Names by Culture

Every land and people of Dort builds its names its own way. This page sets out how a full name is put together in each culture, how it should sound, and gives ready names you can use at the table. Pick a culture, read the two lines at the top of its section, and take a name from the table or build a new one in the same pattern.

A few rules hold almost everywhere:

The humans of Dort name themselves by the land that raised them. See Human for the people as a whole.

How it is built. Given name, then surname; a title goes first in formal use (Lord Adlington, Duchess Gisela), and a noble may belong to a house whose name differs from their surname. Most names are Anglo-Germanic, with Norse names in the north and Celtic names in the west and on the islands. Surnames come in four kinds: father's name plus -son or -s, a place ending in -ton, -bach, -croft or -mire, a German trade word, or a Norse clan name ending in -steinn, -holm or -vik. The sound is solid and consonant-heavy, with clusters like -ld-, -rn- and -rst-. See Welcome to Irna.

How to say it. Stress the first syllable: HART-mund, COR-del-ia.

How it is built. A given name, sometimes an earned by-name, and the tribe: Anoki of the Pomo. There is no family name; the tribe carries the identity. By-names are plain descriptions spoken in Common (Quiet Water, Grey Elk), and only some people have earned one. Names are three syllables as a rule, open and evenly weighted, with q, ch and ts common and no r, f, v or th. See Welcome to Irna.

How to say it. Give every syllable equal weight, with a slight lift on the second-to-last: ho-NO-vi, pa-KU-na.

Sex is set by tradition for each name, not by its ending. By-names never change with the bearer's sex.

How it is built. Given name, then any of: a patronymic (ibn "son of", bint "daughter of"), a nisba naming origin or trade (al-Marwahi, "of Marwah"; al-Warraq, "the copyist"), or a faith designation that replaces the family name after initiation (of the Unseen, Oshala-sworn). Titles go first. Many names are built on three-consonant roots: K-R-M "generosity" gives Makram and Kareema; S-B-R "patience" gives Sabir and Sabira. A Persian layer in the east adds names like Darius and Shirin. The sound is rich in q, kh and long vowels; long vowels read as formal. See Welcome to Jazirah.

How to say it. Stress the long vowel: ka-REE-ma, mu-NEER. Kh is the sound in Scottish "loch". Al- takes on the next consonant before sh, r and similar sounds: ash-Sharahi, never al-Sharahi.

The feminine of a root name adds -a and often lengthens a vowel: Salim, Saleema; Aziz, Azeeza. Ibn and bint must match the bearer's sex. The -iyya ending on a nisba is optional in casual speech.

How it is built. Family name first, then given name: Murano Kaede is Kaede of the Murano family. Noble houses usually share a name with the territory they govern (Higatomo, Patok); commoners have ordinary family names. Given names come from Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Vietnamese or Thai traditions, often mixed within one family's history. Syllables are short and open, ending only in a vowel, n, ng or m. See Welcome to Shoing.

How to say it. Give each syllable equal weight with no stressed beat: mu-ra-no ka-e-de.

Japanese-style names show sex in the ending (-ko, -mi, -na feminine; -ji, -to, -ro masculine). Chinese and Korean names often do not. Family names never change.

How it is built. Given name, then family name: Radha Sharma. These old merchant lineages keep given-name-first order on purpose, as a mark of identity within family-name-first Shoing. Thakur serves both as a title before a given name and as a surname. Compound given names are built from roots such as Dharma- (duty), Vira- (valor), Jaya- (victory) and -endra (chief among), -anand (joy of). The breathy consonants bh, dh, kh, th are the signature sound. See Welcome to Shoing.

How to say it. Stress usually falls on the second-to-last syllable: vi-REN-dra, dhar-MI-ta. Say bh, dh and kh with a puff of breath.

Sex comes from the ending: -an, -esh, -endra, -kar are masculine; -a, -i, -ita, -ini are feminine. A compound takes its sex from its ending, not its root: Virendra is a man, Veera a woman. Family names never change.

How it is built. Given name, then either a lineage name (Chidi Okonkwo) or a tribe or home settlement (Adeola of Pambuka). Both forms are correct; for many Funta the tribe is the stronger marker of identity. Names come from several traditions: Akan, Yoruba, Igbo, Swahili, Shona and Nguni, and Amharic. Most are three syllables and end in a vowel, with sounds like mb, nd, ng and kw. See Welcome to Funta.

