Character Creation Basics 1: Name/Pronouns

These are all part of a coherent whole and do not have to be created or decided upon in order. I often don't do any of these in the order listed:
1. Name/pronouns/nicknames
2. Physical attributes
3. Mental/Personality attributes
4. Background
5. Your Intent
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Names are absolutely crucial, which may seem like a no-brainer but it's something a lot of writers struggle with. Just like any word, names carry connotations. How many "Kyle" and "Karen" memes have you seen today alone? .
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This can be as concrete or as much up to intuition as you want. It's a tried and true method to look up the meanings of names to fit what you have in mind. I named a character "Ulrike Anfang", as "Anfang" in German means "beginning". Her story is one of endings, which I thought was oh-so-clever. No one will likely make that connection, but it helped me to write her. .
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However, that's doesn't always work.
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For example, my first name, Clinton, means "hill". That was not in my mother's mind when she named me. I'd be willing to wager your name was chosen because of tradition or just because your parents liked it. The exact same thing can be done with your characters. In Ulrike's case, I just love the name Ulrike.
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So what's the definitive advice here? Look in every direction for inspiration for your characters' names. Make a big list and choose at random. Pick a name and say it out loud, imagine calling your character by that name in conversation and see if it doesn't feel right. .
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What are some of your favorite character names that embody some or all of the points above? Let me know what you think or if you have any other topics you'd like me to cover!