Naming your dolls

Hmm I have to admit I have tried thinking of a name before the doll arrived and that really didn't work- I find that it helps me if I have the doll at hand and sort of mull the name over as I look at them. Saying the name out-loud a few times also really helped me. I have even changed a name because it just didn't feel right after the first week or so. Something will work for you

 

In order for me to name my doll I first have to fix them up perfectly with their wigs eyes face-up and clothes then I look at them to see what name fits their look and persona.

 

Usually I have a name and character for my doll before they even arrive just from looking at their sculpt for my IOS Mars it was kind of a play on his sculpt name I used Rei as in sailor mars from sailor moon and changed it to Ray/Raymond and for my first doll I just used a word I used to describe him as his name so it's clearly fitting

 

I also have problem with naming my dolls.. ;( Sometimes they have to wait 6 months, until I decide wich name I should choose. Even after that, I usually call them with their company names! xD I don't know.. it must be defect of mine..

 

pour over name generators for hours till something fits...same way I name my gaming characters

 

I like name meanings, but they have to "sound right" as well. I once named one Dermot because he was a younger brother and Dermot means "free from envy".

 

its hard to me put a name on my dolls.. only 2 of them have one.. the others are called by the name of the sculpt

 

Grotebur: That's a bit of a shame! Unless something is explicitly a character from TV or a movie I come up with new names for them. Even some of my inanimate objects get names like my router who is called BOB and my camera called Zeus (since he is so large and is an Olympus brand camera!).

 

omg haha ok. putting names to routers and cameras is other level.

 

It just kind of simplifies things! When we first got our router, no one in my family had ever had one and frankly we didn't even know what it was called. So instead of saying "hey, where's that thing that connects the computer to the internet thingy?" we'd just say "where's BOB?"

 

thats have sense! here in my country we do put names on some things.. but i think you are very creative!

 

I like naming my dolls after flower names... Because they are both cute and lovely!

 

plantist: That sounds nice and it's also creates a common theme!

 

I usually pick the name from the characters I adored. Such Game of Thrones and then I bought the props like eyes and wigs that match my dolls. Also, I like naming them from dessert like Chantilly, Red Velvet, and others.

 

Roseinate: It would be cool to have dolls that look like your favourite characters!

 

naming is kind of like... almost a sub-hobby of mine? i nickname ALL of my pokemon, and there's like.... what.... 800+ of those now? and sometimes i have multiples, so i'm pretty good at coming up with names on the fly!

a lot of the time it's just a kneejerk reaction, i would say it's most close to the "you look like a ___!" school of naming but sometimes i go for like.... riddle naming? like charizard>fire>bunson burner>bunson>he's a boy>lad>his name is Ladson! and it sounds like a real name so it works nicely. i've done the same thing for some of my dolls that aren't characters i've shelled.

i tend to give my characters less common but still reasonable names, as i have a very weird birth name and it is a living nightmare, but having a super common name seems like it would be a bit of a pain too! Lee and Aleks aren't terribly common names but they're relatively easy to spell and everyone recognizes them as a name and they're not weird to the point where they would get made fun of or anything!

i don't really like to give my characters "meaningful" names, since that would give away stuff! and it feels weird to me i suppose? like how many people actually end up resembling the "meaningful name" their parents named them?? it's just not realistic to me!
but for dolls that aren't characters i've shelled... i try to find something that suits their aesthetic? if it matches their personality even better! like Koth was just a bunch of letters that sounded nice together, but it's apparently an old german word for "hovel" or something which makes sense to me since his aesthetic is pretty much "space dirt" haha~
Cassini is my DC jupiter and i love space and stuff, so i named her after a probe they sent to saturn (since that's my fave planet!), and the cassini probe was of course named after an astronomer and it sounds really, really pretty!
Julian (pipos sienna lloyd) is named that since his promo pics looked very... princely and royal and julian sounds like the name of a prince! i went through a bunch of names for him, but they were all similar; julius, julio, julian, juliette

sometimes i'll stick with or close to company sculpt names though, since i stuck with it for sevy!! it's just a really laid back name that suits him a lot!
when i saw the pictures of DZ norris, i didn't realize he was the same sculpt as floy and i wanted his head since they were discontinuing it, and it took me a little bit to track it down, but by the time i found out the sculpt was called floy i had ended up getting really attached to the name norris! so that's what i stuck with!
and my DZ mocha, Wednesday, i originally wanted a kind of ice creamy faceup for him.... so i did the riddle naming!
icecream>sundae>sunday>wednesday! and it stuck~

a lot of non-character dolls on my wishlist are named before i get them. i have an app (it's called list buddy!) that i use to keep track of my doll wishlist. i make lists like (list of sizes) and in each size list there's (list of companies) and then inside those is (the sculpt/skintone/gender/NAME) and then inside that is lists of (eyes)(shoes)(clothes)(wigs)(etc)
so i can keep track of names as they come to me as my first impressions of dolls!

i'm kind of complicated but.... it's a lot of fun!! naming is one of my favourite things to do~~~!!!!! :')

 

I enjoy naming as well. Meaningful names don't have to spoil a plot, just give a hint!

