The Nameless Doll: Troubles naming dolls.

At the beginning when my first doll just had been shipped i only knew her personality and how she should look. So since she was going to be korean i decided to search around the internet to find the perfect name for her. I then found the name ChunHei which i really liked and which matched her perfect!!!
Now I'm waiting for my 2nd doll to be shipped. He's going to be korean too and is ChunHei's brother. He is based on my nr. 1 idol, the korean singer Ajoo, and is named AhJoo (which is Ajoo's real name).

 

Most of mine are a character before they're a doll but there have been times when I've been able to get a doll for a special price and they've come first. When the name arrives it's because the doll reminds me of someone, like Anderson, or a name pops out of nowhere, like Stephan. Some earworm their way in like Eloise. With Marwood, Marlon, and Malloy I realized they were McGann's brothers and needed good M names.

 

I have an other trouble:
My dolls (those too, who aren't at home, so far) have got too many names. xD (often they've got 2 last names and 2 forenames)

 

I had one doll - a vampire elf Yder - that I had a name for, but once I'd opened his eyes, done his face-up, put in his eyes and dressed & wigged him, the name didn't fit at all. Unfortunately an alternative didn't suggest itself either; whatever name I thought of just didn't fit. In the end I nicknamed him "Enigma" and told him that would be his name until he deigned to tell me what his real name was!

About a year later, on a whim I changed his eyes and wig, and put him in a different style of clothing - whereupon he "told" me his name was Lysande.

So maybe try playing around with eyes, wigs and clothes; you may find your doll's "true" self and name.

 

Hello All,

I am having a bit of a roadblock in naming two dolls. How do you guys figure out names? I am looking for Wintery Names for my newbies, but not sure how to go about it. I like one name I found for my little one, Eira which means snow, and she's a Pukifee, so I think that fits just nicely. But I need a name for an older boy (Littlefee). Any suggestions on where I can search? All help is greatly appreciated. Thank you.

 

I am generally an endless name source (I've always loved languages, therefore names and their meanings and roots and everything were always a thing I studied extensively) therefore I've never had much trouble naming dolls. I just try to envision their character and the name naturally flows in as a part of them.

As for sources, the only site I'd personally recommend is behindthename.com

 

You could try babynames.com. That site tends to list meanings if you want it, too.

 

Thank you for the info everyone!

 

How long did it take you to name your dolls?
It varies from the moment I see a doll I might want to buy (I know I'm in trouble if that happens!), to waiting until the doll comes home and thinking about it for a long while to find out what works.

I know a lot of people buy their dolls with a name in mind (such as for a character they were planning to make the doll into?), but was there ever a time you just couldn't figure out a name for a doll? What did you do?
I usually get them home and start dressing them up to see what kind of personality or backstory they might have. If they are a certain ethnicity/race/creature/being, then I'll do a search for Celtic names or Elf names or Romani names or Greek names or Demon/Angel names or Egyptian God names... It's usually easy from there! I will then look at sounds and spellings and meanings and find something I like that will suit the doll.

There are endless names and way to search for names online. There are "unusual girl names" "most popular names" "elf names" "fantasy names" Names by first initial. Names by meanings. Name generators for just about anything --it goes on and on!

Sometimes I like the sculpt name. Nothing wrong with that! But usually I'll try and change it slightly, or use the sculpt name as a middle name or something.

There are so many ways to start a bit of a direction to go in finding a good name!

Usually I have a problem in that I'm not sure which names to choose. I've got two new arrivals that I've searched for possible names for--

One is a drow (dark) elf, so I've just done a silly search and used name generators for Drow characters. I've got some names that seem OK, but I'm not sure which to choose. The doll will arrive today. I'll have to wait until I do a faceup and get it dressed to really know which names to choose. Sometimes even then, I'm not sure... but I can always change my mind, I guess!

Another doll has arrived. He's a generic elf. Usually I'll pick Tolkien elf names or nature-related names for elves, but I sort of want this boy to be cat-related... so I'm wavering between something cat-related and something nature-related and something sort of random! I'll have to get him dressed and play around a bit to see what name he ends up with!

