VG Weekly Poll #28 Do you nickname your Pokémon?

[Berrenta]

Only if I'll be using that Pokémon in a team and train it. Otherwise, I don't name them.

Legendaries will keep their names even if I would train them.

 

[TwilightBlade]

When I was younger, I nicknamed nearly every Pokemon, even the Unown. I followed a pretty basic format. The first letter of their nickname should match the first letter of their final evolution. I don't follow this format if I have a nickname planned in advance. It's just nice to follow if I have no idea what to name 'em. The Unown themselves had the first letter of their nickname be their actual letter. So the H Unown was named Happy, or something like that, haha.

Lately, I have only nicknamed my main team or competitive-ready Pokemon.

 

[Miar]

I have a hard time thinking up names, so I reserve them for the primary team and then, if they impacted the game well, sort of continue reusing those names (Ivan for every important Venusaur, Happy for Butterfree, Dux for Farfetch'd, etc.)

I also name every Unown typically by the Unown Dex, always in caps (JOIN, TELL, XXXXX)

 

[Misty Calls Masquerain]

Used to nickname, but stopped altogether.

 

[SharKing]

I'll most likely nickname my Pokémon if it'll be used in either competitive battles or a video walkthrough.

 

[Beck]

I tend to nickname the Pokemon I plan to use, but not those I box. It all depends, though.

If I fall in love with a nickname then I can't help myself. But typically, if one Pokemon receives a nickname then they all will.

 

[Frenzy Plant]

I haven't nicknamed Pokémon for years, not since Crystal. The last Pokémon I remember nicknaming was BANANA, my lv. 100 Kakuna.

 

[Xita]

I nickname all my Pokemon. It makes me feel more attached to them, like they're my buddies.

The only exceptions are legendaries.

 

[Kyuuketsuki]

I used to not nickname anyone, but since Black 2, I got into the habit of giving my Pokémon names. Only the ones I will use get names; the others just go to the PC. I try to follow a common theme in naming, the most recent being "Avatars of Vishnu".

 

[Arc Blader]

For a long time I didn't, but for a while now I've been nicknaming everything I catch (save for legendaries). Usually I go with the weirdest thing I can think of that's still thematically appropriate. Occasionally I name all Pokémon of a certain species according to a certain theme - I name every Onix or Steelix I catch "Rocky" (after I was forced to play through SoulSilver with the stupidly-named Onix I traded for in Violet City), I almost always name the first Pikachu I catch "Sparky" (just because), and I name every Jigglypuff after Jay-Z in some way, for reasons that still aren't entirely clear to me.

 

[DejaMew]

I've actually been nicknaming my Pokemon more lately, so yeah.

They'll only go without a nickname if I seriously can't think of anything though.

 

[Cerberuswaltz]

I always do- I love doing so and find it just makes them have more personality for me. I rarely don't give my Pokemon nicknames!

 

[Sakuraa]

Not only do I nickname them, I try to give them a naming pattern similarly to the manga characters. Here's my list.

Pearl: Names based on species name or the animal it is based upon.

Infernape: Chimney (Male)
Luxray: Lion (Female)
Golem: Dude (She's a female, but I didn't notice at the time.)
Pachirisu: Squrrel (Male, yes I know it's spelled wong, I was rushing at the time.)
Chatot: Charap (Female, in game trade)

FireRed 1: Names based on types or species, except Statur who was named because she knew mainly status moves when caught.

Charizard: Heatwave (Male)
Raichu: Thundabolt (Female)
Pidgeot: Airstrike (Male)
Parasect : Statur (Female)
Primeape: Fighter (Male)
Arbok: Cobra (Male)

FireRed 2: Names Based on Crash and Spyro characters except Dinosaur and Butterfly.

Venusaur: Dinosaur (Male)
Raichu: Crash (Male)
Butterfree: Butterfly (Female)
Pidgeot: Cynder (Female)
Alakazam: Chronicler (Male, was Kadabra all throught FireRed. Evolved when migrated to Pearl.)
Arcanine: Magmadon (Male)

FireRed 3 Names: based on Gaurdian Bakugan in season 1.

Blastoise: Preyas (Male)
Pidgeot: Skyrus (Female)
Nidoking: Gorum (Male)
Jolteon: Tigrerra (Female)
Arcanine: Drago (Male)
Dragonite: Hydranoid (Male)

Platinum: Names based on Sonic the Hedgehog series characters.

Inernape: Blaze (Female)
Luxray: Amy (Female)
Floatzel: Tails (Male)
Garchomp: Sonic (Male)
Lucario: Knuckles (Male)
Weavile: Shadow (Male)

SoulSilver: Names based on The Lion King characters.

Meganium: Nala (Female)
Houndoom: Nuka (Male)
Espeon: Kiara (Female)
Lanturn: Simba (Male)
Xatu: Vitani (Female)
Tyranitar: Kovu (Male)

Emerald: Names with a similar pattern to Sapphire; ending in -o.

Sceptile: Treero (Male)
Linoone: Zago (Female)
Mightyena: Yeno (Female)
Breloom: Shroomo (Male)
Swellow: Talo (Male)
Lairon: Rono (Male)
Plusle: Pluso (Female)
Minun: Mino (Female)

Black: Names based on claasic cartoon characters.

Samurott: Dot (Female)
Liepard: Rita (Female)
Simisear: Monty (Male)
Cinccino: Lola (Female)
Emolga: Slappy (Female)
Haxorus: Taz (Male)

White 2 :Names based on Cry's Pokemon from Pokemon Adventures, all ending in -ee.

Serperior: Serperee (Female)
Ampharos: Amphee (Female)
Arcanine: Arckee (Female)
Glaceon: Glacee (Female)
Flygon: Flygee (Female)
Absol: Abiee (Female)

I also tend to nickname Pokemon that aren't part of my main team, but I may not base it on whatever pattern I'm doing. I don't understand why you wouldn't want to nickname your Pokemon. I think its a nice feature that makes your Pokemon more unique. Not like just another Shinx or Buizel. Like a seperate individual.

 

[RemainsToLinger]

Nope, I don't find nicknames necessary. It's, to me, not like a nickname takes away or adds anything to the Pokemon on the team. I'm more along the lines of N. My Samurott has a name already, it's Samurott.

 

[Team Gaara]

I nickname all my Pokemon, even ones I know I'm not ever going to use or that I know I'll release.