New Post
Search
Help[Opinions] Character name ideas (again...)
So this character is a cardinal bird, who is also a cardinal in the Catholic Church (lazy pun, I know).
I originally wanted him to be Italian, but I thought that would be boring, so I'm still debating what country he is from. He might be Spanish, Portuguese, French, German, Austrian, Swiss, hell, he could even be Irish, Polish or even American. But I'll see about that. Name suggestions can be from any of the nationalities mentioned, or possibly others.
Oh yeah, my original name idea for him was Teodoro Cardino. His surname is supposed to be based on the word "cardinal", but modified to resemble an actual surname from his native language...
I originally wanted him to be Italian, but I thought that would be boring, so I'm still debating what country he is from. He might be Spanish, Portuguese, French, German, Austrian, Swiss, hell, he could even be Irish, Polish or even American. But I'll see about that. Name suggestions can be from any of the nationalities mentioned, or possibly others.
Oh yeah, my original name idea for him was Teodoro Cardino. His surname is supposed to be based on the word "cardinal", but modified to resemble an actual surname from his native language...
This message was edited 5/21/2025, 12:56 PM
Replies
You might be able to work in a name related to clergypeople like Clark, Cohen, or Presley. They work as birth first and last names. Lemoine and Mainchín are nice sounding too. Not sure if they double as last names but they're certainly first names.
You could also use a word for a hue of red or a red pigment if you're willing to use things that might not be real life names. Vermillion, Ochre (not always red, but cardinals have a lot of color variation across species!), Carmine or Carminius (which I think the latter is actually more related to the name Carmen but the visual similarity and its connection to music make it fitting for a bird), Alizarin (as in Alizarin Crimson), Realgar, Minium (which is also a real surname I've seen someone have), Sanguine (might read more spooky than holy), Cinnabar, Ponceau, Rosewood, Cordovan, Amaranthus, Jasper (lots of color variation there too so it can read more orange to some people)
I hope this helps
You could also use a word for a hue of red or a red pigment if you're willing to use things that might not be real life names. Vermillion, Ochre (not always red, but cardinals have a lot of color variation across species!), Carmine or Carminius (which I think the latter is actually more related to the name Carmen but the visual similarity and its connection to music make it fitting for a bird), Alizarin (as in Alizarin Crimson), Realgar, Minium (which is also a real surname I've seen someone have), Sanguine (might read more spooky than holy), Cinnabar, Ponceau, Rosewood, Cordovan, Amaranthus, Jasper (lots of color variation there too so it can read more orange to some people)
I hope this helps
So you want a human, European Catholic cardinal to somehow also be an American bird? Why bother? And, if you can seriously think of a story line like that one, you can surely also find a name for your ambiguous character.
Not sure if this is what you're looking for, but I enjoyed the challenge nevertheless!
Caro - Spanish and Italian - means "beloved"
Carides - Italian - means "grace, kindness"
Cardoso - Spanish and Portuguese - means "thorny" (could be a reference to the crown of thorns)
And then there's the English surname Byrd -
First name idea
Carmine - Latin - means purplish red from the Aramaic word meaning Crimson
Carmichael - Scottish Gaelic - follower of Saint Michael
All of these first names are related to the color red
Russell, Reed/Reid, Rufus, Roy, Rogan, Russo, Radcliff, Radford, Redford, Ridley, Rory, Roth, Rudd, Ruford, Ruskin
Caro - Spanish and Italian - means "beloved"
Carides - Italian - means "grace, kindness"
Cardoso - Spanish and Portuguese - means "thorny" (could be a reference to the crown of thorns)
And then there's the English surname Byrd -
First name idea
Carmine - Latin - means purplish red from the Aramaic word meaning Crimson
Carmichael - Scottish Gaelic - follower of Saint Michael
All of these first names are related to the color red
Russell, Reed/Reid, Rufus, Roy, Rogan, Russo, Radcliff, Radford, Redford, Ridley, Rory, Roth, Rudd, Ruford, Ruskin