Creating a new character for a Dungeons & Dragons campaign can be a delightful experience, but coming up with a name can be difficult, so it’s always interesting to see what the most popular choices are. Many people like to create extra characters just for fun since imagining what types of skills and abilities they have, what they look like, and even their personalities can be highly entertaining. Landing on a name can prove especially tricky, however, as there are endless possibilities.
When coming up with a new character it’s often difficult for players to avoid typical DnD clichés with backstories and alignments. Naming a character can sometimes fall under this same problem since trying to create something unique can be a daunting task. It appears that, in 2022, many players might have fallen prey to this issue, as the most popular character name is surprisingly mundane.
Dungeons & Dragons’ Most Popular Character Name Was Bob
According to DnDBeyond‘s end-of-year breakdown of statistics, the most popular name for characters created in its system during 2022 was Bob. A whopping 54,461 Bobs of all kinds filled the tabletop landscape and hopefully went on epic adventures with their fellow party members. While perhaps Bob is not the most creative of character names, it is concise and easy to pronounce, and there are, of course, many wonderful Bobs in the real world.
D&D Character Names Can Set The Tone For The Campaign
There can be a lot of pressure for some players when coming up with a perfect name for a character. Generating a unique DnD name can be overwhelming, which makes it tempting to go with more familiar monikers like Bob. The names chosen could set the tone for not only that character’s personality, but even the overall feel of the party. Any player who may be having trouble coming up with a name could also utilize one of the many online resources for naming ideas.
Much can be interpreted about characters from their names. A name like Aneira Eilonwy suggests an elegant high fantasy elf while Mannfahrt Sprigbeam is more of a humorous-sounding druidic name. Bob can be a clever nickname for an unpronounceable name from alien tongues or present an image of a common human who may have landed in the wrong place at the wrong time. Whatever name is used, Dungeons & Dragons‘ customizable nature makes it the perfect place for imaginations to run wild and characters of all titles to come together.
Sources: DnDBeyond, HowtobeaGreatGM/YouTube
