What do you inspire on to name your pokemon?

[Lugruf]

When naming my pokemon I'm like the least original person ever, so I end up naming them after some anecdotes in the game (my Chesnaught is called "God slayer" because he killed Arceus for example, or Musharna "OP pls nerf" after defeating Mewtwo in the glitch field).

Sometimes I also name them after songs or albums. "Kill 'em all" sounded appropriate for a modest adaptability hyper beam Porygon-Z.

The thing's that most of my mons have no name because they haven't done anything special yet and I haven't found a song or album.

So I'm curious. Why do you name your pokemon the way you do?

[Despair Syndrome]

Danganronpa characters.

I'm not original either. >_>

[Lilleen]

I used to name them after what type they represented, but now I just name them my favorite human names.

[mwijsman]

Horrible puns/culture references / media references.

Which probably explains why my Venomoth ended up being called Mothgomery.

[Autumn Rain]

At first, I named mine based upon its looks or its typing combined with some other object.

But now, I give some unique names using a bit of easy to spell gibberish and sometimes with vowels in the end.

[Pyrolusite]

Horrible puns or shortened version of their original names.

[FairFamily]

I used names of characters from games and manga but now I use fancy names.

[Ironbound]

Oh, boy, where to begin--

First off, I'm a habitual perfectionist. I derive pleasure from breeding and raising up perfectly IV-ed and EV-ed Pokémon, even in Reborn, and even in 'casual' runs. I view most Pokémon as mere temporary entities, caught for the sake of filling up the Dex, or, if they are competitively worthy of use, for breeding. Those few are simply bred and then discarded cyclically until I obtain an eventual 'perfect' offspring. Only that is named, and given an identity. Only that being is treated as more than a tool.

I sound quite horrible, don't I? From an ethical perspective, I must be as bad as the people who created Mewtwo.

Anyways, those that are names are by default only those that I would competitively use, and as such have a 'logical' name based on their role in battle or the anatomy or nature of their being.

A good example of my naming logic is Tribulus, my name for all my Ferrothorns. Tribulus is the Latin word for a caltrop (which is the sharp four-pointed hazard which forms the basis of the move 'Spikes') and is also the scientific name of a genus of thorny desert plants. What better a name for a thorny, metallic plant monster which is clad in, and uses, Spikes?

Other examples are Carcharodon the Garchomp and Pulsar the Starmie. In Reborn, names like Xylo the Heracross (from the genus Xylotrupes of Atlas Beetles) and Orion the Bisharp (from the constellation of the Hunter) are more examples.

[Fumble]

Sometimes I just name them whatever comes to my mind.

Other times I have a specific theme (Dark Mono was Disney villains, Water Mono was Greek Gods, another run was ice cream flavors, etc.)

[Combat]

I put a lot of work into nick amino my Pokémon, but frankly, I love it. Take my Typhlosion for example. I named him Squall in refrence to Squall from Final Fantasy Eight. The reason for that, is because I saw a piece of fan art that made Squall look like a Typhlosion, so it stuck. I named my Absol Velka in refrence to Velka the goddess of sin from Dark Souls, since she hunts down sinners. I named my Garvantula Sybil in refrence to Transistor, my Meowstic Morgan in refrence to Arthurian lore, and my Brongzong Dead Ringer. Basically, my Pokémon's nicknames depict their personalities or back stories.

[ArmoredGuardian]

Greek Gods and Food. Which is why I named Miltank Porkchop and Infernape MonkeyBread. Also, I named my Raichu Zeus and Magmortar Hephaestus.

[Personthing]

I've gotten into the trend of nicknaming Pokemon, although I'm pretty crappy at it. I generally just name a Pokemon what comes to mind most when I see them, such as naming Typhlosion Ignis, or Pangoro Jotaro and so forth.

[TRHStatement]

Most of the time, I'll use a theme to nickname my pokemon (Music artists, actors and actresses, companies).

If I can't come up with a theme, I use a random word generator and use whatever I end up with.

