For me, I try to attach their face with the name and see if it fits or not.

29

Fantasynamegenerators.com and hit refresh until i find both a first and last name I like or think of something good while doing this

20

I just mash words together sometimes or it’ll be a name I saw/heard somewhere and liked. The name mashing usually happens in the last name I keep a list of M/F names for future reference!

12

Meaning behind names sometimes helps.

8

I attached the name to a characteristic or even feature in the character itself. Another thing that contributes is what the story is about, for example a fantasy where elements are involved although I also use names from other languages.

6

Sometimes I will use sounds that match the character. I wanted a soft sounding name for a cat and so I picked Lucy because it is a soft sounding word. Helps sometimes to pick a name when you’re blanking

4

I tend to think of some major trait, whether it be a personality trait or their role in the story (for example, someone from a family of water mages might have a water related name, even if they don’t use water magic themselves), find a word in another language for that word that would sound good, and then butcher it until it sounds like a name. Most of my dnd characters follow this pattern

2

i’ll look at censuses from the year they were born (doesn’t work as well if you’re a fantasy writer) and make a list of names that fit their vibe. once i narrow it down the way you have, i compare the names of the characters and see which ones sound good together. i eliminate names that are too similar, even having the same first letter is usually too much for me. same process for last names, but i make sure to look up the character’s full name before finalizing it just in case

2

Also think about the context the character was born in/what their parents would name them and why

2

Nameberry + search “sibling names of x” to get an idea of the kind of names that sound good together. Then I test out a name in a scene/try to write from their POV and see if it feels right

1

I take something that they’re vaguely related to and then just find a name with that general meaning or just gradually mispronouncing a word until it sounds like a name lol

1

I tend to go with what comes to me (typically something that sounds like it would be a word in another language) and then sometimes translate it in the language I think it is and if it’s not a word then see if there’s a word in a spelling near it. If not, I just translate relevant keywords in that language or look up names that mean it. I also use behindthename.com sometimes.

1