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Field Researcher
Original Poster
#26 Old 21st Feb 2015 at 7:15 PM
Quote: Originally posted by Carooh
Yes, I do that too! It's not about whether I like the name or not - sometimes I give my Sims names that I think are terrible, but I know that's just those Sim parents' weird taste
The names of the Sim parents themselves don't have much influence in my game. After all, someone with a common name may actually like giving their children a somewhat more unique name. I base the names pretty much on the culture/taste/interest/surroundings of the parents.


Yeah, I do this too, except once I choose a name for one or two children (which I choose based on what I think would fit their parents' taste) I use Nymbler to find more 'similar' names that they might like as well - I don't use just the first page of suggestions, sometimes I browse through several, until I find something that really fits I've given many Sim kids names that I personally strongly disliked/hated and would never ever call my own kids, but they did match the family/parents well so why not

I do need help from name lists/suggestion websites though as I am not a native English speaker, but I play the game in English and to match the premades, I name all Sims 'English' names too - obviously, there are exceptions, such as the Calientes, Montys, etc. that are obviously of different ancestry so then I try to use matching names. But for most Sims that don't have an obvious other ancestry, I go with names that are used in English speaking countries at least to some extent So, to find more English names, since I don't really encounter them in everyday life, I use lists and suggestions because otherwise the choice would be very limited
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Mad Poster
#27 Old 21st Feb 2015 at 7:35 PM
For the record, English speaking countries (particularly America) are full of "foreign" names, so knock yourself out.

I need to think of a singularly clueless name for Bad News Bev's third baby. She named the first one Tri, because her last name is Ku and she's a Tricou, so she figured she was naming him after his grandfather, sort of. She named her second son Dirk because she thought it was short for Derek, so she was naming him after her brother Derek, sort of. If the third one happens to be a girl I'm going with Jamesina, after Bev's husband (who is not this baby's father), but I'm kind of stumped for a boy's name. It absolutely, positively will not be anything that can be construed as being after the biological father, Estebanico Casa, because that would be like telling his wife, who is one of her best friends.

Ugly is in the heart of the beholder.
(My simblr isSim Media Res . Widespot,Widespot RFD: The Subhood, and Land Grant University are all available here. In case you care.)
Scholar
#28 Old 21st Feb 2015 at 8:00 PM
I don't often have trouble making up names. I used to be my husband's name generator for role-playing games. I still have a piece of binder paper with several columns, front and back, filled with names he cadged from me for NPCs and character generation. I cherish it for his handwriting, but I don't need to use it.

When I start a household in CAS everybody starts with the same letter as the last name. From then on all the new children born to that family have names that start with that letter, or with the letter of the parent who does not provide the last name.

I prefer fancypants, "fragrant," multisyllabic names from a variety of languages, because I like them and yet I wouldn't wish them on living children(my own kids each have a pile of aggressively normal names from the family tree). Some of my favorite names are either almost or quite common and ordinary where they came from but become exotic when I consider them: Zdenek, for example, or Profumio. I intend to explore names from other places that I haven't used much.
Theorist
#29 Old 21st Feb 2015 at 8:05 PM
Quote: Originally posted by Peni Griffin
For the record, English speaking countries (particularly America) are full of "foreign" names, so knock yourself out.

I need to think of a singularly clueless name for Bad News Bev's third baby. She named the first one Tri, because her last name is Ku and she's a Tricou, so she figured she was naming him after his grandfather, sort of. She named her second son Dirk because she thought it was short for Derek, so she was naming him after her brother Derek, sort of. If the third one happens to be a girl I'm going with Jamesina, after Bev's husband (who is not this baby's father), but I'm kind of stumped for a boy's name. It absolutely, positively will not be anything that can be construed as being after the biological father, Estebanico Casa, because that would be like telling his wife, who is one of her best friends.


Trey or Traye which is means 3rd.
Mad Poster
#30 Old 21st Feb 2015 at 8:17 PM
That makes far too much sense, CaliBrat, and besides Tri also means three, and that's her first kid. I'm sure she'll pull out something really awful at the last minute, though.