How to say it. Stress the second-to-last syllable and keep the vowels open: no-MVU-la, a-de-O-la.

Akan names record the weekday of birth, with a separate form for boys and girls. Lineage names never change with sex.

How it is built. Given name first in every case, but Antaea has three naming layers, and which one a family uses says how long it has been there. Indigenous names identify a person by community rather than surname (Metzil of Masagua) and are built from roots such as Metz- (moon), Tlal- (earth) and Chimal- (shield). Iberian names take one surname, or two for old families (father's, then mother's), and use Don and Doña as titles. Irnan settler families follow Irnan practice. Mixed full names, such as an indigenous given name with an Iberian surname, are common. See Welcome to Antaea.

How to say it. Stress the second-to-last syllable in both main layers: ah-WEE-tsol, pa-LO-ma. In indigenous names x is "sh" and tl is a single sound. Iberian ñ is "ny".

Indigenous names use only the vowels a, e, i, o (plus u in hu and ua), never use r, b, d, f or g, and often end in a consonant. Sex comes from the root's meaning: moon, flower and star roots lean feminine; war, shield and serpent roots lean masculine. Iberian names mark sex with -o and -a. Never blend the two layers inside one given name.

How it is built. Given name, then an optional house name made of two Elvish roots: Eiranor Mirithil, where Mirithil is "jewel-moon". A place-origin form such as Galorneth ("of the radiant trees") can stand in for a house. Most Elvish names carry no sex at all. The sound is soft and flowing, with many vowel pairs (ae, ei, ia) and no hard k, z or x. See Elves.

How to say it. Stress the second-to-last syllable: ei-RA-nor, va-EL-dra. C is always soft: Cel- is "sel".

Feminine endings are -iel, -wen, -dra and -is; masculine are -ion, -orn and -dor. Most endings (-eth, -mir, -sol, -vael, -ithil) are neutral. House names never change.

How it is built. Given name, then clan name: Vald Narkrag. Clan names join two Dwarven roots, such as Nar (forge) and krag (mountain). Names are short, one or two syllables, and always end on a consonant. Women's names close just as hard as men's, with endings like -dis, -hild and -run. See Dwarves.

How to say it. Hit the first syllable, always: GOR-hild, ZAN-ek.

Single-syllable names (Vald, Krag, Grim, Brond) are borne by anyone. A daughter carries her clan name unchanged.

How it is built. Given name, then family name. Most names are Italian in shape, with lively doubled consonants (-zz-, -tt-); a minority are Dutch, and family names may take Van or De. Italian family names end in a plural -i that every member carries: a woman of the Gimoletti is a Gimoletti. See Gnomes.

How to say it. Stress the second-to-last syllable and hold doubled consonants a beat: bel-LET-ta, zi-NOZ-zo.

Italian forms swap the final vowel for sex: Gimetto, Gimetta. Dutch endings (-ke, -nik, -inke) mark nothing.

How it is built. Plain given name, then a family name made of two ordinary English words from the countryside: Merro Nettlecroft. Men's names often end in -o or -in; women's names are often plants and flowers. Short nicknames are common for anyone. Nothing should sound grand or heroic: if a name could not appear on a village sign, it is wrong for a Smaling. See Smaling.

How to say it. As it is spelled, in ordinary English.

There is no feminine ending: a girl is not named Merra after a Merro, she has a different name altogether.

How it is built. Given name, then clan name: Kharish Dakrim. A veteran may add a war-name, a single hard syllable earned by a deed, as a third element: Rokzag Brakur Zgar. Names are one or two syllables and end hard. Women's names land as hard as men's, using a different set of hard endings (-ish, -esh, -izh, -akh). See Orcs.

How to say it. Hit the first syllable hard: KHAR-ish, UR-gog. Kh and gh are throaty, as in "loch".

Clan names and war-names never change with sex.

Half-orcs take an orc name and soften one part of it: a gentler opener (Dar- for Dak-, Mar- for Mor-) or a softer ending (-an, -en, -on). One raised among humans may drop the clan name, or keep only its root as a surname.

