Hullo, all.  :]  Welcome!  As per request, thank you to the lovely Sam! I am featuring name combinations today, as well as a few with animal themes.  Fun, eh?  I think so.

So. . .

NAME COMBOS. . .
I pride myself in coming up with awesome, perfectly-fitted combinations.  I don't know if you remember, but often in my stories, I begin with names before I even have the plot.  This makes it difficult for me to come up with thrilling adventures that keep my reader entranced from beginning to end, and my characters usually end up wondering aimlessly around accomplishing nothing.  Not recommended.  If you are like me, you gotta work hard to come up with a good plot, right?  Keep trying!

FIND A MEANING. . .
I take choosing names very seriously, and I hope you do too.  In my opinion, given names should mean something.  Something that fits your character, or something that your character eventually grows to fit.  Make sense?  However, you will find names that are perfect and fit your character to the "T," but have a weird or unlikable meaning.  For example, I like the biblical name Jael, but it means "mountain goat."  Honestly, I wouldn't want to be named for such a thing, but I still find it beautiful, though now that I think of it, it rhymes with "jail" . . .  (No offense to anyone with this name!)  Anyway, to make a point, the meanings do not have to be important, I just find them fascinating.  :]

MIX 'EM UP!
Look for the unique, but also throw in the classic and common names, especially if your tale is set in modern/present-day times.  It would be weird to read a story set in a regular high school where all of the kids have bizarre names like Eamon, Vena, Antonello, and Eulalia.  Beautiful names, but mix 'em up a little!  For example, your main character (MC) could be Valeska (maybe called Val or Valli for short) but her best friends could be Hannah and Jack.  Get it?  Have fun with this!  But don't forget to mix it up!  And keep them pretty simple too.  At least easily pronounceable.

EXAMPLE COMBOS. . .
Whew! Sorry.  Back to name combos!  That's what I was getting to all along, I promise, I just get to rambling and. . . Oh, sorry.  ;D

Anywho. . . When choosing combos, I like to see the whole picture.  I have read many times that you should know the backgrounds of each character, even if you do not use them in the actual story.  For instance, Safia's father, Gunnar Leifson, has a very complex backstory that ties in to the antagonist of the plot.  Most of it, however, will probably never see the light, but it is very important to know (at least for the author).  With that said, here are two family trees from my WIP (work-in-progress), Safia:

Family Trees - Rouseau & Royals of Gondoa

Safia's full name is Safia Gabrielle Leifson.  See how that came to be?  I believe name combos should ring different.  Instead of "Safia Gabriella," I adjusted to "Gabrielle."  Also, I like combining smaller-syllable names with larger-syllable names.  And I also refrain from ending first and last names with the same-sounding kind of syllable:  i.e. Brandon Mason, Kimber Rider, etc. (What about Brandon Rider and Kimber Mason?)  Play with them a bit and see what you come up with.

At times, you may find yourself using a dominant letter with some of your names.  Go through the alphabet and find other letters less common.  A group of friends don't need to be Derrick, Dylan, Dana, and Jennifer (though it could happen in reality. . . I suppose.)  Instead, make it Derrick, Dana, Jennifer, and Neal.

Here's some random combos I like.  Some come from old story ideas, others from my family's names. . .
- Benjamin Creed  (my brother's name is Jamin, and one of my great-grandfathers was named Creed)
- Jenna Elaine  (my mother's middle name is Elaine)
- Ransom Bruce (both names from a grandfather and a great-grandfather)
- Ava Jane Turner
- James K. Donovan (Irish character)
- Kyndela "Kyndi" Shepherd
- Edmund Barlow
- Matthias Gunderson
- Kaely Winter
- Francesca "Chess" Palladino
- Hanna (HAH-nah) Solo (minor character, but one of my most ingenious combos)  XD

7 Tips for Naming Characters
Choosing Names for Your Characters


In concluding this rather lengthy post, here are two animal-themed names. . .

Dov
Gender:  Masculine
Usage:  Hebrew
Pronunciation:  DOV

Meaning & History
Means "bear" in Hebrew.


Aderyn
Gender:  Feminine
Usage:  Welsh
Pronunciation:  a-DER-rin (possibly)

Meaning & History
Means "bird" in Welsh.  Modern.










Thanks for reading!  If you have any requests, please don't hesitate to comment!!  I am always open to suggestions and love the research of finding new names and meanings.

Have a great week.