Ugly is in the heart of the beholder.
(My simblr isSim Media Res . Widespot,Widespot RFD: The Subhood, and Land Grant University are all available here. In case you care.)
Meet Me In My Next Life
#31 Old 21st Feb 2015 at 8:22 PM
I have always had a list of name for boys and a list for girl ( yes those web site with girls and boy names do come in handy ) if it's my Sims first child and it's a boy I sometime but not always give him his father name with a Jr. added.
Or I will use "letters" for example if the father first name is Don, I will start the child name with a letter D and let more children name start with the letter D. Or sometime I will combine the name of the father and mother and break it down to sound close to both name.

For example my "Favorite" Sims who is Don Lothario in my game is married to a beautiful Sim that I made in body shop her name is" Rosa", so their first child was a girl I name her "DonaRosa" taking from both parents name.
If there are twins like a boy and a girl I will come up with names that can go for a boy or a girl with some small changes for example "Lonnie" ( Boy ) "Loni" ( girl. )
I have notice that as time pass the name you pick for your Sims as in real life seem to fit the child personality.

"Nothing in life is a Surprise it just happen to come your way at the time".
Theorist
#32 Old 21st Feb 2015 at 9:23 PM
Quote: Originally posted by Peni Griffin
...but I'm kind of stumped for a boy's name. It absolutely, positively will not be anything that can be construed as being after the biological father, Estebanico Casa, because that would be like telling his wife, who is one of her best friends.


Cu Chuliann (pronounced roughly "COO hoo-Lin"), or Cu for short. That makes his name Cu Ku, which sounds like "cuckoo" which is both funny-sounding and the term for one man's child being raised by an entirely different man under the mistaken impression that it is his own child.

I used to like stories about Cu Chuliann when I was a kid. : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C%C3%BA_Chulainn

esmeiolanthe's Live Journal and Tumblr
Most recent story update: Fuchs That! on 2/21/15
Top Secret Researcher
#33 Old 21st Feb 2015 at 9:32 PM
In Stonebridge (how I miss it!) I had a whole notebook page full of interesting names from books or TV or that I'd heard or just gotten randomly attached to. Now with my royal kingdom, all the sims have Lithuanian names because...Lithuania, that's why. Plus they're really pretty. I just had a baby born and her name is Austeja. Though in the royal family, I've decided that while children cannot be named after their parents, the name for a past king can be given to an heir, and the name of a past queen can be given to the daughter of a female first spare. Those are really all the rules I have...

I've got one or two things on MTS, but most of my stuff is on my main site here:
http://simcessories.blogspot.com/
(Now recruiting budding creators.)
Scholar
#34 Old 21st Feb 2015 at 9:33 PM Last edited by ieta_cassiopeia : 21st Feb 2015 at 10:29 PM.
Quote: Originally posted by Peni Griffin
That makes far too much sense, CaliBrat, and besides Tri also means three, and that's her first kid. I'm sure she'll pull out something really awful at the last minute, though.


There was some poor child who got named Amcher because one of the first things the parents saw after the child was born was a sign with "Amcher" on it (it was in Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell, which has a whole chapter on the effects of names on people's lives). So a possible idea, given the combination of the Sim parents' suboptimal spelling skills and the stuckness the matter is generating, perhaps convert something one of the parents had in their line of sight just after the baby was born to something vaguely name-like? (Examples: "Rad" if it's a radio, or "Wally" if the only interesting thing in the place is a wall).

As for how I name my own Sims... ...I have two lists, each with over 10,000 names, one for girls and one for boys. (If I need a neutral name, I pick something that sounds like either child could have it). The lists contain mostly real names, gained by looking at the English, Welsh and Scottish name tally lists (they have lists of what names babies were called in given years and how many got that name, and only names used below a certain number of times are excluded). There's also a selection of Italian, Indian and Japanese names in there for variety, plus a few from other sources I've picked up. If I decide to go with something else instead, I'll add it to the relevant list so other children can use or adapt it later. Combining these with certain subhoods having naming conventions (the SimColony subhood, when it exists, has most children inheriting the first five letters of their same-sex parent's name), and my not caring if having a Martha and a Rashida-Labana born to the same parents makes any sense, means I rarely have difficulties naming Sims. The schoolteachers probably wish the naming inspirations were a little less diverse though...
Test Subject
#35 Old 21st Feb 2015 at 9:41 PM
I tend not to like pre-made names (or pre-made sims in general for that matter) and I also like to maintain a little bit of realism. To that effect (though I'm free to make exceptions) all first-born sons are named after one of the twelve apostles (to keep common names common).

