The Importance of Naming

I call my dolls by the company names. I'm not very creative and I only have 2 or 3 names I really like, so I might as well save them for my future children. lol
Maybe one day I'll find names... just not now.

 

I've also found that it works best to wait for the doll to arrive to give them their name.
I was going to name my Kid Delf Almond "Damien". But then he arrived and looked different than the promo pics. He looked more like a little warrior than an evil little boy. So I found the name "Armond" suited him quite well--as a combination of his company name and a name meaning "warrior".

As for my Delf El, I thought he looked really good in his fancy outfit and cat eyes, so I named him Sir Kadion (After circadian rythms) and then created the story afterwards with time travel.
I really enjoy naming my dolls, one of my favorite things.

 

I name my dolls the same way I name my pets ...

I find something that defines them in some way and then I look for names with a meaning that suits them. For my PukiFee and PukiPuki it was a bit different. Since they are supposed to be elves who are ultimately ageless, I chose ancient names for them. Usually it's a defining characteristic I name them for, or something that kind of represents their personality. But every so often, I'll name them a name that I just happen to like.

I don't think I would care too much about naming them after someone I know. This is a highly unlikely situation since I tend to use highly uncommon names or foreign names, though I occasionally find a more common name that I think fits. If I knew someone by that name, I wouldn't really think anything of it. They are them, the doll is the doll. I didn't name them because of that person, I named based on the name's meaning and the way it sounds when I say it. Since I'm not having children, I can't comment on that aspect of it. I don't have a name list for kids because I'm never going to have any, but I can certainly see why you wouldn't want to open that can of worms. You made that list for your human children, not for your dolls. Might as well consider those names off-limits. There are thousands of great names out there that you can use, so you don't need to use names that would make you uncomfortable.

 

With my first two dolls I spent ages agonising over names...writing lists down in my notebook and taking ages to decide, I just wanted them to have cute names and never really spent time considering their personalities and trying to fit a name to that...which is perhaps why one of them is now sold and the other one is being given an overhaul; with my incoming dolls I keep suddenly getting ideas for seemingly no reason, I named my DC Alberta (who isn't even here) after I accidentally fell asleep on the bus...of course, names given to incoming dolls pretty much feel like they're subject to change, as do their personalities and appearances.
I named my incoming DC Faramita after I saw an episode of Paranormal Witness about something called a Dybbuk box...I didn't mean it to, but the name stuck to him like glue...

 

On a slightly off-topic note: I saw the title of this thread and immediately thought of the play, "The Importance of Being Earnest," which is appropriate since names play an important role in the story as well.

There is usually a lyrical or poetic flow going on whenever I attempt to name (my future) dolls, as I want my characters to have meanings to their names. Erik had always been Erik to me, but his last name (Sinclair) was just recently attained. I wouldn't want to name my doll after someone I knew, due to the awkwardness that it might bring up on a later date. Usually their names will have some relation to their character, be it as a form of irony or an exact interpretation of themselves.

 

I have had my first doll for almost 8 months now and I still haven't decided on her name yet. I named her Chloe, for now. But I'm still not satisfied. lol

 

All my dolls I get given names from various ancient cities of Egypt. Especially around the Nile.

The family name for my dolls is "Stars of the Nile" and while a couple of my dolls have names unrelated to ancient cities I am known to take them from biblical references. ie: Kasper, Balthazar, Ramses...etc

 

I feel that names are very very important. I have believed that for a long time. One of my favorite authors is Charles De Lint. He writes urban fantasy and a HUGE theme in his books. That giving some one your true name gives them control over you. In Native American lore this is huge. It is also very important in faeries lore.

All my girls are faeries, so I put a LOT of thought into the names of the girls. Like... research. ^_^

 

I've never named any, except for my 25cm obitsu
I dunno, I've never been one to name inanimate objects, and to me dolls are no different from my laptop, phone etc. Well, they're prettier!

