I can't vote because I'm on a borrowed computer with a pop up blocker that I can't find and disable, but since names and naming is such an important topic to me, I wanted to jump in anyway.
I've done a lot of studying of what parents name their children and why both by reading literally hundreds of baby names books and also reading tons of academic sociological studies and such. So for me, when I name I character, I try to give him/her a name that I think fits them. Not just their personality - because our names are bestowed upon us before we have a real personality - but what fits their background and family situation.
For instance, if I'm naming a socialite from Metropolis who is the daughter of one of the city's richest and most prominent citizens, I'm either going to give her a classic, "old money" name like Caroline or I'm going to give her a unique surname type name like Harper that likely has family history. On the other hand, if I'm naming a character who was raised by middle income or lower-income names, I'm either going to give her a very popular name from the time (if she's in her 20s - Jennifer or Christine, if she's in her 40s - Linda or Susan). If she's middle/lower income and I want her to be les inteligent or less classy than average, she gets a cutesy name like Amber, Brandi or Tiffani. For men, the range is MUCH smaller. The names that parents pick for their sons are much more traditional than what they pick for their daughters. Standbys like Michael (the most popular name for about twenty years now), David, Thomas, or Richard work for men of all different backgrounds. Surnames work well for rich, powerful men: Bennett, Carson, or Campbell perhaps. Names that are traditionally lower-middle class or lower class, are especially good for minor villains; names like Duane, Earl, or Gary. I also try to think about other random things like - would the parents want a junior? would they name their child after a friend or relative? after a literary character? etc.
Finally, I think it's important to keep the character's name within the right generation. Although Madison and Blake are very popular names for children right now, you'd be hard pressed to find Madisons and Blakes in their 30s and 40s. Similarly, most Lindas and Carols are in their 30s and 40s and most Ruths and Esters are in their 50s and 60s.
Now, obviously, there are exceptions to these rules. But these are all things I think about when I'm trying to name one of my characters.
So with these as my guides, when I need a character name, I try to picture where they are coming from and what their parents were like, and use that to steer me to a name. Sometimes - like when I'm looking for the name of a main character in an original piece I'm writing - I give it a lot of thought and spend ages making lists and crossing off options. More often, when the name is for a minor character, I snatch a name at random from my mental database and if it seems to work, there you have it. Many of my friends (both within and without of folcdom) have commented on my bizarre ability to whip off a list of appropriate names for a character with just a little background. This simply stems from my utter obsession with names and naming. I ask basically everyone I meet how they got their name and/or how they decided on their children's names. Some of the stories are truly fascinating.
Annie
