or just copy them) or use a random generator.

[@cenizaneva]

The two main characters in my novel are named Apollo and Sunny. Apollo is a star-nerd, but Sunny is a pessimistic and cynical guy with a name that goes against his personality, while Apollo starts to lose his shine as the book (a murder mystery) goes on

[@blu6295]

I'm not a writer, so I don't know how I ended up here, but because I'm an artist who loves creating OCs, this'll be very helpful in the future. I have a few naming schemes. For one, if I do Splatoon characters, a game about colour, then there's a high chance I'm naming a character after their main colour(for example Azur). Sometimes I just go with the first name that sounds right(for example Hannah, my favourite OC). Or with my most recent group, a rock band of 4 different Spiders, I did names that fit their respective species. Like T'rant, who is just Trent(is that even a real name?) but mixed with tarantula. And Widow, who is.. A Black Widow... Or Arachne, who is just named after the gal from the Greek myth. Or their guitarist, on which I can't decide wether to use 'webster' or 'silk', both names sound weird in my opinion. I imagine them as regal and elegant. they are based on the golden silk spider, the species with the largest webs in the world. Maybe you guys can help me a little?

[@plantszaza9002]

I'm not a writer. But I also have difficulty coming up with names for some games I play. What I do is I seach for name associated with certain word and pick the one I like. When I have to make a lot of names at once though, I just go to Fantasy Name generator.

[@theaprentice6437]

A story I’m working on has characters from Earth and a parallel Earth interacting with each other. For humans I look up popular names from a relevant country and then match it with their roles. One German character is named Heinrich (meaning “home ruler according to Google) and he is the leader of a coven. For the Tiophianiaran (race of sorcerers from the parallel earth) I have a simple alphabet based off the English alphabet I use for first names (working letters until I get something palatable). Last names are based off Viking tradition. One of the main characters and Tiophir (the grand protector) is named Diran Seratiee-ginise or Diran Star Song. Last names tend to be a mouthful but are rarely ever used.

[@cicirosehannigan]

I look up names and their meanings and as a bonus, I get certain context behind them long after I chosen that name.

[@lionspawfilmandphoto]

I sometimes look at name prefixes and suffixes to see what happens when I start swapping sounds around. You get cool things like Jenathan and Joniffer, Delamus and Maxila, Bransey and Lindon, etc.

[@holumiisnotacheeseplsstop]

I want to make a story - just for myself, and I’m not going to share it, so that I can make whatever I want with it - with the main character being named Yara. From slavic language, it means “bright”, but when I googled the name just for fun, I found out that it is also a common Arabian name for girls meaning “little butterfly” - and this is spot on, since I associate Yara with a moth. Yara has a twin sister, who died young, named Lumi (I know, this name sounds bad or like a nickname, I might experiment with the original word to make a name). Lumi means light (from the word luminescent). I picked that name randomly long ago after my previous sona character for my art profile, but this name is also spot on for my story, since Yara still pursues her twin sister even after she is gone, and looks for a way to bring her back (sci-fi story). Because of Yara’s imagery being a moth, and moths are attracted to the fake light (Lumi), this also foreshadows the fact that Lumi herself is fake. Through the story, the Narrator learns that Lumi is not Yara’s dead twin, but actually Yara herself when she was young, who was forced to change so that she could finally fit in the society - and she became so different, that she couldn’t believe that she used to be so different, hence she believed that Lumi is her dead twin sister. P.s. I’m 16 and I am far from a professional writer lol, so don’t hold me up for the lore. That’s just a random story of me accidentally picking character names that fit into the story so well lmao

[@thirdspacemaker9141]

I’m working on a story where the protagonist gets involved in a “grave robbing” scheme. I named her Maggie Laird. It’s a reference to the Burke and Hare murders in 1820s Edinburgh where the victims were sold as cadavers to a medical school. Margaret Laird was Hare’s significant other (possibly wife). It’s a reference to grave robbing without being super on-the-nose, but I wonder if it’s too simple. Maybe simple enough to be featured in a rap? For a fantasy story, I have named a character Kaelyx. It’s taken from the botanical term “calyx”, but I changed the spelling to signal to the reader that it is a hard K and long A, not a soft S sound and short Ah. (I may drop the “e.”)

[@siconfire9076]

i usually just name a character after a word related to there main atribute: they use fire? flare. they only use swords? blade. they oppressively and relentlessly hunt down the main character barely giving them time to rest and recover? ragnarok. they use ice? cryo.

[@reidcunningham5906]

The new Star Wars show has a character named Osha. I can't hear her name without thinking of the work safety law.

[@reptiliannoizezz.413]

That class in the intro sketch is full of Ace Attorney characters XD

[@Dying-chambers]

I like fantasy and sci-fi. Speaking of names, I often use an altered version of my cousins first or second name as a name for their character. Like J Sabugar, and John Sabugar. Their lore is that they're a family of psychics who have insect wings which are a gift from God, J and John's side of the Sabugar bloodline is the only remaining "pure" Sabugar blood, they are safely hidden in their home town from the government, and also, J and John have already met a member of the Sabugar family, or at least someone who has Sabugar blood, Nelton Sabugar.

