Character Name Generator

The simple character name generator below will help in your search for interesting and unique character names, male or female.

Have you struggled to imagine a suitable name for your character? Maybe you've checked in baby books or have flipped through the phonebook looking for the right combination of names, and still you can't find one you like?

First, decide whether you'll refer to your character by his or her full name, first name, surname, or a nickname.

Once you've decided, don't sometimes use the nickname and sometimes the full name, or you will only confuse readers.

Occasionally it's advantageous to alter a name, but only for a good reason. For example, a man called Ben by his friends might be Benedict to his starchy mother and Mr. Pierce to the babysitter. This makes sense according to their characterization, but don't have the babysitter calling him Mr. Pierce one minute and Ben the next. Be consistent and switch as seldom as possible.

Use the character name generator to provide characters with dissimilar names. If you have Polly and Paul in the same story, or even Robert and Rebecca, readers will have a difficult time remembering their names.

So unless a very good reason prevents it, give your characters names that not only begin with different letters but that also sound as dissimilar as possible. Ben and Jacqueline will be easier to remember than Ben and Jennifer, for example.

Try, too, to have the name suggest something about the character. Think of the book Little Women by Louisa May Alcott, and her family of girls. Beth was the quiet gentle daughter, Jo the strong, boisterous one, and Amy the baby of the family. The other names elude me at the moment, but those three stuck with me for forty years because they suit the characters.

So use the character name generator below to quickly and easily generate alternatives until you find one that suits your character.

In the dropdown menu below, choose whether you want a male or female name, and then click the 'Generate Name' button. It's that easy. Repeat as often as you like until the right combination appears.