I have a spreadsheet of all names that catch my interest and I highlight favorites. Spreadsheet makes it easy to change
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I recently posted this on another board, but it is still applicable to what I do today. The only difference I’ve made is adding a Archive section for both boys and girls where I move names I still like but am not considering using into so I still have them on hand.
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I have a huge document saved on my computer with categories ( word names, vintage, nature, guilty pleasure etc) and whenever i come across a name i really like i just add it to a category. In that way i have a good overview without getting overwhelmed. I also have a separate document with combos.
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I used to have a listography account, until I got locked out and couldn’t be bothered to make a new one aha! Now I just keep the big list of all the combos I’ve liked in the past in my notes app. I’ve tried keeping lists of all the singular names I like, but they get too big and I end up ignoring them. Combos are much easier for me and it helps to have a list of ones I liked as inspiration for new ones.
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I have a word document with all the names I like in alphabetical for boys and girls and then, under the name list I have combos with those name.
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I have a google doc with two columns, one for girls and one for boys. I’ve been adding names to this list for the past few years. It’s not alphabetical, but I have separated my favourite names, the ones I’d actually consider for a child, at the top. This bit changes quite often as I find a new name crush, or fall out of love a little with a previous favourite. Next comes the names I like but am not sure I’d 100% use, then comes the guilty pleasure names that I know I love but would never use! There’s about 60 total for girls and 45 for boys with only 9-10 sat in the top tier at any time.
Under these lists I have middle name combos for all my top-tier names. The rest of the document is then filled with random lists I’ve found, games I’ve played where I want to remember the combos, character name ideas, etc. But my actual name list remain at the top.
@hydrangea24 yes to the writing a name out by hand! Whenever I find a new name or combo I like I spend some time doodling it on paper, names feel different ‘in hand’ than they do on screen. More real somehow!
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Thank you for making this post! [name_f]My[/name_f] list isn’t really organized well… I keep it all on my phone in the notes. I have two general lists of first names and middle names I like separated by girls and boys. I also have a list of my top 10 for each gender and under that is my top 10 name combinations. It’s a bit of a mess. I love all the ideas 
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I like the idea of having a list of family and friends names, so you know which you can’t use.
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@bittersweetsilence
So do I. With so many of the same name in our family, it’s hard to remember who is who. I use it to try to not use the same names over again just because they’re family names (I want my kids to have their own names), but there is one exception (and only if my SO wants it too). I also use the family and friend names as a starting point if I want to honor a specific person (i.e. family member named [name_u]Michael[/name_u], honor name [name_u]Micah[/name_u]).
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Such an interesting topic.
I feel like every semblance of my old name organization went out the window when I had my first baby. Now I try (and mostly fail) to commit my favorites to memory. I’ve gotta get it sorted and figure out where to put them, though.
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I have one list for names that I like and I’d consider for first names, and one for middles names - for names starting with letters we’ve already used (because I don’t want to repeat a first initial), etc. Two lists each for girls and boys names.
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@ashthedreamer 20 names is definitely a good sweet spot. I’m so impressed you can remember most of your names. I tend to even forget names and combinations I adore if I don’t write them down!
@name_sage [name_m]Ah[/name_m], I’m a sucker for a good spread sheet.
@shells15 Is Evernote a phone app? I love how organized you are! The archive section is a great idea.
@SofiaSweden Good to hear that categories are working for you! I think it’s a great idea to have a separate document for combos.
@anon68906791 Literally so impressed that you can remember them, haha.
@[name_f]Gia[/name_f].berry I feel the same about the long lists - so overwhelming. I like that the combos keep it cleaner.
@Sunday_Cami I like the idea of tiering the names a lot!
@meggeh I’m the same with the middles. I’m more adventurous when it comes to middle names, so I like to separate those from my actual list.
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lol, I don’t know that I could repeat them offhand without looking and get every single one of them, but I mess around with my lists enough that I remember most? Plus, once I love a name and find a combo that REALLY suits me, I really don’t let it go… 
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@hydrangea24
Thank you. Evernote is a organizational program that can be managed on your phone, tablet and computer. I usually keep up with it on my computer, but keep it on my phone to look up something while out and about or add (or subtract) some info in one of my notes. You can also clip something from the web, so if I find a recipe I want to hold onto, I can clip it or cut-and-paste it into a note and it will automatically keep track of where I found it.
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I’m extremely disorganized, so my names are in several places including but not limited to:
-notebooks/scraps of paper: this is the first year I’ve had my names on the computer, so there is no comprehensive list anywhere. Several of these lists have gone missing/been destroyed.
-In email drafts. Sigh.
-Nameberry favorites
-Nameberry lists
-notes on my phone
-In emails, texts, Google documents if I talk to people about them
-bookmarked tabs/lists on the computer, some lost to time
-User card
-just in my head
Looking at the rest of this thread, I feel woefully unprepared, especially as I like making lists. I guess names has been such an ongoing, ever changing thing that I never quite manage to put everything together and update it. That’s a good project to start! In most things but the user card and some specific Nameberry lists or emails/texts, there is no sense of rhyme or reason, just lots of names I like or am intrigued by.
I have a private Listography account where I keep all my names.
I categorise them like this:
- First names I would definitely use
- Middle names I would definitely use
- Names I want to use but probably can’t (too unique/long etc) but like to keep
- Names by style (Victorian, retro, gothic etc) I use these when someone here asks for suggestions and I have a general idea of their personal style so it’s easier
- Guilty pleasure names
- One middle name combos, two middle name combos etc
- Made up names
Just something to be wary of when it comes to Listography is that basically a few months ago Listography did some kind of update to the site, and you had to re-enter your email address to log back in, but I never did my security questions on my gmail account and Listography noticed and couldn’t log me back in so I lost all my names lol. I tried to log into my gmail but it wouldn’t let me because of the security matter. So make sure the email you sign up with is functional!
My list is way too long for me to remember and recall them all in my head. I initially wrote down names on a single piece of paper years ago and categorized them as male, female, and pet names. I later decided to put it on a word doc (I have also since lost the original paper) and then when it got pretty long, I rearranged the names to be alphabetical so names would be easier to find (like when I’m trying to figure out if I already wrote the name down). I have just recently got a listography account after seeing the suggestion on this thread and am working on categorizing names and making combos on. Most of my lists are private right now but I’ll hopefully have more of them become public when I finish with them
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