About CraftsNames

What CraftsNames does

You pick gender, cultural origin, first letter and how rare you want the name to be, and the generator returns suggestions with meaning, origin and rarity level. Type in the family surname and every suggestion also carries a sound harmony score, with the reason that particular pairing works or stumbles.

Alongside the generator there are three smaller tools, each for a specific question: the harmony checker for a name you already have in mind, the Pythagorean numerology of the name, and the nicknames it is likely to attract.

Who writes this

CraftsNames is made by Rafael Epifanio, who studies names, etymology and the sound of words. The editorial guides carry a byline, and the phonetic harmony engine behind the tools was built by him.

That matters for a practical reason. When something here makes a claim, there is someone accountable for it. Mistakes can be reported through the contact page, and they get fixed.

Where the names come from

The catalogue is curated by hand, not scraped. Every entry carries a real cultural origin, a meaning translated into the site's six languages, and a rarity rating across four levels, from very much in fashion to practically exclusive.

Choosing depth over volume is deliberate. A list of ten thousand names is easy to assemble and helps nobody decide. We would rather have few names documented well than an endless catalogue you abandon halfway through.

How harmony is calculated

The score from 0 to 100 combines three measurable signals. Length contrast, because a short surname calls for a longer first name and a long surname calls for a short one. Cadence, which looks at how many syllables the pair has and how they fall. And cacophony at the join, which penalises the name's last letter repeating the surname's first, sibilants meeting, a vowel doubled at the seam, and the two rhyming.

A real example from the site: Valentina Cruz scores 98, explained by short surname plus long first name, great contrast, and pleasant cadence. The calculation is deterministic, runs in your browser and does not involve AI. The full algorithm is described on the methodology page.

Where AI comes in, and where it does not

Generative AI is used in exactly one place: extending the generator's suggestions when a filter combination asks for more names than the curated catalogue holds. Every suggestion passes strict gender, origin and first-letter filters before it reaches the screen.

It does not calculate harmony, does not write the guides and does not invent meanings. The editorial texts are written and reviewed by a person, and the meanings come from the curated catalogue.

How the site is funded

CraftsNames is free and asks for no account. Favourites are kept in your own browser, not on a server of ours. When you email yourself the list, the address is used for that send alone and is not stored. The intention is to fund the site through advertising, without charging the reader and without selling data.

What CraftsNames does not do

We do not give legal advice. Name registration rules change from country to country, and sometimes from one registry office to the next. Our guides on the subject explain the general patterns and do not replace checking with the competent authority where you live.

And we are straight about numerology. It is a symbolic tradition with centuries of history and no scientific basis. It is here because many people look for it, presented as tradition and never as prediction.