# How do you come up with names for tombstones?



## BioHazardCustoms (Aug 5, 2009)

Like the title says I'm wondering how some of my peers (or betters, lol) come up with the names they put on their tombstones. I like to use literary characters, historical figures, imaginary people, and some people I have met. I am not really a fan of whimsical or humorous names or epitaphs on tombstones, but to each their own.


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## fontgeek (Jul 24, 2006)

I tend to look for names that I can make rhyme or have something "punny" to go with it.
Sometimes it's just hearing something being said that I only kind of half hear. Me taking a different meaning than what was actually meant.
Some years back on another forum forum members were asked to help come up with names for characters in a morgue setting, and "Betty Stiffens" just popped into my head.
To me, the best ones are ones that are created to match a specific theme for the scene and the stone they will be put on. Doing something modern on an ancient looking tombstone just comes off wrong, at least to me. I think that the matching of names, themes, and stones is what has made the stones at the various Disney attractions so popular.


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## Blackrose1978 (Aug 13, 2011)

Half my grave yard is dedicated to family members. I have two memorial stones for my dad and step dad who both passed away. It was a great way for me to heal and the kids love putting up their stones each year. I have pictures of them laying like dead bodies infront of their stones its great!!! The rest of my stones I try to find funny sayings like U.R. Next and another one I came up with is OPPPS! Wrong Switch.


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## Pumpkin5 (Aug 8, 2010)

:jol: I like using the names of people or characters that are really dead, but famous or notorious, either works for me. Edgar Allen Poe, Ichabod Crane, Lizzie Borden, and the creepier the person/character is or was makes it even better!


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## Haunted Spider (Sep 6, 2010)

Go to your local auditors website, look up your street and get the last names of all the neighbors on both sides. You will have plenty to chose from then and at that point have some interesting conversations.


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## wandererrob (Aug 8, 2007)

I mostly just scribble down names that sound interesting, then after I've got a list of first and last names, I start pairing them off. I've also pulled a few from songs I like (e.g. Arnold Layne. Epitaph: Life is a short warm moment. Death is a long cold rest.)

For background filler, I usually just put a last name on it and call it good.

That said, I do like to throw in a subtle funny one in here and there for those who are actually paying attention. So far, nobody has noticed.


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## Dixie (Feb 18, 2009)

I use names that have meaning to me, whether family members, historical figures, and some fictional characters. 

Some people in my graveyard: Lucy Westenra (character in Dracula) Annie Stone aka Diamond Bessie Moore (famous victim of an East Texas Murder Mystery from 1877), Several of Henry the 8ths wives, Reagan MacNeil (Exorcist), Jefferson Davis (President of the Confederacy), Prince Humperdinck (Princess Bride), A few of Jaybo's and my relatives, Annabel Lee (with the birth and death dates of Edgar Allan Poe's first wife, Virginia Clemm), Washington Irving (author of The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow), etc.

It gives me reason to walk around my yard and give people tours, and actually giving some kids a history lesson of sorts


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## BioHazardCustoms (Aug 5, 2009)

That's a really good idea, Dixie. Sneak a little education in on the unsuspecting ToTs, lol


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## jaege (Aug 23, 2009)

I do not use names. I like to put very short, funny things on them, like "EXPIRED" or "JUST RESTING". Stuff like that. I do not think anyone is going to stop long enough to read a long epitaph.


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## kevin242 (Sep 30, 2005)

I like to have humorous and punny names, Upton Dide, Daisy Pusher, Ripton Haff, Torna Newone are all names I came up with either driving my car or in the shower. My guests generally don't get them for a while and it makes it all the funnier when they finally do.


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## MurrayTX (Nov 4, 2011)

I have tasked my bilingual friends to come up with pun names and sayings in Spanish to cater to my mooching clientele. Also is inspected and traditional at the same time.


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## Spooky1 (Aug 25, 2008)

We have a mix of horror actors or writers like Vincent Price, Lugosi, Chaney, Poe and Karloff. As well as the humorous ones like Myra Mains, Ivana Getchu, Craven Moorelife and Waylon Specter.


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## theundeadofnight (Aug 14, 2011)

I use characters from novels/movies and try to make the headstone and epitaph fit the character . Makes a bit of a trivia game for people looking at the headstones . Some I have used : Ed Harley (Pumpkinhead) , Kurt Barlow (Salem's Lot) , Jud Crandall (Pet Sematary) .


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## Troll Wizard (May 3, 2012)

You can always Google "Halloween Epitaphs" and you will find a ton of sites to choose from for your tombstones. I have found plenty of funny and scary sayings for my headstones.


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## fontgeek (Jul 24, 2006)

If you don't want to use humorous names or epitaphs, then you might look at lists of popular names for the period you*want your stone to be from. That lets you put something believable without being humorous, and without risking offending someone by using the name of someone who might visit your cemetery.


