Naming your dolls

Personally, I really don't like common or plain names most of the time. Of course what that means by common/plain name is based on personal opinion. If I feel a doll would fit a common name I would spell it in some ridiculous way but it would still be able to be read the same nonetheless. Usually I do the stereotype thing first and search "unusual names" on google. If i'm not satisfied I then look up names of different origins and county. If i'm further displeased, i'll take a word I like, any word, smash it with another word I like.

 

I sort of get inspired by the doll sculpt and name them according to what I think they look like- if that makes sense. And to be honest, some of them have never gotten past the name of the sculpt. But sometimes a name just 'comes' to me and then that's the name of the doll.

 

Usually, every single doll that ends up in my wishlist is going to be one of my characters if I buy them, so I already have names for them. But usually, naming my characters is the hardest part, which leads to... weird situations xD

My main character's name is Hibiya, and then I discovered that Hibiya is actually a place name! I can't bring myself to change his name though, but considering that he is half-Japanese and his parents should have known they were going to give him a place name I can´t help but to laugh.

 

I like common names, but not so much in my native language xD One of my girls got an Irish name, one got a Greek name, two were named in a somewhat universal way, so that their names have equivalents in many languages and I can call them in both my local language when I speak to them (yes, I do that) and in English when I write about them. My new girl will have quite a plain English name, too.

When it comes to choosing names, I just go with whatever matches the doll's face. Most times I immediately know the name, but keep struggling to find a better option. Which hardly ever works and I stick to the first idea ^^ The only true exception is my Erin, who at first was to be named Rowan. I still think Rowan suits her, but alas - she's Erin now.

 

I currently have two bjd's my first doll is named Flora which is actually the sculpt name, but I loved the name so I've kept it. My second doll doesn't have a permanent name right now. Her sculpt name is Silf , but I don't care for the name very much so I'm coming up with ideas for names. I bought her a new wig and a new pair of eyes. It will make it easier for me to come up with a new name for her.

 

So, because I am an artist and I like creating characters (and have a whole slew of characters I want physical representations of) I pretty much just find dolls that are really close to my already existing characters and then turn that doll into that character.

At least, that's the dream anyway.
I haven't gotten to the actual turning a doll into an OC yet.

I got my eye on the Iplehouse Claude though, he looks strikingly similar to my favorite character of mine. X3

 

I have picked out the name for her, when I can buy her. I already bought the domain name for her, too, lol.

 

I usually name them after characters I like, or search for Japanese names!

 

Personally, I just look up a lot of different names and eventually one just kinda sticks to my head and that's the only name i can see fitting them. As for when I name them, it depends, when I got my first doll I had a list of names to choose from and when I saw his face only one name came to mind and that's what I named him. With my second doll I had it picked before he got home.

 

I usually go with the company name or a shortened version of it.

 

I'm still getting the hang of it. Right now I'm waiting on a ton of dolls and they all have names based off the "vibe" I get from looking at their sculpts... they haven't actually arrived though. If my OT dolls are any indication, I'd guess that they're going to name themselves when they actually get here.

For example, one of my dolls renamed herself Eugenia because while she was shipping to me she was stuck in Eugene, Oregon for like 5 days.

 

I like writing (if I can put my mind AND WILL to it) and coming up with stories, from D&D adventures to movie scripts I can never correctly format, ha. For my dolls, I chose names that I previously researched for such stories... for the most part, though, I simply go with a name I came across and liked. For a few of my resin boys I've used names of original characters of mine, but it's not as though I'm shelling such OCs: it's the other way round in fact, as I've modeled my characters after the physical appearance of my dolls bearing their names.

I should add I usually thought of a character before getting a doll, and that includes choosing a name beforehand. It's happened to me that I've gotten a doll whose aesthetics I liked, only to find myself unable to bond with it. With the exception of one doll, all BJDs I've sold over the years were unnamed and character-less for that reason.

 

Usually, i make me inspire from her, when the doll comes home ^_^

 

Sometimes I'll use a baby naming site to come up with a decent name, but I think keeping the sculpt name is alright! Other strategies I use is pulling together a bunch of syllables until they sound good together.. it is a creative way to come up with original names since you can make up pronunciation and everything!

 

Jin Bo Mi

She is a korean doll. "Jin" is my surname after korean translation.

 

I used to be very picky about naming my own dolls, mostly because I considered it a bit embarrassing not to have a name for an own doll. I used to plan the name long before the doll was even ordered, but as soon as I knew what doll would be next, the name came along with the whole style I planned. They happened to come to me naturally, but sometimes I only knew the letter it should start with... then I would go on the naming websites and look for names from different cultures untill I found something fitting.

Nowadays I am less strickt about this rule, sometimes my dolls go around without any name for a long, long time... And some work for me with their company-given one.

 

I have many dolls but only 3 have have names
My first doll is named June. Her stock photos had golden tones and reminded me of June. The second doll with a name is Joker because I modded him to be the Joker. My last doll with a name is mini Vince because he looks like my husband when we started dating. The tinies have names but those may change along with my other dolls whose names I came up with but they don’t stay with

 

I never really know a doll's name until it's sitting in front of me. I always kinda brainstormed names while waiting for them to ship, but I couldn't pick one until I actually saw the doll. I ended up picking the right name for my second doll, Belle-Marie. My boy was a different case. I was sure his name would be either Vincent or Aiden, but then when he arrived and I saw him in person, I knew his name was Denzel.

I'm waiting on my Peak's Woods Vampire Dorothy (Emerald Castle). I'm thinking her name is Edelweiss, but when I finally get to meet her it might be totally different!

 

My boy was named after the Lannister Jaime from GOT. It's weird because their personalities are nothing alike, yet they both suit the name so well.

 

I take inspiration from the things that interest me and perhaps play with the words or spelling.