[@thelemoncoffee]

i don't write stories with my own characters, but i do like making ocs and doing world building for them, and when i do i have two different naming practice i use depending on what kind of universe i'm building. if i'm playing with human characters in a more grounded world i tend to pick real names from the various cultures the characters are intended to be part of that have meanings associated with who the character is or work as a _subtle_ pun. Ex: a Japanese character of mine is named Neiro Shibata, she's a drummer and her first name uses kanji that mean sound/timbre, and while her last name hold no musical meaning it does read like an onomatopoeia for a drum kit symbol being hit. if i'm doing more fantasy stuff, especially if it's with non-human characters, i'll instead completely make up names that have no meaning- or if they do it was entirely by chance- and are comprised of sounds i just think sound good together and give off the vibes of the character, or are based on words the character is associated with. Ex: two characters i have in the same world are Kahkar and Hailyila. Kahkar's name is just me putting together bitey sounds to give a defensive character a name that fits his attitude. but Hailyila is one of four demigods who's titles are reflected in their names- her title being Hail of The Living

[@mer_acle8101]

One of my MCs is named Melody, bc I was 13 when I named her. I thought of changing it but her mother was like 16 when she had her so I think it makes sense that she'd have an angsty name lol. Also I think Jason Bourne is meant to sound like "born" bc Jason symbolically gets reborn without his memories, so I'm not giving you that one but otherwise totally with you.

[@FrostKitty14]

I usually go through baby name books until I find one that feels right.

[@becauseimhappyyy]

I named two of my characters after their powers. (It’s just their last names so imma go change it rn lol) I also use their real names very rarely, so I mostly use their superhero names, because those names are the most important to my story

[@KC3Lay]

I don't care what you say, I'm still keeping Malykai as a side character's love interest who only shows up in less than ten chapters scattered throughout the main series because he's not relevant to the plot for the majority of the storyline.

[@headfullofdreams6083]

For humans, I literally just pick a name that fits their vibe, or hilariously clashes with their vibe. For aliens, I follow the rules of their respective alien languages and once again pick a name that fits with the character's vibe or hilariously clashes with it. (One of my favorite examples is the time I wrote this tough-as-nails badass antihero who hunts terrorists for a living and named her Ili (pronounced "eelee"), which is the name of a certain yellow flower on her home planet (and also just means "yellow", but that's less funny). It would be the equivalent of calling her Lottie or Daisy or something like that.)

[@intellectually_lazy]

i did think it hilarious in the dark tower series when roland and the gang met someone who asked if they're not-sees

[@Shiverwar]

Maybe not for a self-made story, but as far as something like Baldur's Gate 3 goes, my first character was a half elf named Sylvia Oakborn. I wanted to go for something that sounded like both a natural name and something to link to nature, hence Oakborn.

[@nnnuke]

POV my naming process for my first book series: MC: “It’s sci-fi so I’ll name mc something science-y… HMMMM… the most science sounding letters are at the end of the alphabet… Ehh whatever Zyxon-“ MC’s brother: “I guess I’ll just scramble Zyxon’s name for his twin… nvm nothing sounds good let’s go with Mike-“ MC’s love interest: “*watches jaiden animations* *ari appears* Ari… a.” MC’s love interest’s bestie: “so it’s set in the future so it should have a character in between the name… ‘Treil’on’ but it’s pronounced Traylin?” I did not know what I was doing back then lmao (Did get better at naming tho-)

[@AsheNightwind]

I'm a mixed bag. Sometimes I use a "placeholder name" and it ends up sticking. Chase Watson and Gale Dalloway are two examples. Most times I troll baby names and look up names from different countries based of what the character's character.

[@alexeybagirov6635]

I speak three languages so I frequently switch between them to use random words as names for characters if they sound cool

[@wingwoodsmith]

I was encouraged to find I already do some of the ideas you suggest. Your one example of naming, "Lucas Scott" , is in the same line as "Jack Ryan" and "Alex Cross". I had an English teacher once tell me about using syllables in unusual numbers. 1-1-3 or 2-5. "Jean Ann Heatherton" "Lucas Von Scotsburg"... depending on how pretentious you want to be.

[@SightlessSenshi]

You definitely got my attention by being a writer with a more nuanced look at AI. Thanks for that. As a writer who makes similar use of AI tools, and who has also always loved name generator sites and such (if anything at least for a bit of amusement and fun), I genuinely appreciate hearing someone actually have a similar appreciation for how such tools actually can be constructively used. It's nice to hear something other than "You're stealing other people's property the moment you think Chat GPT." :) Great video, as well. I share so many very similar pet peeves about names, and I feel so validated hearing another writer who agrees. Lots of my friends who also write seem to disagree with me on many naming conventions, which is totally fair and valid, but I also like feeling like I'm not alone. Though I personally do like Jack Reacher's name, because the story behind it is actually really amusing to me, but that's totally a matter of opinion. Great content. Definitely going to be watching more.