How do you decide your character names?

Tasear

For me it's got to be poetic and with moon theme.

Example
Sinful moon
Taintless shadow
Wind Caller
Silent Darkness

Note just a reminder we are getting 3 free name change tokens with nercomancer on horizon.

Skayaq

I look at https://en.uesp.net/wiki/Lore:Names for common letter combinations for my characters race and mix them until I find a name I like.

max_only

For my main 2, they’ve always been named what they’re named, from the first rpg I played that allowed me to name them.

The rest are based on their back story.

VaranisArano

Skayaq wrote: »

I look at https://en.uesp.net/wiki/Lore:Names for common letter combinations for my characters race and mix them until I find a name I like.

That's pretty much what I do for my other characters.

Varanis is from the dolmen in Stonefalls. Arano is a Dunmer family from Solstheim in the Dragonborn DLC.

Claudman

For me, it depends on their race, backstory and origin. If the character is especially cultured in their race, usually I have it so that their name holds a meaning in their race's language...Be it Jel, Ta'agra, Bosmeris, Dunmeris, etc.

Basically, I much prefer lore-friendly names on my characters both because I occasionally roleplay and because it's just pleasing to me. Regardless of whether or not I just mainly play the game (because I rarely roleplay in ESO), I don't like it when my character's name isn't lore-friendly. It's a personal peeve of mine.

TempPlayer

Race + Greek alphabet.
I know, I suck at naming so all my char has become my test subject.

Today's report:
Khajiit Delta has been doing extremely well in healing today, but has spend way too much time grooming himeself.
Orc Alpha is not himself today and lashing out at anything nearby, invincible guard include. It got him killed but I think he cool down abit after dying.
Argonian Beta has the most fascinating reaction to a potion today. Somehow it manage to heal himself even the potion is specifically craft to only restore one's stamina.
Etc,etc,etc....

Elsonso

Skayaq wrote: »

I look at https://en.uesp.net/wiki/Lore:Names for common letter combinations for my characters race and mix them until I find a name I like.

This is where I start, too. I don't follow it religiously, but it is where I start.

RPGplayer13579

Most of my character names come from Game of Thrones.

mxxo

For me its a rather long process.

I watch lore videos, i take a look at the Elder Scrolls Languages, i google for names from forgotten languages and then 2 results are possible: either the name is based in sound or meaning (or both) on Elder Scrolls Languages or i will create a name just by feeling for this new character but subconsciously influenced by the first method... since i always do the brainstorming first.
All my chars share the same family name. (I have a lore explanation for this!!! )

There are only 2 exceptions from this method.

But there will be no examples here.. i like to keep forum and game separated.

Bouldercleave

I've used the same group of names since we played by rolling actual dice (not some crazy ass RNG)

"Bouldercleave" Is usually the surname for my Melee characters.



* looks over to his forum name for validation...

Sylvermynx

I "intuit" them mostly. If I have a toon wanting to be made, I also have a backstory already - this usually pops into my head while I'm playing, so I make sure to make notes. Then when I create the character, once I'm happy with her look, I almost always have a name already in my head.

I have so many years of playing TES that I can usually nail lore-style names. Khajiit and Argonian not so much - for them I use the UESP section linked by @Skayaq to verify I'm doing it right.

I also have lists of names I've created saved to file - like several thousand at last count. Most of those would not work for this game, but sometimes one of them gets tweaked to fit.

Ratzkifal

My names started out as simple plays with words as me and my RL friends that were playing with me like to joke around.
"Meow Tse-Tung" (Meow Zedong - to preserve the joke in other languages)

Over time, my character names oriented themselves more according to the lore.
"Malacathrine"

Until they eventually turned into names that could essentially be NPC names.
"Seryn Velas"
"Milore Telvanni"

Now if I have a theme in mind before I make a character, then I do some research on the naming traditions of those races, get inspiration from name generators for TES and play around with options I like and change them until they fit my taste. As a rule of thumb, first and last name sound good together if they don't share a lot of vowels.
If I first create the character and then try to come up with a name it usually ends with ESO logging me off for inactivity because it can take me up to two hours to decide and then I have to do the creation all over again.

TheShadowScout

Tasear wrote: »

How do you decide your character names?

Same as most games, I take the name of that very first roleplaying character of mine I really, really liked, and make anagrams from it...
...so...

• Leskandera the ruthless dunmer bounty huntress
• Kelasendar the shy dunmer goth librarian
• Alakserden the arrogant dunmer noble pyromancer
• Laaskerden the patriotic argonian dragon-fanboy
• Karel Danes the drunk nord mountain man
• Elsa Dekran the ex-imperial pirate girl
• Akar-Sendel the orc executioner
• Kes dre-Lana the orc paladin-amazon
• Dane Sarkel the breton hedge knight
• Al'serkande the redguard ex-guardsman bandit
• Andrea Selk the breton vampire waif
• Deslankera the busty altmer priestess
• Selkendara the bosmer treehugger girl
• Kera de'Saln the clockwork kitty
• Selan Dekar the imperial bloodmage

Shadow_Akula

By getting sick of seeing every name I choose as “already taken” so I go with Shadow-race-role/class example: Shadow Elf Healer is my Dark Elf Templar or Shadow Elf Sorc is my High Elf Sorcerer

I have 2 which don’t follow this rule from a time when I could find good names: Shadow Altaïr my main PvP Argonian nightblade, and my old PvE nightblade Akula’s Shadow (already used Shadow Akula on my old Xbox account)

S.A.96

MythicaLMeddLer

I name them after something that is a bit of an extension of myself..something that represents me or something I really like...one character I named...Tacony..after the neighborhood I grew up in all my life..my other character I named..Jack Kerouac..a wood elf living that beatnik style!

fioskal

I name mine whatever I'm in the mood for at the time, they don't have any pattern or anything to them. I've got some lore friendly names, some memey names, some names that are literally a random word... it works for me.