[Ikaru]

Fire Emblem characters,

Song titles,

Lady in Black (Gardevoir-Mega) (F) @ Gardevoirite

Ability: Trace

Shiny: Yes

EVs: 24 Def / 232 SpA / 252 Spe

Modest Nature

- Hyper Voice

- Focus Blast

- Psyshock

- Will-O-Wisp

The Wanderer (Mew) @ Leftovers

Ability: Synchronize

EVs: 252 HP / 148 Def / 108 Spe

Bold Nature

- Baton Pass

- Rock Polish

- Magic Coat

- Roost

Magician Reversed (Meloetta) @ Life Orb

Ability: Serene Grace

EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe

Jolly Nature

- Close Combat

- Quick Attack

- Knock Off

- Relic Song

Bravely You (Victini) @ Choice Scarf

Ability: Victory Star

EVs: 248 HP / 4 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

Jolly Nature

- V-create

- Bolt Strike

- U-turn

- Final Gambit

Slip Like Space (Hoopa-Unbound) @ Choice Scarf

Ability: Magician

EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe

Jolly Nature

- Hyperspace Fury

- Zen Headbutt

- Gunk Shot

- Drain Punch

Like The Angel (Latias) @ Life Orb

Ability: Levitate

EVs: 4 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

Timid Nature

IVs: 0 Atk

- Draco Meteor

- Healing Wish

- Defog

- Psyshock

and constellations;

(or space in general if something really fitting comes to mind)

these are the three I use most, but I've taken to song titles above the other two more often than not

[Lupo]

Most of the time I just name my mons after video game/pop culture characters

Other times, like my Medicham Kiki and Insurgence Nidoking Cain for example, I name em after the NPCs I associate them with

[Busti]

I like to take scientific names of the animal that is closest to a pokemon. Take Excadrill, who is actually inspired by a mole. Moles are from the family talpidae, so I named my Excadrill "Talpida". My Dustox is a moth (Lepidoptera), so hence I named him.

But I also like to make jokes and punny names. My Gengar is nicknamed "Fanta", as short for phantom.

Stuff like that.

[Zumi]

Usually I name my mons after characters from anime and manga series that I like, Fire emblem, Persona, you name it c: I also name my mons after friends often!

[Shadow Roxas]

I usually don't have any one thing I name them after. Sometimes it's many things, other times I just don't nickname 'em.

[Honchy]

I name my Pokemon after an array of things. From Tuttle the Torterra to Pimplup the Piplup. Or Gunther for Empoleon, or a play on words, like Trixie the Mismagius.

[Alex]

Sometimes I come up with a theme, like Touhou characters or other series, but mostly it's just whatever comes to mind. If I can't find a theme I just give them human names, such as George the Whimsicott, Dave the Clefable or Jeremy the Swalot.

One time I decided to name all my Pokemon words beginning with M, that was joyous.

[Zolfie]

I put together random letters that seem to spell out something at least decent in the product(or just sound cool). Otherwise, I'd associate them with characters that look kinda like the Pokemon(Baragon the Nidoking, Kikinak the Xatu, Banjo the Ursaring, etc.).

[InnocentSerenity]

I either find a pun to work with their name (Haydensparce, the Dunsparce), some random title to give them (Guardian, the Gallade), take their name and make it into a more mundane one (Sylvan, the Sylveon), or use a name from fiction that I feel fits the Pokémon (Ellie, the Gardevoir).

[Ironbound]

What worries me is why on earth would you bother to catch a dunsparce, let alone nickname it.

[YinYang9705]

Whatever the hell that comes off the top of my head, so usually puns of references

[Halloween]

I derive pleasure from breeding

u would, haha

im sorry im joking please still like me

a little of all of above? I confess to "lazily" naming some Pokémon with stuff like "Dyster" the Gloom (dyster means Gloomy in some language, I've always liked that word), Glitch the Polygon and Nova the Noibat. I catch Pokémon like a doxy (thank u Reborn for that word) in Babylon - "oh it's in the red cool that's like my fourth Noibat, awesome". I don't even know exactly how EVs or natures work, what little I know has told me that my entire team sucks major balls so I'm not gonna try to find out more about it.

Then, if they make it to my team of questionable EVs I tend to rename them something I deem "wittier" (read: some kind of innuendo, most likely), like Nimrod the Nidoking (from the biblical figure, but also, and mostly the Pixies song about incest) or Vita Nuova the Frolass; Vita Nuova is Dante's work about his dead underage girlfriend that he fell in love with when she was nine (ew); it means "New Life" (because ghooosts), and Vita also means white in sum other languages.

I tend to practically always end up with a few musicians and mythological figures I like thou. Pokémon fits mythological gods so well, there's no helping it. my ditto is named bicycle honk if u got the reference

edit 'cause more people posted - song titles are clever! i might steal that concept blurred lines the ditto

Edited March 27, 2016 by Halloween