For other children, I'll base the naming tradition on a variety of factors; parents' personality, family genealogy, class and ethnic background, and so on and so forth.

Rarer names that I have like a lot (and so tend to crop up a little more than they should) are; Silas, Leo, Sumner, Errol, Maverick and Harrison.

For girls, I have to admit that I'm a little less adventurous, my favourites are; Jessica, Katherine, Mary, Lauren, Charlotte and Robyn.

Here's an example, the second family (the 'Elder' family) in a neighbourhood I've recently created (only just reinstalled the game after quite a while away);

John (father)
Mary (mother)
Michael (eldest son, and an exception to the aforementioned rule on account of the fact that his father already fulfils the criteria)
Charlotte (eldest daughter, token ginger)
Leo (second son, twin)
Jessica (second daughter, twin)
David (third son, black sheep)
Peter/Lauren (unborn child)
Lab Assistant
#36 Old 21st Feb 2015 at 9:48 PM
All of my sim names have to have meaning. Anyone I know who has ever had to name a child doesn't just pick a name in a few seconds, they always spend time thinking about it (or thought about it and decided way before the child was on the way). The meaning may be small, such as the Grunt family only using 4-letter boy names, or big, such as following a theme for family names or finding a good derivative or symbol for a maiden name turned first name.

For example:
- Heather Huffington-Ruben and Martin Ruben had a daughter who they named Audrey after Audrey Hepburn because Heather is an Icon in the Show Business and runs a beauty store (I consider AH a supreme style icon)
- Pascal Curious named his daughter Pandora since it fit with Curious and with all of Jenny Smith and her siblings naming their kids with their own firs initial (Jenny-J, Pascal-P, Vidcund-V, etc.)
- Gabriel Green named his alien daughter Eden to merge three themes: biblical, green, and first (first alien born in the neighborhood)
- Sarah Love-Hart and Matthew Hart named their daughter Amanda, as meaning Love, Sarah's maiden name
- Angela Pleasant-Broke and Dustin Broke named their daughter Emma, one of the most recent popular baby names, since they pose as the 'ideal' suburban family

Pleasantview - Family Tree
Strangetown - Family Tree
Rhinehart - Royal Kingdom Challenge
Scholar
#37 Old 21st Feb 2015 at 10:24 PM
Quote: Originally posted by Alpal425
I haven't done this yet, but I might when I start the legacy challenge.
If it is a boy, the first letter in his name must match his father's first letter in his name.
Example: The Dad's name is Ben, so the baby's name would have to start with a B, like Billy.
If it is a girl, the first letter in her name must match her mother's first letter in her name.
Example: The Mom's name is Amy, so the baby's name would have to start with an A, like Ariel.


That's what Ive been doing with my custom hood for several month. But after 3-4 generation, some of the letters are get harder to figure out the name (especially O and Z) for.
But Its great naming system to track bloodlines without looking at their family tree. I wouldnt use this method if it wasnt because of my martial structure rules (partiarch, non-pologamy, no inbreeding).

Otherwise, I like to use babyname website to name my sims after their meanings, nationality, theme etc such as this one http://www.babynames.com/ or this one for common english name http://names.mongabay.com/baby_names/boys250.html . :P
Field Researcher
#38 Old 21st Feb 2015 at 11:38 PM
It varies, depending on neighborhood, how many family names there are to pull inspiration from, and what mood I'm in at the time of playing.

For some 'hoods I have lists of names, that I get from a randomizer (at Behind the Name), and when the baby's born I pick one that feels like it fits in that family. I don't go completely randomized because I don't want to end up with siblings named Jane, Serendipity and Kaytelynneh. But the list stays until most of the names on it have been used, and then I add another batch of new randomized names.