Valkysas154

I have spent hrs looking up names i like having good first and last names that sound good to me and some times have a theme

Elora Alavara - my templar
Abigail Gravemore - my necro - named saved for years now tho prob never use it since no necro since eq2 has been good
Silandra Forestpool - my Warden

Mudguard

I've made a couple of "smart" names, but mostly made lore-friendly ones using this website: https://fantasynamegenerators.com/bosmer_names.php

My latest character is an argonian whose name is taken from a song I like.

FrancisCrawford

It's a mix.

A number of my characters are named after earlier RPG characters, computer or otherwise. This occasionally goes awry, in that somebody of that name shouldn't be doing something that would be expedient in this particular game.

A few are named after literary characters. (This can have the same kinds of problem.) And in some cases it's both; I'm now on my third computer RPG character named after Francis Crawford of Lymond, the hero of Dorothy Dunnett's Lymond Chronicles.

A couple were named after characters in stories I'm thinking of writing. The big success there was realizing a character would make more sense as an African-American, which is why I now have a Redguard.

Kiralyn2000

I either re-use a name I came up with for an earlier game, or just try to be inspired with something "fantasy-ish" that feels like it fits the character (and then go for another spelling or form of it, once the game tells me it's already taken )

Tisiphonae, Aelarian, Theresena, Khaelani, Icerya... things like that. (well, and then there's my mule, Cargo Mistress )

Iluvrien

Iluvrien wrote: »

I pulled the UESP page for all Dunmer names from Vvardenfell in TES 3: Morrowind.

I compiled a list of every surname and forename.

I wrote software to decompose the names into prefix-affix-suffix elements (based on common substrings and edit distance).

I selected elements that I liked a built new Dunmeri names from them.

...

I don't recommend it.

This

efster

My main has the same name as my account name, efster. My alts have names that are mostly lore-friendly with the occasional callback to other fantasy series or games (e.g. my imperial DK is named Moiraine Pentaghast, combining names from Wheel of Time and Dragon Age Inquisition), with the occasional meme-y name (e.g. Swiss Army Nightblade).

I'm currently hard at work figuring out an appropriate name for my necromancer.

xxthir13enxx

I basically try to find something that isn’t already taken n go with that...lol

BeatrixLaChance

My main's name is the same as my @ name. My second is named using some lore friendly naming conventions, though not entirely lore accurate. Dar'kriid Tahrovin. Dar' being used as Clever, Kriid used from the Thuum as Slayer, Tahrovin is used as Treachery. Combined it means clever one who treachery slays.

Kikazaru

Kikazaru can't hear the question.

Mizaru can't see the question.

Iwazaru can't answer the question.

phairdon

I've looked at different monster names from a multitude of games and formulated names that way. Used some character names from my gw2 chars.
Sometimes a random name will pop into my head.

Sylvermynx

xxthir13enxx wrote: »

I basically try to find something that isn’t already taken n go with that...lol

21 toons.... never had a "that name is taken" error.

JayAstrophel

My first character's name (Aren'dra) was made when I mixed around the name Amanda until it sounded suitably khajiit. Later I found a book that talked about khajiiti honorifics and was happily surprised so see 'dra' on the list.

Danara-jo's name was picked with wanting to sound good with the -jo honorific from the start. I mixed around some letters and came up with her name!

Lost-in-his-Wanderings was a name I planned for my argonian since before I was able to get the game. It just sounded suitably interesting to me.

I believe Rugan's name was taken from the orsimer names in previous elder scrolls games. I added on 'the Lost' so it would be unique.

LeHarrt91

All my characters are named in the same process, concept/ theme of class, plus Harrt

Dragon Harrt - DK
Storm Harrt - Sorc
Divine Harrt - Templar
Wild Harrt - Warden
Winters Harrt - Warden
etc..

and soon to add Cursed Harrt (Necromancer)

Xylona

I just look at what a lore friendly name for the race would be like in every site I can find, write down possible suffixes, prefixes etc. then try different combinations and make my own additions.
I have two I really like:
Alesiwen (Altmer)
Lynthie (I guess 'thia' ending could sound more like a Bosmer name but I love it as is)

I have a character that isn't named lore friendly though. A dunmer named "Lachezis". "Lachesis" is a snake name and also one of Three Fates in Greek mythology. I played with the name a little to make it look more unique and well, original was taken.

Sathukai

I usually go to this website here. It does sometimes take a while to find one, but I'm really picky about creating my characters though. The site has a lot of other stuff too.