Naming Alts - Luck of the Draw?

Is there any way around the new system of name creation where you enter a last name and it gives you only a randomly created partial list of the currently available last names? I used to enjoy looking at all the last names available, coming up with humorous first names, and then seeing if I they were taken. Now it seems like the system is designed to foil that.

if you choose a bizarro first name that's never been used, ALL available last names for that server will appear. try something with numbers and non-word letters.

you can then begin your alt quest from there.

or..... go here
http://slnamewatch.com/botlog/last_avail_log.html

Check out http://www.slnamewatch.com/

That gives you the currently available names.
Click the Get It link for a name and it takes you to a page showing which registration servers are dishing out particular sets of names.

Did SLNamewatch get fixed? Last time I checked the totally random selection behavior of the current sign up screen had broken that service.

Last time I tried to get a particular last name I wanted, I would alternate between a nonsense first name and the first name I wanted for several tries before I got the last name to show up in the list for my desired first name.

I can make a list of names that are available across the whole system, but I cannot make a link or a button or anything that drops you onto a page that is certain to have a specific last name displayed in its drop-down menu. I've tried many approaches to no avail. Suggestions are always welcome. There could easily be something I'm overlooking.

I have discovered a few things about the system, which I can share. First, this little page is what generates the drop-down list based on the first name you've locked in
https://join.secondlife.com/getLastNames.php?fname=Adz
(substitute whatever you want for "Adz"

However, I have no way to make that drop down appear on the real official page without first locking in a first name. And even if I could, I have no way to control what names appear in the drop down, or make any particular name automatically selected. To illustrate, reload that page, and see the list change. Only 40 last names appear. If there are more than 40 last names with the given first name still available, only a random subset of size 40 will be shown.

Additionally, the new system uses a healthy combination of javascript, php, and cookies. Earlier today I tried some experiments involving feeding it POST variables, but I still couldn't make it automatically fill in a last name. I opened a JIRA for it. https://jira.secondlife.com/browse/WEB-949 Allow Last Name drop down to be pre-filled via HTTP request

One thing is clear. A user creating an alt with a certain last name, for example to make a pair of accounts with the same last name, was absolutely not among the use cases considered for the newest version of the registration system.

Consider using a 3rd-party registration portal.

Thank you!

I saw the name I wanted for an alt a couple weeks ago, but the registration failed for some reason. I was able to get it through there! Awesome!

page refresh seems to work for getting that pesky name list to change (hopefully to including your preferred last name)