What’s In A Name?

I frequent a few groups focused on DMing and worldbuilding. One oft repeated post I see is someone asking for help or ideas to name map locations. So I thought I’d talk about some of the methods I use repeatedly (and not just for places).

First off, I want to distinguish between two types of names. The first type of name combines actual words to make up the name, e.g., The Scarlett Shards, The Lake of Whispers. The second type of name is a unique name that is not an actual word, e.g., The Kothalt, Mendrad, The Fayn Sheest, etc.

A simple method to develop the first type of names involves synonyms. First, identify the unique or distinct feature of the location. For example, consider an are known for large red jagged rock formations sticking up out of the ground (you could just name it “Jagged Red Rock Land,” but you might grow weary of long literal names quickly). Next, look up synonyms for the words comprising the key feature as well as related words or phrases:

jagged: pointed, ragged, craggy, spiky, teeth

red: ruby, vermillion, scarlet, cherry, crimson, bloody

broken rocks or pieces: chips, scree, slivers, splinters, shards

Combining different synonyms yields potential names, some of which are more literal and some of which are more metaphorical: the Bloody Splinters, the Crimson Teeth, the Scarlet Shards. You can also modify or add onto synonyms to make unique names that evoke actual words, e.g., Skreet (from scree), Vermcrag (from vermillion and crag), etc.

The second method involves using words in other languages to develop unique names. Again start with the key features of the location, e.g., a “dark forest.” Next, run that phrase through Google translate to get a few ideas: zunkan wiwi (Fon), dimmur skogur (Icelandic), I (Basque). Keep in mind that the English spelling might not match the actual pronunciation; Google offers pronunciation for some, but not all, languages. In some cases you might actually prefer how you think the word or phrase sounds vs. the actual pronunciation. It doesn’t really mater; it’s just a way to generate some idea. Now rework or modify those ideas. Maybe use one word but only part of another, e.g., zunkan wiwi become Zunkan Wi. Maybe combine part of one word and part of another word, e.g., dimmur skogur becomes The Dimskog, baso iluna becomes Basoluna. Consider altering the spelling to make the name look more interesting or to make the sound you like more apparent to the majority of readers. You can also re-run the translation with synonyms, e.g., “shadow forest” instead of “dark forest.” In this case Icelandic now yields skuggaskogur, which shortens nicely to Skugga or Skuggask (I prefer them with a long u sound). With Fon, an African language, “shadow woods” become atin yozo instead of the zunkan wiwi resulting from the original “dark forest.”

Next, consider the sound of the name. Perhaps it evokes an actual sound, image, or property associated with that place, i.e., onomatopoeia for folks who like fancy words. In my Restoration Campaign, The Kothalt (long o sound) is a dense swamp with very thick black mud call koth. Kothalt, to me at least, has a thick sounding quality to it. Another example is Ut Mak, a militaristic nation ruled by an evil wizard. Ut Mak sounds harsh, abrupt, and tonally like a military command or response.

One final tip for worldbuilding. It can be helpful when using the second method to pick a limited set of languages to utilize. You might connect each region, nation, or culture to a specific language or combination of languages. In Restoration, the northern continent most names derive from Irish, Finnish, and Greek words. The Irish and Finnish names correspond to the earliest cultures living in the area while the Greek names correspond to a later culture that migrated into the region. Another region with a separate culture and people predominately features Basque and Arabic derived names. This map shows the conventions I adopted (there are exceptions, of course) for my world. When I showed my world map to a linguist friend without the language labels, he was able to identify the roots with about 80% accuracy. I was very impressed with is ability.

And if all else fails, there are several helpful name generator websites available for free. FantasyNameGenerators is one of the most popular and useful. If you can’t find what you’re looking for within it’s massive directory, try the search function. It is sometimes fasters, and not all generators appear in the directory.

Meanwhile, I’ll be exploring the wastelands of Vyth…