Laverne Salmons, Adrian Turner, Stormy Spellman, Ruth Torres.....
May 2, 2008 5:20 PM Subscribe
Need to name a character? Use this random name generator. Hit refresh to, uh, refresh. Explanation here. [via]
This is what happens now that everyone throws the new phone book into the recycling bin.
posted by Tube at 5:30 PM on May 2, 2008 [3 favorites]
posted by Tube at 5:30 PM on May 2, 2008 [3 favorites]
Bookmarked. I'm horrible at surnames. So many of my characters have surnames of authors whose books are within the eyeline of my writing seat.
On preview: Tube is right, actually.
posted by Bookhouse at 5:32 PM on May 2, 2008
On preview: Tube is right, actually.
posted by Bookhouse at 5:32 PM on May 2, 2008
Keith Cerna had never found out exactly how her parents had chosen her name. Something to do with dwarves and tequila, she assumed.
posted by MrVisible at 5:37 PM on May 2, 2008 [1 favorite]
posted by MrVisible at 5:37 PM on May 2, 2008 [1 favorite]
We need a random Thomas Pynchon character name generator.
posted by bad grammar at 5:39 PM on May 2, 2008
posted by bad grammar at 5:39 PM on May 2, 2008
Also:
http://www.fakenamegenerator.com/index.php?c=cyen&gen=random&n=us
posted by GernBlandston at 5:40 PM on May 2, 2008
http://www.fakenamegenerator.com/index.php?c=cyen&gen=random&n=us
posted by GernBlandston at 5:40 PM on May 2, 2008
I used to use a different random generator for names. My book on "The Life of 424608 James" didn't do too well though. Thanks for the link.
posted by ALongDecember at 5:49 PM on May 2, 2008
posted by ALongDecember at 5:49 PM on May 2, 2008
Quick! Someone call Russel T. Davies! Tell him he can stop using "JONES" over and over again! The putz!
Annalisa Muir told Jack Moreno that Rey Currie was with Dorothy Diaz in the conservatory with a knife.
Jack said, "that figures, but what's with all the strawberry preservatives?"
She chuckled, brandishing her curling iron, "do you really have to ask that, Jack?"
"Mrs. Muir? Are you trying to seduce me?"
She chuckled again, then threw her phone book into the recycling bin.
posted by ZachsMind at 5:52 PM on May 2, 2008
Annalisa Muir told Jack Moreno that Rey Currie was with Dorothy Diaz in the conservatory with a knife.
Jack said, "that figures, but what's with all the strawberry preservatives?"
She chuckled, brandishing her curling iron, "do you really have to ask that, Jack?"
"Mrs. Muir? Are you trying to seduce me?"
She chuckled again, then threw her phone book into the recycling bin.
posted by ZachsMind at 5:52 PM on May 2, 2008
Burton Atterberry never ate Tuesday for lunch, with or without cheese. At least, he didn't until one particular Tuesday...
posted by DU at 6:18 PM on May 2, 2008 [1 favorite]
posted by DU at 6:18 PM on May 2, 2008 [1 favorite]
I use this name generator. Often before heading out for the evening.
posted by kingfisher, his musclebound cat at 6:21 PM on May 2, 2008
posted by kingfisher, his musclebound cat at 6:21 PM on May 2, 2008
Towanda Beaudet had been working at Home Depot for nine and a half years, and was still perplexed by the number of times Wilton Shankle walked in with that crooked grin on his face and asked where the screws were. She figured he had that disease where you can't remember things.
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 6:23 PM on May 2, 2008 [1 favorite]
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 6:23 PM on May 2, 2008 [1 favorite]
"Patricia Toscano, a man, according to a certain Internet random name generator, placed Vickey Money on his speed dial. We can only guess why. Maybe Clotilde Puccio knows."
posted by kozad at 6:27 PM on May 2, 2008
posted by kozad at 6:27 PM on May 2, 2008
I give up. Played for 20minutes, couldn't find anybody I know.
posted by dogwalker at 6:31 PM on May 2, 2008
posted by dogwalker at 6:31 PM on May 2, 2008
Manual Ice and Sam Ham both had hots for Ehtel Bonk.
