Naming your dolls

My dolls and my character's names tend to have some meaning. Sometimes it's just a name that pops into my head but most of the time I can't resist a little "joke" or reference.
I named all my vintage sindy dolls names from the top 10 of the decade they were "born" in lol. So the 60s ones are called things like Esther, Rose and so on, while the 80s ones have names like Kylie and Sherri and there's a 2000s one called "McKenzie" hahaha.

Ahem.

Sometimes I just can't think of something though, so i'll use the sculpt name or a variation on. But right now i'm working/saving toward a bjd of one of my ocs, so the doll will have that name, which if I remember rightly, was just a random name that popped into my head followed by a meaningful second name.

I'm dying a doll today (not a bjd, she's 3dp) and trying to think of a name, and my current trend with these is to give them "placeholder" names. I have one called Alias, one called Moniker and another named Psudonym lol. That's the level of terrible references and jokes I come up with for doll names though, I like silly names, they amuse me. Or I like names with some ironic meaning because I can't resist. Like naming the wench "chastity" or the barbarian beserker "temperance" *snort*

 

So far I've actually liked the company names for the dolls I have, so I've just been calling them Flowne and Bei.

 

It's random.. Some of dolls from flowers some of dolls from color name some of dolls from their stories

 

I'm still waiting for my doll to arrive but I am struggling to settle on a name for her. I have a few in mind taken from nature and books but I'm hoping when she arrives I will get a feel for what name suits her best. It's kind of stressful x.x

 

I named Lucinda Jean after something that has been in my head for a long time, but i'm thinking the name almost doesn't fit the doll anymore? and I feel bad about that because I would feel wrong renaming her the name is almost starting to bug me.
Any thoughts on renaming dolls? She's already known by my friends and fellow doll collector as Lucy so wouldn't it be weird to suddenly start calling her something else?

 

At this point, all of my future dolls are going to be physical embodiments of my OCs -- so they have names well before I'll even THINK of buying a body for them!

How I name my OCs though depends on their origins. For example, my first doll is going to be my pathfinder character. Our game is Dragon Age inspired, and he's an elf, so I looked to a blog I follow that translates the Dalish language for a name!

I came up with Eshne Tabrithas, which means "spitting image of one's parents" and "rebirth/second coming".
(Technically in the story he named himself, as he's trans and didnt want to use his former name Liadan "grey lady", but I digress)


Generally when choosing names I go to 20000Names.com and try to find something that either 1) describes their personality, 2) describes their appearance, or 3) describes their career. :3c

 

Real people change their names - why shouldn't a doll?

Teddy

 

For me, I feel like they tell me their names. Sometimes as soon as they arrive. Other times, after they have been here awhile. In the beginning, I feel like it was super important for them to have a name before I received them, but now, I have so much fun creating costumes and changing their faceups, it's not as important because their looks/characters change so often.

 

My doll arrived a few days ago and I STILL have no name for her, I guess she shall be a nameless lil healer elf for now until something that really fits pops up

 

I love different fantasy and legends that is why I named my dolls like the fantasy characters.

 

I sort of struggle with names. ;; I usually think of appearance and personality before I come up with a name. I did it recently with a character I've been developing I want to get a doll for... It was great finally giving her a proper name~!
But I'm stronger with visuals rather than words, so I'll sometimes hear a name and then an image gets created in my head. My doll Mint is based on a character I collaborated on with my boyfriend; he had the name and personality, and I made the appearance and style. It was nice not having to stress over finding a name by myself~ 'v';;

 

I keep a list in my phone and in a notebook with beautiful names. I come across those names on the internet or in books I read or just from people I met in real life. So when I get a new doll I usually choose on of the names of my beautiful names list that fits.

 

When I was younger, I always liked reading name books. Finding out the meanings behind names was always really cool to me, not to mention finding names that are cool sounding but esoteric. Strangely, while I thought of giving my bjd a cool esoteric name with deep meaning, I ended up defaulting to her model name, Micru. I guess she just looked like a Micru. XD

 

I am having a tough time coming up with names, i figure that rather than choose one that doesn't really fit, i will just give it time and either a name will come to me or it wont! I won't mind if some never get names, i still love em

 

I just picked random names that I liked for most of my dolls, except for my DD girls, which kept their character name. I'm not very good at coming up with names, so in the past, I looked through name lists online until something stuck out.

 

One day I just kinda looked at my doll and thought, "Oh, there's Marisol." And the name stuck.

Odette (my doll on the way) was bought second-hand, and I kept her original owner's name for her.

 

Some seem to tell me who they are, and for some I look at baby name sites or sites for names from a particular country, and then I see what fits the best. The hard thing is to remember the names! LOL

 

It varies for me, really. It can happen instantly or it can take weeks. I have to be holding something or looking at it up close to choose the perfect name! It took me days to name my dog, and even longer to name my kittens, and probably longer to name a doll to assure I find the perfect one. I go by what "feels" right when I say it aloud.

 

Well, I have another problem with names. I can't stand to give the name, which is associated with some real persons and especially with another dolls. I remember that for my doll I choose the name Amber and I loved it so much until I found that there are basic SOOM dolls having similar name. So that I immediately changed it for Aurelia ( hope there are not so many dolls with this name)

 

Why?

I mean, it's not as if humans all have unique names that are never repeated , think how many Susans, or Tom's, there are in the world. I know several Ambers, quite a few Emilys, a handful of Marks, and several other people with my own name, Teddy. Some of my dolls have the same name as dolls friends have, and I'm sure that most their names are the same as others within the BJD community too.

Why do you'r dolls names have to be unique to them?

Teddy