Character Name Generator

The history behind character names

Character names can be inspired by anything, from unique or quirky names, to names that have specific associations or meanings. Either way, when choosing your name, it's important to remember that it will define the character — which means that you need to make sure that your rationale is solid! 

To this end, it may be valuable to know the etymology behind it. Some character names are particularly fitting — almost as though they were destined for their role. For example, take Samwise, Frodo’s humble sidekick in Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. Separately, “Sam” means “equal” and “wise” clearly points to wisdom. Together, “Samwise” perfectly reflects the personality of Frodo’s reliable companion.

Whilst modern names might not be as overtly symbolic as this, it’s still important to choose a name that suits your character's background, personality, and the story's setting. This name should also be memorable and easy to pronounce. Lastly, avoid names that are too similar, especially if they share the same first letter, as this can confuse readers. 

To make your search easier and help you find the perfect name, our name generator provides the root meaning behind each first name, allowing you to mix and match until you find the right fit.

So you want to create good character names?

Stop us if you've been through this before. You get a brilliant story idea, you sit down at your computer, all ready to outline the whole thing out — which is when you realize that you’re missing one very important ingredient: a character name. Needless to say, the right character name can go a long way. It’s why J.K. Rowling scoured phone directories and Charles Dickens paid visits to cemeteries in search of the perfect name. (He derived the now-iconic Ebenezer Scrooge from a tombstone that read, “Ebenezer Lennox Scroggie.”)

Hopefully, this character name generator will be able to help out if you’re stuck. Feel free to wander between each of our name generators. Any combination of names that you score are yours to use. We’d be delighted if you dropped us the success story at service@reedsy.com!

Here are some tips for you to consider while using this random name generator:

• Most of our categories are divided into a male name generator and female name generator. However, if you prefer not to be confined by these constraints, feel free to select “Random” to generate even more combinations of names.
• Don’t forget the usefulness of nicknames as you’re picking a name from this name generator. Keep in mind alternative shorter names that might ring true to your character. Pip from Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations, for instance, is really Philip Pirrip.
• Test the character name on yourself. Look at it on the page. Then try to sound it out loud just to see if it rolls off your tongue. If you can clearly picture your character in both cases, then you just might have a winner on your hands.’

10 good character names for inspiration

Want to get ideas straight from the source? You're in luck. Here are the best character names of all time:

And if you’d rather create a character name all by yourself? Great 👍 Head here for a guide on how to come up with character names.