Manual Ice and Sam Ham both had hots for Ehtel Bonk.
posted by Free word order! at 6:39 PM on May 2, 2008
Manual Ice and Sam Ham both had hots for Ehtel Bonk.
posted by Free word order! at 6:39 PM on May 2, 2008
'Nathan Myhrvold is widely considered to be one of the smartest people in technology"
posted by stargell at 6:50 PM on May 2, 2008 [1 favorite]
posted by stargell at 6:50 PM on May 2, 2008 [1 favorite]
Shelby Foss sat with Tuesday waiting for the launch, not like any other launch, but oh, the cheese landing ...
posted by subgear at 6:51 PM on May 2, 2008
posted by subgear at 6:51 PM on May 2, 2008
I give up. Played for 20minutes, couldn't find anybody I know.
Heh. My first click yielded the name of a guy I worked with for six years.
posted by trip and a half at 6:56 PM on May 2, 2008
Heh. My first click yielded the name of a guy I worked with for six years.
posted by trip and a half at 6:56 PM on May 2, 2008
This could have greatly improved so many earlier works of literature:
"Call me Maurice Bullen"
"James Castagna, James Castagna, wherefore art thou James Castagna?"
"It was many and many a year ago
In a kingdom by the sea
That a maiden there lived whom you may know
By the name of Angeline Haupt"
"Whenever Dante Whiteley went downtown
We people on the pavement looked at him
He was a gentleman from sole to crown,
Clean-favored, and imperially slim"
posted by FelliniBlank at 6:56 PM on May 2, 2008 [2 favorites]
"Call me Maurice Bullen"
"James Castagna, James Castagna, wherefore art thou James Castagna?"
"It was many and many a year ago
In a kingdom by the sea
That a maiden there lived whom you may know
By the name of Angeline Haupt"
"Whenever Dante Whiteley went downtown
We people on the pavement looked at him
He was a gentleman from sole to crown,
Clean-favored, and imperially slim"
posted by FelliniBlank at 6:56 PM on May 2, 2008 [2 favorites]
Even though Beverly Kammerer was bawling her eyes out in my office, the lipstick was perfect - she was the kind of dame who would make sure of that before she came over to tell you that her husband was dead. Yeah, it was probably her. But I may as well make a good scene out of it.
The name's Miller. Sam Miller.
(lol)
posted by blacklite at 6:58 PM on May 2, 2008 [1 favorite]
The name's Miller. Sam Miller.
(lol)
posted by blacklite at 6:58 PM on May 2, 2008 [1 favorite]
OK, I'm having a stupid moment here. I read the blog post but I don't understand the difference between "based on percentage" and "not based on percentage." I get that the percentages are derived from the census files. Are the "not based on percentage" names just completely random, then?
posted by desjardins at 7:06 PM on May 2, 2008
posted by desjardins at 7:06 PM on May 2, 2008
It's gotta be rigged. On five successive pulls I got Steve Douglas, Robbie Douglas, Chip Douglas, Ernie Douglas, Uncle Charley --- What are the chances???
posted by subgear at 7:07 PM on May 2, 2008
posted by subgear at 7:07 PM on May 2, 2008
Because I have a hard time believing that a name like DONG WINKLE is based on a percentage of anything. (I got that on my 2nd refresh!)
posted by desjardins at 7:07 PM on May 2, 2008 [1 favorite]
posted by desjardins at 7:07 PM on May 2, 2008 [1 favorite]
"Meta Heuer."
I know a guy named Tag Heuer. The first time I met him I told him he was right on time, he didn't get it.
posted by 517 at 7:10 PM on May 2, 2008 [2 favorites]
I know a guy named Tag Heuer. The first time I met him I told him he was right on time, he didn't get it.
posted by 517 at 7:10 PM on May 2, 2008 [2 favorites]
Hey, Dong, don't make it bad;
Take a sad song and make it better.
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 7:21 PM on May 2, 2008
Take a sad song and make it better.
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 7:21 PM on May 2, 2008
Name generators, all sorts of other generators.
