{"id":5787,"library":"names","title":"Names","description":"The 'names' library is a simple Python utility designed to generate random first, last, and full names. It currently stands at version 0.3.0, with its last PyPI release in 2013 and last GitHub activity in 2018, indicating a low-to-no active development cadence. It primarily serves for quick generation of placeholder names.","status":"maintenance","version":"0.3.0","language":"en","source_language":"en","source_url":"https://github.com/treyhunner/names","tags":["name generation","random","utility","placeholder"],"install":[{"cmd":"pip install names","lang":"bash","label":"Install stable version"}],"dependencies":[],"imports":[{"symbol":"get_first_name","correct":"import names\nnames.get_first_name()"},{"symbol":"get_last_name","correct":"import names\nnames.get_last_name()"},{"symbol":"get_full_name","correct":"import names\nnames.get_full_name()"}],"quickstart":{"code":"import names\n\nfirst_name = names.get_first_name()\nlast_name = names.get_last_name()\nfull_name = names.get_full_name()\n\nprint(f\"Random First Name: {first_name}\")\nprint(f\"Random Last Name: {last_name}\")\nprint(f\"Random Full Name: {full_name}\")","lang":"python","description":"Demonstrates how to import the `names` library and use its primary functions to generate a random first name, last name, and full name."},"warnings":[{"fix":"Be aware of the data source limitations. For more diverse or current name generation, consider alternative libraries or custom datasets.","message":"The random names are generated from 1990 U.S. Census data. This means the generated names will reflect demographic trends from that era and may not represent contemporary or diverse naming conventions.","severity":"gotcha","affected_versions":"<=0.3.0"},{"fix":"For projects requiring active support, modern features, or broader name generation capabilities (e.g., specific cultures, fantasy names), evaluate alternatives like `pynames` or `names-dataset`.","message":"This library has not seen active development since 2018 (last commit) and its last PyPI release was in 2013. It may lack modern features, performance improvements, or bug fixes present in more actively maintained libraries.","severity":"gotcha","affected_versions":"All versions"},{"fix":"Always install and run this library within a dedicated virtual environment to minimize potential conflicts. If a conflict occurs, consider renaming your local module or importing specific functions to avoid clashes.","message":"The package name 'names' is quite generic. There is a potential for import conflicts if other packages or user-defined modules also use 'names' as an import identifier, especially if not careful with virtual environments or project structure.","severity":"gotcha","affected_versions":"All versions"}],"env_vars":null,"last_verified":"2026-04-14T00:00:00.000Z","next_check":"2026-07-13T00:00:00.000Z"}