Finding Names for Characters and Places

One of the questions I constantly hear from new writers is “Where do you get all those names?”

 

Here are some of the resources I use.

For Characters:

• Telephone Books – especially if you can find one from the town where your story is set
• Credits – check out the end of a movie or TV show for tons of names to mix and match
• Online Generators – there are a variety of these to choose from
  • Online Name Generator – a database of different generators, from character names to businesses and band names
  • Behind the Name – you can choose from different countries, or even fantasy and mythologic names
  • Seventh Sanctum -not only does this site have several name generators, it also has story ideas, prompts, and a “what-if-inator”
  • The Character Name Generator – designed more for writers, with ethnic choices
  • Rinkworks – a fantasy name generator with some fun choices like very long names, mushy insults, and bad names

For Places:

• Old maps – you can get lots of ideas from maps, and mix and match various names
• Online Generators:
  • City and Town Name Generator – here’s a good little database that will give you various names for your cities, based on cities around the world – they’ve also got other generators on their site that you might want to check out
  • Random Town (City, Village or Place) Name Generator – after you scroll past all of the explanations, this is a pretty nifty little generator
  • Chaotic Shiny – you can pick from nonsense names or landmark names (or a combination)
  • Inkalicious Pseudo-Elizabethan Place Names – gives you 100 place names at a time
  • Squid.org’s Random Name Generator – gives you a long list of customizing options
  • Fantasy Name Generators – only English towns, but the site also has other name generators you might like

Are there any other resources you like to use that I haven’t mentioned? Comment below!