Naming Your Pet

Hello, guest! Isn't it such a beautiful day in Neopia? I'm so glad you're here--I've got so much to tell you. All those other guides Al writes, well, those pets think they've got the best ones. But I'll tell you a secret: mine's the best yet!

Making NPs is all fine and dandy, and learning how to deal with the Faeries is important, but you're not going to get anywhere until you find the perfect pet companion. I'm going to tell you how to find the absolute best name for your pet!

There are over 191 million pets in Neopia; that's 191,000,000 pets. Goodness gracious, that's a lot! And since there are 175 million pets, then there are also 191 million pet names. That seems like daunting odds for finding the perfect pet name. But never fear--that's why you're here, right?

(You know, Al tells me that in her other world--the one she calls the "real" world--that people can have the same name! That just seems too confusing to me.)

What makes a good name? In my opinion, it's a set of letters that can be pronounced and that doesn't have any numbers or underscores; the first letter is capitalized, and the rest are lowercase.

This page is about how to create the perfect name for your pet. Yes, it's about you doing the work rather than just copying Al's extra names. But if you just can't find the perfect name in a pre-made list, this might be just what you need!

Using Numbers, Underscores, and Capitalization

But there are times when using numbers, underscores, and capitalization is useful and aesthetic.

For example, if you wanted to give your pet a title (such as my friend, Milady_Beloved) or want to make a statement (Veritas_et_Aequitas), you can use underscores to separate the words. Capitalization can also be used to distinguish parts of a name (McTracy and AuntieGrizelda, for example).

And numbers can replace letters to create an otherwise perfect name or to add special significance (in Tuono25_05's name, the numbers designate the year of birth and year of death for his owner's grandfather).

When used properly, even underscores, numbers, and capitalization can help create a special name for your pet! (By the way, all the names I mentioned in this section belong to good friends of mine, so they're all already taken).

Where To Look For Names

Al is always finding names as she reads, writes, and surfs the internet. Often, she stops what she's doing and runs to Neopia to check if the name is taken! If it's not, she sits and ponders for a long time, trying to decide if she should actually create new pets for the names. Usually, she decides not to. However, I and my fellow pets on this account were all created after Al finished a particularly interesting book, so don't despair--there are still names out there!

Let's look at a few sources for names.

Your Life

First of all, there's your own life. I'm sure you're quite familiar with it (at least, I hope you are!). Are there any interesting names around you? Al once had a Grundo named HenryAluisius; he was named after her best friend's dog (yes, the dog's name really is Henry Aluisius, though he usually answers to Hank).

Maybe there's an interesting animal name in your world (Marchegai, for example, is a famous French-bred dressage horse, as well as a helpful Neopian). Or maybe you play on a sports team or have a hobby or even have a friend with a name you can use for your Neopet. Al knew a real person whose name was Antiquaine (pronounced "An-twon,"); there isn't a Neopian with that name yet! You might want to be careful if you use your friends for inspiration, however...

Science and History

You could also look through science or history books and do some research. Some of the obscure jargon or chemical names or a little-known historical figure will probably be unique in Neopia. Al, for instance, is interested in quantum mechanics and might use some of the technical words for pet names or inspiration.

She also has a degree in chemistry and works for a genetic engineering company. She's found some words that might make good pet names: Glyoxal, Jannaschii, Periodate, and Phasor. And finding those names took her only ten minutes of skimming!

You can also pull out a dictionary or encyclopedia and start flipping. There are some very strange words out there! Or check out an atlas--there are interesting place names in your real world.

Books

Maybe you're not the studying type, but you do like to read books for fun. Look through science fiction and fantasy books for names. Usually, the authors have to make up an entire world, complete with history and unique languages (or at least a few significant words), and that gives you a whole bunch of ideas! My name is from one of those--actually, most of Al's pets have names from books (she reads a lot), and she just can't stand to let a good name go to waste.

