Okay, so I’ve been diving deep into this whole “witchcraft last names” thing lately, and let me tell you, it’s a rabbit hole! I wanted to create a really cool, authentic-sounding last name for a witch character I’m developing, and I figured I’d share my process, ’cause why not?
Starting From Scratch (Almost)
First, I just started brainstorming. Like, literally anything that came to mind. I grabbed a notebook and a pen – yes, a real pen, I’m old school sometimes – and just started jotting down words. Stuff related to nature, magic, old-timey things… you get the idea.
- Moon
- Shadow
- River
- Oak
- Whisper
- Night
- Star
I ended up with a huge, messy list. Some of it was pretty terrible, honestly, but that’s part of the process, right? You gotta get the bad ideas out to make room for the good ones.
Getting a Little More Specific
After the initial brain dump, I started to think about the kind of witch I wanted this character to be. Were they a dark and mysterious sorceress? A friendly, nature-loving hedge witch? This helped me narrow down my word choices. I decided on something in between, a witch connected to nature, but with a bit of an edge.
So, I started combining words from my list. “Moonwhisper”? Nah, too cheesy. “Shadowoak”? Getting closer, but still not quite right. I played around with different combinations, saying them out loud to see how they sounded. It’s amazing how different a name can feel when you actually hear it.
Adding Some Old-Timey Flavor
I wanted the name to sound like it had some history, like it could have been passed down through generations of witches. So, I looked at some old English, Celtic, and even a few Latin words. Nothing too complicated, just little bits and pieces that I could tack onto my existing combinations.
I found things like “croft” (meaning a small farm), “wood” (obviously), and “bane” (meaning a cause of great distress or annoyance – perfect for a witch with a bit of an attitude!).
Putting It All Together
Finally, after a lot of mixing and matching, I landed on a few contenders. I played with words with dark and mysterious connotations like “Nightshade”, “Blackwood”.
I loved the sound, and, I think It fit my character perfectly!
The whole experience was kind of messy, but also really fun. It’s like putting together a puzzle, except you’re making the pieces yourself. And the best part is, there’s no right or wrong answer. It’s all about finding something that feels right for your witch.
I used the suffix “-croft”, It makes the name sound historical, and old. Finally. I got “Nightcroft”
