NationStates Jolt Archive

Well I was a tad torn on where to put this, whether it was better suited for NS, or Gameplay but I figure it would be fine here, if not well I'll request for a move then. Anyway this thread talks about Naming Conventions of your citizen. In other words baby names, what do they mean, and why are they given. Do as many as you like:

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In Kurona the mixed Euro-Japanese culture has provided a mixed convention of namings. However a fair share of common names and conventions has popped out. Most Kuronans name their children along a modern-convention, with the occasional classical naming.

Family Line Naming

The most common practice in Kurona. Traditionally parents name their first born child after their parents, and apply their own names for their child's middle name

Example: Jacob Evan [surname]
(grandson of Jacob and son of Evan) Jacob being derived from the traditional religious and latin diriviration)

OR Chloe Amelia [surname]
(granddaughter of Chloe daughter of Amelia)

The same situation can be reversed to name the child from their parent as well.

Naming After Kuronan Monarchs:

Usually it is heavily frowned upon to name a child after a currently reining Monarch. Example it wouldn't be proper to name a child Tomoyo while Tomoyo sits on the throne. As such parents may often alter the spelling or chose a variation of the name to still show their respect. However naming after previous monarchs is more acceptable.

Two Popular Examples: Himeko (Female - Princess child or Beloved Daughter deriving heavily from Former Princess Himeko Mikanu) and Mako (Male in Kurona female elsewhere,- meaning Faith strength, kindness, diriving heavily from Prince Mako Mikanu)

Naming after Friends

This tradition is seen mostly among young farmers. Very often they designate the name of one of their children to their closest country neighbor and best friend.

Natural Naming

Naming a child after a thing of nature is heavily uncommon in the Western culture of Kurona. More than often they may chose an alternate language version of a natural thing.

Example: Canyon in English would be changed to something like Keikoku or cañón

However natural naming is very uncommon in Kurona.

Other Language Naming

Not very common among Kuronans but is seen. The most common being the Japanese convention among those of European decent, however some may look outside their country for names.

Examples:

Jory (M) Cornish
Adrijana (F) Slovene and Serbian

We name our children according to the Will of the Great Lord Tiger. That basically means that I choose whatever name fancies me at the moment. I have some Asian names, Eastern European, and some Western names -- and a couple made-up surnames that sounded cool.

Surnames is the way we roll, BTW.

Given Names

Almost all people in Cookesland, unlike the rest of the world, use their middle names as their given or "first name". A person's first name in Cookesland generally functions as a middle name anywhere else.

example:

instead of being named John M. Fox, the person would be named J. Michael Fox

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Other than that, given Cookesland's very diverse population names come from all kinds of backgrounds and cultures.

Oh this will be fun. Technically speaking all Sumerian words are based on the same set of roots, regardless of syntactic role, so names are just based on word roots too. Normally. There are old names based on long obsolete roots.

The nominal long form, which is the formal and most used form, represents family lineage through gender, as well as other factors. The given name is given by the parents as per usual, and normally based upon personal decisions. The surname doesn't technically exist in Sumerian naming, as it is more a lineage association then a family name. In this way the two last names reference that the person is the son or daughter of their equivilant gender parent by the parent's given name, and then that they are a further descendant child of a well known, famous, or honored member of that line. In this sense, to use English, a name would be that Sara is the daughter of Anne, and child Mary who is an honored great great grandmother of Anne. Although English names are never used, only Sumerian. Further added is the place of birth of the person, which denotes the city or county of birth, and an occupation element. While young occupation may be ignored, or that of their gender-like parent may be used, and as an adult the occupation which the person themselves most preferred may be used as well. Finally for those with a pre-Republic royal background a further legacy item may be included to denote this.

The end result is this:

Components:
- First Name: Given name for the individual to separate them from others.
- Son/Daughter: Designates son or daughter of specific parent.
- Parent: Parent of the same gender as the person.
- Child: Genderless denotation of child of a specific family member.
- Honored: Specific person, royalty, hero, famous person, in the gender-family lineage of the person.
- Birth Place: The city of birth for the person.
- Occupation: The craft or occupation of the person. Optional. Mostly for lifetime careers.
- Legacy: Optional. Denotes royalty through "Lugal", for males. Females uses "Ninuru".


