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@padawanpadme

I agree with you. I do not like Fantasy Name generator. I’ve tried it, and I still try it in hopes that it will work one day, but it never really does.

Name inspiration is EVERYWHERE. Make lists. Lots of them.

Some places to get inspiration:

• Nametags of cashiers, waiters, employees everywhere, etc.
• Street signs
• Pinterest
• Unusual spelling of common names
• Google Maps

Let me go into these a little more.

For characters, nametags are fantastic inspiration. Keep your eyes out, because it’s everywhere.

For places, I enjoy using names of street signs and Google Maps. Honestly, Google Maps is my absolute favorite resources for place names. The other day I used a neighborhood in Denver and found some cool street names. I’ve collected lists of places in Taiwan, Africa, Jamaica, and Scotland. Different countries will give you different flavors of names.

Someone else mentioned this already, but I have to say it again because it’s a wonderful idea. Take a word that describes your place, and use it in a different language. My current WIP uses a lot of Hebrew. I have one village that is incredibly secluded, and they like it that way. I used the Hebrew word “Satham”, which means hidden, secret, etc. I needed a unusual fruit crop, so I named the fruit “periy”, which is literally Hebrew for “fruit”.

I also LOVE finding new ways to spell names. The possibilities are endless. A while ago I asked my sister for help naming a character, and she suggested Karen. I am super visual, so when I hear a name, I visualize it. But I didn’t see “Karen”, in my mind I saw “Carin”.  Said the same way. Spelled differently.

I hope that these methods are helpful!