Character creation: Do you have difficulty in naming your characters (OC's)?

[Yanrima~]

I've asked this question because I've mostly been stumped in naming my own characters, especially when the names have to make sense to the character's overall theme or have meaning. It took me longer time to find a good name for the character than conceptualizing the character.

I have no problem designing and writing descriptions but for some reason, naming your character is the most difficult. Does anyone else felt this struggle when coming up with characters?

 

[VanitasFan26]

Yes because I just name my character after my favorite game Kingdom Hearts. I am not creative or original.

 

[Keeltoll3435]

Not really.

 

[Envy]

I don't even have enough creativity to create characters. Every 'character' I make is just a self-insert. Lol. So, understand my creativity to come up with names isn't something I can even get to. No doubt, I'm terrible at it as well.

 

[Croconaw]

I don't have the creativity or drawing skills to make characters. I can usually think of ideas, but I struggle to get them out on paper. I also have trouble coming up with names and I came to that conclusion when I tried to write a story on the episode app. I never got around to publishing that, and thankfully, because looking back on it, it was cringe as heck. I loved the plot I came up with, though. I'm sad it never happened. Coming up with names is hard enough.

 

[Halloqueen]

This is absolutely a problem I run into, whether it be for character creation in video games, making a character in D&D, or developing a character for something I'm writing. Unless I already have some name in mind for some particular reason, which is rare, I have to look over lists of names until I decide on one that I feel fits the character best. It's always the most difficult part of character creation for me, regardless of context.

Names are hard.

 

[VernalLapin]

Sometimes. I have a handful of TBNs. The great part about a lot of my OCs nowadays are from another world, so their names can just be something random that sounds nice. Sometimes I also shuffle up words/add/swap letters to an existing words. I have an oc named Lomun from “lumen”, and Aulaen (at least for now) from luna/lunar.

 

[wrenbow]

I can definitely relate, I only just officially named my two main characters after years of going back and forth on their names. I love researching names and their meanings, but the hardest part is always picking one that perfectly represents the character. Sometimes you just have to try lots of different things and see which one sticks.

 

[Acruoxil]

I only name them after myself! So it's never been a problem for me

 

[bestfriendsally]

i do sometimes, yeah :>

 

[Belle T]

Nevermind characters. I sometimes have trouble thinking of usernames just for myself.

 

[Kitsuragi]

YES. ALWAYS. I usually settle and then ending up changing it. My main OC, Dahlia, has gone through 3 different names. I love the name Dahlia now so it's not changing. On the flip side, Damon's name came immediately and stuck. Cecil stayed unnamed for a year and went through like 3-4 different placeholder names. Yuck.
I tend to draw inspiration from other things of course. I like that name I read online? Throw it on a character.

 

[kilusion2011]

I have no problem with creating or designing characters, but the names always get me! Sometimes, it comes right away, but I always struggle with the names 85% of the time. I have an OC with the placeholder name "Oreo", because of his hair, but I've pretty much figured out everything about him... BUT the name!! Similar problem is with my Splatoon ocs I've had from Splatoon 2. They still don't have names after all of this time... but I was able to name my Splat3 character right away?? T_T

 

[-Blue-]

I write stories a lot. I tend to sometimes take some time thinking of names for some of the characters depending on story/situation. Whether I want the name to be common, be relatable to the world of the story, or have a deeper meaning behind it through the world/theme. It really depends on what I am aiming for.

Nevermind characters. I sometimes have trouble thinking of usernames just for myself.

I feel that.

 

[Flicky]

Not usually. Sometimes, I'll keep a placeholder name in until I find a proper name to use. I mostly aim to find names that fit the time period I'm writing for, and pick some that feel like they fit. A couple of my character names do have a deeper meaning, but I'm not a fan of having every character being that way.

Yes because I just name my character after my favorite game Kingdom Hearts. I am not creative or original.

It's funny you say that - a lot of my placeholders are Kingdom Hearts names. I've still got a villain named Xehanort that I really need to rename.

 

[.: Meri :.]

It depends! Sometimes I already have the perfect name in mind, or at least come up with one fairly quickly, other times it's just a loooot of scrolling through name lists. Not even necessarily because I want a specific meaning for the character's name (although sometimes I do!), but just finding the name that ~feels~ right for them, with the right kind of flow/sounds/etc.

 

[CometCatcher]

Sometimes I know their name instantly and it feels "right" right away. Other times I'll spend weeks or months agonizing over it and change it so much, or stare at baby name sites. Even now, there are some OC names that I am ??? about.

I spent sooo long agonizing over this bep's name (the species is Bepotelkh). I think I asked for people's input on it like, 5 different times.

https://toyhou.se/11236984.bepotelkh-noemi

This birb also took forever.

https://toyhou.se/4731351.puff

While this girl was just Charlotte from the start (it's also my favorite name ever, so I kind of designed her based off of the name, too).

Charlotte ✦ on Toyhouse

A community for collaborative character creation and trading, worldbuilding and roleplay.

toyhou.se

And Tara fit right away.

Bepotelkh ★ Tara on Toyhouse

A community for collaborative character creation and trading, worldbuilding and roleplay.

toyhou.se

 

[Aria Nook Violet]

For me it is mosty easy because for each character I usually have a theme and from that theme I search for name related to it. Basically I go to "name meanings" websites until a find the perfect name. There are rare times when I figure the name doesn't quite fit the character and I go name hunting again. I don't like spending much time in giving my characters names so I make it as quick as I can .

 

[kiwikenobi]

First names are usually fairly easy for me to come up with. Last names are harder, since they have to work with a character's whole family, sometimes, not just the one character.

And if it's a realistic setting, then I want to make sure the last name's nationality makes sense with the character and where they live. If it's unusual for where they live, then other characters might react to it differently than something more commonplace. In fantasy and sci-fi stories, the last name needs to match their species as well, since they tend to have different cultures and naming conventions and languages and so on.

Usually, since my characters have a specific sort of purpose in the story, the first name comes pretty easily, since I just sort of feel for what's right. Intuitive naming is what I do, mostly, I suppose, though I do also look at name websites for meanings or for what names were popular in different places and time periods, if it's a more realistic story.

 

[ShinyDungeoneer]

yes. I have so many unnamed OCs.