...
I'm glad the OP found a name at last. That's what usually happens--a name will be found, even if it takes a while!

 

usually I find a name for them the moment I hold a doll in my hands, sometimes even if its not my own. other times it takes me weeks to figure a good name out for my dolls. good luck with your doll ^^

 

So I was wondering, how long did it take you to name your dolls?
It depends. Sometimes it's instantaneous the moment I see the doll I'm gonna buy on their sales page. Sometimes it takes until the moment they arrive and I see them in person before I decide on one.

I know a lot of people buy their dolls with a name in mind (such as for a character they were planning to make the doll into?), but was there ever a time you just couldn't figure out a name for a doll? What did you do?
I kinda have OCD when it comes to my dolls, and one of these is having the name start with an alphabet I haven't used before. Currently I haven't had a doll whose name started with an O or a U, so I've been looking at name sites for possible contenders for names, then I make a list and then choose from there. If I can't find one I like, I make something up.

 

So I was wondering, how long did it take you to name your dolls?
Sometimes it was nearly instant, other times it took a few weeks to find something that fit.

I know a lot of people buy their dolls with a name in mind (such as for a character they were planning to make the doll into?), but was there ever a time you just couldn't figure out a name for a doll? What did you do?
I actually couldn't name them before they arrived because I always ended up changing it anyway. So most of the time they arrived nameless. Sometimes they stayed that way until I randomly saw something that inspired me or a friend came up with a name. I don't really get a feel for a doll's name until they are in my hands.

 

I have more than 10 without name and/or character yet. I want to get the sculpt that I like first when they come available for me (sale on the right time, and a right price..)
Will think of name and character later because these can wait.

 

It took me a couple weeks to name Airen, cause I didnt really have a character in mind for him. I had a list of names and it took time to narrow them down. He's an elf so originally I wanted an elvish name but none of them seemed to really fit him.

As for Hera it also took a me a while and 3 name changes. I'm still not completely sure Hera will be her ultimate name. Miette was the only one that I came up with quickly and thats been her consistent name.

 

That was my issue before too sometimes I just wake up inthe middle of the night just to think of a name to give my doll.
2 days before m first doll's arrival I thought of gving him the name Seth because its one of my favorite names... i just had a change of mind when I already saw him in the box, "Noah" just popped out in my head... it's a good name as well, so I tried to google the name first for what it means... google name meaning provided me the answer: Noah mean's 'comfort'...
the name definitely suits him...
i just have to keep 'Seth' name for another doll that ill be getting soon )

 

Naming a doll is one of the most important parts of making that doll your own. It can also be the most frustrating when a name you love doesn't "fit".

I've been fairly fortunate in that respect; my doll names tend to "stick" more often than not. Of course, most of my dolls are based on pre-existing and/or pre-created characters that the dolls were procured specifically to enshell. But my very first Asian doll, Megumi, chose her own name. Her character didn't exist before I got her.

 

I've had very different experiences with naming my dolls.
My first one, Rio, I took weeks to settle on a name. I found one and kept that name for a few weeks but it just didn't fit right, and one day he finally told me his current name.
My second one was instant. I opened the box and Saya came out haha.
For the other ones, Erin and Peaches were very talkative while Woosoo still hasn't said a thing (which might be a sign that we just don't bond and it's time to let go...)

 

Avalon went through another name and then two different last names before finally his real name appeared: Avalon Trinidad. His first name came to me after I spent time bonding with him and re-stringing him. His old name was to be Arcani AKA "Destined for Greatness''. Avalon just fit him better looking at him.

Vala has the name of my character and most of if not all her appearance comes from her doll form except for her eyes. Her character has gold but I love my little girl's violet ones.

Kazumi had some name troubles she was pre-named but she seemed to waffle...Until her real name also appeared combining both names: Kazumi Akane.

Veronica was the HARDEST to find a name for, I was calling her, her sculpt name for two days before I finally named her Veronica.

 

I'm having trouble getting a name for my Pukifee Snow Waltz doll. It's sometimes easy to figure out a name/character and other times it's not.