Name generators for fiction writing in Thoughts, wishes and things

It’s not always easy to come up with character names when writing fiction, especially if it’s a minor character where you just need a name quickly. There are a few fiction name generators that are helpful for this when you just need to get a name and move on.

I like Fantasy Name Generators because it’s not actually restricted to fantasy names. Besides fantasy names, it also generates real names, place names, and even pop culture names. Some of these are incredibly specialized, for example you can go for Harry Potter names in the pop culture section. The pop culture section is also home to names that would suit specific games like World of Warcraft, Warhammer 40k, and so on. Most of the pop culture names are going to be more useful as a username in the game or in a forum, as opposed to fiction writing. For writing fiction, the fantasy names are great because you can generate by subgenre (dwarf names, elf names, and so on). If you’re writing science fiction there is also (in the fantasy name section) a subgenre of futuristic names, and these would work well for science fiction. For realistic fiction, the Real Names section in the Fantasy Name Generators gives you choice over the cultural origin of the name.

If you don’t want such a high level of detail and just want a modern and popular U.S. first name, then you may like Stadip, which generates male and female first names based on the 200 most popular first names of babies born in the U.S. from 2010 to 2017. If you’re looking for last names as well as a wider selection of popular names, then try this name generator, which selects from the top 1000 most popular first and last names in the U.S. from 1995 and 2000.

It really depends on what you’re writing as to what type of name generator you should use. If I want a bit of extra detail for my character along with the first and last name, then I’d recommend the random generator at Behind The Name or Fake Name Generator. These both provide extra details besides just names.

Last updated September 04, 2020