Inventing names is detrimental to my immersion

[Hussar]

To be fair, there is a fairly strong tradition in some newer fantasy to use less esoteric names. I'm currently plowing through the Black Company novels and everyone has plain English names, by and large. At least all the main characters do. This tradition was carried forward in Steven Erikson's Malazan novels as well. Going back a bit further, Robert Adams' Horse Clan's series used variant spelling of common names to show how the language had drifted from modern times to the post-apocalyptic future.

So, it isn't totally out there to use standard names. I'm naming my next fighter Kerblomph, for the sound his heavy mace does when he hits something.

 

[Mallus]

I'm currently plowing through the Black Company novels and everyone has plain English names, by and large. At least all the main characters do. This tradition was carried forward in Steven Erikson's Malazan novels as well.

Erikson strikes me as fairly meta, name-wise, ie many of his names are deliberate shout outs/references to the work of previous authors. The Bridgeburner's names are a nod to Cook's Black Company. Anomander Rake, Lord of Moon's Spawan, aka Anomandaris, aka Dragnipurake sounds faux-epic, almost Tolkienesque, albeit slightly parodically. The K'Chain Che'malle could have floated in -- in their techno-magic Skykeeps-- from an early 70s Moorcock novel.

I really dig Erikson's approach, BTW.

I've been trying to use it in my recent campaigns/characters. I'm still leaning heavily on real names and word names, but I'm trying to mix in more 'traditional' pretentious goofball made-up fantasy names; like my Pathfinder PC, Kelisandaris Shantih par-Valen, aka Kelis, the mystical Kinsey 6 archer.

For my AD&D game, I'm trying to name the NPCs with the first thing that pops into my head, because I like to think that's exactly what Gygax and Co. did. This resulted in:

Belit Schnell, and her 5 year old son, Little Conan.
Lars Larsonson.
Commander Gall of the Beast Isle Irregulars.
Ghost of Tear.
Scheib Gulug, the Imprisoned Mage.
"Joe" -- a nondescript doppelganger.
Inspector Bastet
The Master of Weasels
Eleanor the Elf

... and so on.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

I'm naming my next fighter Kerblomph, for the sound his heavy mace does when he hits something.

Why not name a lute playing, axe wielding Bard "Slash", then?