8 February 2008

Don't call me Shirley

How do you pick your characters' names? Do you invent traditional fantasy names or draw your inspiration from the real world? Do you like puns and jokes, or are you one of those strange people who use the random name generator?

I look for names that seem to capture the race and class of my characters. Merlot suggests to me a refinement and snobbery that sits perfectly with his blood elf ancestry. My Tauren druid, on the otherhand, is called Chorus, a word that I hope echoes his deep spiritual connections with the earth and with nature.

There was a female blood elf paladin on my server called Bubbleslut. Sadly the GMs stamped on it. And then there's the Tauren called Hasselhoof, which I think is the best name ever. Sometimes, I've been so inspired I've gone out and started a character just for the joy of a name, even though they rarely make it past level 10. The female Orc Missthing, male orc shammy Sonofsham, and undead frost mage Hypoxia are all sitting unplayed and unloved in my character list. And I fully intend to start an undead priestess called Elsa if I ever get time.

What's your naming strategy and what are the names you wish you'd thought of first on your server?

2 comments:

Hershey said...

For me, it was simply a matter of clicking the "Randomize" button until I found one that worked. As a result, I've become attached to my character name in such a way that I try to make my alts represent the original Arren (for example, my lowbie priest is Nerra). Not original, obviously, but the attachment is definitely there.

Anonymous said...

I sometimes work off of Latin roots to get what I want. My main is named "Curare" which is the infinitive form of Curo, which means, "to heal."

I like Curare for my shadow priest because Curare is also the name of a poison. It works by causing muscles to relax, which can be deadly if it prevents you from breathing (it is also used medicinally against agents that cause muscle contraction).

Even if you don't like the sound of the Latin word, you can use it as the base for coming up with your own name.