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## Lilly (Jun 13, 2006)

I use first names of family and friends on the stones I make. unless it is a gathering of a family then the last name will go on one stone.


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## discozombie (Jun 21, 2012)

Spiderclimber said:


> Go to your local auditors website, look up your street and get the last names of all the neighbors on both sides. You will have plenty to chose from then and at that point have some interesting conversations.


I love this idea, especially if you have neighbors you dont like much!


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## Copchick (Apr 10, 2012)

This year I'm putting the name of my neighbors "lawn guy" who sprayed and killed some of my shrubs and plants. I think he'll get the point of what may happen next if he again over sprays onto my property. I've used epitaphs from Boot Hill in Tombstone, AZ "Lester Moore" for example. I've also written them down when I see the cheap vinyl tombstones in the stores with a name or epitaph I like. Like Troll Wizard, I have found some good one's searching online too.


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## BioHazardCustoms (Aug 5, 2009)

These are all great ideas, folks! Keep 'em coming!


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## jdubbya (Nov 6, 2005)

I have a mix of punny names and more traditional stuff I make up.
some of mine (and yes some of these are old favorites)
Paul Barer, Doug Graves, Myra Mains, Robin Banks, Barb Dwyer, Ben and Ilene Dover, Chris P. Bacon
Non-punny ones; Silas Finch, John Hale, Ezra Bean, Sarah Jessup, "unknown", Anna Price, Thomas Creighton, (a few last-name-only stones) Murdock, Forbes.
I may add a coupe more this year. The punny ones are great and you stand back and listen to people read them off and chuckle.


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## the bloody chef (Dec 14, 2012)

I have what seems to be a never ending list of names (over 1000 at this point)....a few of my favorites: Benton Haff, Lou Swimmen, Boyle Deggs, Portia Pottie, Haydon Seeke, Potter Field, Angela Detth, Kent Breethe, Norie Gretz, Ivana Skarya, Mosley Dedd, Al Beback, Kiki D'Bukkett, Eartha Lee Bonds, Chip D'Tuthe, Penny A. LaVotka, Emma Wraith, Etta Badberger, Whit D. Phishes, Laydon A. Slabb, Gene Poole, Jimmy D'Locke, Emma Nemms, Cutter Upp, Tucker Dowt, Wilton DeGrass, Polly Esther Schertz and anyone who's been to Salem, Mass. will appreciate- Preston B. Tweenstones......I need to stop, but I can't!!!! :xbones:


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## Doc Doom (Aug 28, 2008)

I first used names that matched the theme of the stone (Ichabod Crane and EA Poe). I then decided to come up with a pun name not used before and, after considerable alcohol assisted creative thought, finally came up with Phyll Andurer.


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## The_Caretaker (Mar 6, 2007)

I use pun names or if I have a theme for a head stone with a phrase I have asked for help with names on the forums.


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## Headless (Sep 4, 2011)

Benton Haff! Love it! TBC there are some good ones there for sure!


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## fontgeek (Jul 24, 2006)

It depends, some haunts I've done names that reflect the feel or theme of the haunt, the rest of the time I tend to go with the "punny" names like the others.
For more of the background stones, I tend to have either no names or simple names and text, I don't want them, the names, to be a distraction from the scene.


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## susan from creepy hollow (Jun 17, 2007)

As of late, I've been requesting volunteer names online from friends... The 1st one to volunteer gets their own stone in my cemetery!


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## Bethene (Jan 19, 2008)

seeing as I mostly set up in a campground I use the punny ones, people stand and read them, some get them right away, some don't , but everyone seems to enjoy them, alot of people will read the name and say to whom ever they are with,, "get it?" and laugh, so for my purposes, the funny , pun ones will have to do


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## QueenRuby2002 (Oct 23, 2011)

The first couple of years I used people I didn't like or had ticked me off. This also had a section of the grave yard with all my ex's got stones with grusom deaths described on them. Then my son started reading. Alast all the stones got revamped to have movie monsters on them. Last year they only had numbers on them. My tombstones are made out of plywood at this time so it's easy to just paint over them and start again. Though that will be changing soon so I have to come up with more perment names.


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## Spooklights (Jul 4, 2006)

I like the punny names myself, or just ones that I can put a funny epitaph with. I only have one stone with a real person's name on it; my dad's. He used to joke that when he died I could put his name in my graveyard, so I did.


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## Pumpkin5 (Aug 8, 2010)

Spooklights said:


> I only have one stone with a real person's name on it; my dad's. He used to joke that when he died I could put his name in my graveyard, so I did.


:jol:Awwww....that is sweet...the true parent of a haunter..... Don't think me strange, but that made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.


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