Oct 03 2008

A Random Name Generator

Published by Cadet Davis at 9:25 pm under Characterization,Creating a Superhero,Writing about Superheroes

Not sure what to name your superhero’s alternate identity?  This name generator can give you hundreds of suggestions based on US census data.  Also, its names are surprisingly ethnically-diverse.

12 responses so far

12 Responses to “A Random Name Generator”

  1. # Anonymouson 22 Jan 2009 at 12:33 pm

    AMAZING. It really helped me write my super hero story for school. Thanks!

  2. # jasonon 20 Feb 2010 at 11:18 pm

    looking for a name for my character(lead), he’s 30ish excop now an alcoholic PI, gonn get a visit from an archangel with a new set of misssions from God to find kidnapped and molested,raped kidsp

  3. # B. Macon 21 Feb 2010 at 5:07 am

    Hmm. Here are some hard-sounding first names that come to mind…
    –Bill
    –Brandon
    –Cyrus
    –Deion (or Dion)
    –Gene
    –Gordon
    –Virgil

    If you’re going for something old-fashioned/biblical because of the angelic elements, you could try Isaiah, Silas or Joseph.

    For last names, I kind of liked…
    –Morrison
    –Fox
    –Myers
    –Breyers
    –Pitt (or Pittman)
    –Boyle
    –Hoffman
    –Tillman
    –Moody
    –Roberts
    –Westbrook

  4. # Luna Jamniaon 21 Feb 2010 at 8:53 pm

    :D Dion is the name of a character in one of my stories I am transferring to the computer and revising. It’s a great name.

  5. # B. Macon 21 Feb 2010 at 9:52 pm

    Haha, yeah. I used sports, video games and the Supreme Court for references, in addition to the Seventh Sanctum’s name generator.

    In football, Deion Sanders is one of my favorite defensive players ever. And Pat Tillman, but not for the football, obviously.

  6. # Loysquaredon 25 Jun 2010 at 5:59 pm

    A very useful tool! Hopefully, it’ll end a cacophonous era for characters’ names, like:
    Peter Pettigrew, Reed Richards, Peter Parker, Bernhard Baker, even to the extend of Clark Kent (just to name a few).

  7. # B. Macon 25 Jun 2010 at 8:44 pm

    I think comic book characters, particularly older ones, are markedly more likely to have assonant/consonant names than either novel characters or people in real life. (Hell, the Superman series alone has Lois Lane, Lana Lang and Lex Luthor, and that’s before digging for Prof. Phineas Potter or Lionel Luther).

    Some such Marvel characters include:
    –Peter Parker
    –Reed Richards
    –Scott Summers
    –Susan Storm
    –Stephen “Dr.” Strange
    –Brian Braddock (Captain Britain)
    –Curt Connors (Lizard)
    –Otto Octavius (Dr. Octopus, of course)
    –Bruce Banner (the Hulk)
    –“Pepper” Potts (Ironman love-interest/assistant)
    –Betty Brant (at the Daily Bugle)
    –Sebastian and Shinobi Shaw
    –Carl Creel (Absorbing Man)
    –Gregory Gideon (minor Fantastic Four villain)
    –Robbie Robertson (Peter’s only sane coworker at the Bugle)
    –Greer Grant (Tigra)
    –Spencer Smythe (a minor Spiderman villain)
    –Peter Petruski (Trapper)
    –Sam Saxon (Machinesmith)
    –Richard Rider (Nova)
    –Samuel Smithers (Plantman)
    –Sam Sawyer (one of Nick Fury’s commanding officers)
    –Robert Reynolds (probably the suckiest Marvel character of all time, bad enough to make even Rocket Raccoon and Big Wheel blush*)

    *No offense, Marvel fans. Every publisher will have at least a few spectacular flameouts as it does decades worth of stories and characters. Hell, even Pixar had A Bug’s Life.

  8. # Loysquaredon 26 Jun 2010 at 1:34 am

    Woah, didn’t know you’ll answer me so soon, I feel flattered. But, since you’re so attentive, I would like to take the opportunity to tell you how AWESOME is Superhero Nation! I recently stumbled with it, and I’m so grateful that happened. It has so much useful information (I read, and re-read, your whole “Superhero Writing Advice” in just a few hours), and now I can’t get enough!! I’m addicted!!! The visitors can feel welcome: share ideas and express critiques with great dynamics in a pleasant “virtual enviroment”, it just feels right. Say, it’s a pretty good acomplishment, you must be proud.
    That aside, I’ll take you up on that pro bono thing you wrote. I’ll like to show you some ideas, but I am a first-timer and embarassed they may be lame. Is there any way, that I could send’em to you (preferably in private) and tell me your thoughts?

  9. # B. Macon 26 Jun 2010 at 9:58 am

    I can be e-mailed privately at superheronation-at-gmail-dot-com.

  10. # Roon 27 Jun 2010 at 9:11 am

    Do you think its cheating to use story generators and name generators to help spark ideas for stories. I dont think it is and I am not opposed to using them. But i wont use it if it will be looked down upon, you know what i mean?

  11. # B. Macon 27 Jun 2010 at 12:14 pm

    I’m not opposed to them. Personally, I find that they’re more effective if used in a more limited way (like generating a name rather than generating a list of plot elements, but it might be an interesting way to come up with an idea or two if you get stuck).

  12. # Roon 27 Jun 2010 at 12:57 pm

    I agree. I know for myself sometimes I just need a litle push in a certain direction. Once my imagination is going and rolling smoothly I am good. i usually dont have problems with imagination, but on rare occasions i may need a spark to get the juices rolling.

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