Definition
Naming conventions are the guidelines (spoken or unspoken) that govern how names work in your world. This includes the sound palette of a culture's names, the structure (do they use family names? titles? patronymics?), and what names signify (occupation, birthplace, prophecy, personality). Good naming conventions help readers immediately sense which culture a character belongs to and make your world feel like a place where language evolved naturally.
Why It Matters
Names are the first thing readers encounter about your world. If your names are inconsistent (a kingdom where half the characters sound Norse and the other half sound Japanese with no in-world explanation), readers will feel it even if they can't articulate why. Consistent naming is one of the cheapest, highest-impact worldbuilding tools you have.
Types of Naming Conventions
Famous Examples
Martin gives each region its own naming flavor. You can tell a Stark from a Martell from a Targaryen by sound alone, and the names reflect each culture's real-world inspirations.
Every culture has names drawn from a different constructed language. Hobbits sound English, Elves sound like Sindarin or Quenya, and Dwarves sound like Khuzdul.
Orogene names (Essun, Nassun, Alabaster) follow distinct patterns that set them apart from comm names, reinforcing social divisions through sound.
Common Mistakes
Establish a sound palette for each culture: choose 3-4 characteristic sounds and use them consistently. Names should feel like siblings, not strangers.
Vary complexity. Give your most important characters shorter, more distinctive names. Save the elaborate ones for places or background characters readers don't need to track closely.
Differentiate your main cast by starting names with different letters and using different syllable counts. Readers process names visually, so visual distinctness matters.
If your world has no connection to Earth, a character named 'Michael' breaks immersion. Either justify the connection or invent names that fit your world's linguistic identity.
Try It Yourself
Pick two rival cultures in your world. For each one, define a sound palette (3-4 favorite consonants, 2-3 preferred vowels, and a typical syllable pattern). Then name five characters from each culture. Read both lists aloud and check that a stranger could sort them into the right groups just by sound.
Track your naming rules
Novelium's story bible lets you store each culture's naming conventions, phonological rules, and character name lists so you never break your own patterns.