 

I have a character first, always, and then I find a shell that matches so they are named before they even arrive.

 

I hadn't thought of it that way but it makes a lot of sense.

I don't use names because of their meaning - just because I like them (or don't, in one case).

Teddy

 

My dolls and my character's names tend to have some meaning. Sometimes it's just a name that pops into my head but most of the time I can't resist a little "joke" or reference.
I named all my vintage sindy dolls names from the top 10 of the decade they were "born" in lol. So the 60s ones are called things like Esther, Rose and so on, while the 80s ones have names like Kylie and Sherri and there's a 2000s one called "McKenzie" hahaha.

Ahem.

Sometimes I just can't think of something though, so i'll use the sculpt name or a variation on. But right now i'm working/saving toward a bjd of one of my ocs, so the doll will have that name, which if I remember rightly, was just a random name that popped into my head followed by a meaningful second name.

I'm dying a doll today (not a bjd, she's 3dp) and trying to think of a name, and my current trend with these is to give them "placeholder" names. I have one called Alias, one called Moniker and another named Psudonym lol. That's the level of terrible references and jokes I come up with for doll names though, I like silly names, they amuse me. Or I like names with some ironic meaning because I can't resist. Like naming the wench "chastity" or the barbarian beserker "temperance" *snort*

 

So far I've actually liked the company names for the dolls I have, so I've just been calling them Flowne and Bei.

 

It's random.. Some of dolls from flowers some of dolls from color name some of dolls from their stories

 

I'm still waiting for my doll to arrive but I am struggling to settle on a name for her. I have a few in mind taken from nature and books but I'm hoping when she arrives I will get a feel for what name suits her best. It's kind of stressful x.x

 

I named Lucinda Jean after something that has been in my head for a long time, but i'm thinking the name almost doesn't fit the doll anymore? and I feel bad about that because I would feel wrong renaming her the name is almost starting to bug me.
Any thoughts on renaming dolls? She's already known by my friends and fellow doll collector as Lucy so wouldn't it be weird to suddenly start calling her something else?

 

At this point, all of my future dolls are going to be physical embodiments of my OCs -- so they have names well before I'll even THINK of buying a body for them!

How I name my OCs though depends on their origins. For example, my first doll is going to be my pathfinder character. Our game is Dragon Age inspired, and he's an elf, so I looked to a blog I follow that translates the Dalish language for a name!

I came up with Eshne Tabrithas, which means "spitting image of one's parents" and "rebirth/second coming".
(Technically in the story he named himself, as he's trans and didnt want to use his former name Liadan "grey lady", but I digress)


Generally when choosing names I go to 20000Names.com and try to find something that either 1) describes their personality, 2) describes their appearance, or 3) describes their career. :3c

 

Real people change their names - why shouldn't a doll?

Teddy

 

For me, I feel like they tell me their names. Sometimes as soon as they arrive. Other times, after they have been here awhile. In the beginning, I feel like it was super important for them to have a name before I received them, but now, I have so much fun creating costumes and changing their faceups, it's not as important because their looks/characters change so often.

 

My doll arrived a few days ago and I STILL have no name for her, I guess she shall be a nameless lil healer elf for now until something that really fits pops up

 

I love different fantasy and legends that is why I named my dolls like the fantasy characters.

 

I sort of struggle with names. ;; I usually think of appearance and personality before I come up with a name. I did it recently with a character I've been developing I want to get a doll for... It was great finally giving her a proper name~!
But I'm stronger with visuals rather than words, so I'll sometimes hear a name and then an image gets created in my head. My doll Mint is based on a character I collaborated on with my boyfriend; he had the name and personality, and I made the appearance and style. It was nice not having to stress over finding a name by myself~ 'v';;

 

I keep a list in my phone and in a notebook with beautiful names. I come across those names on the internet or in books I read or just from people I met in real life. So when I get a new doll I usually choose on of the names of my beautiful names list that fits.

 

When I was younger, I always liked reading name books. Finding out the meanings behind names was always really cool to me, not to mention finding names that are cool sounding but esoteric. Strangely, while I thought of giving my bjd a cool esoteric name with deep meaning, I ended up defaulting to her model name, Micru. I guess she just looked like a Micru. XD

 

I am having a tough time coming up with names, i figure that rather than choose one that doesn't really fit, i will just give it time and either a name will come to me or it wont! I won't mind if some never get names, i still love em

 

I just picked random names that I liked for most of my dolls, except for my DD girls, which kept their character name. I'm not very good at coming up with names, so in the past, I looked through name lists online until something stuck out.