For a realistic name (at least in the US), use the Baby Name Wizard Name Voyager and find out what babies were being named during the decade in which your character was born.
posted by Slithy_Tove at 7:31 PM on May 2, 2008
For a realistic name (at least in the US), use the Baby Name Wizard Name Voyager and find out what babies were being named during the decade in which your character was born.
posted by Slithy_Tove at 7:31 PM on May 2, 2008
I prefer the way the producers of LOST get their names. They open up an encyclopedia of philosophy to a random page and blindly poke a finger at it.
Except for Jack Shepherd, with a dad named Christian. You connect the dots on that one your own self.
posted by ZachsMind at 7:31 PM on May 2, 2008
Except for Jack Shepherd, with a dad named Christian. You connect the dots on that one your own self.
posted by ZachsMind at 7:31 PM on May 2, 2008
Rodney Pink rings the doorbell. Sent by the cable company, he sighs, clipboard in hand, expecting another typical housecall. Two scantily clad women open the door ...
posted by The Great Big Mulp at 7:47 PM on May 2, 2008
posted by The Great Big Mulp at 7:47 PM on May 2, 2008
On the day that Mona Plemmons came roaring through the drive-thru with the purple giraffe in the back of her 66 Econoline, Malik Finkel had been working at the Dairy Queen for 12 years. He took one look at that damn giraffe and said to himself, "That's it. I need to quit fighting my damn pride and call Steve."
posted by bradth27 at 8:19 PM on May 2, 2008
posted by bradth27 at 8:19 PM on May 2, 2008
This is pretty useful when you want to write a story about 60 year old white people.
posted by Citizen Premier at 8:57 PM on May 2, 2008 [1 favorite]
posted by Citizen Premier at 8:57 PM on May 2, 2008 [1 favorite]
All of these names come from some alternate universe where William Gibson writes books about people who work in cube farms and pay their mortgages on time.
posted by lekvar at 10:37 PM on May 2, 2008 [1 favorite]
posted by lekvar at 10:37 PM on May 2, 2008 [1 favorite]
I use 77480 instead of 77.480 because theres more memory involved in getting a random floating integer between 0 and 77.480 and then round to the third decimal place than just getting a random integer between 0 and 77480.
Good thing PHP programmers know where to start when optimizing their code.
posted by effbot at 11:08 PM on May 2, 2008 [1 favorite]
Good thing PHP programmers know where to start when optimizing their code.
posted by effbot at 11:08 PM on May 2, 2008 [1 favorite]
Lura Badilla wasn't bad, she was just named that way.
Sleeping with her ex-husband's, Tanner Fontaine, ex-girlfriend, Ryan Fuentz, was not quite the most harebrained thing Hilaria Manges had ever done. That would be the threesome with Ryan and Guadalupe Crank, DeWayne's first ex-wife.
Shaquana Boyle and Chantay Dodge would one day save the galaxy. Until then, they managed the reconstruction of the Latarsha Kittel Space Station. Only the Galactic Alliance's paperwork referred to it as the Latarsha Kittel Space Station. The inhabitants of Rigel 4 (and everybody else) called it Space Station 3.
posted by nooneyouknow at 11:41 PM on May 2, 2008
Sleeping with her ex-husband's, Tanner Fontaine, ex-girlfriend, Ryan Fuentz, was not quite the most harebrained thing Hilaria Manges had ever done. That would be the threesome with Ryan and Guadalupe Crank, DeWayne's first ex-wife.
Shaquana Boyle and Chantay Dodge would one day save the galaxy. Until then, they managed the reconstruction of the Latarsha Kittel Space Station. Only the Galactic Alliance's paperwork referred to it as the Latarsha Kittel Space Station. The inhabitants of Rigel 4 (and everybody else) called it Space Station 3.
posted by nooneyouknow at 11:41 PM on May 2, 2008
Oh, and here's a third random American name generator.
posted by nooneyouknow at 11:59 PM on May 2, 2008
posted by nooneyouknow at 11:59 PM on May 2, 2008
The random name generator uses data from the US Census to
randomly generate male and female names. Use it for screenplays /.../
Use "Liza Mcguffin" in a screenplay? Srsly?
posted by effbot at 12:20 AM on May 3, 2008
randomly generate male and female names. Use it for screenplays /.../
Use "Liza Mcguffin" in a screenplay? Srsly?
