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The Importance of Naming

Jul 19, 2011

    1. I mostly name my dolls the way I do because of the meaning towards the name, or maybe because I've heard that name before and I liked it :)
      I love naming dolls, but one thing is sure; the name has to fit the doll personality-character-story, if I don't feel like it does, then I usually come up with another name. For example, my first doll is named Sidhion which in elf means 'Oliver' and Oliver means peace, he's quite a peaceful, lovely and tender guy so I thought it was perfect for him :aheartbea
       
    2. My first doll had two other names before I finally settled on one I liked lol.

      Right now all my dolls (for the most part) are named after different angels and demons. They're all part of one story that really took off in my head when I was reading through wikipedia articles on demons and came across the mention of three demons who were often associated with Lilith or even viewed as aspects of her. I instantly got the idea of a set of triplets and every doll that has come since has been fit into that story line one way or the other. I love researching name meanings so all of my dolls have a name that fits them and the story. The only two (soon to be three) that aren't an angel or demon are my winter spirit and tengu (soon to be joined by a summer spirit). The winter spirit was originally created as I liked the name Eiwen a lot (Welsh for pure snow) and I wanted to use it for a doll. My summer spirit will be following in the Welsh naming convention with the name Heulwen meaning sunshine. My other is a tengu and is currently undergoing renaming as I'm not satisfied with her current name.
       
    3. Hmm... I'm always quite terrible when it comes to names. The ones I can think of at first thought are usually based on some of my favorite things, but after tossing them around I discard them. Sometimes I'll go online and look up lists of names and try to find any that will match the look and personality. This is usually my best method, but it can certainly take a while if I'm sitting on the fence with names I like. Should I still be unsure, I'll consult others and see what they think. If I can get it down to two names and am still indecisive, I flip a coin and call it a day. My current (and first) doll that I'm waiting on will be called Aiden, though he went through names such as Adrian, Ryan, Luke, and Aaron.
       
    4. I usually just pick names that I like the sound of whether you would use it for a child or not.
      I can't see myself using a name that's shared by a friend of mine, I think that would be a little weird.

      My first doll I had a name picked for already and I was originally intending to go with a theme of desserts.
      That may sound weird but it works. Her name is Tiramisu but she's Tira for short. :3

      I have another doll that's coming in the mail soon and though I'd like to have a name before she gets here I still haven't settled on one. >.<
      I've been tossing around a few ideas and writing down some that I like the sound of.
      I find that looking at baby name sites can be really good for inspiration as well seeing as there can be some unusual and interesting ones on there.
       
    5. I think most of my characters are either ironic or juxtaposed. I have OC's made up of characters, celebrities and friends and stuff I find on tv tropes as well. So usually, the character idea comes first (say, I want a dark magical girl, themed off a fallen angel, who has the power of mind control, some telekinesis and some ability to see into the past and future, but only when she touches people, and when she does, she can experience sensory overload) and then I look at all the characters that I have seen, who had influenced the design and make a name that would stand next to those names.
      One sweet, shy boy character, who likes to dress up as bad boy characters, but is more of a drama geek than anything, is named Harlierot (haa-L'AIR-oh) as a mix of Harlequin and Pierrot (historical Italian theatre characters) and when you put them together, they kind of sound like the Russian Ballet, Bolero ;)
       
    6. Some of my group share a backstory, so their names go with the theme of their story arc. Others are named after characters in my favorite books or fairy tales. Some are just silly words and some I just make up. One doll has retained the name her previous owner had given her. Another doll was a gift of sorts, and I named her after the girl who gave her to me. Some dolls just have names that I like, and some names that I don't particularly like but seem to "fit" them very well.
       
    7. I like to give them names that fit their races. I might as well give them names from RP's I've played a long time ago, but I wouldn't know what to name them untill I have hold them in my hands, usually a name will pop up then that will fit the doll
       
    8. I think names are very important, and to me, any character needs to connect with a name. It in a way, defines them. It's like the quote by the Doctor about a name is who you are and it's why he picked the Doctor. He likes to heal. I love looking into the meaning of a name before I make a character, and when I have a character's personality first, I usually look for a name to fit it thematically. As for names, I love Baby Name books and sites as well as mythology and flora/fauna. I also find an ethnic flavored name works better than the English version.
       
    9. I think about the dolls personality, and then try to come up with a name I think fits it! :lol: example: if I know/knew a person with a certain name, and that person was rude, I'd consider it fitting for a "rude" doll, and if the person was nice, It'd fit for a nice doll etc., or I just go with a name that fits.
       
