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[Ledi]

Hi, I've just dived back into DF after a long time of no playing. Been watching CaptainDuck's tutorials (which are awesome) and it started me wondering - do you name your dwarves for easy reference, and if so, do you use a theme? I'd like to nickname all my dwarves after a theme (just hit 75) but the only feasible one to come to mind has already been used quite publicly (video game characters).

So! What themes do you use, or could you suggest, for naming all the dwarves in a fortress?

[Cheddarius]

Use Dwarf Therapist and give everyone a custom job instead. All masons engrave? Two clicks and you're done.

[Lemunde]

Use Dwarf Therapist and give everyone a custom job instead. All masons engrave? Two clicks and you're done.

K...

Anyways, I used the video game character thing for a while but it got old fast.  I tried using Greek, Norse and Roman mythology as a reference, naming dwarves Athena, Zeus, Mars, Larissa, Thor... 

For my current fortress I'm trying something new.  Instead of using names from outside the game, I simply translate their last names into English.  So now my mason is Mansion Glazed, my wood cutter is Lance Stops, my miner is Whipped Conjured and my champion wrestler is Union Tools.  I also have a peasant named Ankle Bust.  I have high hopes for him.    I just wish there was a way to translate them automatically.

[CompletelySerious]

I usually do one of two things(sometimes both). I either give them funny-sounding names like "Grubba" or "Bumpie" or I give them ethnic names like "Ming Pao" or "Smerdyakov." But I used to draw a lot from mythology as well. It just doesn't amuse me as much as my multicultural forts.

On a related note, centralize, replace first, or replace all? I like centralize myself.

[Solara]

^^^ I use replace all - otherwise their name is just too long once I'm done adding my part.

For my current fortress I'm trying something new.  Instead of using names from outside the game, I simply translate their last names into English.

Funny, I thought I was the only one who did this. I still give the most important dwarves nicknames on top of it, but if Bookchewed the fisherdwarf happens to do something interesting it's nice to know about it, and easier to locate him.

[LordBucket]

Personally, I name non-military dwarves for their function. Farmer, Cook, Brewer, etc. Dwarves with mixed functions either get names that show that, for example, "Chef" is a dwarf with both cooking and brewing, "Fletcher" is a dwarf with both wood carving and bone carving, etc. In cases where there isn't a good combined name, I'll squish together their functions. CarpBowy, MasonArch, MineDetail, etc. My fortresses tend to have a lot of legendary pump operators named "Hauler." Military dwarves are the only dwarves who keep their names.

In response to the inevitable question...yes, I could givethem custom job names instead of custom names, but I find that it's convenient to have the job names aligned on the left of the screen instead of floating randomly anywhere from 20 to 40 or so character to the right.

Looking at a third of my screen filled with names like "Utirbanks Betholdmirnamobor"  doesn't really do anything for me.

[Moosey]

Sometimes I'll name my military guys (Strong Bad named enough wrestlers in the email "Yes, Wrestling" to name my ten wrestlers), but for general workers I usually don't bother.

Off topic, but one of my guys came with a squad name of "The Mechanisms of Drinking" which is just about the dwarfiest name for anything, ever.

[SkyRender]

Other than naming Dwarves who act like idiots something hateful out of spite, I usually reserve custom titles and the like for legendaries so I can pick them out at an even more brief glance than is already possible from their blinking title.  Also, it lets me keep track of when I get new legendaries.  And occasionally, I'll give a special profession title to a Dwarf who completes the last piece of a megaproject (such as Final Brick Layer).

[Tallefred]

I usually give them profession names like burrowmaster, brewmaster, forgemaster, etc. to help distinguish the real dwarves from the drones, but other than that I don't touch the names.

[Dorf3000]

I don't name them at all, it's much easier to let them die/do something dumb if I don't personally invest too much in each dwarf.  If they do something worthy enough then I'll remember their birth name, but I don't get too upset if when Urist McRandom dodges into the chasm.
One thing I like to do with names is when a child turns into a peasant, and they didn't already have a mood, is try to think of a good profession for them based on their name.

[Urist Imiknorris]

All legendary dwarves except miners, engravers, growers, pump operators, and strand extractors get custom professions based on their legendary skill. For instance, my legendary siege operator over there? He's a "Siegebreaker."

Military champions get the custom "Siegebreaker" profession as well, except for one male champion hammerdwarf. I name him Thor, and give him the title "God of Thunder." (Succession is a non-issue. Thor gets all masterwork Adamantine.)

[Karnewarrior]

Likewise. I give all my ledgendary miners the "Head Miner" profession and a apprentice. one who happens to be ledgendary and do something extraordinary gains the title "Mine Warden".

Hunters, when they reach 20 kills, become master Hunters in title, and can be promoted to "Tree Warden".

growers may be promoted to Green Talker.

all my military is given squad names to replace "Recruit"

Wood cutters may be promoted to "Woodsman", and then to "Tree warden", as can hunters.

there are others, but I can't remember right now.

[geoduck]

I name all my non-peasants after their assigned job, although I try to be a little creative, my jeweler is Facets, the siege operators are Fling and Hurl, and so forth. Military gets Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, etc.

[Foxbyte]

I don't name my dwarves, I like the dwarven names just fine. Professions, however? The default professions are simply not dwarfy enough for my tastes.


Leatherworker? Pffft. Skinsmith!
Woodworker/bowyer/carpenter? Woodsmith. Not to be confused with the 'Treesmith' who works on the actual trees.
Farmer? Plantsmith.
My butcher and tanners tend to be combined too, in the Meatsmith profession.
The highest ranking military dwarf earns the title of Painsmith.
The first miner to breach the Tunnel of Fun is the new Insmith.

[LordBucket]

All legendary dwarves except miners, engravers, growers, pump operators, and strand extractors get custom professions based on their legendary skill.

I try to make every dwarf in my entire fortress legendary. Even my haulers become legendary pump operators. So making a distinction between legendary and non-legendary wouldn't be very meaningful for me.