 

One day I just kinda looked at my doll and thought, "Oh, there's Marisol." And the name stuck.

Odette (my doll on the way) was bought second-hand, and I kept her original owner's name for her.

 

Some seem to tell me who they are, and for some I look at baby name sites or sites for names from a particular country, and then I see what fits the best. The hard thing is to remember the names! LOL

 

It varies for me, really. It can happen instantly or it can take weeks. I have to be holding something or looking at it up close to choose the perfect name! It took me days to name my dog, and even longer to name my kittens, and probably longer to name a doll to assure I find the perfect one. I go by what "feels" right when I say it aloud.

 

Well, I have another problem with names. I can't stand to give the name, which is associated with some real persons and especially with another dolls. I remember that for my doll I choose the name Amber and I loved it so much until I found that there are basic SOOM dolls having similar name. So that I immediately changed it for Aurelia ( hope there are not so many dolls with this name)

 

Why?

I mean, it's not as if humans all have unique names that are never repeated , think how many Susans, or Tom's, there are in the world. I know several Ambers, quite a few Emilys, a handful of Marks, and several other people with my own name, Teddy. Some of my dolls have the same name as dolls friends have, and I'm sure that most their names are the same as others within the BJD community too.

Why do you'r dolls names have to be unique to them?

Teddy

 

I couldn't give a doll that same name as someone I knew. By some fluke I happen to have a doll named James and then met a friend called James, and now it feels weird when I talk about the doll James because people think i'm talking about the person and arghhh. Also doesn't help that doll James is a right little douche and real James is very nice, he'd be mortally offended if by some misunderstanding heard me refer to James the doll as "that hipster douchebag over there" lol.

Also you know when you meet someone with a particular name and they're a real jerk? you end up associating that name with that individual's behaviour. I have a few names I just can't like now thanks to awful people with those names. Likewise there's names where every person with that name you've ever met has been lovely or really crazy or odd or whatever, so now that name is intrinsically linked to those traits.
It's the same reason people dismiss names for kids. "Oh I knew a Susan at school, she was awful to me" or "I've never met a Martha I didn't like"
I think doll naming is a bit like naming a child, you don't want to use something that's overdone but you also don't want to use something linked to a person in your life unless that doll is supposed to be linked to them (I have a puppet named Trebor because husband (who is robert) claimed I was replacing him with a puppet him hahaha. So it's Trebor, robert backwards. but most of the time i'd avoid names of people I know due to the confusion and potential wierdness of having a toy with the same name as your cousin or your dad or sister or something. Yeek. I know i'd be a bit weirded out if someone I knew gave a doll my name.

 

Mostly I just pick names that I like and that seem to suit the personality I imagine for each doll. None of my dolls really have much in the way of backstories, and I don't write about them, so none of them have last names. My April Story Adrienne's name is Snow, because she's literally meant to be Snow White as in the classic fairy tale character. I played around with names that meant "snow" or had some connection to winter, or the color white... but in the end I just didn't like any of them as much as plain old Snow. And my Islanddoll Noah girl is named Matilda after a song I really like-- "The Black Matilda" by the Rumjacks. I imagine her character as sort of a personification of the Matilda in the song. They're the only two I'd say have any real specific significance to their names, character wise. Everyone else just got names I liked that felt like they suited.

 

I totally agree with every word from your post. Moreover, when you have a doll, it has be something very special and any association kind of kills this precious personality and individuality.

 

I've chosen names from a couple different avenues. My first doll, Emily, got my first-choice baby name from when I planned to have kids. Alexandra was chosen so that it could be shortened for a tomboy nickname (Chris was also an option). Briallen is a flower elf from Wales, and Briallen is the Welsh word for primrose. Fujiko is a mori girl and her theme color is light purple, so I chose "wisteria child" for her name. Cheonsa is an Angel Elf Soo, and cheonsa is the Korean word for angel. Himeko and Kumiko are two of my favorite Japanese names. All of the girls have a flower element somewhere in their names and a theme color. I wanted rich purple for my tan MNF Lira, so I went with Orchid. I've never planned to name a doll after a real person, I do think that would be awkward for the person in question. I have one doll I plan to keep the sculpt name for, Luts Eveline. I just really like that name. Okay so I choose random names, sorry I'm not help lolololol.

 

Quite a few dolls have passed through my home, and usually their final names are ones that seem to stick after "trying on" a few. Inspiration for the names can come from novels, or just from searching for name meanings online (I'm a big sucker for names with good meanings). One name has already been there though - I always have a Yo that I will call Charlotte/Lottie - they're the one that I think will most likely stay with me for a long time. Currently (and I think maybe from now on), Charlotte is the name for my YoSD Kanon.

