Blackjack Posted May 8, 2003 Report Share Posted May 8, 2003 I've always wanted to see a supplement with lists of first and last names for characters, broken down by region or nation, like the one for Oriental names on p. 114 in the 4th Ed. Ninja Hero... In lieu of this, since I can imagine what an undertaking that might be, do any of you have sources, such as websites, for names? Any input would be appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Seeman Posted May 8, 2003 Report Share Posted May 8, 2003 Actually... I use the names of the people who send me SPAM. Hopefully no one in my games will recognize them. I can see it now... ME (as NPC): Hello, my name is Brett Goodall. PLAYER: Didn't you send me a Viagra ad yesterday? STOP! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Syberdwarf2 Posted May 8, 2003 Report Share Posted May 8, 2003 Maybe this would help? http://www.kleimo.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bartman Posted May 8, 2003 Report Share Posted May 8, 2003 Here you go. http://www.kabalarians.com/html/surf-by.htm They have nearly a million names sorted by Sex and Language. It is an add for a detailed analysis as to what each name is supposed to mean. I don't trust their predictions in the slightest, but they are good for unique names and occasionally a story/character seed. Here is the part of the report on the Rawandan Male name Gahiji. The first name of Gahiji creates a shrewd, aggressive, business nature, intent on personal gain. You are capable of very logical and analytical thinking along practical business lines, and could excel in financial fields, law or politics. Your judgment is seldom swayed through your feelings. You have definite executive and leadership abilities, however you are inclined to be too blunt and forceful in dealing with people. There is a need to show more tact and understanding toward others in order to moderate a rather self-centred nature. The desires for independence and financial success have been strong motivating forces from very early in your life. Sacrificing much for material ambition will result in a lack of harmony and balance in your personal life, particularly a lack of appreciation for social courtesies and things of a more inspirational nature. Your health could suffer through ailments centering in the head. Also, the generative organs could be affected. You could also try Eponym which lists thousands of links regarding names. But they don't have any lists onsite, just links. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bartman Posted May 8, 2003 Report Share Posted May 8, 2003 Originally posted by Syberdwarf2 Maybe this would help? http://www.kleimo.com Um, how? From their website: "Kleimo.com provides full service software development We have helped several high profile technology and internet companies acheive greater efficiency with web based tools. Our expertise lies in the area of complex database driven tools. These include content management systems, data mining solutions, web publishing systems, work flow tools, and more." Nothing here seems to suggest that this would be of use to someone looking for a name generator. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheEmerged Posted May 8, 2003 Report Share Posted May 8, 2003 Several years ago, I purchased something called a Character Naming Sorucebook from The Writer's Digest. It's been quite helpful Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trebuchet Posted May 8, 2003 Report Share Posted May 8, 2003 Russian Names: http://www.geocities.com/Colosseum/Track/7635/names.html http://www.womenrussia.com/rusnames.htm Scandinavian Names: http://www.eponym.org/scandpage.html I run a Russian character who lives in Norway, so I needed names for her friends, relatives, and DNPCs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Killer Shrike Posted May 8, 2003 Report Share Posted May 8, 2003 Pick up a phone book, flip it open, point and pick. Adjust as needed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnTaber Posted May 8, 2003 Report Share Posted May 8, 2003 Baby name books or baby name sites. They are sorted by nationality and some are even sorted with descriptive words (Strong, Wise, etc). I actually looked through a bunch to find one that would work best for gaming. I even have a small one that I picked up at a supermarket checkout line that fits nicely in my pack. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Hiemforth Posted May 9, 2003 Report Share Posted May 9, 2003 Originally posted by Bartman Nothing here seems to suggest that this would be of use to someone looking for a name generator. Here's the full URL: http://www.kleimo.com/random/name.cfm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackjack Posted May 9, 2003 Author Report Share Posted May 9, 2003 A BIG thanks to you guys for your help so far... I'm also looking for sources for last names - which in way is harder than coming up with first or given names... Keep 'em coming! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lemming Posted May 9, 2003 Report Share Posted May 9, 2003 http://www.hamrick.com/names Shows distribution of Surnames in the states, kind of interesting http://www.census.gov/genealogy/names Files with the 1990 US census. Not only do you get all the names, but a percentage value for each. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Arrow Posted May 9, 2003 Report Share Posted May 9, 2003 Here are some more. http://www.behindthename.com http://www.babyzone.com/babynames http://www.babycenter.com/babyname I haven't even got any children, it's just that they're useful for naming characters! Originally posted by TheEmerged Several years ago, I purchased something called a Character Naming Sourcebook from The Writer's Digest. It's been quite helpful I've got the same book, I think. If it's the same one, the downside is that it doesn't give you surnames. Great for given names of lots of different cultures, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bartman Posted May 9, 2003 Report Share Posted May 9, 2003 Originally posted by Derek Hiemforth Here's the full URL: http://www.kleimo.com/random/name.cfm Thanks Derek. I looked but couldn't find anything useful at the link. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheEmerged Posted May 9, 2003 Report Share Posted May 9, 2003 Originally posted by Crimson Arrow I've got the same book, I think. If it's the same one, the downside is that it doesn't give you surnames. Great for given names of lots of different cultures, though. Mine may be a newer version, as it does include an admittedly short selection of surnames for most cultures. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dust Raven Posted May 10, 2003 Report Share Posted May 10, 2003 A few years back I picked up a booklet titles "The Everyone Everywhere List" which contains first and last names for about two dozen nationalities and cultures. It even has "old" names for people from earlier time periods. What makes this book particularly cool, is that it's arranged by chart, with d100 (d20 for small lists) charts for every name (sometimes several d100 charts for a particular nationality). So if you need a name real quick, you just roll some dice and presto! Heck! If you need the name of a mafia hit man who's half Italian, half Irish, roll some dice and PRESTO! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spectrum Posted May 10, 2003 Report Share Posted May 10, 2003 I've found this site helpful on a few occasions http://www.gaminggeeks.org/Resources/KateMonk/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super Squirrel Posted May 13, 2003 Report Share Posted May 13, 2003 I use the card game quiddler. I pick random cards (between 8 - 14) and rearrange the letters until I see something good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobGreenwade Posted May 13, 2003 Report Share Posted May 13, 2003 Originally posted by Spectrum I've found this site helpful on a few occasions http://www.gaminggeeks.org/Resources/KateMonk/ I was about to suggest this site myself. I've found it helpful on many more occasions than just a few, especially when looking for a good name for a foreign national or other person with a heavily "off-the-beaten-track" ethnic name. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.