Format:
(First Name) (Son/Daughter-"a"-Parent-"ak") (Child-"a"-Honoured-"ak") (Birth Place-"ak") (Occupation) (Legacy)

Example:
Kisikil Dumumiapuabiak Dumuaninatumak Urukak Leshbarkingdu Kalamak Ninuru

Kisikil, Daughter of Puabi, Child of Ninatumak, of Uruk, Dictator of Sumer, Mighty Lady


In short form, which is usually only used for short-hand writing and foreign communication, the given name is combined with the given name of the honored family member to provide a "first" and "last" name set up. Legacy additives are placed at the front in the foreign custom. In this case the above example would become Kisikil Ninatuma, but with her royal lineage, she would be Lady Kisikil Ninatuma.

There are six different naming conventions in Niraamaya.

Sanskrit

Not very common, but still relevant.

Hindi

Very common. Most immigrants coming in during the Reformation were Indian, and the current president has an Hindi name.

Foreign

Very difficult to find. Only a few of these exist.

Sanskrit (No Surname)

By far the most common type, nearly everybody in Niraamaya names their child for a certain aspect of their personality after they go into adolescence or after they are born. Unfortunately, this isn't such a great idea all of the time, due to the many times a child has been named Bhraanta Vimochana, "Lost Freedom", or Chitra Purushhah, "Strange Person."

Numbers

Even though discouraged, many name their children using numbers in their name as a way of being "cool", such as 29125.

Advertising

Some parents name their children to advertise something, thus the odd person who have names like "Visit www.niraamayanirvana.com.nir to book your dream vacation!" or "55% off for frequent customers of Curry Kebabs Niraamaya!* *Terms and Conditions apply."

Naming in AHSCA varries by each island. While most have a similar style others have styles and conventions all their own. Recent names have sprung up out of popularity while others may hold significance. Some examples:

Marcella (Female, Spanish) has shown in increasing numbers on Aurora Island for Marcella Villa. The name in AHSCA is often now given to first born daughters because Marcella Villa is Shino's first-born and immediate heiress. The AHSCA meaning of the name besides first born includes Bright Star or Candle.

Nichol-(Male, Spanish) A variation of Nicholas coming from Nicholas Villa of Mokastana.

Shino - Traditionally meaning Honeysuckle coming from Duchess Shino Villa

George - Meaning Strong and Bravery coming from Duke George Villa

Other traditional Japanese names are included on the AHSCA chain along a majority except Corona Island and Truce Island.

Truce Island has a steady variety including Danish, Swiss, Japanese, and English with heavy Spanish Influences. Many of Truce adopt the surnaming style of father's name plus either "sson" if the child is a boy, or "dottir" if the child is a girl.

Most Coronan's do not have a surname unless they have come from other islands or have a recorded history of family. Because Coronans do not keep any senses of time few keep a long family history through written records. Most retell their family histories orally to their own children.

Coronan Names are heavily Esperanto based with other language basis. Most Coronans consider their naming conventions unique. Traditionally the first son and the first daughter take the names of their parents and some denote with a numeric system. For example:

Amika (II) would denote the daughter of Amika
Keino (II) would denote the son of Keino
However in some cases the spelling may be reversed to read such as Akima
or Onike

Girls and Boys on Corona are given names that best suite the families identity and sense of community and relationship to the world around them.

Animalpolis uses strictly traditional Japanese names and doesn't often seek outside their own internal culture.

There are no conventions other than the fact numbers are never, ever used*. People are almost always referred to by their first names. However, the name parents give is considered temporary because of anarchist rhetoric of how it is the first imposition in someone's life, and thus in Third Spanish States, what is considered the real name of someone is the name this person has chosen by his own, and not the name his parents gave. A common practice is to use surnames according to the primary ethnicities of the individual, and as Third Spanish States is a quite ethnically and culturally diverse place where more than eight different languages are spoken, there are many cases where it applies.

Examples:

J4s0n H4xx0r : Someone actually chose this as his name.
Cecily Tarragon Lockhelm : Surnames indicate Spanish mother and British father.
Adolf Hitler: Don't ask.
Juan Madrid: Those without families are surnamed after their cities or neighborhoods.
Ferdinando Omega-Seven: FNORD

*Like shown, some people choose to have their names written in leetspeak though.