 

I have a problem with naming dolls or just characters in general. When I get a new doll, or have a new character in mind, I go to a list I've made of names that I like the sound of. But the thing is, I normally end up with the first name I consider for the character. Because the first name I think of tends to stick, and even if I think of a better name later, I can't get myself to change it. Both of my girls, Poppy and Edith suffered from this. But as time passed I warmed up to their names, and find that they suit them rather well, which is probably why they stuck in the first place.

 

It's very hard for me to name anything..
The thought of it will be a name that I will be calling him forever is scary.

Sometimes I just browse google for name ideas or my last resort is to just pick an anime character I love.

 

As the first post state, it's a lot of character names for me.
But for a new doll with no character attached? That's very difficult. I often ask my Irish friend for naming advice.
It's also dependent on the doll's looks and perceived personality.

 

I have a list on my phone of names that I've heard and liked, so I pair the doll up with that name that has a nice ring to it, and that I think fits the doll. My current boy is Alister

 

As I can only speak for one doll, (I only have one currently,) I feel that the name comes gradually. At least it did for him. It took me about a month before I established a name for him as well as a signature look. Before that I just called him the company name. I have a feeling my next dolls will also be purchased and will arrive before I give them names, unless I'm purchasing one in the late future for the sake of already existing fictional characters in my arsenal of science-fiction and fantasy.

 

When trying to name a doll, I usually already have a sense of how I want the name to sound. I don't know if that makes sense, but I tend to already have an idea of how many syllables I want the name to have. After that, I go through the alphabet and choose the letter which most stands out to me for the doll. From there on I usually have more trouble deciding a name if it's not modeled after a pre-existing character. Personally, I try not to name it after a common name that I'll come across because I would feel awkward having a doll with the same name as someone I know.

 

My doll family is all over the place and I've given up naming them for the time being.
I was going to name them when I properly place them (by head sculpt) into the story but then it was hard deciding what they should look like and all of that, so for now they are more like... just looking pretty!
I suppose that's what I get for buying them just by sculpts that I like rather than trying to shell one of my 40+ already existing OCs, but I am way too picky about my OCs and doubt I could find sculpts that fit them perfectly, because I already have images of them in my head.
I write either fantasy or rather realistic stories taking place in Japan though so it's mostly Japanese names for me.

 

I have had my first bjd for two weeks now, but I can't seem to find his name.

Maybe it's because his outfit isn't made, his wig isn't here, and I haven't gotten the color eyes I want for him yet.

It could also be because his body paint isn't done yet.

How do you all find your doll names? Does it come easily for you? Did you know your doll's name right away? Or did it take time for it to come to you? I am curious to know how it goes for others.

 

It can take a while. I have a new Pukifee that I got about two weeks ago, and I haven't decided much about her other than her wig. She has a basic faceup too, but I don't even know if I want to add to it or anything. So far, I'm calling her "Critter," because I couldn't even decide initially whether she was a she or not, and several people commented on how cute the nickname was, so I've kept it for now.

 

I have several methods - I have a list of names I've always loved - I look in baby name books (or lists online). My dolls all are of a specific ethnicity so I find names from those countries. Don't worry though, if you can't get his name immediately, eventually it will come to you.

 

Okay. I do a lot of things. 1st I go on baby names sites to name my characters if I have a very specific meaning I want to come across. Second, and the more common one, I go on Fantasy name generators. Names for all your fantasy characters. and choose from the drop downs if I have a specific nationality for a real name or a fantastic race etc etc (youll see if you go to the site) and then I just keep clicking until I find a name I like, that suits the character,

 

If you don't have an idea yet about who your doll is going to be, don't feel pressured to name it straight away. I've had my first doll (Madalyn from Souldoll) since 2011, and after trying out different names, it was only like two months ago that I gave her a name that truly matched her in my opinion - Lydia. Meanwhile, you can always call your doll by the sculpt name.
On the other hand, my Mr Rabbit is still only a head, but his name has been Farinelli the moment I ordered him and nothing would ever change that!

 

With my boys I decided on a personality and a bit of a back story before I chose their names. Also with one of my second hand dolls took into account where I got him from and tried finding a name from his old home. I like to stick with more uncommon but still realistic names for my boys, and if I can find something spelled differently I am usually drawn to it pretty quickly.

 

Usually, I write the character first and buy the doll later so they already have a name, but in cases where the doll comes first, I tend to go through baby name websites while looking at the doll and getting ideas of what fits. Sometimes, if the doll is based on an existing movie or book character or shares traits with a real person, I'll run the inspiring person/character's name through a baby name site that suggests related names.

 

I used to pick names from baby name websites, but now I just get the name popping into my mind when I start thinking about buying a doll. Or I might use the sculpt name as a starting point - so Mika becomes Michelle, for example.