Last Updated on November 3, 2021
The beautiful thing about creativity is how it all starts in your head.
How you can be anything and everything in seconds! All you need to do is just think about it; then you become it.
When it comes to naming, now that’s a whole new level. You’ve already picked a fantasy character in your head, and here you are charged with the great responsibility of giving them a name!
A choice of name can be a big deal for various reasons. Your creation is leaving your head which is no doubt a big deal. Depending on the character you’re naming, there’s a message you want to pass. Your choice of name consciously or unconsciously creates an image in your audience’s head even before they meet the character in question.
You hear the name Ken, and automatically you want to think of a gentleman. Whether you know a Ken doesn’t exactly fit the picture doesn’t exactly matter. Over the years, the princess diaries have created a picture in our heads. So I don’t know what you’re thinking, but yes. Ken should be a nice person.
You want your audience to expect something from your chosen name. Be it fiction, a romance story, a gaming platform. You want to choose a name that is either relevant to the field or relatable in any way possible. The goal is to make sure it is easy to remember, and if possible, pass a message. It should be unique, but nothing too complicated so your audience doesn’t keep forgetting.
10 Best Fantasy Last Names
- Sisko-Sinclair
- Coffey-Macklin
- Cheever-Waters
- Dabney-Aparo
- Glick-Wilcox
- Acoff-Sereno
- Lichter-Seibert
- Groves-Chestnut
- Bartleby-Everson
- Sloane-Hooper
30 Interesting Fantasy Last Names
- Aldrich
- Anders
- Humblecut
- Bennett
- Bidbury
- Diamond
- Dominguez
- Dixon
- Desmith
- Ditka
- Agnello
- Dywer
- Eno
- Everson
- Anderson
- MacAnthony
- Fairchild
- Willow
- Powers
- Grell
- Xanthos
- Johnsons
- Hallowswift
- Yew
- Rigby
- Surrett
- Sloane
- Stitchen
- Wong
- Younger
How to Create Good Fantasy Last Names
- Make a list of options; as much as it is nice to want to go with the flow, a list wouldn’t hurt. This always allows you to come up with thoughtful names in large numbers. Take your time and come up with various ideas. These names should fit the characters you have in mind.
- Who is your character? Who your character is supposed to be, plays a major role in your choice of fantasy name. You want your choice of name to relate to your character’s personality. It may be a name you like or seem just cool, but a wrestler or a gym instructor in your book should not bear Rupert.
- Your location should count; if you’re writing a story and you have chosen a particular plot, you would want to stick to it. As much as there is an obvious growth with cultural diversity, your characters’ names should be dominated by the location of your story. Try and keep things in context.
- Consider the time your story is set in; the need for your characters’ names to be set in the time of your story cannot be overemphasized. Atwater might be a nice enough last name. But if the goal is to write on historical romance, then Hendrix is your best bet.