Whether you need to create a character - for role-playing or other game, for writing a novel or short story - you need to choose a good name. It should reflect the character of the character, correspond to the place and time of the action, and have the necessary associations.
Instructions
Step 1
Determine the time in which your character lives and where he is. If this is your contemporary, in addition, also a fellow countryman, then picking up a name is the easiest way. Focus on your own taste and intuition, look at the lists of Russian names, remember the names of friends you like. If the modern hero is a foreigner, you can also find a list of names, but choosing is already more difficult. It is far from always clear how native speakers relate to a particular name. Perhaps you need to choose the simplest and most uncomplicated option for the character, but it turns out that foreigners consider him pretentious, old-fashioned, or just weird. Do not focus on euphony and beauty, because a native speaker has his own associations.
Step 2
When choosing a foreign name, look at the popularity statistics, pay attention to the first 50 points, if you need a normal, usual version. Remember that they may be dull and trivial, but they are real and typical. It is not at all necessary to name the character pretentious and original. If, nevertheless, you opted for an unusual name for a modern hero, familiarize yourself with the legislation of this country and inquire about the legal restrictions on choosing a name for a child.
Step 3
If you cannot decide on a suitable option, use the generator of names and surnames on the site https://kurufin.narod.ru/html/namegenerator.html, where you can choose a name in Latin or Cyrillic.
Step 4
A character living in the past should be named appropriately. Explore historical sources, refer to resources dealing with a particular era. For example, you can choose a medieval name here - https://www.s-gabriel.org/names/english.shtml. Look for the Old Russian name in Tupikov's dictionary, where you can also find surnames. Read classic fiction from the era you want. Make sure the name is consistent with your character's nationality and creed.
Step 5
If you want to give the hero several names, find out how they were selected, after whom and how they were used. If you do decide not to conform to the rules and historical context, come up with a plausible justification for why the character was named that way.
Step 6
The rules for choosing names for characters in books or games in the style of fantasy, science fiction, fairy tales are much less - the invented world gives more opportunities. But in any case, proceed from the characteristics of this world, as well as the language and race of the hero. If you are coming up with a name for a character in a game, watch the game world, see the features of the names. Give the characters in games and books based on ancient legends and myths of lost civilizations: for example, in Skyrim, the prototype of the main race is the Vikings, so names such as Kairnech, Mylgenn, Coinhenn, Ulrich are used. For an orc or troll, choose a short but rude name with the letters "r", elf names are usually long and graceful. Also consider the character of the hero, his history, special features. But otherwise, you can focus on your imagination. If she sometimes lets you down, use the generator of fantasy names https://www.a-mud.ru/newbie/name_generator/name.php, choosing the race and gender of the hero.
