Creating Names: Place, Character, Etc.

[Michael Colton]

If there is a thread about this I missed, feel free to send me there.

I am attempting to discover a consistent and methodical way to create the names in my universe. Characters, place, organizations, even terms a couple of times. In our world, so many names are localized variations on Christian names, Latin words, or something of that sort. In high fantasy, there is that 'elven' style of name that is fairly recognizable - add extra Y's, vowels, and add an extra syllable onto a common sound. There is also the standard descriptor + action/feature. Darkhill. Shadowmarch. Etc.

None of these seem to fit well with me with what I am currently working on. Is there anything particularly wrong with using variations on so-called Christian names in a universe not our own? Or Latin-inspired? Is it that jarring for a reader? I want to figure out a fairly consistent way of constructing names and linguistic feel for the different regions in the world. In the real world, you instantly recognize French names and terms. Same with Germanic or Slav. But I have not been able to figure out a way to do this without actually deriving them, at least in part, from those distinctions in the real world.

Perhaps part of the reason is the relative technological and cultural feel. The Shadowmarch/Stormfell approach works well for medieval - it generates that feel and atmosphere. But in this case the technology and culture is roughly equivalent to late Renaissance in our history. That was a time when a particular form of Latin became nearly hegemonic, so creating that sort of feel to names and language seems to move a bit close to the real world.

Thoughts?

Thank you in advance.

 

[jastius]

For odd names I use a baby name generator... It gives you names and their meanings from any country.
And the word from that country the name derived from. There are dozens of used baby name books in any place that sells used books..
Its also good for place names.

You could try a Latin dictionary .. If your focus is upon Latin. Or Gutenberg project has some Latin scripts that you could lift whole phrases from..

 

[Culhwch]

None of these seem to fit well with me with what I am currently working on. Is there anything particularly wrong with using variations on so-called Christian names in a universe not our own?

This is what GRRM does in A Song of Ice and Fire and in my opinion it works really well to create a sense of authenticity.

 

[LittleStar]

It's a bit of a cop out for an answer, but I think as long as you're consistent it's fine, and I wouldn't particularly mind if there were names derived from our universe. Its a good way to control regions and languages in your world, for example having to people coming to blows because they're from opposing countries, and having them named after a French derevision and an itallian one or I something similar.

Though if you choose to do something like this, I would suggest trying to side step the real world associations, for example if you have a multi country spanning, 1000 year empire, whose trademark is disciplined armies and strait roads why not derive their names from say Scandinavian languages, rather than Latin?

 

[Brian G Turner]

I take a lot of names from my historical research, and corrupt them using a simple set of rules. Usually that means I can remain very specific to a particular culture (and reference many), but I do take care to check the taxonomy to ensure I'm not over-stepping too obviously.

So if you're doing late-renaissance, I'd recommend looking at the cultures you're specifically inspired by - ie, Italian.

Alternatively, do what Joe Abercrombie - perhaps tongue in cheek - once recommended: mine a map of Siberia.

In the real world, you instantly recognize French names and terms. Same with Germanic or Slav

Only the ones the English language did not appropriate, and there are many.

 

[thaddeus6th]

I hope not, as I use lots of old English/Norman names in my WIP.

After all, you're using English for every other word in your writing, right?

 

[Ray McCarthy]

The names and places in your text are of course Anglicised versions or transliterations of the Alien for easier reading, done by the translator.

The Shadowmarch/Stormfell approach works well for medieval - it generates that feel and atmosphere. But in this case the technology and culture is roughly equivalent to late Renaissance in our history.

But these names are still used today, Blackpool etc., as well as more obscure Nantwich (UK) or Rathcool (near Belfast & Dublin, which are themselves corruptions Beal Farset =Mouth Farset river, and Dubh Linn = Black Pool, though Dublin oddly has different name in Irish).

 

[Michael Colton]

You could try a Latin dictionary .. If your focus is upon Latin. Or Gutenberg project has some Latin scripts that you could lift whole phrases from..

Indeed, it seems the consensus is that derivation is fine. In that case I will probably do what feels the most fitting for the setting, which is utilizing from Latin and the so-called Romance languages.

Though if you choose to do something like this, I would suggest trying to side step the real world associations, for example if you have a multi country spanning, 1000 year empire, whose trademark is disciplined armies and strait roads why not derive their names from say Scandinavian languages, rather than Latin?

A good point and something that would work rather well with what I am working on, I think.

I take a lot of names from my historical research, and corrupt them using a simple set of rules. Usually that means I can remain very specific to a particular culture (and reference many), but I do take care to check the taxonomy to ensure I'm not over-stepping too obviously.

So if you're doing late-renaissance, I'd recommend looking at the cultures you're specifically inspired by - ie, Italian.

This is what I was hoping I could do. Rather pleased there does not seem to be anything wrong with it.

After all, you're using English for every other word in your writing, right?

A sensible way of looking at it. I did not think of that.

The names and places in your text are of course Anglicised versions or transliterations of the Alien for easier reading, done by the translator.

