Have you ever gotten a doll that you absolutely fell in love with, but simply cannot figure out a name?
That happens to me more often than I would like to admit. I have dolls that have been nameless for 6 months or more! >.< And while I could just keep the sculpt name, that just doesn’t feel right to me.
Since my dolls are not characters based off of a pre-existing story, I usually end up trying to name them as they arrive.
Currently, I have one new arrival and another on the way that will need names soon.. Below are just a few things I look at, or think about, when I’m trying to decide on a name.
Usually what I try to do is think about how their character feels to me –
- If the doll is a girl: is she a girly-girl? Tomboy? Does she like modern clothes? Fluffy dresses? or is she comfortable in anything?
- If the doll is a boy: is he a macho-man? Metro? Flamboyant? Just like to dress in comfy clothes? Dressy clothes? or again – comfortable in anything?
Answering some of those questions helps me when I’m trying to think of names.
The other thing I do, sometimes, is think about what I’m interested in, either in general as a long standing interest or a new-found favorite. For example, I love playing my violin and music has always been a huge part of my life. I have a newer doll (not yet here on the website) that is named Gretta; short for Allegretta which is a play on the music term Allegretto. In all honesty, I have one of my girls (Chiyo) who is named after Chiyo in Azumanga Daioh because she has brown pig-tails, and at the time I had just finished watching Azumanga Daioh (again).
If you are looking for an anime-ish name – what are your favorite animes? That may help give some ideas for names.
And don’t be afraid to combine parts of names and/or make up new ones!
Once I have a few name ideas (if I still can’t decide), I like to check out their meanings on baby name websites to see if the meaning of a name may match the personality of the doll.
How do you decide on a name? Any tips & tricks for others? Feel free to leave a comment!
Here’s hoping these 2 new girls don’t take me 6 months to name! 😉
Let the brainstorming begin!
~ Tiarah =^.^=
I’ve thought about naming my first doll after my mum because I admire and love her so much but I’m not sure since her name feels weird to say since I always call her mum anyway. I’ve also thought about naming her after a girl I know.I’ve always liked the name echo and Yuki but the name Yuki is overused in anime and does not suit her. I should give her a story and then look for a name that matches the personality. At first I was going to stick with the name she already had but I think it would be more fun to pick a name for her.
I have a doll that goes by a variation of her sculpt name – it feels weird to call her anything else since she will always be “Ushi” to me (she’s a Volks Ushiwakamaru).
I say go with what feels natural for you! Good luck! 🙂