Vetalia uses different naming conventions depending on the culture in question. The vast majority use the Russian convention of given name-patronym-surname, while the Romance-speaking Venetic minority uses a Latin naming convention based upon given name, family name, and honorary titles. The remaining population, primarily the Vetalian-Londinian minority use their own cultural systems. This group is the sole remaining native Volscian population and is given special status in Vetalia.

Other naming conventions are discouraged as dilutive to the purity of Vetalian culture and often bring little more than prejudice and discrimination to the unfortunate possessor.

I basically use Russian, Dutch, Polish, German, Norwegian names and sometimes generic American or English names. Whatever I feeling like at the time i guess ;)

Orbathian names are typically western in nature consisting of a first, middle and last names. It is fairly common to see children named after their relatives. Titles also play an important part of naming and they almost become part of a name, regardless of whether the title is relevant on a document.

For example, a Private in the Orbathian military would sign his name, Private Eggs Ample even on civilian documents. Even after someone is retired or out of a particular profession they will still use their title.

The reason for this is having a title is considered a status symbol and displays your importance in the nation. With titles such as Doctor or CEO, it displays knowledge or power whereas military rank displays honor, selflessness and toughness.

In Kirav, naming conventions vary by ethnic group. As one can convert between Coscivian ethnic groups, and be a member of multiple groups at once, it makes the whole process quite confusing.

The typical Cosco-Kiravian name consists of a Pronomina, or first-name, multiple Irnominav, or "middle names", ~1-4 Surnominav or Surnames, and a Clànomina or clan name.

Prinominav

The name of the individual comes first in all Coscivian languages.
Coscivian first names can come from various scources, some being simply phonetically pleasing to the parents.

Coscivian First Names

Most ethnic groups tend to carry a collection of names unique to them or their language. Vernas, for example, is distinctly Ieurlev, while Ilmärin is Lærev. These are the most common types of first names.

Coscivian first names for males usually end in '-ur', 'er', 'ar', 'in', 'en', or 'el'. Feminine first names virtually always end in "-a"

Examples: Irasur Seawind, Fyren Redwōd, Víoleta Seawind, Kexarin Renkedar.

Foreign First Names

Foreign first names are usually derived from Gaelic, Latin, English, or Norse.
Generally these are Coscivised. For example: Jón-John.

Irnominav

Irnominav are equivalent to the Western concept of middle names, but are usually not treated as such. Rather, Irnominav are other names for the individual used secondarily to the first name.

Kiravians can have anywhere from one to fifty Irnominav, though the average number is three. Few to none have no Irnomina. Unlike Western middle names, Irnominav are used in daily life. Kiravians usually shorten their name ot include only three of their Irnominav for daily buisness, reserving the rest for family and ceremonial use.

The number and naming conventions for Irnominav vary by ethnic group. Some examples are listed below:

Kaskev
5 Irnominav
1. Name of parents choosing
2. Latin or Iatic noun or adjective
3. Name chosen by the individual
4. Kaskev traditional name
5. Geographic feature near place of birth

Ieurlev
8 Irnominav
1. Name chosen by individual
2. Nickname
3. Confirmatory Name (Most Ieurlev are Roman Catholic or Church of Kirav)
4. Old Ieurlev or Gaelic adjective
5. Grandfather's Name (Grandmother's if female)
6. Great-Grandafther's Name (Same as above)
7. Name of Parents' choosing
8. Name of Parents' choosing

Kalistav
3 Irnominav
1. Of parents' choosing
2. Name of famous luminary
3. Latin Noun

Eórlev
1. Iatic Name
2. Of parents' choosing
3. Of individual's choosing
4. Traditional Iatic Name
5. Iatic abstract noun
6. Religious name

Surnominav

Kiravian surnames are passed down paternally. Women always take their husband's surname, and instead use their maiden name as an additional Irnomina.

Many Coscivian names are the combination of an adjective and a noun, often from nature. For example: Kexarin Rénkedar (Rain+Cedar), Irasur Seawind (Sea+Wind)

Others are patronymics of varying application. The Coscivian word for "son", "Mec", "Mac", or occasionally "Myc", is used. In the Keldican languages, it is used as a prefix (MecVernas, Mec-Tactin), and in the Nortican and Gentaric, as a suffix (Scörmec, Kárimac).

