Name Generator

The Name Generator

Scrivener comes with a simple name generator that includes thousands of common names, as well as selections such as dictionary words that mimic names, and literary surnames from classics. Its proper name lists include a broad selection of regional names in several languages. It also includes a number of features for selecting the types of names you will see generated.

Name Generator Facts:

1. You can now select multiple names at once from the list of generated names to copy or even the entire list. Right clicking on the selected names and you will see the option to copy them. These names can now be copied and pasted into a Scrivener Document for future use.

2. Scrivener’s Name Generator comes prepackaged with multiple surnames and forenames, but Scrivener also includes a large folder of 242 Legacy Names that can be added to the Name Generator in the lower right corner by clicking the plus sign and choosing Legacy Names. (A native Russian noted the Russian Legacy names are inaccurate and should be used cautiously if at all.)

3. You can click, select, and add multiple Legacy name lists to the Name Generator at once. However, you can only add one created custom name list at a time.

4. With each scrivener update, you must add your custom name lists and legacy name lists back into the Name Generator again.

5. These name lists are machine specific, so consider storing manually created name lists in the cloud so other machines you have access to, can share the name lists.

6. Besides searching for name lists online, consider asking the AI tools included with web browsers to generate name lists for you of surnames and forenames.

The Name Generator Interface

#1 List of current generated names. You can move the slider below the names to decrease or increase the number of names generated when you click the Generate Names button (#2).

#2 Generate Name button. Clicking this will generate a list of names based on all the choices you made in the various areas of the Name Generator.

#3 Here you choose the Gender option for the Forename you will generate and in the white box (see above) you can add rules for the names generated.

#4 Here are more options that you can customize for both the Forenames and Surnames.

#5 Here you must choose one Forename option (must match gender at the top of the panel to generate names) and a Surname option from the name lists you have. Surnames have a hollow circle by their lists as do lists of Unisex (Either boy or girl) Forenames.

#6 Here you can add Name lists, either one or more of the 242 Legacy Name lists included with Scrivener’s software, or Name Lists that you create, generate with AI input, or find and copy on the internet.

Reach the Name Generator:

Use the Menu command Edit > Writing Tools > Name Generator

Name Generator Options (#4 and 5 above) and what they mean:

• Gender Select one option here. The default is either male or female but you can choose Either.

• Attempt alliteration The generator will attempt to produce names with an alliterative effect, like “Jeromy Jin”. This option will work best with Latin based languages.

• Double-barreled surnames Produces names like, “Otis Cowie-Milburn”

• Forenames using initials only Reduces the forename to an initial. If more than one forename initial has been selected in the option below, multiple initials will be generated, like, “N. J. Pettersen”.

• Number of forenames/initials The default option is 1 initial but this can be increased to 3.

• The next two fields are multi-purpose tools where you can either set part of the name yourself, or search the database for a name by providing a part of it.

*****These same options are available for surnames.

For each part of the name:

— Set: forces the respective name to be what you type into the text field; useful if you already have a name in mind but are having troubles with the surname.

— Starts with: will only return names from the database that start with the characters you type into the field.

— Ends with: likewise, but for characters at the end of the name.

— Contains: the characters need only be found anywhere within the name.

Obscurity Level This slider adjusts how obscure the names should be on average. Moving the slider all the way to the left might produce a result like, “Scott Young”, while sliding it all the way to the right, “Chauncey Noach” (no offense to all the Chaunceys out there).

The bottom of the configuration area is where you will select from the many lists provided as sources for the name generator.

You can have as many lists active at once as you like, but you will always need at least one Surname list selected (indicated by the neutral gray circle icon), and at least one gender list which is compatible with the gender option set above at the top of the right side of the panel. (see #3 above)

Adding LEGACY NAME LISTS-

Scrivener has a large selection of male and female forename lists and surnames grouped by nationality in the Legacy list. Choosing one adds to your options when choosing parameters for name selection.

