Name generators I've never used, but I do sometimes go through baby name lists online to pick on I like, especially when I'm looking for names from specific cultures. I did that when I was naming one of Alicia's aunts, but I don't think I actually ended up using a single name off the list
Interestingly enough, though it wasn't the original intent behind his name, Kattar's name sounding so much like "cat" has been and is being used constantly throughout the story to represent him as a cat - and may or may not be the reason behind his obsession with playing with string (cough cough Alicia's sash.)
Getting down on the floor like a man-sized breed of black cat he crawled over to where I stared zombie-fied at the small screen and laid down so close to me that our shoulders touched.
Too lazy to pull out the brushes and water, I force the acrylics from their tubes and dip my fingers into the primaries without blending, without proper preparations - I poke my fury into the face of the empty white and streak and smear my fingerprints across the blank space in an ugly puke-ish hurricane of color.
Lines become scalloped rainbow waves in the blurry blue-yellow tempest. I paint a red mouth with a tainted, toothy grin where the canines glow yellow, like a lion-ish clown. The eyes stare out at me blankly, and I know they should be fire, bitter with passion, and judgment, judging me.
Blue streaks become feathers and the feathers smear blue with red into lavender-violet at the ends, a yellow cat face, ruddy with muddy red patching its visage like graffiti, or paint swatches of the most basic shades - brilliantly commonplace, and not special. Not special at all.
The lion with its feathered mane stares me down with that same expression that haunts me, and the voice, says dryly, âFair enough.â
Kattar wheels himself into the dining room as I pull out the peanut butter and jelly. The âhelpâ has kept his pantries well stocked, though itâs questionable how much cooking heâs been able to manage from the weird angle heâs trapped at, in his chair.
I figure Iâll do the dishes too, since the cleaners wonât be back until tomorrow.
I hand him the plate and I start to turn back toward the kitchen, but hear him laugh-
âWhat? You didnât trim the crusts off! The service at this place is terrible!â
I decide to ignore him, rolling my eyes and heading back to the kitchen, but with a âHey-â he reaches out and tries to snag me by the sash, which comes undone, and slides unceremoniously to the floor.
I turn beet-red, crouching quickly to retrieve the sash from the carpet, avoiding his face as his gaze burns into the top of my head.
âGetting into the Christmas spirit?â He laughs as I retie the sash aggressively, burning with embarrassment and frustration simultaneously.
âWhat on earth are you talking about?â
âYou look like a Christmas present all tied up with a bow,â he jokes, smiling up to his eyes, glowing with enjoyment. I turn redder still.
Yes, names carry power, for example, my cahracter malik means king in arabic, which shows what the stories about.
The names of my leads in Rigamarole are chosen because I wanted to suit the vibe of the sort of kids I grew up around in Maryland suburbs in the 2000s and 2010s. Hence Leia and Riley. But the story title ended up having deeper meaning than even I intended it to, sort of a number of meanings.
This is available for everyone to read for free on my Patreon
Names are incredibly important to the characters in Apparent Secrets. I won't spoil any of the hidden meanings, but anyone with knowledge of botany, literature, or Latin could tease out a few of them. 
Additionally, many characters share inspiration for their names from my favorite songs or artists. Warren Maker, Ramona, Khazmine, and Zayzann come to mind for that.
For funzies, here's how Zayzann got his name. (Excerpt from Chapter 04: The Arrival):
She still wasn't sure what this was about, but she leaned forward anyway and duplicated what the creature had done. He smelled like sun-dried laundry, and something natural but inexplicably foreign that she couldn't place. This action seemed to please the creature, and he smiled at her warmly with crinkled eyes and a serrated grin.
âWell, now that that is out of the way⊠Do you have a name? Something I can call you by?â Iris asked.
The creature swiveled his head again and spoke some hopelessly alien word or phrase that could not possibly be repeated or transcribed. Iris was certain that she was missing whatever strange organ was needed to make that sound on her own and chuckled lightly.
âAh, yes. I suppose weâll need a nickname then.â She glanced around her bedroom for inspiration and eyed a stack of books lying on the nightstand of famous painters she fancied. âWell, we canât very well call you Freida, and you donât look like a Vermeer. Bosch seems rather mean⊠How about CĂ©zanne?â
âZayzannâŠâ He mimicked.