In Ustio, names generally follow their parents, though not always. Generally, an Ustian citizen has three names:

First Name: Given By The Parent

Middle Name: Also Given By The Parent, But The Person May Choose Theirs At A Later Date

Surname: Generally Follows The Family Line


There are generally no set conventions for Ustian people as a nation, though some religious movements within Ustio do have their own conventions

Most Ustian names hail from the Western World - names like Thomas, Gareth, Nathan, William etc, are some of the most common first names. However, recent years have seen an influx of citizens from Eastern Europe, giving rise to names more prevalent where they came from.

Basically, Fictions has 'normal' naming conventions; first, optional middle, surname

Parents normally name their kids whatever they want, some even what "sounds nice" so you have some kids with names such as Iodine and September.

What you call people however is more complex, generally males are referred to by last name females by first names, unless you want to be formal then you use last name for both genders. If someone is of a higher social rank than you then they have the option of calling you by either first or surname depending on what they feel like, the same is said for someone of equal rank. However if you are talkign to someone of a higher social rank to yourself you always call them by last name. Adding mr/ms is optional.
Introducing yourself if you are female, you can either give your fist name, last name or both, but as women are normally referred to by first name, unless formality is required, most only introduce by first name.
Introducing yourself as a man you can give either first name, last name or both, but most will only give last name as that is what they are referred to as
Introducing yourself as a male or female to someone of a higher social rank to yourself it is best to refer to yourself by last name only.
Students addressing teachers always use "Sir" or "Ma'am"
When addressing the ruler of the country always use "Sir" unless he has said you can use something else.
These rules only really apply to people living in the country, visitors are exempt from these rules and follow whatever conventions they use

Most people's names in Zwangzug follows the ubiquitous given-given-family system, with people in general being referred to by their first and last names. (Exceptions include those with two first names and no middle, such as "Mary Jo" (last name).) The exact nature of these names varies by region. In general, people in larger metropolises will have more "common" names, but people in smaller, more homogeneous, communities have names less familiar to the outside world. Because the country was unified comparatively recently, expanded interconnectedness has seen a shift towards the former. The country's most profound change in naming traditions is still taking place among the Ianix peoples. Most populous in west-central Zwangzug, they've adopted the rest of the country's tendency to place the family name last--perhaps an indication of how Zwangzug society values the individual above the group? While the Ianix never had true consistency in this regard, they're increasingly tending towards the national standard.

Children generally receive their father's surname, though hyphenated names for the entire family have burgeoned in popularity. Historical customs have varied by region, but a woman marrying today is most likely to keep her own surname (or hyphenate), with exceptions most common in the southeast.

(OOCly, I've found lots of good surnames among both the first and last names of spam e-mailers.)

There's quite a bit of variety among the ethnic groups that comprise Snefaldia, mostly along regional lines. They can't all be recounted here, but some of the most common are.

Sring Issa

The most common naming format in Sring Issa is that of personal name+family name, but it does differ by city/region/ethnic groups to a certain extent. In the rural north and northeast, it's common to take a personal name and a patronymic, while in the south and large cities the personal name is appended with a family name.

High Sringi culture introduced the concept of the House, a large kinship group that claims descent from a specific ancestor or family- the House of Wagasanali, the former royal house of Isaardlang, has five constituent families- Mugallu, Anitta, Hantili, and Zidanta. Many Sringi also take courtesy names, used as diminutives or in personal correspondence with close friends- former Chancellor Anzapahhadu Mugallu, a member of the House of Wagasanali, uses the courtesy title Atan, which means "golden."

Among the Tawsini ethnic group, the most common naming format is first name followed by patronymic/matronymic. The hereditary King of the Tawsini, Tawsina Tawsinaš, is Tawsina, son of Tawsina. The "-š" indicates that he is Tawsina's son.

Dayan

Dayan naming conventions are similar to Sringi ones because of the years of cultural diffusion and domination, but many still use traditional naming styles- names are taken that reflect the family's traditional occupation or origin, and some Dayan adopt names with religious significance or reference philosophy. Dain-da-Hol, the famous freedom-fighter, was born Plows-deep-the-soil, and adopted his later moniker, which means "Restores Justice."

Most Tolvans have a first, middle, and last name, like most Western nations the last name is your family name. As the Tolvanic population is very diverse (numerous colonial holdings and a long history of immigration) the naming conventions vary. The largest ethnic groups are whites (with mostly English or Irish names), Hispanics, and blacks (some African derived names are used, but many have adopted "white names"). Also, due to intermarriage it is not uncommon for someone to have "mixed" English and Spanish names. For an example you have lots of John Garcias and Jorge Millers.