For the mac these Legacy lists are found in the Scrivener.app/Contents/Resources/Default Support Folder/NameLists

For the PC these Legacy lists are found in C:\Program Files\Scrivener3\resources\toolbox\namestool\legacy

When you click to add a legacy name, this opens the folder containing these lists of 242 various forenames and surnames. From this list, you can click and open multiple name files at once to add to your name generator.

Opening the list takes you to the file location on your computer where the legacy lists are stored as csv lists. These legacy lists can be long and you should consider using the obscurity slider to adjust name presentation.

Note: It has been reported by a native Russian writer that the Russian name lists are inaccurate.

The 242 available Legacy lists include:

Aboriginal Female Forenames

Aboriginal Male Forenames

Afghan Surnames

African American Female Forenames

African American Male Forenames

African Female Forenames

African Male Forenames

African Surnames

Albanian Surnames

American Female Forenames

American Male Forenames

American Surnames

Ancient Amazonian Female Forenames

Ancient Amazonian Male Forenames

Ancient Assyrian Female Forenames

Ancient Assyrian Male Forenames

Ancient Aztecan Female Forenames

Ancient Aztecan Male Forenames

Ancient Babylonian Female Forenames

Ancient Babylonian Male Forenames

Ancient Egyptian Female Forenames

Ancient Egyptian Male Forenames

Ancient Greek Female Forenames

Ancient Greek Male Forenames

Ancient Hittite Female Forenames

Ancient Hittite Male Forenames

Ancient Incan Female Forenames

Ancient Incan Male Forenames

Ancient Mayan Female Forenames

Ancient Mayan Male Forenames

Ancient Palestinian Female Forenames

Ancient Palestinian Male Forenames

Ancient Phoenician Female Forenames

Ancient Phoenician Male Forenames

Ancient Roman Female Forenames

Ancient Roman Male Forenames

Ancient Sumerian Female Forenames

Ancient Sumerian Male Forenames

Anglo Saxon Female Forenames

Anglo Saxon Male Forenames

Arabian Female Forenames

Arabian Male Forenames

Arabic Surnames

Aramaic Female Forenames

Aramaic Male Forenames

Argentinian Surnames

Armenian Female Forenames

Armenian Male Forenames

Armenian Surnames

Arthurian Legend Female Forenames

Arthurian Legend Male Forenames

Australian Female Forenames

Australian Male Forenames

Australian Surnames

Austrian Surnames

Azerbaijani Surnames

Bangladeshi Surnames

Basque Female Forenames

Basque Male Forenames

Basque Surnames

Belgian Surnames

Bosnian Surnames

Bulgarian Surnames

Cambodian Female Forenames

Cambodian Male Forenames

Cambodian Surnames

Canadian Female Forenames

Canadian Male Forenames

Canadian Surnames

Catalonian Surnames

Celtic Female Forenames

Celtic Male Forenames

Chamorro Female Forenames

Chamorro Male Forenames

Chilian Surnames

Chinese Female Forenames

Chinese Male Forenames

Chinese Surnames

Cornish Female Forenames

Cornish Male Forenames

Cornish Surnames

CostaRican Surnames

Croatian Surnames

Czechoslovakian Female Forenames

Czechoslovakian Male Forenames

Czechoslovakian Surnames

Danish Female Forenames

Danish Male Forenames

Danish Surnames

Dutch Female Forenames

Dutch Male Forenames

Dutch Surnames

Egyptian Female Forenames

Egyptian Male Forenames

English Female Forenames

English Male Forenames

English Surnames

Estonian Surnames

Fijian Surnames

Filipino Surnames

Finnish Female Forenames

Finnish Male Forenames

Finnish Surnames

French Female Forenames

French Male Forenames

French Surnames

Gaelic Female Forenames

Gaelic Male Forenames

Galician Surnames

German Female Forenames

German Male Forenames

German Surnames

Greek Female Forenames

Greek Male Forenames

Greek Surnames

Hawaiian Female Forenames

Hawaiian Male Forenames

Hungarian Female Forenames

Hungarian Male Forenames

Hungarian Surnames

