The worst nightmare for gnomish parents...

[R.T.]

... must be to find a decent name for their kids. I've been searching all over the web and through my library of role playing books, but I just can't find anything useful on how to construct a gnomish name. I can easily imagine a dwarven name (like Norfain) or an elven name (Lyrithias), but nothing really springs to mind when I think of gnome names.

So here goes: what do you think makes a good gnomish name? What are the most important syllables or sounds you use?

Thanks!

 

[Jolly Giant]

Gnome names are the worst! And they have so many of them, the wee buggers!

I generally pick one from the list in Herobuilder's Guidebook. (An utterly worthless book in all other regards... )

 

[randomling]

Hmmmmmm. That's a hard one. I just created a couple of gnome characters and named them Bracken Merramill (a female bard) and Derrin Wendel (a male fighter). I think using words from nature as gnomish names is good.

If not, I usually say the names are two or three syllables long and usually quite simple in sound structure (no big consonant clusters like Dwarven might have). Usually I would make a gnome name have stress on the first syllable (as opposed to Elven names with stress often somewhere else).

Not very helpful, that, was it? Sorry.

 

[Isida Kep'Tukari]

When I think of gnome names, I think of the ludicris! My first gnome character was named Snumpkin "Tiddlywinks" Nackle.

Just think of something silly.

 

[JoeBlank]

From the bio of my current character, Ozlo Sullygrub, a gnome sorcerer from the Hidden Vale (Forgotten Realms).

"In meeting others around the Dalelands, Ozlo has been surprised by the expectation that he go by only one name. Gnomes love names almost as much as they love games, so Ozlo has taken to using all the names he has ever been given, and acquriing even more. In the Vale he was called Ozlo, Oz, Ozzie, Ozzie the Odd, Odzie, Sully, Grub, Grubworm, Sullyworm, the Nephew, the Pieman, Wormfox, Digger, and Jumpstick, among others. He is likely to give any name to strangers. If a "regular" name is expected by someone he sees on a regular basis he usually gives Oz or Sully. But only the first time he is asked, after that any name is fair game."

 

[RangerWickett]

I love Gnome gnames. You just have to think of something that rolls off the tongue and sounds quirky. I've had several gnome PCs in games I've run, including:

Pinchook Magook
Weebit Ankylebiter Vallshadow
Rivereye Badgerface
David
and by ENWorld's very own poster D12, the coolest gnome ever Iolus "Inky" Flintflindercandle. I liked him so much, that later eras in my campaign world have introduced Flintflindercandle as a surname of many gnomish families.

Also, I had a gnome NPC in two of the books I've written for Nat20.

Meece Upknot
Tinker Oddcog

And my friend Nic just came up with Charlie "Chuck" Babyface.

 

[AmerginLiath]

My favorite gnome name: linguist-bard "Gnome Chomsky"!

 

[BiggusGeekus]

My favorite gnome name: linguist-bard "Gnome Chomsky"!

HA! That's good.

I once had an EQ gnome cleric named "Gnopain"

 

[Aeris Winterood]

They are kind of hard to name....

The most famous in any of my campaigns was Griff Wolvensbane (Ill 10/ figh 2) and then his daughter Griffa Wolvensbane, who is taking after her dad's footsteps....

 

[Moulin Rogue]

Look at a page of baseball rosters (especially from the late 19th-early 20th century), some of the names could make great inspirations for gnomes.

What can you build from names like Stubby Clapp, Eppa Rixey, Arky Vaughan, Rabbit Maranville, Carden Gillenwater, Noodles Hahn, Kiki Cuyler, Coco Crisp, Ossee Schreckengost, Socks Seybold, Ducky Medwick, Pretzels Getzien, Peanuts Lowrey, Mookie Wilson...