Naming your dolls

I generally have the character created before I start searching for a sculpt, so mine are all named before they get home. My novel characters are almost all based on RP characters so most of them are already fleshed out pretty well too as far as personality and looks go. There have been a couple that have undergone massive changes just to fit them into a different universe, but usually the personality and looks stay the same.

 

In Johnny's case I had a name picked out years before I even found a doll to shell his character. I named him after two musicians I listen to. I also wanted a simple name, since Johnny is supposed to be your average, every-day teenager (at first glance, anyway).

Regarding the dolls that I have on my wish list, I've gone with a number of sources ranging from sculpt names to literary characters to more music icons. In a pinch I'll even study lists of hurricane names to get an inspiration.

 

I try to pick names that are unique and not overly used. But I also try to pick names that suit the character and their origin.
The names I have picked for my dolls range from names that are so obviously names, to naming them after moods, objects and even colors. It really just depends on what sticks to the doll at the time and how it develops.

 

Everyone had a name before they arrived aside from my Obitsu girl. I thought and thought to come up with a name but even after a month she didn't have one. Eventually, my friend joked that she was tired of just calling her 'the girl doll' so gave her the name Andromia (Andy for short) and that name stuck.

 

I don't name my dolls until I get them, and even then, sometimes I hesitate. Admittedly, I only have one at the moment, but I'm waiting on another (finally). I used a name I was going to use for a cat but didn't seem to fit... To be honest, like others have said, a name doesn't really...gel with me until I've been around the doll for a while, and get a feel for their personality. I like creepy, ethereal names, especially if they're a little bit morbid, and Adipocere definitely fits the bill. I'll probably give her a surname eventually, but... maybe not. I won't know until it happens.

At least I have like 6 months to figure out how/what to name my incoming lady...

 

I pick creepy and morbid names too
But for me it seems to fit with the characters and the storyline that I have them all in.

Sometimes the names have been picked and it's finding the right doll, but lately I have picked more dolls than I had names for, so I had to get creative in naming them and placing them in my story, assuming that they were relevant to the plot. :P

 

When I got my doll, I figured I wanted her to be princess-esk and thought of names I thought sounded like a princess. But sometimes when I'm reading or in class, sometimes a really nice name will be said by the teacher and I'll write it down thinking "This would a great name!"

 

I sadly don't have any dolls (yet!), but when I'm naming new characters, I usually just get a vibe from them that their name should start with a certain letter, then I look around on those baby naming sites for names I like, make a list of favorites, and hopefully choose a fitful one from there.

 

I try to give my dolls unusual names. I've used the website "Behind the Name" for some of my dolls' names based on meaning or the country they're supposed to be from. For example, Yumiko is Japanese and means something like "archery bow child" which fits her personality. Several are named after mythology. Kali is named for the Hindu goddess of destruction and is a bit of a trouble maker. Her closest friend is Hermes after the Greek messenger god who is the guardian of travelers and thieves. I'm not sure how I came up with Ephemera, but it seems a fitting name for a fairy.

 

The dolls generally have their names before hand, most are planned in some way (or can easily fit a doll bought, eg Rosalind, Sirocco, Vinayaka, Miho).
Names vary, a lot are the names of Gods from other religions or names from mythology (Syrinx, Vinayaka, Freya Lilith Ivy) all the Siv are named after storms, and their other names are more random, or referencing something (Django, a future Siv doll) there are 3 dolls with Lilith in their name, weirdly, named after a character who won't ever be a doll since she's dead in the story from the beginning.

 

For the most part I already have names planned out for dolls I want to get in the future. Some are based on already existing characters, and others I just find a name I think fits the sculpt. In those cases, I have a list of names that I find interesting or pretty, and I'll usually pick a name from that list. If none of those fit, I'll search name websites until I find a suitable name. I generally give my dolls first, middle, and last names, since I think it gives more depth to their characters. Plus, I just think coming up with names is fun

 

So far mine have been named after anime/manga characters. Like with my newest doll. Fresh out of the box, I took one look at her face and thought, "Oh my gosh, she looks like Sailor Moon." I've been calling her Usagi ever since.

 

For me, the dolls that I customize (clothing./face up/etc.) get names.. But the dolls that I have full sets for (Like the fairyland mandrake moors dolls) keep their original names... I too have a hard time thinking of names... I got a breakaway head and arm from fairyland and it took me about 3 months of having him to give him a name other than "breakaway guy"

 

In my case, my doll Esther arrived on the Jewish holiday purim. It only seemed fitting that I would name her after one of the most prominent people regarding the holiday!

 

Some of mine retain the sculpt name (if it suits them) but most of mine get their own name - sometimes it comes straight away, sometimes, it takes forever to come to me (or several attemtps that don't stick), and sometimes it never comes... One of my dolls is called Elfie because her name never came and she was referred to as "My elfie girl" for so long that Elfie became her name by default.

One of my dolls even has a name that I don't particularly like, but it's the one that was right for her after several other names were tried and didn't stick.

Teddy

 

My dolls are not specific characters. I name them by considering names that I like and trying to find one that I find "fitting". Sometimes this takes a lot of work. Usually if I don't have something in mind soon enough my husband and sometimes other friends will try to help, making their own suggestions.

There's a lot of trial and error: "What about Juliet?" Then we try referring to the doll as Juliet for a few days. Maybe it doesn't stick; it sounds forced or just...wrong. "Hmm, maybe Lily?" Perhaps this time, the name sounds natural. And then it's settled.

Thankfully, when one is naming a doll there is no pressing timeline to give the doll a name. If it takes 3 hours, 2 days, or 4 weeks... there's plenty of time to find a name that you feel is appropriate for your doll.

 

I am not good with names, and I kind of feel that the doll becomes a stranger if I give them other names than their original names. So I keep with their original names. Even my Japanese named smartdolls have their original names, but it took me a while to remember..

 

I've often joked that it's good that I don't have children - the poor things would end up starting kindergarten before they had finalized names! And it's true with my dolls, too. If I can't keep their sculpt name, I agonize over their names for weeks.

My most recent boy doll literally got his name pulled from a bowl of slips of paper that had all the names I'd tried for him.

Very strangely, my most recent girl actually got named before she even arrived. The second I saw her, I heard lines from that Iggy Pop song: "Candy, Candy, Candy, I can't let you go..." And it stuck. But that's definitely not normal for the way naming goes around here!

 

I'd generally try to get a feel of their personality before finding them a name that fits. I do not have any characters to shell, so my dolls have always arrived in a blank slate. It'll take several hours up to a week for their personalities to develop, and the names will come to me naturally after.

 

I couldn't decide on a name for my first, so I took to here with a few pictures and asked what everyone else thought was a good name. I ended up going with Aisling, one of the suggestions.

As for the doll I have coming from IOS and the doll I want to assemble next, their names have already been predetermined. The IOS will be Mister Hyde, and if I can find the right sculpt, I will make Erik the Opera Ghost.