    10. I decided to give a name to my doll if I feel it's fit perfectly with doll character and design. However, I won't call my doll name frequently cause I sometime I can feel awkward stare even from my parents :sweat
       
    11. I think names are important for at least being able to talk about them. Although I'm new to bjds , I do have other dolls...all of which I refer to them as the name they came with. And even with the dolls I have ordered I keep thinking about them as their scuplt names although open to name changes when I actually meet them in person. I don't have kids off my own so it gives me a chance to use 'baby names'.

      Sent from my Xoom using Tapatalk
       
    12. Mine are primarily existing characters, which helps! They've all brought their names along with them as I shell the characters, and either they're characters who've been around so long I can't remember where I came up with their names, or they're "character dolls" done after published characters who someone else has helpfully named for me.

      Of the remaining few, one's name came about because of her hair; I ordered it as a "surprise," asked for a particular price point and for the maker (I've forgotten who now) to just "surprise me," and her name and personality grew out of that wig. The others arose because the appearance of the first brought to mind a particular rock opera, so the two home and the potential third I will someday add to the group are named from that. The last one, who's hopefully on the way soon, is stalled on a name purely because I just can't remember the name/language conventions I set up for her kind in my OC universe; I'll dig out enough information before she shows up that I can get a name together then or shortly after.
       
    13. Naming dolls is so hard sometimes (well, in my case naming anything is hard).
      You would think that with all the time I was saving up for Nadeko (and even throughout the short wait time it was to receive her after I did order) that I would have had some potential names lined up for her...no :sweat
      It took me about a week after she arrived to finally figure out her name. I went through dictionaries, name generators, name lists, suggestions from friends, characters from anime/movies/books/other people's dolls that I liked and a ton of other stuff before finally deciding on the name "Nadeko". She's named after Sengoku Nadeko from the Monogatari series but she isn't meant to represent that character so they don't share anything other than a first name. I took her last name from a mangaka that I really love (Amano Kozue), and because I liked the kanji and meaning behind that name.
      For future dolls, I've been keeping a list of names that I like so that I have somewhere to start when they arrive and I still haven't decided on a definite name.
      I don't do themed names because I'm sure that after like 2 dolls I would run out of ideas, but I do find it really interesting when other doll owners can manage to do it.
       
    14. I’m one of those people who spends more time coming up with names for videogame RPG characters than I do playing the actual gameXD Naming has such weight for me and I do not do it flippantly. Right now I am trying to find names from a certain culture/nationality that I like for my characters but before making any decisions I will need to do a lot more research on naming conventions and possibly talk to someone who can help me with pronunciation. There are a lot of things I need to be sensitive about with the names I’m looking for. Naming is going to be more work than the dolls themselves.
       
    15. I agree... its about the relationship, the doll must have the right name, the name that says everything about this character, but I also agree that it can be so hard...
       
    16. I'm a writer and a language freak, so I've always kept lists of names as a regular habit, either to use in my fiction or just to have in reserve for... something. So when I started collecting BJDs, I immediately started a little database of potential names.

      When I purchase a doll, and sometimes even before, I start up a names list for them. Even if I'm 99% settled on a name for a doll, though, I always wait until I have them in hand, and then I let them try on the name for a couple of days to be sure it's the right fit. I've had doll names stick from the moment I saw the sculpt, and I've also had dolls who just couldn't find a name or a signature look for a long time. These little resin people can be so fickle, but I love them!
       
    17. Names are important to me and deciding a doll name is lots of fun. I usually create character (I don't do roleplaying or so, I do like to write stories) way before I buy a doll. After I have build some kind of personality and habits for my character naming process starts. I spend some times more thinking about the name than actually creating a character personality or background. I lost of research before I decide what is suitable name.
       
    18. Mine come from my characters. I'm fond of theme naming, so characters from the same setting tend to play off each other. As for choosing the names in the first place...well, in real life names have meanings if you trace them back to the root word [Sometimes you don't even have to do that, with like names such as Joy or Serene]. So I apply the same to my characters and give them a name that matches their personality. I try to make it say "this is who they are" but without reducing it to their sole defining trait.
       
    19. I just love naming my dolls cause it just makes me feel that they are extra special to me

      My first doll's name just came to me when i unboxed her and saw her cute face-Chiyori
      For my second doll, she only got her name after a few days leaving in my house -Kurolavia(i will either call her kuro or lavia)
      For my third doll, her name was decided for for the moment i ordered her online and the name just suit her perfectly that i did not need to change it at all - Mitsuki
      Last but not laest my final doll is still nameless and is on his way back home from the faceup artist, i already have a few names picked out for him but i am still not sure which will suit him better so will have to wait for him to be back home before i can decide:aheartbea