âClose enough. Zayzann it is. âZayneâ for short, okay?â Iris grinned.
XD, I have no hidden meanings for the names in "Damsel in the Red Dress" or "Rigamarole" though some people have stories behind their names. Kattar was named that because his mom said that after 13 hours of labor she'd birthed a black cat (because he has such slanted eyes and was born with a full head of very black hair.) Leia's dad legitimately named her after Princess Leia
Character names are very important to my stories, but might not be obvious to readers. Chapter titles are also always a vague clue as to what the chapter is about. In "French Cup", chapter titles are often a very funny and out of context line from the said chapter. My readers for that loved to "find the punchline", as it were, in the chapter lol. Finally understanding the context of the chapter title lol. It was often a good, extra laugh. For example, in the chapter entitled "The G.O.A.T", the chapter's punchline was that it was about a literal baby goat and the characters suddenly finding themselves in charge of the goat Three Men and a Baby style (or rather, Three Drag Queens and a Baby).
Character names are often complex in my stories. For example, with a little research, the reader can find that Sana's name in "Lyra's Magnum Opus" means "calm" in Japanese. He is often a calming presence to everyone. He makes tense situations disperse into peace just by being there. He makes people refocus their problems and look at the big picture. He is also extremely kind, the sort of person who will crouch by the roadside and pick flowering weeds for you because you need cheering up. The name is perfect for him. Then there's Tetsu, his husband. His name literally means "iron". Such a strong thing. Tetsu is Sana's strength throughout his journey. Always reliable. He often tries to appear strong, even lying to most people about their situation, trying to bring strength to others by not letting them know what's really going on, therefore shielding them from sad realities, protecting what they need emotionally. He is the strongest character in the book for what he goes through as Sana's caretaker, and also with the unfortunate job of taking care of everyone else emotionally.
Names have weight. Chapter names are something else that can have meaning for your readers. I enjoy so much with coming up with both.
I agree. While my characters names are just based on the sound I like, I find in the context of the story that makes sense. But chapter names and the names of the books were chosen for the complexity of their meanings. Whether that is a description of something the FL feels literally in the story (like "Sticky Black") or an extremely complex description the emotions taking place ("Lurid" is my absolute proudest title for this reason.)
This is exactly what my female lead did for her little brother, only to find in the long run that it did more harm than good. Lying to him basically meant shutting him out of her life, and keeping him from being able to be close to her because he only got to see the false front, not who she really was and what she was really suffering.
Chapter names are relevant to "A Dozen Morning Glories."
They are references to things separate from the novel itself (rn, other novels,) and those references relate to the context of the chapter or the characters. The first chapter is called "The Woman of Delicacy," and it's used to represent the female lead, in a number of ways, the second is called "The Woman of No Delicacy" which is again, a reference, and represents different facets of the same character.
The chapter "No one left" gets it's title from a chapter of "The Secret Garden." In the chapter of the secret garden, everyone but Mary has died and she was left alone. In the context of "A Dozen Morning Glories" Essence is almost completely dead inside, but she has a very quiet fear through the numbness of everyone getting tired of her being 'broken' and abandoning her altogether.
Coming up with character names is so organic, I don't even think about it at the time. In fact, many of the characters sort of express who they are and what their name is before I even put them to the keys. It isn't until later that I realize the significance of their names.
Anywhere:
Gen, short for Eugene, morphs into "Genya", a favored character for Mika's siblings. He looks scary, but really he's gentle and shy, a protector, and fiercely defends those he loves.
Mika, which I learned from my half-Japanese friend means "Beauty", or "beautiful." This is incredibly important to his character as he seems himself as damaged thanks to the abuse he endured at the hands of his parents. Gen doesn't see the scars, only the beauty that is within Mika's heart and soul. In a letter Mika receives from his later father, Yuki, his father tells him that he is his "beautiful Mika, my treasure."
I'll Destroy Hell for You:
Hero was always meant to be the one that saves Hawk from the demon is was, is, and carries within him. It's his unwavering, unconditional love that urges Hawk to become the person he was always meant to be.
Hawk was given his name by an old Native man who likened him to a red-tailed hawk he saw one day, souring free and alone in the sky. That defines the life Hawk lived for a thousand years before he found Hero. Ultimately we learn that is the name he was given by his parents, though he didn't remember it for various reasons, and it's the strength and fierceness of the bird that becomes the symbol for Hawk's soul and person.
