Today is the first post of a new segment that I will focus on different writing resources. These are all resources that I have used in the past and find very useful when it comes to writing. Everything is based on my own experiences and is my opinion.
The topic of today’s post is about name generators.
I’ll be writing when suddenly I need a name. I usually leave a placeholder for the name and go back to it, but I still need a name. The thing is, naming a character is very difficult. Like naming your own child, the character is stuck with that name forever. That means that it has to be a good name that fits the character. Unless you don’t like that character and plan on killing them off at some point in your story. Whichever the case may be, you still need a name. Which is why I’ve created this post. No more looking aimlessly around the internet for names because the best ones are right here!
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Now, every time I find a name generator I always end up losing it in the mix and never being able to find my way back to it. So after awhile, I started bookmarking the pages so I can easily find my way back. I’ve compiled a list of some name generators that I’ve used that to help me find the perfect name for my characters.
Fantasy Name Generators
This website is full of amazing names to use for your characters, settings, and anything else you can think of. I’ve only really used the English name generator on this site. Though this site is great for fantasy names and places as well. It’s a very versatile website that I think can meet every writer’s needs. This site is my go-to site when it comes to generating names
Article: The Most Common Middle Names From The Last 12 Decades
Okay, well this one isn’t a name generator, but it had a lot of useful names. I used this article a lot when finding the perfect name for characters in scenes that took place in the 1970’s. Now, this is good for first and middle names, if you give your characters middle names. It’s also very good for period names if your book takes place between 1900 and 2015.
Behind the Name
This website generates names that look into the meaning of the names. I’ve only used this one to play around with different characters names, but it provides a lot of information about the meaning of a name. It also allows you to look at the names origin and other interesting facts about a name.
Name Generators
Ever need a last name for your character, but can’t seem to find one? Well, this site has a good last name generator, among other generators but I’ve never used those. It keeps a list of the names that you generate and you can click on the ones you like and it will put them on a favorite list that you can easily refer back to.
Meaning Behind the Name
Ever looking for a name to mean something specific? Love? Strength? This website has a large database of names based on the meaning. Any meaning you can think of is listed on this site.
Baby Books
Ever have the perfect letter for a character name but can’t get quite the name you’re looking for? Baby books have thousands of names listed alphabetically to find that perfect name. Depending on the book, you can also see the meaning of the name and origin. It’s a useful resource to have on your shelf. (images from Amazon.com)
The Big Book of 60,000 Baby Names by Diane Stafford
The Name Book by Dorothy Astoria
100,000+ Baby Names by Bruce Lansky
If you’re looking for more name generators, Jenn over at A Page of Jenniely has a wonderful post What’s In a Name (click to check out her post!) It looks into aspects of a name and provides even more name generators that may be useful to use.
Those are my top name generators to use when it comes to writing. If you’re ever in a pinch for a name, I hope that you find these links helpful. Naming a character is hard, and naming generators help the creativity flow; inspiring your next character name.
What name generators do you use? Have you used any on my list? How do you name your characters? Let me know in the comments below!
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This page may contain affiliate links. Click to read full disclaimer. I only promote products I support.
As someone with an unusual name, this is a unique tips that should be discussed more often! Great suggestions! Thank you for sharing.
Georgia recently posted…How to make baby formula taste better?
I’m happy that you found this post to be a good resource.
Your all tips are easy and practical. Thanks for sharing . Keep it up.
Thank you. It’s great being able to help out others with my resources.
Awesome post. Thinking out a befitting name for a character or anything on the go is difficult and name generators help us a great deal.
I have used the Best Little Baby site to find and generate names for my kid and those of my friends. You can browse or search the collection of baby names and meanings from different origins, select a baby boy, baby girl or unisex name from the name lists, or else use the name generator and other name search tools for inspiration.
I love all the different categories you can look into on the Best Little Baby site! I’m definitely going to have to give it a try the next time I’m in need of a character name! 😊
Thanks for checking it out
What a great post! I love posts about naming 😍 thank you for linking to me!
Thanks! I love your post so much and it has a lot of useful information! 😊
yeah i really like this post and want to suggest https://wordcombinerhub.com for creating names
Thanks for this additional resource!
I have used name generators a couple times. Most of the time, I just go off the list I make when I am bored or reading or listening to music lol.
Name generators help me with a flow of names. Really helps get the inspiration flowing!
That’s great 🙂
These are great. Did you finish your book from Nano? Sorry if you mentioned it before and I forgot.
I actually have a post going out tomorrow about it, but yes I did finish the book I was writing for NaNo! Thanks for asking! 😊
This is so cool!
Thanks!
Great post! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for stopping by!
Interesting post. It’s great to see the other side to writing, especially as I’m not a writer myself.
Gemma @ http://www.gemmasbooknook.blogspot.com
Thanks! I’m glad you enjoyed this post.
These woould be really useful. I am gonna book mark it and share with my friends as well.
I hope you find them very useful. Thanks for sharing! 😊
I think last names can be the hardest. Thanks for these resources!
P.S. I found you via the Commenting 365 Challenge. It’s nice to meet you!
Nice to meet you too! 😊
I find that last names take me SO much longer to decide on than first names. I hope you find these resources useful!