Naming your Pokemon.

[jackandahat]

Do you name your Pokemon?

If you do, how do you come up with names? Do you use themes?

I usually pick random names, but playing Black I've started doing themes - right now I've got an Audino called Moneypenny, a Herdier called Mathis and a Purrloin called Xenia - all James Bond characters. (I'm debating what to call M, I'm thinking some kind of bird Pokemon.)

Comments

[cheyinka]

Normally I just name them whatever comes to mind, though not people names, usually. My starter I try to give a clever name, though, since I'll be seeing it a lot. In Black I named myself after a character from a book, since the name I customarily use in games was too close to one of the two friends, so I named my starter after that character's bodyguard. (I actually spelled the player-character's name wrong, which has been vexing me ever since I started, but I'm too attached to my party to start over...)

[jackandahat]

I just had to start over leveling up a Pokemon because I'd somehow missed it was a male and used him for the female character. *Facepalm* Of course, I didn't notice this until I'd got him up 7 levels - can't imagine having to restart the whole game!

[cheyinka]

Fortunately, nobody but me (who's seen the name) notices - I named her Ilsidi instead of Ilisidi, but I signed the back of the trainer card as Ilisidi and should anyone ask I'll say I thought I could only use six characters for the name. :P

[birgitriddle]

I usually don't use themes, but the first snake Pokemon I come across usually either gets called Naga or Nagini depending on gender. In Black, it was my Snivy that got that honor. XD I named my Lillipup (now a Stoutland) Terrier after a character's nickname in a book I had recently re-read. Named my Minccino after a friend's chinchilla. The rest of the names are kinda silly and descriptive of the Pokemon or are a variation on the Pokemon's name. I did call my Munna Yume though. Oh and my Pidove got named after a pigeon from the same book I grabbed the name Terrier from.

It really honestly depends on how I feel when I catch the Pokemon and my media consumption at the time tends to influence naming sometimes. However there's some Pokemon that always get named the same thing. There's a Pokemon (I forget its name, I think it's a third Gen Pokemon) who always gets named either Jenova or Sephiroth depending on it's gender and I always name my Abras Dumbledore regardless of gender. ^^;

[jackandahat]

Now I'm going to be keeping an eye out on the GTS for Harry Potter Pokemon!

[carnivorousgiraffe]

I always name my Pokemon, or at least the first of each species I catch--I feel absurdly guilty if I don't, even if they're just going to be languishing in the box for eternity. If I haven't picked out a theme ahead of time (usually from sort of fictional media) I generally default to Harry Potter characters, as punny as possible.

If I'm playing as a character though, that is, creating a sort of RP narrative in my head as I play, I'll try to avoid nerdy references and go with actual names (still plenty of puns though. :P).

[jackandahat]

What kind of puns - are they based on the species?

[carnivorousgiraffe]

Species, type, or just appearance. I think usually I go by type or the animal they were clearly based on (ie, naming a dog Pokemon Spot or Fido--which I haven't actually done, but it's stuff like that.). My puns are generally pretty damn terrible, but I haven't sunk so low as to, say, call an electric Pokemon Sparky or something. XD

I do sometimes actually mix wordplay and nerdy references, actually. I've got a Bellossom on one cartridge named Trix after Bellatrix Lestrange. :P

[jackandahat]

...I bet next time you get a dog-type, you're going to be itching to call him that.

Now I'm wondering what Pokemon Neal would be. Something with "thief" ability, of course.

[dratinis]

I try to give my Pokemon names that would fit them in some way. Like naming my Typhlosion Vulcan, or my Gengar Cheshire. But for some reason, if I get a grass starter, it'll always be named Iggy regardless of gender. It started in Gold, and it's just kind of... stuck.

[existence]

I like having a theme because my Inner OCD has been like that since networking and file structure. This time I'm using foods, and I named my trainer after Iron Chef Morimoto, but I will pick anything that has a large enough namebase to get me through the first three gyms.

[ex_imyongsoo496]

I don't name them much, but when I do it's either the entire scientific name of what they're based on, or a short version of it. Archeops was Zhao (M. zhaoianus), Scolipede would have been Scolopendra (a type of centipede) but it was too long, so I went with Pendragon because he looks far too classy~ If the scientific name isn't good, I'll go with whatever their name is in another language. Samurott is Daikenki, Mandibuzz is Grypheldis, etc. :3

[izlude]

Late reply is late, but EH!

I never really got into the whole nicknaming thing... Probably because I'm very, very picky about names. I'm lucky if I can come up with a character name (for role-playing) in like, a day! But when I decided I was going to actually make A TEAM! this gen, I also resolved to nickname its members. So far, though, only one member has a name yet... Yukiko the Froslass. I'm not sure what to call the others yet, though. I'm thinking Mimi for Lopunny (from its Japanese name, Mimiroppu), but the rest... Hngh. Hard times! I really want to stick with the whole 'take from its Japanese name' thing, but there's nothing I like for Blissey, Gardevoir, Mismagius, and Lilligant. I'll probably just give in and name them whatever seems to fit.

Otherwise, though? I still don't really name my 'mons...

[hauntedwaxdoll]

I name them regular names... weird I know..

[hauntedwaxdoll]

I just named my pokabu Oolong, after the Oolong in DBZ.