Children of the Veil Part 1:
Toji's name in Japanese means many things, among them "distance" or "path." At first, I just thought the name sounded really cool and embodied someone who was laid-back, a bit immature, but fiercely loyal and devoted, especially to the one he loves. Given what Toji goes through in his life, the meaning does become rather symbolic, as he has to traverse a path fraught with conflict in order to get to, and stay with, Natsu.
Natsu means "summer" in Japanese. It was a name I always wanted to use after learning of it from one of my favorite anime. It also sounded like a great name for Toji's boyfriend, the way it embodies warmth and unyielding compassion. Natsu also arrives at Helman Hall in the summertime, and the book's events take place during a summer vacation. Plus, when you put the two names together, Toji and Natsu, it flows naturally and fits perfectly together, just like the couple themselves.
I'm Going to be Fine:
Harley was named after the motorcycle by his father, Ford, who has a thing for automotives. The bike is loud, rough, and looks incredibly mean in the right setting. However, it offers a sense of freedom and security to those who know how to handle it correctly.
Windy was an easy one, especially given how she blows into Harley's life unexpectedly and ultimately helps sweep away all his pain, forcing him to face his trauma and deal with it head on. It takes time, and Harley fights it because he's not willing to accept the help he needs, but he knows what Windy is to him and clings to her.
Oh, damn, I just realized something...the greatest feeling and joy someone has when riding a motorcycle is feeling the wind blow through their hair and around them as they ride an open, unknown road. It's scary and can be unnerving at times, especially when the wind is fierce, but the rider keeps going despite it all.
Declan sounded like just the right name for the man Harley needs to get his heart going again. It's strong, yet gentle, fierce, yet kind. He's loyal, accepting, loving, honest, and passionate about the ones he holds dear.
For every character, the name doesn't define them, they define their name. Even if it had a meaning completely separate from who the character is, ultimately, they make it their own, giving new meaning and new life to the name given them.
it works this way for me sometimes. Almost everyone's name in "Damsel in the Red Dress" is weirdly applicable with the meanings though I didn't know their meanings when I named the characters
The names in "Sketchy Business" are just designed to be fun. So here we have Texas and Chili, quirky weird best friends
Many phants names are relevant to the story in Crystal Blue but I'll start with Mora's. "Mora" means 'star of the sea,' and 'Glas' means blue in Welsh. Both these names reflect the character's identity. And the similarity between her last name and the word glass ties into the stories title.
Therese means "harvest" which mirrors her with a villain arriving later in the story. Therese is a mother, and this villainess associates herself with that role as well, but Therese's harvest is in the context of bounty. The villain's is in the context of a slaughter. Therese's name is also a bit ironic because she's a fairy, and fairies are known as the eternal flower' but for any fruit to be harvested, things must go well beyond the flowering stage, but she has already electively decided to stop being a 'flower' anyway.
Interestingly, some of the main characters' names were specifically chosen to be so normal, they almost cease to be normal. An example of this is Christopher George. I gave him two of the most basic English names on the planet on purpose, and it does have a tie into the plot, though the literal meaning of the name doesn't matter, the reason this name was chosen does.
I've always loved building character and their backstory and motifs from their names.
The names of my novel's main characters, and some of the places' names, have a lot of significance behind them.
Gael Rubrene
"Gael" means joyful, and part of his character arc is to rediscover the joy/passion of the work that he's mostly lost due to burnout. "Rubrene" is a chemical substance characterized by a distinct red colour. Fittingly, his powers are based on alchemy, where the fourth and final stage of their magnum opus--signifying the completion of the alchemical process--is called "rubedo" (hence why the philosopher's stone is typically colored red).
Celestine Alcott
"Celestine" means "heavenly" or "of the sky". She's the daughter of a former Gatekeeper who died after failing to stop an Anomaly attack from destroying a city, and is now carrying the burden of his failure.
Elthrea
The novel's setting. From "El" + "Threa". "El" is the Hebrew word for God. "Threa" is an anagram for Earth. This will play into the lore of the world in the story, such as the spellstones, Gatekeepers, and Anomalies.
(and I know I haven't updated the novel for almost a month now. had some real life issues that made me put writing on hold. I haven't abandoned the story, though. Chapter 5 is halfway done)