Vescopans have first, middle and last names, though it is almost universal that one only ever refer to them by their first name.

The first, or 'main', name is the decision of the parents; usually it is based upon a word from the ancient languages, of which there are several, which has a particular meaning. Given how many ancient languages exist on Vescopa, there tends to be a great variety in the number of main names available - for example, there are multiple different words from the various old languages meaning 'strong'. Provided it is not a name taken from the modern Vescopan tongue, and that it does not mean something offensive, then it is fair game. The 'main' name is exactly that - few refer to that individual by any other name.

The middle name is usually taken from that of a great relative, usually a grandparent, aunt, uncle or even a cousin or sibling, who was - or is - well-loved by that particular family. It is a denotion of respect and is the Vescopan equivalent of issuing the child with a godparent. Should their namesake still live, it is their theoretical responsibility to offer the child guidance and comfort throughout its life. Few outside of the child's family will ever even acknowledge this name, as it is more of a personal designation.

The last name comes from the name of the district where the child was born. This indicates the roots of the child and offers it a sense of community with others born in the same area. Given that the majority of Vescopans live in the densely urbanised Vescopa City, hundreds and perhaps even thousands of people share the same last names, making it redundant and unheard of to use it for anything.

Most of the Fegosian social hierarchy can be found in the names of its people. Names are normally of two parts (the Ae'no and the Iu'no), each consisting of the syllabic divide that characterises the language.
The Ae'no often is unique to the person it is given to, without relation to their family. The few occasions it is are in higher class families, or in more rural families.
The Iu'no denotes the family relations that the person has, often referring to their father though occasionally referring to their mother (discussed later). On occasion, it will denote not a direct descendent but a person in the family who was famous, shown by the use of the syllable 'Oma'.

1) Name Language
The most common language, used by most families in the modern day, is Simplified Fegosian, which consists of 2 syllabic sub units comprising each word.
(e.gIu'so Ka'dai). The regular form is rarely deviated from, any deviations indicating a different language.

Higher class families will often name their children in the Traditional Fegosian. This is characterised by half syllables present in their name, and if written in the pictograms (not supported on electronic applications) will show the complex styles of sub-combination associated with such. Such names often are longer, with each syllabic unit having its own meaning (discussed later). For example,
Kai'shwi'nau Ta'oma

In the more rural parts of Alfegos, especially in the mountainous areas and Milkavich, native dialects will often be used, deviations on Traditional Fegosian. To most observers, there is not much difference in such naming, though often the names contain fewer vowels and (in the So'jlati dialect, spoken in many villages in the Solace Mountains) clicks (indicated by the ^ symbol). These are often frowned upon by the majority of the population, seen as inferior names.
Ro ^ Qaul Ia'soi

An even more interesting phenomenon is present to the few workers in the airship industry, particularly pilots and merchants, who use the language of Aer'lin, an amalgam of English, Fegosian, Spanish and languages of the region. These names often follow a more English convention, with names often containing hybridised words between Fegosian and English. When written, the geometric pictographic alphabet used gives away the language. Such a name is often respected, save when the family has no connection to the airship industry. For example,
Thom'soi Aer'nama

2) Word Meanings

Specific syllables in Alfegan each have their own meaning when alone, combing with others to produce often completely different and (to learners) illogical results.

The common syllables used in names are taken from the traditional Fegosian:
Soi - Son
Dai - Daughter (Often used in affection)
Doi - Daughter (More used by higher class families)
Oma - Related to
With the presence of an 'l' on the end of the syllable, the word instantly refers to the matriarchal section of the family, often used by single women parents or by (increasingly) modern-day celebrities.

Other syllables found in names have certain meanings as well:
Dei - Holy (Very rarely used)
Xha - Fierce, Aggressive, Victorious (rarely given to girls)
Noa - Large, Prosperous
Ia - Light, Guide
Kai - Brave
Ta - Friendly, Generous
Ua - Funny, Comedic
La - Long-lived
Sua - Above (taking as status)

Xha'noa (taking the name from an armoured vehicle) in the inanimate sense means 'Fearful Monster'. When referring to a person, it means 'Invicible Warrior'.