How Long Before You Named Them / The Importance of Naming

I usually look for a doll that matches a particular character or try to think of a character and name as a means of justification of buying a certain doll. Kegan and Clover, however have both either gone without names for an extended period or have had their name changed more than once.
I knew what I wanted to do with Kegan but I didn't know what to name him at all. Before he arrived I wanted to call him Willow, but I decided against it when he arrived. It just wasn't him. Then he was Lysander for a few months before I realized how common the name was and people were confusing him. It also didn't really fit him much either, it almost sounded hallow. Then he was Lae'elden, that lasted until about a month or two ago before I scratched that one too and named him Kegan. I'm pretty sure he's going to keep that one. I hope
Clover was Shortcake for a while, then Cupcake for about a month and then finally Clover. Again, I knew what her personality was going to be but the name was lost on me.
I'm very picky with names, I have to like the name both in meaning and phonically. It's hard to find both XD

 

O. It takes me forever to name any of my dolls; ranges from a week to months. I will just sit some days and go through pages of names until I find one that "fits". I'm not really in a rush to name any of them, nor do I find it a priority actually. It's just something that takes some time<unless you've figured it out all beforehand or had a character - then made it a doll x"D> but yea just keep looking. I don't know, but I haven't felt like the delay in naming has caused me to be unable to "bond" with my dolls.

 

I usually pick out names and decide before getting my doll, although there have been times when I get them, suddenly the name no longer fits with the character or look. Even now I start to debate whether or not I should change the name, or just leave it as it is.

 

three months! (and four faceups) before my boy earned his name. all of a sudden, his name "clicked", I stopped calling him "the boy" and "Ethan-Allen" (or Ross, Ikea, and Macy... hahhahah) and he became what he is now. Names are so weird... I've never been the sort to seriously name an inanimate object, they seem to alot a lot of significance to that article. Even my childhood teddy bears and such never had stable names, as I didn't really think all that much of them. I guess it goes to show that he gained his name when he proved his worth to me (that is, when I finally figured out how to give a semi-decent faceup that didnt make him look like a total creep)

 

Three weeks for Shin - I remember looking through a ton of dictionaries and books to find the right name, actually. Usually I pick the name out before the doll (as with Azel and Atelair) but Melange in particular was going to be named something else before she got her eyelashes sanded and a new faceup done. :3

 

Less than five of my dolls are "named" and the others are referred to by mould or subject, ie. Saint, Angel Sentry, Woosoo Clown.

 

Edison and Widget were characters in my head first, so they were named right away, before they even got here. My hubby bought me another doll as a surprise but she also got a name right away (Twinkie).

I bought a Bobobie Ariel on a whim, though, and she remained unnamed for a few days. But today she has a name - Franklynn.

It's odd. Ed and Frank (friend's boyfriend and hubby's childhood friend) are people that I really don't like very much. But female Ed and Frank in doll form are quite awesome.

 

It's different from Doll to Doll.
My first guy is a priest and it take me some weeks to think about a good name.
There were many I liked, but I wasn't able to find the perfect name :/

the next Doll I want will be a Yakuza and I can't even imagine ONE name for him D:

 

I was in the same boat as you Keiko chan! When I first picked out my doll,I wanted to name him "Hero" or "Wilde". But somehow the name just didn't feel so right. For more than a month, I would spend hours on the net, 'name hunting'. I knew I didn't want a 'human' name.Then one day just out of the blue; his name hit me! I wasn't even searching. It almost feels like he 'told' me.
i think it is okay if you can't name your little one immediately. Take your time! The search is half the fun too!In fact searching for the name can also be a way for you to bond with your doll!

 

Sometimes I name a doll and then when it arrives the name or character doesn't match, so I rename it and give it a different character. Some characters I give away but their name and character remains with my family and they somehow manage to be reborn in a different sculpt. It seems to me that the doll gives you her/his own name and character.

 

I usually wait until I have the doll before deciding on a name. I will usually go to several baby name sites and poke around the names (with the doll in my lap) until I find something that fits; it usually only takes a few days, if that.

My newest doll, though...I had him on layaway for two months and he's been here a month, and he still doesn't have a name. I know his personality and backstory (mostly), but not his name. Nothing seems to be right. He's had the nickname Mr. Perfect since I ordered him (thanks to my roommate Akari), so that's what we call him.

 

It took me more than a year to find the right name for my Shiwoo. I don't know why, all the name ideas I had before did not suit him...

 

When I got Bella, she came with an uber green, long wig, with a black and white striped long-sleeved sweater and a cordouroy (sp?) skirt.

I have the o-m-g-uber cutie girl type tastes, so I vowed I would not name her until I got her some sickeningly adorable wig and cutesy pink Lolita-style clothes.

Of course, after day 3, I broke down and HAD to give her a name. 'My dollie' just wasn't personal enough, and it made me feel as if I weren't giving her the love she needed. I'm her fourth owner and I plan to be the last one she ever has to have. She's my first dollie and I absolutely adore her, which is why I chose the name Bella.

To me, Bella is a very warm name and always made me think of a very quiet, reserved little girl that just wanted to be loved.

 

Most of my boys had their names decided before they come home.
2 of them came with the names given by their previous owners...I decided to keep them this way.
However I had some problems with naming some of my boys too. I actually feel weird when I have dolls sitting around without a proper name and a character. I also don't like changing their names once I give them one so I try to be careful and find the most suitable name for the character I have in mind.
It actually took 2 months to find the right name for my little elf, Loénde... xD

 

At first I didn't know what to name my girl. But then I thought about what would fit a green girl and thought, well how about the Wicked Witch's nickname from the musical Wicked: Elphie. I thought it really fit and it seemed like a sweet name to me. I do spell her name different all the time though, I don't really know why

 

Meh, depends of course!

My first doll was picked half for a character, half because I simply just loved it. The character was more or less done, but I didn't have a set imagination of what he looked like, since the character had been especially designed for a bjd.

The next had his name long before he was ordered. His character had been made, together with all his family and friends, just after the purchase of the first one.

The third doll got his name some time after I ordered him (yesterday in fact) as I sat staring at his picture wondering what to name him. Alphonse just popped in, and since all my other dolls had been named after fictional characters that I like, I thought why not!

Anyway, to put it short: Depends on the doll and purchase. But they have all had names before they arrived.

I love naming things, it makes it mine! *maniacal cackle*

 

my soon-to-be DOI already has a name XD
but that would probably change when i get him in person.
i agree with Li Chan though. i really depends =)

 

Peter was named long before I even found him, since I was going to base him on Peter Pan and went searching for a mold.

Rosencrantz was different, because he was the first doll I fell in love with. I have to spend a lot of time saving up for these dolls, so I had printed out pictures and was thinking of names that suited him (and once I hit on Rosencrantz, it began the inevitable snowball of 'oh, this one would make a good Guildenstern, and you can't have Rosencrantz and Guildenstern without Hamlet and Ophelia!).

It's really important to me that they have a name before I get them, because that way they at least have some significance for me, no matter how trivial, and I won't end up forgetting about them and moving on to some other doll. I could absolutely adore a mold, but end up not getting it because I can't think of a name or a character that would fit it. Photostories and characterization are incredibly important to me as an aspiring novelist and artist.

 

I'm horrible with names. I don't have pre-selected character roles for my dolls to fill, I just get the ones I like and since I always think of them by their company-given name, that's usually what sticks even if it's not a proper name. Usually I'll only name them if forced to, like for photo competitions or something, but otherwise, sadly mine go without proper identitys.

 

A month, maybe a little more o.o;;
and then another year of slowly stumbling across random quirks in their character XD