Sometimes I go by what the parents are like. Are their names Michael and Jennifer and they've always hated being on of three by that name in their class? They'll pick unusual names. Does one parent have a name from a specific culture/language/ethnicity? The kids might get that kind of names, too, or maybe an anglicized version. Do both parents have a strong interest in common, let's say they enjoy restoring cars together? Maybe they'll name their kids for car brands.

And sometimes, when triplets and quads strikes to give me three kids when I wasn't expecting it, I'll go with whatever pops into my head. That's how the Ottomas family ended up with Aidan, Diana and Nadia.


Quote: Originally posted by Peni Griffin
For the record, English speaking countries (particularly America) are full of "foreign" names, so knock yourself out.

I need to think of a singularly clueless name for Bad News Bev's third baby. She named the first one Tri, because her last name is Ku and she's a Tricou, so she figured she was naming him after his grandfather, sort of. She named her second son Dirk because she thought it was short for Derek, so she was naming him after her brother Derek, sort of. If the third one happens to be a girl I'm going with Jamesina, after Bev's husband (who is not this baby's father), but I'm kind of stumped for a boy's name. It absolutely, positively will not be anything that can be construed as being after the biological father, Estebanico Casa, because that would be like telling his wife, who is one of her best friends.


Bevan or Bevis? Or Jon, or Smith.
Mad Poster
#39 Old 21st Feb 2015 at 11:45 PM
I use Hook's "RandomStuff " mod, with long lists of both male and female names. It's never come up twice with the same name in the family-or in the hood, either.

The lists came from the US Census for the most popular/used names.
Mad Poster
#40 Old 22nd Feb 2015 at 12:11 AM
I'm also a behindthename.com fan, and the sister site for surnames. Especially if I want to make an ethnic sim family and make sure the names are appropriate and don't have enough in my own mental collection.

Mostly I try to use names of dead ancestors as much as possible, though some of the premades have . . . impossible names. Names that are just not at all 'namey'. None of the young curious kids is going to get named Notzo. Kitty, on the other hand, when a girl comes along there will be a Katherine Curious.

Pics from my game: Sunbee's Simblr Sunbee's Livejournal
"English is a marvelous edged weapon if you know how to wield it." C.J. Cherryh
Lab Assistant
#41 Old 22nd Feb 2015 at 12:57 AM
Usually I just name them the first thing that comes to mind, but recently I've compiled a list of names I'd like to use. The Goth family even have their own list because of their naming patterns (boys names end in -r, girls names end in -a).
Lab Assistant
#42 Old 22nd Feb 2015 at 2:47 AM
http://random-name-generator.info/
Generational by the first letter of their first name (All gen 1 sim's names start with an A, 2 is B, etc.)
Search by name-meanings on baby name sites


I like the idea of slightly changing a grandparent's name. Will use!
Forum Resident
#43 Old 22nd Feb 2015 at 3:11 AM
I usually use whatever comes to mind unless a family or even hood have a certain theme. Or if the mother or father of the baby has a very strong personality I will name their child something that would match that personality. Sometimes I will use name generators, but that is mostly if I need names from a certain country or culture, for instance, like in my Norse hood where the residents are Vikings. If I cannot think of anything quickly, I will use names of family or friends, or even characters from a book or a celebrity. For instance, in a hood I recently made, I needed a single woman in a household and couldn't think of a name so I randomly named her Sarah Parker. She eventually had a daughter and I named the daughter Jessica. Together, it turns out to be Sarah Jessica Parker. It;s weird, but it works.

The moon so bright shows me the way
Deep in the graveyard beside her I lay
Knowing she'll keep me safe from all harms
Though six feet apart, I lay in her arms...
Scholar
#44 Old 22nd Feb 2015 at 4:26 AM
I either choose the name of a grandparent or ancestor/relative of note or a variation of that name, or go the association route.
For example Bonny ended up with a daughter named Anne.
Mad Poster
#45 Old 22nd Feb 2015 at 4:46 AM
If I'm playing Veronaville I continue the Shakespearean naming trend that that Eaxis started, I used a website a long time ago to make a written list of boys and girls names. If a baby is born from an alien abduction I use names of constellations. I have a written list of names I use if there are ever any abductions.