But these names are still used today, Blackpool etc., as well as more obscure Nantwich (UK) or Rathcool (near Belfast & Dublin, which are themselves corruptions Beal Farset =Mouth Farset river, and Dubh Linn = Black Pool, though Dublin oddly has different name in Irish).

It looks unanimous, I shall continue with the names and terms I had been working on. Huzzah!

 

[AnyaKimlin]

I just called mine things like Angus, Alexander, Jack, Beatrice etc I did eventually create a reason why they had Earth names but to be honest even before I did not one beta reader every mentioned it as an issue. The agents I queried didn't bring it up either.

The only culture who were less Earthly were the firefolk who went with things like Fyren, Flare, Magma, Ignatia, Flame, Blaise, Vulcana etc

For place names I mostly kept it simple and descriptive like Covesea Island, Seatown, Norton, Lang River, De'il Sea (it was believed to be the devil), The Lesser, Yellow Farm, Mount Green, Lucas Kirk etcyy

 

[tinkerdan]

Naming is important in the sense of giving the readers a personal feel for characters and places and such. It really matters most that they have names to help with that rather than he, she, it and there or elsewhere.

But one thing to consider is having names that roll off the tongue rather easily and are memorable rather than those ridiculously impossible names I always find that make me cringe and go oh that character again.(They need to kill him off soon.)

 

[Rocketship 7]

There was that one galaxy, far, far away, where people had names like "Luke" and "Leia," and a ship was named after a falcon, an Earth bird. lol.

In the Dune novels, all the names are weird except for the main character, Paul.

(Edit: And Jessica, oops, forgot about her.)

 

[Azzagorn]

I've picked up names by listening to parents talk to their children. Its the same way Rahl Dahl came up with Matilda. The other day I heard someone shout the name Carmine and a little blonde haired boy came running to his mum.

Also I like the idea of mis-mashing names together to get a new name like Aaron and Joseph could be Jasphon or Jaron or even Joshron.

That being said. It is something I struggle with as well.

 

[mosquiter]

I really liked the idea of a computer generating children names according to a certain vowel-consonant pattern in Ursula LeGuin's The Dispossessed. Maybe you should experiment with it: try CvCCvC like LeGuin's 'Takver', CvCvC as in 'Sadik' or 'Shevek'.

I use more vowels to make my alien language and its names melodic and more hard consonants for 'crunchy' names.

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

One thing you might consider is using names that are not quite Greek, not quite Latin, not quite etc. You do this familiar-but-not-exactly thing by taking real names and changing a couple of vowels, or switching consonants that sound close when you speak them (like z for s or g for c). You can also double some of your consonants. Then you choose which of these names appeal to your eye and ear.

Yes, it's been done many times, but it seems to work well. Each name has the feel of a particular place, though it's not a real world name, and you can distinguish the various cultures.

 

[Michael Colton]

Thank you very much for all the responses, everyone. I have many methods to try out now.

 

[Cli-Fi]

There's no harm using Western or Christian names. Especially if your world-building is so alien that it's eye-catching to see something so familiar in there. I tend to not like books with weird sounding characters. I feel like I cannot connect to them since I cannot or am unsure of the pronouncement of their names! That's why I always use generic names. My names are almost always inspired by TV Shows or Movies with different variations.

For example, my entire idea was inspired by Mayor Goldie Wilson from Back to the Future.

 

[Azzagorn]

The guys who write for the black library (GamesWorkshop) then to use historical names for the humans such as the very bibical Caiphas Cain and the names of gods for the Primarchs like Horus but the important things about the names authors like Dan Abnett and Gav Thorpe is that they reflect the persons character to a certain point.

 

[K.S. Crooks]

Try expanding your search parameters. The use of Latin and Christian origin names is very Euro-centric. Traditional middle and east Asian, African, and Native American names do not have their roots in those areas. If you want mainly European names a method I have used is to search the names of abandoned/ghost towns in Britain, Germany, Australia, Canada, America, New Zealand. You can find names that have the feel you want for specific locations. I also like the notion that these were real places where people used to live. Hope this sparks a few ideas.

 

[Michael Colton]

Try expanding your search parameters. The use of Latin and Christian origin names is very Euro-centric. Traditional middle and east Asian, African, and Native American names do not have their roots in those areas. If you want mainly European names a method I have used is to search the names of abandoned/ghost towns in Britain, Germany, Australia, Canada, America, New Zealand. You can find names that have the feel you want for specific locations. I also like the notion that these were real places where people used to live. Hope this sparks a few ideas.

Yes, I have started to look at archaic spellings of many names in the areas I am drawing from the most for world inspiration. Getting some decent ideas.

I have always wanted to do the Native American inspiration with a story. The area I grew up in had virtually every geographical feature named with Ojibwa names. But it does not work too well with the current story.

 

[AnyaKimlin]

My name is French which came to England through the Germans. My husband's name is German in origin. My daughter's name is Hebrew and my boys names are Anglicised forms of Hebrew/Greek names. My pen name is Russian but comes from a very Irish source (shortened form of a saint's name). Even in the middle ages most places did not have names that only came from one culture.