posted by effbot at 12:20 AM on May 3, 2008
Jeremy Pounders makes Peter of the Arctic wish for a "srsly" better screen play name.
posted by Mblue at 12:40 AM on May 3, 2008
posted by Mblue at 12:40 AM on May 3, 2008
Phew, it took me almost an hour for Ivor Biggun to appear, and anther forty five minutes for Ophelia Dick. I'll report back if I get any more.
posted by mattoxic at 1:33 AM on May 3, 2008
posted by mattoxic at 1:33 AM on May 3, 2008
JOY CHEESEMAN. But that's already my name. This is freaking me out.
posted by not_on_display at 2:21 AM on May 3, 2008 [1 favorite]
posted by not_on_display at 2:21 AM on May 3, 2008 [1 favorite]
I clicked through kingfisher's link and got a list with "Gay Collie" at number 6. Amused as I am, I don't think I'll be filling out the name-change forms just this morning.
posted by Wolfdog at 5:13 AM on May 3, 2008
posted by Wolfdog at 5:13 AM on May 3, 2008
Von Speaks brushed past Wiley Labrador on his way to the post office. He didn't say a thing, as he wanted to just forget all about the Lakesha Manly affair.
posted by splice at 5:31 AM on May 3, 2008
posted by splice at 5:31 AM on May 3, 2008
Sidney Bashline deftly turned over the damp bag of Fritos that his trusty manservant, Gaines Mashell, had found near the port-cochiere.
"My Sticks and Biscuits!" exclaimed Gaines.
"Precisely", piped the Polite Powerhouse, his thin lips tenderly flicking at the last crumbly crystals embedded in the humble fritters.
"This is kosher salt! All who know their retail snack foods surely wouldn't use this off-brand mixture! Time we paid a visit to Asa Gervais and his Fry-Masters!"
Gaines adjusted his tight-fitting homespun and grinned. It was going to be a night of dark adventure...
posted by Dizzy at 7:24 AM on May 3, 2008
"My Sticks and Biscuits!" exclaimed Gaines.
"Precisely", piped the Polite Powerhouse, his thin lips tenderly flicking at the last crumbly crystals embedded in the humble fritters.
"This is kosher salt! All who know their retail snack foods surely wouldn't use this off-brand mixture! Time we paid a visit to Asa Gervais and his Fry-Masters!"
Gaines adjusted his tight-fitting homespun and grinned. It was going to be a night of dark adventure...
posted by Dizzy at 7:24 AM on May 3, 2008
desjardins: Because I have a hard time believing that a name like DONG WINKLE is based on a percentage of anything. (I got that on my 2nd refresh!)
HILMA TINKLE, here.
posted by loiseau at 10:06 AM on May 3, 2008
HILMA TINKLE, here.
posted by loiseau at 10:06 AM on May 3, 2008
My random name generator is my Spam file.
(last week's cull):
Thomas Brock
Tanya Whitman
Sylvester McCollum
Suzanne Seymour
Pauline Clifton
Leta Boyce
Leland Zavala (personal fave)
Johanna Latham
Angelina Gibbs.
This is definitely a reliable alternative.
posted by From Bklyn at 11:22 AM on May 3, 2008
(last week's cull):
Thomas Brock
Tanya Whitman
Sylvester McCollum
Suzanne Seymour
Pauline Clifton
Leta Boyce
Leland Zavala (personal fave)
Johanna Latham
Angelina Gibbs.
This is definitely a reliable alternative.
posted by From Bklyn at 11:22 AM on May 3, 2008
spam names are sadly getting more like real name. i guess they realized that perpetrator whitlock isn't really likely to be anyone's friend.
posted by Maias at 2:23 PM on May 3, 2008 [1 favorite]
posted by Maias at 2:23 PM on May 3, 2008 [1 favorite]
Daniel, Daniel, bo-Baniel... banana-bana fo-Faniel...
It's like Sillius Soddus, or Biggus Dickus...
posted by Guy_Inamonkeysuit at 11:20 AM on May 5, 2008
It's like Sillius Soddus, or Biggus Dickus...
posted by Guy_Inamonkeysuit at 11:20 AM on May 5, 2008
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posted by kuujjuarapik at 5:28 PM on May 2, 2008