Where do YOU steal your names from?

[Huw]

I go for normal names which wouldn't be out of place 1000 years ago. Haven't dubbed anyone "John Smith" yet, but I have done a "James Smith".

I use a road atlas from europe, lots of names I never would of thought of

Well, the Iliad had a character called Paris

Seriously, I've seen some geographically named characters in computer games. Ultima VIII had Devon the fisherman, and Blizzard usually have a character called Farnham

and some I can't pronounce.

Welsh names, by any chance?

 

[GrayIguana]

I use The Onomastikon; no better resource have I found.QUOTE]

I love this site, and I use it a lot.

 

[Graybeard]

I use a variety of sources. I have a baby name book that is very handy. I also use EBON from time to time. The campaign I'm currently running is based loosely on ancient Rome, Greece, Egypt, etc. Getting names for those settings are fairly easy. Watching the History channel, looking at history books, etc.

 

[Bloodstone Press]

I have an old dictionary (published in the 1860s). it has a section in the back with thousands and thousands of names grouped into Greek, Arab, Christian, and others. I also have a couple self-designed methods for coming up with names. One is based on Welsh spellings and pronunciation, the other is based on German. I also use one for elves that is similar to native American names. Dwarves also have native American-like names but the words they use deal more with the earth and battle.

In my homebrew, I have all the names that are similar to each other associated with specific areas of the world. So, much like our own world, you can often tell where someone is from just by hearing their name.

 

[Dolom]

Foreign language dictionaries with a little bit of tweaking here and there. I've also been known to rip off and combine names from Shakespeare.

 

[Tsillanabor]

In my new world elves have been using Celtic names, and the other races each get a distinctive 'sound' to them by choosing which letters of the alphabet they use most often.

 

[ssampier]

I had good luck modifying common names, like Jacob. I change a few syllables so it’s Jakkob (Jack-KOB).

I like real names, but I have trouble pronouncing those "foreign" words. Any tips to Anglo-cize them?

 

[Raven Crowking]

Let's be honest. Coming up with good believable names for NPCs, unique creatures, etc, is a chore at best, and nearly impossible for some people at worst. Many of us steal names from other sources. Where do you as a GM/DM steal yours?

For fantasy games, I like to steal good names off of forums like this one. "Alzrius" for one became the name of a mythical two headed ice beast in one game I play in. (Mechanically, it's a hypogriff with a two-headed cryo template)

For modern/sci fi games, I steal names of character from obscure TV shows, sometimes complete with personality when it comes to making NPCs.

For D&D, I use the Internet. If I want medieval Germanic names, I merely google "medieval germanic names". It works quite well.

For other races, I sometimes use a syllable list. My orc names, for example, are all variations on a few syllables and themes.

Baby name books are also often quite useful. Many include not only what the name means (good for developing hooks) but also the older versions of the name or cultural deviations.

RC

 

[Odhanan]

I enjoy coming up with names. Sure, sometimes they will come from books, sometimes from movies, pieced together in a way or another or just slightly altered, but most of the time my names don't come from obvious sources besides my imagination and I like it! It's like a puzzle for me: finding the right name for the right concept, you know?

 

[EricNoah]

The appendices of GRRM's Song of Ice & Fire books.