 Naming Your Neopet
by danielleplicka
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Names. Most players find this an important trait for their pet and want them to be good. If you look at another user's created pets, or even your own, you will find a similar pattern in the names. Some use lots of silent letters such as H's; others base the names off of real words, and some simply try to make a name that sounds nice. Either way, you want a name to be to your own taste and reflect a pet's color or personality nicely. For example, one would not usually name a Darigan Buzz "Sweetie" or "Cutie".
Once a pet is named, no other neopet in Neopia can be named that. So as you can guess, most real words or names are taken. Some users simply throw some numbers behind or in front of the name, but how would you like it if your name was something like "Jhonny173523109742042"? Exactly. I know it can be difficult to find a name, what with the millions and millions of neopets already in existence. But it is definitely possible, you just have to be creative and unique!
Now, as I draw this way-too-long introduction to an end, I'm going to let you know that sadly, this is not going to be a guide listing hundreds of available names. I want you to come up with the names yourself! But I will hopefully help you. It can actually become addicting sitting on Neo for hours looking for available names. :) And just a heads up, I might use some of my pets' names for examples since I shouldn't use those of other users (because I believe that examples can help you to better understand). Thinking Ahead
When creating a pet, think about what you want him or her to be in the future. Will you change the species? What about the color? What will be their personality? An example I have is of my Draik, _Sparkledust (sadly not the best name I have come up with). I knew what I wanted her to become, so when I created her I made sure the name fit. Sometimes you might change your mind, so be careful! We don't want to toss them in the pound because of a silly trait. Fully Matching
A bit similar to the "Thinking Ahead" Tip. But here I'm going to go into a few more details. You really need to just think about what you think would match with a color and species. A good name for a pirate would be something strong or hardy sounding. My Gnorbu, Salbor, has a perfect name to fit him. (The letter O seems to fit well somewhere in a pirate name.) Elegant names for faeries or royal pets; cute names for babies, and so on.
Real Words or Names
As I said before, mostly all real words or names have already been used to name a pet. But that doesn't mean you can't improvise. Sneaking a silent letter in there or replacing a letter with one of the same sound can work beautifully. My Bori, Sqhull, is the perfect example. Sometimes it can take a while to find a replacement word, but if you really want to name your pet that, you will take a little time. Silent Letters
Put an H before or after a vowel. Stick an e at the end of the name. If you do this, the name can still be pronounced the same, but can get you around the hassle of the name already being taken! Jhoyda, my Pteri, is a fine example for the use of a silent H. Some people like to overuse silent letters, which can tend to make the name look sloppy, so try to limit the use, if you really have to. Mixing Words
If you see a certain pet, a few words may come to mind to make you think of it. You can easily combine multiple words to come up with one unique name. When I see a plushie Kacheek, I think of cereal and pillows (for whatever reason). And no, I don't mean I would name a plushie Kacheek "CerealPillow". I would simply combine the words to get something like "Cerillow". See if you can come up with other combinations if you want to test yourself. For The Lab Rats Out There
If you have that family pet whom you zap with the lab ray daily, you're aware that changes in species or color can occur. If you are looking for a certain color, let me suggest a magical paint brush is the better solution. ;) Anyways, you would hopefully be looking for a name that would suit just about any species, color, or gender. These are difficult names to come up with. You are just looking for a nice-sounding name that won't fit just a specific pet. In fact, Telecte's name took a while to come up with (she/he is my labrat). What NOT to do
In MY opinion, double vowels can make a name look sloppy. "Aa, ii, uu" are the ones that tend to get on my nerves. xXName HereXx doesn't look all that great, either. Underscores ( _ ) aren't medicine for the eyes for sure, even though I personally have a couple pets with underscores, so I shouldn't complain. Edfgi is not a name; it is a random collection of letters. Please, if you want a pretty name, try to not use any of this, or numbers. :)
I really hope you now have some idea on how to name a pet! If you don't care about your pet's name, then congratulations, you have completely wasted your time reading this article. ;) But to those out there who want a nice, smooth name for their pets, then I suggest you start thinking about when you will head over to Create-A-Pet!
Names are unique. They describe your pet and no two names can be the same. That is why I wrote this guide. I want users to be inspired to give their pets a lovely name. Good luck to you, and I hope you find an awesome name for your neopet!
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