Indian Female Forenames

Indian Male Forenames

Indian Surnames

Indonesian Female Forenames

Indonesian Male Forenames

Indonesian Surnames

Iranian Surnames

Iraqi Surnames

Irish Female Forenames

Irish Male Forenames

Irish Surnames

Israeli Female Forenames

Israeli Male Forenames

Israeli Surnames

Italian Female Forenames

Italian Male Forenames

Italian Surnames

Jamaican Female Forenames

Jamaican Male Forenames

Japanese Female Forenames

Japanese Male Forenames

Japanese Surnames

Jewish Female Forenames

Jewish Male Forenames

Jewish Surnames

Jordanian Surnames

Korean Female Forenames

Korean Male Forenames

Korean Surnames

Kosovan Surnames

Latin Female Forenames

Latin Male Forenames

Latvian Surnames

Lebanese Surnames

Lithuanian Surnames

Malaysian Surnames

Maltese Surnames

Maori Female Forenames

Maori Male Forenames

Maori Surnames

Mongolian Surnames

Muslim Female Forenames

Muslim Male Forenames

Muslim Surnames

Native American Female Forenames

Native American Male Forenames

Nigerian Female Forenames

Nigerian Male Forenames

Norse Female Forenames

Norse Male Forenames

Northernlreland Surnames

Norwegian Female Forenames

Norwegian Male Forenames

Norwegian Surnames

Pakistani Surnames

Paraguayan Surnames

Persian Female Forenames

Persian Male Forenames

Peruvian Surnames

Polish Female Forenames

Polish Male Forenames

Polish Surnames

Polynesian Female Forenames

Polynesian Male Forenames

Portuguese Female Forenames

Portuguese Male Forenames

Portuguese Surnames

Roman Surnames

Romanian Female Forenames

Romanian Male Forenames

Romanian Surnames

Russian Female Forenames (** See above for Info on the Russian names)

Russian Male Forenames

Russian Surnames

Samoan Surnames

Sanskrit Female Forenames

Sanskrit Male Forenames

Scandinavian Female Forenames

Scandinavian Male Forenames

Scandinavian Surnames

Scottish Female Forenames

Scottish Male Forenames

Scottish Surnames

Serbian Female Forenames

Serbian Male Forenames

Serbian Surnames

Shakespearean Female Forenames

Shakespearean Male Forenames

Sikh Surnames

Singaporean Surnames

Slavic Female Forenames

Slavic Male Forenames

Slavic Surnames

Slovenian Surnames

Spanish Female Forenames

Spanish Male Forenames

Spanish Surnames

SriLankan Surnames

Swahili Female Forenames

Swahili Male Forenames

Swedish Female Forenames

Swedish Male Forenames

Swedish Surnames

Swiss Female Forenames

Swiss Male Forenames

Swiss Surnames

Syrian Surnames

Taiwanese Surnames

Teutonic Female Forenames

Teutonic Male Forenames

Thai Female Forenames

Thai Male Forenames

Thai Surnames

Tibetan Surnames

Tongan Surnames

Turkish Female Forenames

Turkish Male Forenames

Turkish Surnames

Ukrainian Female Forenames

Ukrainian Male Forenames

Ukrainian Surnames

Vietnamese Female Forenames

Managing Your Own Name Lists

You can add your own custom name lists to the generator. You can use AI to generate name lists in a CSV format. If you have microsoft word and copy a name list, you have word order the names in alphabetical order and repaste into the Scrivener name list. They should be formatted so that all names are on a single line, and each name is separated by a comma, like so:

Name1,

Name2,

Name3,

Name4,

Name5,

Etc. Etc.[***The last name in the list has no comma after it.]

It might be easiest to produce these lists in a spreadsheet on a single row in Excel, and export as a CSV file.

1.) If you use a regular text editor, make sure to save as plain text, and preferably name the file with a “.csv” extension.

2.) Click the + button, below the name list area of the Name Generator window.

3.) Locate the file Windows Explorer and click Open. (Ideally keep any created name lists in the same location on your computer. Consider keeping them on a cloud service, so if have more than one device, any one can access a name list.

