D6 Methods of Naming Characters

 There's a lot to a name. Names have meanings, names beget fun alliterative nick-names, true names even have a level of power to them. In my 15+ some odd years as a GM I've had to name a lot of characters so here's d6 methods of naming them:

1. IRL Names Method

This method (while plain) is especially useful for contemporary settings like Vampire: The Masquerade or even near-future stuff like Cyberpunk 2020. (While there have also been an uncomfortable amount of "Steve"s and "Greg"s in my high fantasy campaigns, most real world names are a an ill fit for a world of myth and magic.) When pulling from real world names you have the boundless resource of the internet to give you deeper insights on meanings, ethnicities and (most pertinently) pronunciations. Mankind has grappled with what to name their children for millennia, so don't worry you'll find something.

2. Mythical Names Method

Sometimes I reserve this for a select few NPCs sometimes it's the majority of the world's named cast. Using mythical names (especially in sci-fi / post-apocalyptic settings) can give a certain mythical magnitude to your campaign. When people hear a character is named Otohime or Humbaba the Terrible their mind starts racing to pictures and themes in ways you can either embrace or subvert! It's a good rule of thumb to not make these characters the actual incarnation of what they're named after, but rather someone who has taken up or was given the name as an associative (think about how effective Caeser's Legion is in Fallout: New Vegas... Or the Kennedys in Cyberpunk 2020... Poser gangs are such a delightfully weird concept). Similarly remember that the line between "myth" and "history" is a bit blurry. When things are more on the history end try to be sensitive about who you're pulling from and why. Sure the Fate series is more than happy to have Nobunaga as a character turned into a gaccha waifu, but I don't think they'd do the same for Pol Pot.

3. Sorta IRL Names Method

Running something real world adjacent? Looking to not accidentally butcher a name in a different language? The "Sorta IRL Names Method" can be a good fit. Frontier Scum uses this method to great effect by using names that sound real but are mostly gibberish, take a peak here:

Basically you take IRL names and distort them, but not beyond recognition. An added syllable here, and extra letter there and you've got some legally distinct totally original names. Bennet becomes Benditch, Rio becomes Rigo. It adds a certain drug haze misremembered aura to a setting that I quite dig.

4. Words as Names Method

There's also the option of just naming characters after words. Think Brick and Claptrap from Borderlands. This method immediately and directly communicates something about your character to the players. One of my favorite PCs I've run for was a Primal Quest character named "A Man Called Boy." Most of my Solos in Cyberpunk followed this method too, either carrying their Words as titles or associative markers (ex: Neon, Blackjack, The Butcher).

5. Conlang Method

Oh lord help you if you rolled a 5. There are of course some who prefer to make their own consistent constructed language (conlang) for their fictional setting within which names are constructed in a certain formula. Do you inherit a last syllable from your paternal side? Does a person have just the one name, or a formal and an informal name? What suffixes and titles get attached? All of this can be very cool but incredibly time intensive to write. Most of all Players may have trouble catching on to any of it unless you tell them outright, and even then it may still be confusing for them. Perhaps not the best use of your time, but a fun way to create a deeply immersive and unique setting none the less.

6. Glup Shitto Method

The strongest method out of the 6. Pick a number of syllables, generally a maximum of 3 for any given part of the name. If you're having trouble just roll d6 syllables. Now throw together some noises that sound good or gross or interesting. Wi-Kar Ooriah. Blintok Vil. Vurr Koss. And there's your name! For sci-fi settings this is especially good because it captures a 70s campiness, while still creating a feel that the universe is more varied than one person could ever hope to fully grasp in a lifetime.

BONUS - Give your NPC a Title

"Darth Glup Shitto" vs "Glup Shitto the Hutt" vs "Glup Shitto the Jedi Bane" all have very different vibes. Giving a Title to your NPC can quickly communicate to your players a degree of their reputation without you having to spell things out!

Remember a mix of these methods makes for an especially varied world! Context is key and there's no harm in searching up a name to make sure you didn't accidentally recreate a different one or name a character after someone awful ~