How do you pick your character names?

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Just as the title says - how do you pick the names of your characters in CRPGs?
My current IWD ones were picked from a Celtic baby name book, pages opened at random
They are:
Ultan Easal (male fighter)
Murtagh Parthalon (male fighter)
Tyrone Oileabhear ( male cleric)
Creidne Krystell (female cleric)
Fay Eireen (female mage)
Darfhinn Sadhbh (female mage)

 

Sometimes I make up meaningful names or take real mediaeval ones (I've had an archer with a Byzantine name, for instance) or I make up Latin or Greek ones more or less according to the rules. Sometimes I take Celtic ones but I need to know what they mean unless they are forms of standard European names. I will occasionally go for something more exotic, but I always need to be sure it works, that is, that it would work as a name or at least a nickname in the culture from which I'm borrowing ideas.

 

I usually start with a first letter,a nd then start sounding out suitable nonsensical names - often adding a last name that's not.nbonsencsical and reflects the character's personality

for example;

Aldrak Bonecrusher (CE Dwarf fighter)
Sirya Sunblade (LG female paladin)
Pyr Shade (NE female elf assassin)
Dirdis Sunshadow (CN male elf fighter)

I have bene aknown to also use TOlkien Elvish and names from already-existing sources... and of course,t herte si a whole legion of characters named "Arabwel"

 

Well, most often I will take historical name and modify the to my liking, other times I "steal" nick names from people on these boards (FX, I used a Paladin named Nakia Laiwethel in one of my TDD runthroughs). I often add surnames that fits the characters personality (just as Ara explained above) too.

 

I usually use my pets names or names from various mythologies, though I am very fond of Arabic and French names at the moment.

Some names from Irish mythology that I use:

Cúchulainn - for human fighting type characters
Aoife - female warriors
Cesard/Cathbad - elven Druids and Mages
Fergus Fínbél - elven Bards
Bé Chuille - female mages

 

I usually look at the bookshelf and the first letter that jumps out is the start of their name from there it's a question of what sounds right; generally lyrical sounding names for elves, earhty name s for dwarves, variations or mispellings of normal names for humans and anything else come as it may.

 

I only play a few characters, but I ALWAYS make up my own names. These are the only chars I usually play... And most of them are rogues

Kazdul Feadows- Dashing, flambouyant ultimate burglar of all time halfling rogue person. My alter ego and favorite character of all time.

Arkanis Gauth- Lawful Evil Assassin, looks just like me, same stats, is basically me but evil

Leonidas Brosh- Crazy Old human Ranger who can't remember why he's been in the forest for so long, I'm Rping him right now in Forbidden Forest

Vaskgar- My human Kensai/weapon master guy

Magnum Irks- My Dwarven Fighter

Bek'Gumbo- Half-Orc Cleric

Don Rafael- LIke Kazdul Feadows, but very Zorro-esque fencer gentleman type. Laughs a LOT.

wow, I play a lot of different chars, but I usually stick to these guys and don't play any other chars.

 

One IWD (and BG2) character is always Undertaker
Others as I have mood- from other games (like BG2), books, movies, NWN name generator.

 

I usually make a name up from scratch, but NWN introduced a name generater filled with crappy names, so I took a 'quick look' at names and kind of shifted them into something actually good, frequently influenced by history, mythology, and Tolkien.
Ex.) Asandapor -> Asnador
Peliteria -> Peltiar
I did the same thing for last names.
Just don't do what my brother does, he always names his first character for a game Figgit! How can you name a potentially lvl 40 character after something you do when you're bored?

 

For D&D I have 50 characters, for VtM I have 25 characters, and in IWD games I play 8people or people from my own world. BG games I play 8people and others that I dream up.

I find it fairly easy to come up with names, I have an idea for the 'shape' of the name I want and the image to accompany it. Then I just think it down further into more precise shapes. For VtM characters I considered their nature then used baby name sites to find names with the same meanings which fitted their background, such as gypsy names for my Ravnos character.

I like making up names ^_^

 

I always make them up myself, trying to make the name fit well with the race of the character. I have one favourite though, which I made up myself, and that is "Kane the Insane". Goes very well with a Chaotic Neutral 2-handed sword wielding gnome

 

It's all about greek mythology for me. Dendri, iirc, was a name for a vanilla druid I played. A somewhat mutilated cultname of Dionysos (who hopefully doesnt mind)... the correct form of which would be Dendron or Dendrites ("He of the trees"). I think.
But since my Avengers, Jesters or Dirgesingers are evil, I moved on to Phonos, greek personification of murder. Fitting for a Bhaalspawn, methinks. Currently I pick Phthonos, greek embodiment of envy.

Yes yes, a malignant brood they are!!

 

From books I've read (Lackey, Brooks, Zahn, etc.) or from SP, especially if the avatar portrait is someone on the boards. Relatives are good ones to borrow from also. The kids in the past 10 years have wacky names. I make up some names.

Kerowyn - halfelf ranger in Angband
Andra - an elf ranger in an epic DnD campaign
Rhionna - halfelf R/C in BG2

I find the Irish and Scottish names work well with DnD style characters.

 

I always use the name "Bruno" after a dude on a marketplace in Roma

 

I use to put them funny names, just for the fun, for instance, the druid in Diablo2 is called Tree-boy; usually I use some fictional-real-funny combinations: Silvester Lostalones, Arnoldo Sesumerge, Jarri Postre and so on, but you wouldn't understand the fun because they are real names and how they sound in Spanish and have double meaning being such as Jarri (the Spanish sound of Harry) and Postre (very alike to Poter) meaning dessert.

 

I once started a pseudo-superhero themed BG2 multiplayer game with a Half-Orc Barbarian and a Human Blade called Captain Insano and Harp Boy, respectively.

 

Well, lately I've been stealing them, what with my two BoM parties (BG2 & IWD), and my "replace a character" themed parties. But usually I just take a name of someone I know or a random object, and twist it, adding, subtracting, shifting, until it's no longer recognizable.

 

Usually I just grab the names from somewhere. Balthus Dire from an old fighting fantasy game, Eddie after the Iron Maiden mascot, Dahmer after the serial killer, Black Dog after the Led Zeppelin song, that sort of thing. Usually it's for humorous effect, but I don't use complete joke names that get old after five minutes.

 

I like to use mythology, mediaeval, and old Latin / Greek name, or something just anything that comes to mind.

Example;

Set -
Ausare -
Neptune -
Liliane -
Demeter
Sade ( for evil char )
Socrate ( for a cleric of Oghma once )
Ceaser
Brutus
Oedipe
Antigone
Antediluvian
Phylacter
Keu the brave
Gauvain
Perceval
Fhönk the Insane marvel
Boïng the smashing barbarian
Li Roy Arthur (Old French for The King Arthur)
Balthasyruismochdonionch (A 8 int Barbarian in NWN)

All of these obviously pronounced in french.

 

Whatever jumps into my head when they ask me for a name!

Teran, Human Ranger
Pogg Thunder, Dwarf fighter
Jaxx the Sly, Halfling theif/fighter
Arianna, Elvan wizard
Brallrock, dumb human fighter. (The first character I actullay got all the way through BG2 with)