Lately I’ve been feeling very stuck on girl names. DH and I want to explore combos with one of our favorite names (Estellise) but can’t come up with middles that even remotely interest us. I’ve gone through saved names, books (literature, not just baby books), favorite artists, musicians, authors, family tree and absolutely nothing even stirs as “maybe that will work”. So I’m curious, aside from NB where do you look for inspiration when it comes to names?
I think names come organically to me. I wouldn’t pressure myself. Sometimes I’m watching a tv show or a film and suddenly I come across a name I like. For boys, I really like the “old man” names. Something I really pay attention to are street names, park names, store signs and names that belong or are related to things I like–whether it be a famous scientist or even invention, film characters or stars, social activists, artists… It’s hard to say.
What inspired me for my daughter An0uk’s name was the actress An0uk Aimée, I was watching Fellini’s La Dolce [name_f]Vita[/name_f] with my mother and grandmother and thought she was the prettiest lady I had ever seen. What inspired 1ra’s name was the [name_m]Gershwin[/name_m] brothers. My dad was a huge fan of music and an amateur pianist who played with his friends and cousins in a small jazz band in family gatherings. He really loved the [name_m]Gershwin[/name_m] brothers’ repertoire, so it was thinking of him that I named my boy.
I find inspiration in reading about mythology & folklore, nature, travel, blogs, film & even just the general dictionary.
My favorite names are from Turkic history, mythology and legends. Maybe you should search names from your own heritage.
I find history to be full of amazing people with interesting names. If you go beyond your typical kings and queens of [name_f]England[/name_f] there are some great ones. I particularly like ancient cultures and their names. Names of ancient cities and provences usually have found their way into names in some way shape or form.
I also look to treasured book series (Discworld is a big one for DH so [name_f]Esme[/name_f] was his pick). Obviously names from some fantasy/sci-fi universes can be a bit full-on but sometimes you uncover hidden gems (especially for nicknames). I try to stay away from very popular TV shows or movies because it’s clear from the way names are trending that people look to them for inspiration but obviously it’s a great way to inspire yourself.
Finally, I like to find names I associate with a personality type or talent which helps me put names I like together.
When it comes to names, I have a very specific feel that I am looking for.
I look to literature quite often.
However, I find most of my inspiration from nature.
So many beautiful names can be derived simply by stepping outside.
All nature related… colors, birds, water, trees, stones, flowers, etc.
So many different different routes of inspiration.