Now, because most people who would play an online pet site are also inclined toward the sci-fi/fantasy genres, you'll find that most of the more well-known names are already taken (and in some of the more well-known books/series, even the minor characters are taken!). However, new books are always being written. And later, we'll talk about how to take a fabulous (but taken) name and turn it into your own unique creation.

Video Games

Another related place to look for names is in video games. Many games now also make up their own worlds and languages. Al's pet Ladekahn is from one of those. Just like with books, the more well-known/popular characters will already be taken, but a smaller character or an item name may still be available. Digging through books and games to find the perfect name is almost like a treasure hunt!

Food

You could even look through cookbooks for food names. All of Al's pets on her greek2me account are named after Greek wines (and they're all very good, too;). Name your pets after fruits and vegetables, even if they're not a Chia.

You could even use a word/name in another language. Goodness, there's really no end to the places you can look!

Other Places to Look

Perhaps you're not up for looking through books and other sources to find something that might possibly make a decent name. Perhaps you'd prefer a ready-made list. Don't worry--you can find those, too!

You can find almost anything you want on the internet, and names are no exception. There are sites that list baby names from cultures around the world; they have lists that you can browse and search. And most of these sites also list what the name means; that way, you'll know for sure that you've found the right name for your pet.

There are even sites that will generate random names for you. Most of these have a science fiction/fantasy bend to them, since making up names for characters can be rather taxing (Al has been known to name characters "Bob" and "Fred" in her books because she can't be bothered to think of a name for them just yet). Sometimes these sites will give good suggestions; other times, the names need some tweaking...

Tweaking a Name

What if you find the perfect name, but it's already taken? Don't despair--you can still play with it to find a useable name.

Al did this with Kalenteth's name. The original name was "Kalen" (already taken, as were several other names from the same book). So she wanted to combine "Kalen" with another name and settled on "Toreth." Now she had "Kalentoreth," but didn't like it. She experimented with the name, rearranging it and taking out letters until she had "Kaleneth." It still lacked a little something. A little more playing, and she had "Kalenteth." A lot of work? Maybe so, but we got our best buddy out of it, so it was quite worth it!

Don't be afraid to play with a name. Let's take "Legolas" as an example (taken, by the way). Change a letter; we'll change the "g" to an "h." Now we have "Leholas" (not taken). That was simple, wasn't it? Now you have a unique name that is still related, at least in your remembrance, to the original name.

Or change more than one letter. Back to our example, this time we'll change out the first "l" for a "t," giving us "Tegolas" (taken). Now we'll change the second "l": Tegohas, Tegomas, Tegobas, etc (none taken). Or change even more letters: Tegohan (hmm, that tweak looks like someone else we know), Teholan, etc (also not taken).

Trying combining names, too. Let's go back to "Legolas," and now let's add "Gimli," as well. Overlapping the names around the second "l" gives us "Legomli" (taken) or "Legolmi" (a slight rearrangement, but not taken). We can also get out "Gemlas" and "Megolmi" (neither taken) just by substituting and playing with the letters in these two names.

You can also do some basic phonetic work on a name. For example, change an "i" to a "y" or vice-versa. Add an "h" in a silent position, such as at the end of a syllable. Double a letter that won't change pronunciation (Al did this with Eldrakkyn's name). Substitute "ph" for "f." Leave out a "u" after a "q." You can even use foreign language phonetics for inspiration; for example, the French "eau" is nearly equivalent to the English short "o" (and your pet comes complete with a cool accent!). Experiment with the names around you and see what you can come up with!

Questions?

Question: What if you find the perfect name, but it's already taken and the other pet is on a frozen account? Can you still use the name?

Answer: No, you can't. Very, very rarely will TNT completely remove pets and make their names available again. Sometimes, people have been frozen through no fault of their own or because they chose to temporarily close their account. So you'll just have to think of another name.

Acknowledgements

Al and I would like to thank all our friends who contributed their names and naming-expertise. Thanks, guys!

Names on This Page

Other Names Al Finds