Whether it’s for a D&D character, an internet handle, or a “he was a quiet neighbor, kind of kept to himself” alias, selecting a fictional name is the most important decision we will ever have to make in our lives. You certainly don’t want to get tagged with Doodly McSmoodly or HotSexTrixie69 (trust me on this one), because you have to live with that name way beyond when it stops being funny. People will begin to identify you with the name, perhaps even going so far as to assigning a nickname for the nickname, and you wind up in the unenviable position of a friend shouting, “Hey, Dicks!” at you across a crowded convention hall.
For me, it was a spur-of-the-moment decision, in home room with my friend and DM Dave, and I had just rolled up a halfling fighter and needed a name. I’ve never been particularly good with names, typically coming up with something that looks good on paper but sounds foolish, stupid, and/or mortifying:
Me: “I am Prusterayte, Monk of the Northern Winds.”
DM: “Your name is Prostate?”
Hilarious Player 1: “Should we check him?”
Hilarious Player 2: “I do a Heal check with my finger.”
For my halfling fighter, I wanted something interesting, unique, and clever, something that would stand for the ages, something that would convey the strength and indomitable spirit of the little fellow but still suggest his humor, his warmth, and his likeability. I looked at the pencil I was using and immediately knew the name. I leaned over and whispered to the DM, “His name is Dixon Trimline.”
Was this in part inspired by my D&D adventure and my ability to not name a single NPC without my wife or other players turning it into a dirty-sounding nickname?
@Bartoneus: hehehe. Yan-C-Bin, not Yo Semen! I can say inspired in part, but mostly it was an excuse to tell where Dixon Trimline came from. I’m sure everyone’s been wondering.
Ugh, I’ve always been horrible with names, which is one of the things I think that has kept me from trying to write more frequently. It is funny though that you mention “being stuck with it forever” because back when I first started getting on these intarwebs things, I really didn’t think about it and often my characters in MMOs were named after favorite characters in sci-fi/fantasy novels I had read and the like.
As a result, I’ve actually ended up with two main “handles” in the net. One being my Dark Age of Camelot Character and the other Gargs454 (don’t ask about the number, trust me on this one). Sadly, I also think my lack of creative naming ability is one of the things that holds me back from being a great DM, too often I throw out a name (whether NPC, town, or country) and jokes start flying immediately (I’ll never live Hidden Valley down).
This does have me inspired to track down my book of baby names though!
@Gargs454: I’ve been wondering about the 454. And quite frankly, also the Gargs bit.
There are few moments more crippling than when the party asks, “So, what’s this guy’s name anyway?” And your mouth opens and time spins out and nothing’s coming to you, and you know–you just know–that whatever you do wind up saying is just going to be awful. “Uh… uh… his name… is… Lamp… Shade… Shoelace… Pencil.”
The Hidden Valley aside completely cracked me up.
My players always know when they’ve gone off the beaten path when they ask me what a NPCs name is and I just give a good generic name like Susie. I stink at coming up with good names on the fly. I’ve started a list of names to use in game, and check them off once they’re used, to make it seem less slap dash. I’ve also started tripping my characters up by giving my bad guys generic names. Tales of Bob the evil necromancer abound.
@Dixon Gargs is actually a nickname I acquired in high school (lo those many years ago) due to my fondness for Gargoyles. Gargoyle was too long (and frankly disturbing) so they called me Gargs. The 454 came because surprisingly enough as I started trying to create hotmail accounts and the like I found that Gargs was not unique and it always suggested a number. 454 again comes from high school though its a long story and to be honest, not all that interesting if you don’t know the parties involved. :p The main thing though was that 454 is always available when I need to add a number to a moniker.
@Ben I too am terrible at coming up with names on the fly and they often tend to be similar (which is horrible for party comprehension). Chris Perkins came up with a really nice chart of random NPC names based on race and gender.. I use that one now and try to add new names when I can (i.e. when I think of it).
@Ben: The benefit of intentionally giving a significant antagonist a “silly” name (though I’d argue there’s no such thing as silly names!) is the players may assume the NPC is an on-the-fly filler character, when in fact, they are hugely important to the story you’re telling. I love the idea of Bob the Necromancer, if only for that moment when the party says, “Wait, that guy we bumped into in the tavern… *HE’S* the one raising all the skeletons?!?”
@Gargs: Gargoyles. Oddly enough, I never would have thought of that, though now that you’ve said something, it makes perfect sense. My first thought was someone gargling at the bathroom sink, which says a good deal more about me.