Skybreaker Sin K'al
Troubadour
I'm struggling to find names for my world, particularly the good ones. Do you guys know any tricks to coming up with better names?
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Names?
- Thread starter Skybreaker Sin K'al
- Start date
FifthView
Vala
I've written about this here before, how I often do it: How do I come up with original names for my fantasy world?
Essentially, find a list of cities in a particular culture that is closest to your world's culture. Then split each name in half, and put different halves from different names together.
So for instance, from a list on Wikipedia of ancient Indian cities, I found these two: Harappa & Jhansi.
That could lead to:
Haransi
Jhanrappa
Ansiappa
Appajhan
Ansihara
I've done this for cities, rivers, and other landmarks. I suppose the method could be used for character names as well.
Essentially, find a list of cities in a particular culture that is closest to your world's culture. Then split each name in half, and put different halves from different names together.
So for instance, from a list on Wikipedia of ancient Indian cities, I found these two: Harappa & Jhansi.
That could lead to:
Haransi
Jhanrappa
Ansiappa
Appajhan
Ansihara
I've done this for cities, rivers, and other landmarks. I suppose the method could be used for character names as well.
Last edited:
Gurkhal
Auror
First think of what kind of feeling you want you world to have. If I do a Norse themed world it will have a different set of names from a world based on the ancient Greeks and even more so to one based on Pre-Colombian Mesoamerica.
Do it the same way you do everything else with writing. Just do it, any old which way. Do it some more. Get better. Do it more.
Sure there are name generators and strategies and all that, but those are all ways that work for someone. What you want is what works for you, and the only way to find out what works is ... to work.
Sure there are name generators and strategies and all that, but those are all ways that work for someone. What you want is what works for you, and the only way to find out what works is ... to work.
Darkfantasy
Inkling
There are name generator sites but then most names have been used before if people use them a lot.
This is my weakness, or maybe just I don't have much experience in. I normally write thrillers or alternative history with a fantasy edge, so this current WIP is all based in an entirely different world, so I having to name everything myself.
The best I came up with so far is to write down words I associate with that place.
City - dark, dangerous, crime, seedy - then I go onto translation and I look up foreign words that mean those things. I'll either use that word or blend two words together because I don't like crazy sounding names. Some short and simple that also blends with what would be the language of that area. So if I use an Arabic word for one city in the north, I'll steer clear of that language for a village in the south.
I have NO idea is this is a good way to do it, or a bad way - it's just that all I've discovered so far. So just heed my advice a little and see if anyone else make a comment on it with a stamp of approval or a warning.
All the best
This is my weakness, or maybe just I don't have much experience in. I normally write thrillers or alternative history with a fantasy edge, so this current WIP is all based in an entirely different world, so I having to name everything myself.
The best I came up with so far is to write down words I associate with that place.
City - dark, dangerous, crime, seedy - then I go onto translation and I look up foreign words that mean those things. I'll either use that word or blend two words together because I don't like crazy sounding names. Some short and simple that also blends with what would be the language of that area. So if I use an Arabic word for one city in the north, I'll steer clear of that language for a village in the south.
I have NO idea is this is a good way to do it, or a bad way - it's just that all I've discovered so far. So just heed my advice a little and see if anyone else make a comment on it with a stamp of approval or a warning.
All the best
