Naming characters in fantasy

[AnyaKimlin]

But presumably a world has more than one culture?

Certainly my world does.

So Angus and Jack are from one
Pich and Tola from another
Ember, Vulcan, Fyren and Blayze from a different one
Shun, Kazuto, Jimmu and Hai from another.
Damolces. Michaelangelo and Hyacinthus (although he is called Jack at school) from yet another

 

[HareBrain]

And, if two names WERE "George" and "Geoffrey"

The others would be Bungle and Zippy?

 

[Karn Maeshalanadae]

But presumably a world has more than one culture?

Certainly my world does.

So Angus and Jack are from one
Pich and Tola from another
Ember, Vulcan, Fyren and Blayze from a different one
Shun, Kazuto, Jimmu and Hai from another.
Damolces. Michaelangelo and Hyacinthus (although he is called Jack at school) from yet another

Yes, but that's a different culture. I'm assuming, though, that Oken, Ajan, and Mike are supposed to be relatives...

 

[Mouse]

The others would be Bungle and Zippy?

*snicker*

I presumed 'Mike' was a joke, Karn.

I think people are worrying too much about names. We mostly know what sounds right and what doesn't. I hope.

I'd just like to say that I think Americans have the most awesome names ever. At work I've dealt with a Randy Hamburger, Doug Eaglebear and, most recently Ethan Firestone.

How freaking cool is that?! I'm gonna change my name to Mouse Firestone. And I'm going to wear a mask.

 

[HareBrain]

I'd just like to say that I think Americans have the most awesome names ever. At work I've dealt with a Randy Hamburger, Doug Eaglebear and, most recently Ethan Firestone.

Pah! Russians are where it's at. At work I've dealt with a Dimitar Sterev and a Dragomir Simeonov -- possibly the coolest name ever. At least, for a villain.

 

[Mouse]

I think Ethan Firestone would kick Dragomir Simeonov's butt.

 

[HareBrain]

Nah, his henchman Dimitar would plug Ethanol Sparetyre when he and his randy dog were chowing down on his eagleburger.

 

[AnyaKimlin]

Yes, but that's a different culture. I'm assuming, though, that Oken, Ajan, and Mike are supposed to be relatives...

But even then - I have friends where the parents name some children exotic names and one is not.

I coordinated my kids but not everyone does. (Mine all have hebrew based names, but whereas my daughter's is entirely Hebrew the boys used the more greek/anglicised spelling and pronunciation).

I won't use the real names but I have friends who are:

Lizandra, Calliope, Thea, Eliana and John or the reverse Dante, Armand and Mary.

 

[Mouse]

Nah, his henchman Dimitar would plug Ethanol Sparetyre when he and his randy dog were chowing down on his eagleburger.

Ha! I've also come across a Willie Woo. I'm sure he's some sort of camp martial arts expert. He'd beat them all.

 

[Karn Maeshalanadae]

But even then - I have friends where the parents name some children exotic names and one is not.

I coordinated my kids but not everyone does. (Mine all have hebrew based names, but whereas my daughter's is entirely Hebrew the boys used the more greek/anglicised spelling and pronunciation).

I won't use the real names but I have friends who are:

Lizandra, Calliope, Thea, Eliana and John or the reverse Dante, Armand and Mary.

Well yeah, that will happen, but you have to remember that it's not really all that common, and so you would have to put in an explanation about what is going on in such a way that it's not a blatantly obvious "DERP!" to the reader. The best way to do this is to have one character explain to another, but, it can get cliche as well. And that's just for a pair. Try to explain a trio or more with names of regions/cultures each equally exotic to one another.


And on a sidenote-Russian names are so villainous because Russian is a very harsh, guttural language. Germanic is the same, but Germanic also has the added part of Hitler....

And Mouse, those names are in no way typical of American names. We're actually based mostly off you Brits-at least we tend to here in the PN-simply because Britain is the country that held lasting colonies on this landscape. And it is really different in each region anyway, as immigrants settled in different areas of the country and the fact that, say in the Southwest, which was held by the Spanish for so long, they would have different cultures to base their names off of.

 

[hopewrites]

Right, and in the Northern-Midwest (which really hasn't been "The West" since the Louisiana purchase) there is a distinct Nordic influence to names and culture. In the Louisiana purchase part of the south you'll find the most french influence.

And yes Kern, Mike will not be hanging out with Ajan and Oken. Evan told them what a jerk Mike is, so he is going to have to sit in the corner with Fred and Henry.

 

[Karn Maeshalanadae]

I always thought Mike was just outspoken, if a bit tactless...

Still, I think Zippy should be able to keep Oken and Ajan company. Apparently George and Geoffrey don't really care for him. Says he's too impulsive.

 

[hopewrites]

I happen to agree with you about Mike, and if you can get past his inability to keep his foot out of his mouth he is kind of sweet. But we all know how sensitive Evan is and he would make friends with Oken first and prejudice them against him.

Which raises another question of mine. Should the typecast of a name have weight in choosing to use it or not?

 

[Karn Maeshalanadae]

No, actually. You shouldn't follow typecast, not if you want to be fresh and new. If you don't, then go ahead.

 

[hopewrites]

What if I want to be like Grandpa Hands and be fresh and old?

just kidding, or just joshing as some people say (which saying has effectively removed Josh as a useable name for me.)

 

[Karn Maeshalanadae]

I never really liked the name "Josh" on print anyway, it just doesn't look good to me.


I often fall back on Russian for some of my names, really, or combined words.

 

[Mouse]

And Mouse, those names are in no way typical of American names.

Well all right, Willie Woo was Canadian. I came across a Randy Butts today, which I thought was most excellent.

You're right though, there are normal names (Doug and Tim seem to be hugely popular). But the unusual names are fantastic.

 

[Stephen Palmer]

Urdu for me. I have a great Urdu dictionary...

 

[hopewrites]

OKOK so I have the mens' names figured out Ajan, Oken, Evan. now I want some womans names to go alongside them. Lalitambika comes from a different origin then Irirangi but could you see those women growing up in the same village and even more importantly in the same village with Oken, and Ajan?

 

[Karn Maeshalanadae]

Yes, actually, because the names sound African and there are often different tribes within a small region, or at least within the same country. If you've seen the movie Hotel Rwanda, it's based off a true story of two separate tribes both living within the same country and one tribe trying to exterminate the other. (Tragic and horrible, but it makes a point).


And more importantly, they sound both outlandish and similar enough to the average joe reader that they most likely wouldn't know they're of different origins.