I see the questions on Twitter about once a week: Can you please help me name my characters? What is an excellent Swedish name for a character? I see these questions in many variations, so I put together a list of sites that help you name and define characters.
I have used real people for inspiration for my character at times. When the “real” people find out about it, they are sometimes unhappy. Sometimes when you write about someone and embellish or change their characters, the “real” person can get a bit grumpy. I learned using sites like these name generators is a much better idea than using “real” people as my inspiration.
There are 5 of these. I have found the best sites to use are fake identity generators. I don’t think everyone uses them for writing. Some people might be using them for fake dating identities, is my guess, or if they did something that went viral on YouTube and wants to change their life. I don’t know why you need a fake identity, but these sites work great for characters.
There are 2 things I looked for in these sites: 1. How well they work/How helpful they are. 2. The quality of the sites. Many of the sites I looked at were overrun with ads and popups. I tried to weed those out, but you will see that some have many ads. Low ad sites in this category were tough to come by.
These are in order from worst to best. They are fun to play with, and some offer unique options, but I saved the best for last.
5.Fake Person Generator
This site does have a lot of ads. I only list it because it will let you pick states to generate names. So you choose age, State, gender, and city, which will give you a name. It has other options on the site, but this one will provide some exciting suggestions.
4.Fake Data Generator
This site does have a good amount of ads, but they did not obstruct my experience. Many places were worse than this one, but don’t get me started. The site will generate anything from fake lotto numbers (I don’t see how they can be fake) to character identities. It will give you age, height, eye color, hair color, and more. It’s worth a try if you are in a pinch.
3. Writing Exercises
This is a UK site. Right now, it only gives British last names, but if you click around on the site, you will find a character generator that will help you develop character backgrounds. It’s a little different than the other sites.
2. Masterpiece Generator
Here is a site set up to give you a wide range of ideas for your characters and work. It will provide suggestions on the name, sexuality, personality, biography, cause of death, and more. It’s a well-rounded site with a lot of options. Also, the ads aren’t too bad. They do not obstruct the experience.
1.Fake Name Generator
Here is the Generator I recommend. It will give you fake identities from around the globe, including Hobbits. It gives you all the information you need for a detailed profile, and the site has minimal ads. It looks like an accurate site instead of some ad carnival. If I’m looking for details, I go here. It doesn’t give you personality traits, but it does give you a long list of more information that helps you build characters.
Ultimately, I don’t want a machine building my characters, but help with names, height, and weight gives me a good place to start when I get stuck. Generators have helped me at times. Sometimes you need a little spark for the idea to start. If you find them helpful or hate them, post a comment below to let me know.
If you have a terrible ethical conflict in using such sites, tell me that too.
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Very helpful, especially if you are looking for Japanese or other foreign names.