5. If you don't follow the previous rules, don't forget about the uniqueness of the hero's name.
I think everything is clear here. Just imagine your reaction if you meet three children, one of whom says, "I'm Vasya", the other says, "I'm Petya" and the third says, "I'm Fizdipekloid". Let at least one impressionable character be surprised by such a name of the hero, a boorish one - asks if he or he really is embarrassed or called that, a bad speaker - is confused by unusual sounds... In general, no one will take such a knocked out person from all rows as a matter of course at the first acquaintance, except for surprisingly spinster and tolerant personalities.
But you shouldn't overdo it either - unless you write about the problems of social interaction for people with unusual names.
So, the basic rules that names have to fit into are clear - just as Google always comes to the rescue, and sometimes you can even use it to choose a name with meaning (a useful but not always necessary element). But there are also a couple of specific genre-specific moments that need to be mentioned separately.
Fantasy
Of course, it's hard to get rid of the stuck Tolkien dialects, but you should still keep an eye on the logic. For example, you have your own elves, absolutely unique - so why would they carry names in the adverbs of Kvenya or, in another variant, at all in the syndarine? If your dwarves were never from the north, why do they have ancient Scandinavian names? If, after all, your orcs are not cursed elves and have never even seen Melkor in the eyes, should they be given a name in Dark Speech? Of course, no one will forbid you to do this. But, if you have your own elven or orcish language, do not give the heroes names on the clichés of Tolkien.
There are also name generators in the style of the universe of the Forgotten Kingdoms. For the same reasons. You should not repeat the languages of other universes, unless, of course, you write in these universes fan fiction. Here, on the contrary, I can recommend you to familiarize yourself with the necessary canons.
What is the best way out if your fantasy is jammed, and the name in a foreign language for your universe hero or heroine does not want to give? The answer is simple: open any of these generators, choose a name from the list, rearrange a couple of letters, trim something, set something - voilà! This is in case you don't like the way the names sound "with meaning" in the variant made according to the canons of the chosen language.
Another variant is the names "with meaning". Here we work with real languages on the same principle as with fictional ones: I took a beautiful word with no less beautiful translation, slightly edited it and got a good one. In one of my planned works, the main character is named Vermis Aet Tammal. "Vermis" is a worm translated from Latin, "aet" is a fictional ligament, something like "belonging", Tammal is a kind of an anagram on the Latin version of the words "Salamander" and "Flame". As a result, something like "The worm that belongs to the fire salamanders" comes out. According to the history of the hero, his name was given for the fact that he was born with white skin, unlike his black relatives (and was associated with them with a larva, not a normal child), Tammal - the name of their entire family. Another hero, Calestis, wears a transliteration of Latin "Caelestis" as his name, in the context of translating as "Celestial". In general, I think the example is clear.
Fantastic
Any names are relevant here, except for the old ones. Some Björnhrimme, who travels through the cosmos on his faithful ship, will look a little strange. Of course, this is your right, but in fantastic work, the best sounds are modern names, sometimes - their simplified or abbreviated versions. Any long, fancy name can give some fantasy - if you need it, of course, use this effect.
Also, depending on the subject matter of the work, you can give a name "with meaning". The set of letters will already be less popular (though it is possible to use it), but if work contains a reference to any well-known product there will be nothing terrible in that to "borrow" from it names of heroes. On "hooray" this method is used in the anime "Blood of the Trinity" - the characters with the names Cain, Abel, etc. cause a certain attitude, certain associations. On these associations it is possible to play well, intentionally "deceiving" expectations of the reader by such name (for example, the man named Lucifer - as a result not a villain, the girl named Penelope cheats on the husband to the right and to the left, and Cassandra has prophesied something that in the end has not come true). You can also use this effect to strengthen the meaning of the work (in this case, Lucifer will really be a villain, Penelope will be a faithful wife, and Cassandra will be a prophetess, whom no one believed). Anyway, such references are very interesting to use.
Conclusion
So my article came to an end. I hope it is at least a little bit, but it has helped you to deal with the names for their heroes. Good luck with your work!
https://ficbook.net/readfic/423517 (original text)