How do you come up with names?

Hello all! I'm curious, what are your strategies for coming up with new horse names?

For me, if it's from a breeding I try to take one word from the stallion's name (or his line at the very least), and one from the mare. Then combine them together to make a new name. I think this is a pretty common naming system especially for 'show names.' However, how do you all come up with names for foundies? I recently discovered the brilliance of band name generators, but I'd love to hear what other methods are used. Or if you've come up with some pretty awesome names that you'd like to share.

well I actually have a list of horse names I got from a fantasy horse name generator, there's also band/song names I plan to use along with show/movies names. I already have over a thousands names saved for future horses

You're better than me lol. I frantically search generators whenever I get a new horse lol.

I quite *literally* spent an hour the other night trying to come up with a name for one of my newest fillies.

I agree that I think it is pretty common for people to try to draw words from the breeding pair's name/lineage to create a new name for a foal.

A trick for me is to continue a "subject" with names. I will use the above filly as an example. Her parents are:
Through The Looking Glass by Valiantly
I wanted a one-word name similar to the sire's name but was significant to the subject of Alice in Wonderland (her name's namesake).
Thus, I *finally* came up with the perfect name for the filly, 🐥Identity (#582930)

As for my trick with foundies, especially with stallions, I will try to name them something that I know will be easy to expand on. Like "Chrome," "Spy," "Criminal," "Fire," etc etc. They are great "starter" type names for me that allow me to use pieces of their name for their foals. (You would believe how many "Chrome" babies I have...)

For foundation horse names, I always turn on my music and choose the first two songs that pop up. Combining them, I turn them into a name. If one of the songs is super good, I just may make it a name as a whole. ;)

For foals with a lineage, I go through the pedigree, and combine two names that sound good together most of the time.

@Cheshire
lol It just bothers me if I'm not ahead of things

@Nyx
can I just I love that foal's color

I, like many others, take elements from the parents' names when naming a foal. However, all of my horses (unless given a name by someone else that I decided to keep) have names in these categories:
~my Thoroughbreds have fire-themed names as an homage to my first ever horses on this game (one of which was named Icefire), who they are distantly related to btw
~my Chincos have natural disaster-themed names because my first 2 Chincos both had names that were coincidentally disastrous
~my Shetlands are given song titles/lyrics as names as a way for me to include as many Hamilton references in my day-to-day life as possible because music is cool... yeah, that's what I said... *sweats and laughs oddly*
~my Arabians have a tricky name theme lol, but it's clouds/the weather

Last edited on 2017-04-08 at 17:53:43 by Raptorfang Ω

Sometimes I'll base a bunch of manes after one subject. For example, there was one point where I named a bunch of my foals after birds.

I try to combine the parents' names into a new name like many others do, but if I can't come up with anything decent or it's a foundy then I use song lyrics or names from tv shows.

I'm thinking of starting a whole line of fabulous Star Wars ponies, so brace yourselves lol.
Otherwise, I name them after the parents, or I just make things up randomly.

I make up names based on coloring, markings, and time of year the foal was born. Like for instance one of my horses is called Funny Face because it has bad confo in that area. Another one called White Foot because it has one white foot, another horse is called Spring because it was born in the spring.

@Darkstorm
Thank you! :)

Some of you have some great ideas! I use music lyrics/titles for my foundies a lot as well!

All my horses get single word names. For my gypsies it's just words I think sound nice, like Calamity or Valiant. Sometime a name will get thrown in, like Sherlock or Rembrandt. For my Clydes, I have a plant theme going, so my horses are named things like Juniper or Waratah or Peppercorn.

For my foundies I have looked up the Quarter Horse hall of Fame on the internet. I have taken several names from there. Also there is this site http://www.horse-report.com/horse-names-2.html there are several groups of "Themed" names there to to help with ideas

I have been using mythological names(greek gods, egyptian gods ect.) for a few of my lines. The others I am using the names of planets and stars.


I have found a website with really funny pun racing names and have been naming my random horses off that list.