 

Whenever I order my doll, While it's on the way (which is usually a couple of months) I think and think of a name. It's like being pregnant and by the time he/she arrives, I have a name all set up.

 

Though I certainly didn't start out with this intention, somehow I have fallen into the pattern of giving all of my dolls flower-related names.

Normally I don't pick out a name for a new doll until I actually see her in a wig and outfit. It's a lesson I learned after my first doll underwent three or four name changes before I finally settled on the perfect one.

 

Xiaodan came from a list of chinese baby names... I needed a unisex name for them.. I didn't expect something so cutesy to stick. It means "little helper". Gegaish was the result of a failed RP... I could NOT come up with a name for my Skeleton Lich. I looked like I was playing the slots on the fantasy name generators... I settled for my own version of one of those generated names... then after that character was no longer, I gave the name to an angel boy. It's derived from "geist" meaning "ghost", and it's meant to also sound like a name straight from the made-up language of my friend's RPG. Syjon, my vampire boy who is on layaway was originally named Xion, and I use the names interchangeably. My friend pointed out that I probably named him that because he reminded me of Shido from Nightwalker. I agree. When I heard the name Xion (first, from Bloody Roar fighting game series, then in other places) It did remind me of Shido, and I thought it was a great name for my vampire boy... I later realized Xion is... from... Poland. Not Japan. SOOOooo.. changed it to Syjon.

 

Both times I've gotten a doll I've planned a name for them before they came and when I get them all together with the wigs and clothes I got for them the name has always changed. My Miho was going to be for a character in a book I'm writing, an elf, and then I got a blond wig on him and suddenly he was Alex.

Then I got my Noir and I was certain I was going to name him Nyx, based on the company photos. But then I put him in a wig I didn't intend for him, a green one, and suddenly I thought: Leaf. He should be named Leaf.

So I think for the future I will just listen to the doll (that doesn't sound weird at all, lol) and let them have the name that comes into my head once I have them, not before they come.

 

I happen to name my first doll by her company name. I took a long time saving up for her and during that time I kept referring to her by the company name and it just stuck. I couldn't see her as anyone else. Besides, I think the name is perfectly suited to her. My new girls are sisters and both of their names start with the same letter because I wanted them to have similar names. I chose names that went well together. I have another doll that I plan on bringing home sometime after the new year and his name is already planned. I just hope it sticks because I really love the name.

 

I am always very careful with naming, but I also have an easier time naming if the doll is in my presence. I find that a doll just sorta "tells" you their name, like a pet or a baby. Not that my dolls are like a pet or child to me, but they seem to have an aura about them. I do have a few dolls that were pre-named, especially my character dolls, but I do prefer naming a doll once I have it.

 

Names are difficult for me sometimes. When I first saw Meggie,it was easy. That was the first name that came to mind and it really suited her.
When I first ordered my RS Lan,I was determined to name her Delphine because it's one of my favorite names. But the more I look at her I keep thinking the name doesn't suit her at all. She's going to be renamed Dahlia,another one of my favorite names. I should come out and say I'm kind of weird about D names,they're my favorites.
I named my SoSo doll Pumpkin just because I wanted a cute name that had to do with Autumn and nature.

 

Well, since I generally RP most of the characters on a weekly basis, they need names for convienience :P But my Hujoo doll still doesn't have a name and I keep forgetting to pick one for her >_<:;;;;

 

I've had one of my dolls for close to a year but he still doesnt have a name I just call him by the company name. I have another doll and decided to call him Noah but thats kinda up in the air (i could still possibly change it..) Naming dolls is kind of hard for me ><

 

To me, the name is part of the character. I like to build a character for my dolls, imagine stories about them and fun and joy! To me naming my dolls is an important part of the process!

 

I have a method. I go on a baby name website, look at the top names, click on one, go through about three pages of related names, and by the time I get to names that died in the early 20th century I find one I like. I've done this for my chickens, my dog, and I just found the name for my first doll, Mercy.