How do you name characters?

[spidercrabb4]

I think of a trait associated with the character, i.e. lonely, thief, guard, happy, etc., then look up either the Celtic, Gaelic, or Old English word for that trait and use that, or a variation of it. Pretty much every time.

 

[ehbowen]

If you want a suggestion which is my go-to for surnames...search for "The Official Guide of the Railways" from before 1960 (there are numerous good copies on line, including one which I uploaded to Timetable World myself) and look in the back at the "Index of railway stations". Somewhere in those 150+ pages you will, I guarantee, find the perfect surname for your character!

 

[ThrillhoBaggins]

You also might be able to just write and keep writing and just stumble into something you like totally by accident.

 

[talenai]

In Terhia (my worldbuilding project), naming conventions reflect how each culture defines identity, belonging, and authority. There are six distinct traditions:

• Menneske (Scandinavian-inspired): Personal name + settlement, such as Aslaug of Stenhavn. Identity is rooted in place, household, and community witnesses.
• Renlei (East Asian-inspired): Family name first, followed by given name, such as Qian Ruolan. Formal address also emphasizes examination rank and professional standing.
• Unsaan (Arab/Persian-inspired): Personal name associated with a house, garden, or office, such as Idris al-Rimalor Golnar Sabz. Religious leaders adopt the office-name al-Rimal regardless of ancestry, preventing hereditary claims.
• Yamana (Mesoamerican-inspired): Personal name accompanied by inherited duty or lineage obligation. Identity emphasizes responsibilities that continue across generations.
• Umutu (Saharan/East African-inspired): Personal name associated with an age-set cohort and well lineage. People identify their generation through their birth-moon cohort rather than numerical age.
• Tangata (Polynesian-inspired): Personal name, birth-moon, and house lineage. Navigators may additionally identify themselves through the waterways they claim and their associated histories.

An important distinction is that these are cultural naming conventions, not standardized bureaucratic formats. Terhia's Common Tongue and institutional registries often simplify or reinterpret names, sometimes losing information that matters deeply to the originating culture.

The underlying philosophy is that each civilization answers a different question about identity: Where do you belong? What have you achieved? Whose house represents you? What duties have you inherited? Which generation claims you? What relationships define your place in the world?

The goal is to make naming an expression of culture rather than simply giving characters exotic-sounding names.