4. Give the list a descriptive name in the Title field, including whether it is a list of female forenames, male forenames, or either. Surname lists should be identified by ethnicity or purpose and include surname in the title for clarity.

Bibliography Management

If you have ordered your list from most common to most obscure (at the end of the list), use the Obscurity Level slider for that list.

To delete one of your custom lists: select it from the name list area and click the − button in the footer of the Name Generator Panel. You will be asked to confirm your decision.

To update a list you’ve imported in the past, delete the custom list, and then add your modified CSV file again

You can import Notepad lists as well in two formats:

Format 1 is CSV-

Or do this way with each name on a separate line followed by a comma except the last name. You can copy and paste this into word and rearrange alphabetically and copy back into the notepad tool.

Links for Lists of names for the Name Generator:

Australian Boy’s names with meanings as well

https://momlovesbest.com/australian-boy-names

British Surnames:

https://momlovesbest.com/british-last-names

Dutch Baby names:

https://www.thebump.com/b/dutch-baby-names

Eastern European Surnames

https://kidadl.com/baby-names/inspiration/103-eastern-european-last-

names-with-meanings

General Link with lots of name lists:

https://nameberry.com/

Irish Surnames:

https://www.familyeducation.com/baby-names/surname/origin/irish

Mom Loves Best Naming Page (lots of resources)

https://momlovesbest.com/?s=names

Slavic Girl’s names:

https://momlovesbest.com/slavic-girl-names

Slavic Boy’s names:

https://top-names.info/names.php?S=M&C=2

Social Security Name list by year

https://www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/

Spanish Girl’s names:

https://www.pampers.com/en-us/pregnancy/baby-names/article/

spanish-girls-names

https://www.thebump.com/b/spanish-baby-girl-names

Spanish Boys names:

https://www.babycenter.com/baby-names/most-popular/100-most-

popular-spanish-baby-names-for-boys-in-2012_10376553

Spanish Surnames:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_common_Spanish_surnames

Changing Character Names:

What if I decide to change my character name, midway thru my novel. This can be easy to do IF you use unique names for each character, which should be a cardinal practice when writing.

To do this, follow these steps:

Backup your Novel first in case an error occurs. This will make reversing the process very easy.

Use the Menu command Edit > Find > Project Replace. You will see the Panel below and place your name or (name placeholder -see below another system) in the Replace box and the new name in the With box. Note if the Character name appears in Custom Metadata this can change here if you click that box. However, the Name in keywords will not change and you will need to manually change/add Keywords.

#1 Enter current name and then enter new name

#2 Generally will want the whole word to prevent inadvertent word replacements.

#3 Usually this is for the whole project and this should be unchecked.

#4 Will want to replace in text

#5 This refers to Binder document titles and is only needed if the Character name appears here.

#6 You will want to check this so the name is changed in any scene snapshots you already created.

#7 Click when done making choices.

#8 If you swap you could reverse the process and swap the old name for the replacement name. (This is also why you create a backup before changing)

Scrivener Tip: I suggest creating a keyword search with the current name of the character. Save the Collection with your current name for the Character. Now when the name is changed, it becomes easy to create a new Keyword with the new name and apply that Keyword to the Collection you just created to preserve your ability to do Keyword searches for your character.

If you use a placeholder system for names till you decide the same process can be used including creating keyword collections.

Use unique placeholders (letter combinations) that would not appear normally in the novel.

One possible example.

Povvv1(can add m or f to clarify the sex if you want), Povvv2, etc for the main characters.

Minorrr1(can add m or f to clarify the sex if you want), Minorrr2, etc for side or minor characters.

Or MMC1 (Main Male Character 1), MFC1 (Main Female Character 1), mmc1 (minor male character 1) etc. This could work for other character types like trans characters (MTC1), or aliens (MA1). The key is picking a combination of letters that will not be duplicated inside the novel.

Scrivener Tip:

Remember, if you use keywords to track your characters create a search collection before changing the name to be able to apply the new name as a keyword to this search collection and preserve your ability to find the character in your novel after the name change. Keywords can be applied to multiple documents at one time by simply dragging the keyword onto a group of selected documents.