Otherwise I just use whatever names I feel like using. Sometimes I try to go alphabetical with siblings names, sometimes it has no rhyme or reason.
Undead Molten Llama
#46 Old 22nd Feb 2015 at 4:56 AM
I suck at naming things. I mean, I had trouble naming my real-life kids. So, random name generators are love. For me, anyway. I'm not especially picky about what my Sims are named, actually. I just click the generator until it spits out a name that doesn't clash too badly with the surname and that doesn't sound too strange to my admittedly American ears.

The only exception, sometimes, is the alien babies and children of Plantsims, whether they're grown or born the conventional way. With the aliens, I'll sometimes name them after stars or constellations or, currently, astronomers/astrophysicists. Children of Plantsims will get flower or tree names. Sometimes. But sometimes not. Generally, I'm not that creative when it comes to names and, as I said, I usually don't care all that much what my Sims are named. Given other people's replies here, I guess I'm sort of strange that way. As I am in many ways, actually.

I'm mostly found on (and mostly upload to) Tumblr these days because, alas, there are only 24 hours in a day.
Muh Simblr! | An index of my downloads on Tumblr.
Forum Resident
#47 Old 22nd Feb 2015 at 5:13 AM
Often times, it's from people that I know IRL, mix & matched first and last names, and the Sims are not otherwise based on real people.
Field Researcher
#48 Old 22nd Feb 2015 at 5:53 AM
I let different families develop their own naming traditions. Anyone born with the surname Rabbit tends to have a forename beginning with R - Rodney, Roderick, Robbie, Rowena, Roland etc (but not Roger). However, when I first created the Rabbit family, the two girls were twins (I just used the same face template twice in CAS, with no tweaks) and I called them Natalie and Natasha, in homage to a pair of twins so named in the BBC school soap Grange Hill. This theme continued with the next daughter - Naomi. Naomi married a Nathen and so far all their descendants have names beginning with Na. Furthermore, they're all derived from Tolkien - Narya, Narvi (yes, Tolkien, not Avatar), Narbeleth and Narsil.

However, I couldn't resist naming daughter #4 Bunny. Who had a son called Jack.

My interest in wildlife and taxonomy has led to some families deriving their names from Linnaean binomials. This is particularly evident in the Partridge family, with Alectoria (from Alectoris, a genus of European partridges), Barbara (Alectoris barbara, the Barbary Partridge), Rufus (A rufa, the Red-legged Partridge) and Chuck (A chukar, the Chukar Partridge). Also Perdicia, a feminisation of Perdix (simply Latin for partridge, AFAIK).

Other names from taxonomic sources, usually modified to suit sex of child, include Carassia (goldfish), Salmo (trout/salmon), Butea (buzzard), Pandion (Osprey) and Talpo (mole).

As for the Curry family, there has been or currently is Tikka, Bhuna, Madras, Balti, Korma, Rogan (as in Josh) and Binda-Lou.
The Great AntiJen
retired moderator
#49 Old 22nd Feb 2015 at 11:11 AM
Quote: Originally posted by Felicia1066
And sometimes, when triplets and quads strikes to give me three kids when I wasn't expecting it, I'll go with whatever pops into my head. That's how the Ottomas family ended up with Aidan, Diana and Nadia.

So did you specifically go for anagrams there?

I no longer come over to MTS very often but if you would like to ask me a question then you can find me on tumblr or my own site tflc. TFLC has an archive of all my CC downloads.
I'm here on tumblr and my site, tflc
Field Researcher
Original Poster
#50 Old 22nd Feb 2015 at 12:00 PM
Quote: Originally posted by Sunbee
Mostly I try to use names of dead ancestors as much as possible, though some of the premades have . . . impossible names. Names that are just not at all 'namey'. None of the young curious kids is going to get named Notzo. Kitty, on the other hand, when a girl comes along there will be a Katherine Curious.


Wow, I love the idea of Katherine for one of Curious kids. I might use it! :P
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