How it is built. A short birth name, then a deed name awarded by the clan for a significant act: Kavim Stralor. The deed name is the one people know. When a greater deed comes along it replaces the old deed name, though the clan still recites earlier ones on formal occasions. In formal settings the clan follows: of Grethavan. Goliath names never mark sex. See Goliath.

How to say it. Stress the first syllable of each name. Doubled aa is a long "ah": DRAA-von.

How it is built. Each Vaelhari has a long true name, which they keep private, and a short known name, which they use with everyone, in every setting. The known name is made by rearranging some of the true name's sounds into a new one- or two-syllable name; it is never a piece cut from the front or back. There are no family names, nicknames or short forms, and names carry no sex. True names follow a Welsh-like sound system. See Vaelhari.

How to say it. In true names, ll is a breathy "thl", dd is the "th" in "this", single f is "v", rh is a breathed "r", and ae and au sound like "eye". Known names are said as spelled.

Every sound in a known name must already be in the true name. A young Vaelhari may be called the Unmoored; an elder may be addressed by a role title such as Phase-Elder in place of a name.

How it is built. Given name, then flock name: Takari Sorahara. In formal use the flock name may come first; keep one order within a scene. Names follow Japanese sound patterns, built from a root (Taka- hawk, Tsuru- crane, Kara- dark sky, Sora- sky) and an ending. Every syllable is a consonant plus a vowel, and only n may close one. See Aviari.

How to say it. Give every syllable exactly equal weight: ta-ka-ri.

The ending sets sex: -ko, -ne, -no, -mi feminine; -shi, -to, -ru masculine; -ki, -ri, -te, -n either. Siblings often share a root with different endings. Flock names never change.

How it is built. Given name, then family name taken from the clan: Voldor Brunakov. Men's names close on a consonant (-or, -ik, -im); women's names open into a vowel (-ina, -ira, -eva). The Borun are the one people whose family names change for a daughter: the Brunak clan gives Brunakov for a son and Brunakova for a daughter. The sound is dark and weighty, with o, u and a and clusters like br-, gr-, str-. See Borun.

How to say it. Lean on the first syllable: VOL-dor, STRA-vi-na.

A man's name becomes a woman's by opening the ending: Grozak, Grozaka. The -ushka form is a family pet name, never a birth name.

How it is built. Given name, then pack name: Izamen Taghrun. A woman's name wraps the root in T- at the front and -t at the end: the root Azul gives Azulan for a man and Tazult for a woman. Where a root already begins with T, it is not doubled: Tizir gives Tizirt. Pack names never take this change. An honored elder adds -agh. The sound is North African, with gh, z and the endings -agh, -an, -en. See Canix.

How to say it. Stress falls early, pressing on the strong consonants: IZ-a-men, ta-ZULT. Gh is a soft throaty "g".

Both halves of the wrap are needed: Tazul and Azult are both wrong.

How it is built. Given name, then a lineage name ending in -ides or a territory: Sophrimos Eurynomides, Akrax of the high ridge. Centaurs were never shaped by a mage; their names grew over centuries in two traditions. Learned names look upward to stars, memory and time (Astr-, Khron-, Mnem-). Wild names come from the land and weather of a birth (Hyl- woodland, Akr- ridge, Drym- oak country). A name that mixes the two tells a story, such as a wild-born centaur raised among scholars. See Centaur.

How to say it. Stress the second- or third-to-last syllable: so-PHRI-mos, ak-RAX. Ph is "f"; kh is the "ch" in "loch".

Masculine endings: -on, -os, -andros, -ax, -ys, -eus. Feminine: -a, -eia, -e, -o. Lineage names are the same for sons and daughters.

How it is built. Given name, then pride name: Rafimo Kemazu. A Pride-Head is addressed with Kama- before the name; an acknowledged elder hunter adds -ra. Names are two or three open syllables in a Swahili sound pattern, each ending in a vowel, with no consonant clusters. Most names are borne by anyone. See Felari.

How to say it. Stress the second-to-last syllable: to-BI-ri, ja-BI-si.

No ending marks sex. Where a name leans one way, it is because of what the root means: hunt and lion roots lean male, grace and still-water roots lean female.

How it is built. Given name, then warren name: Arnlon Lavnonel. An acknowledged elder takes Avel- before the name. The sound is Occitan and French: soft consonants, light and quick, with nasal endings. Men's names keep the nasal (-an, -on, -en); women's names resolve it into a spoken consonant (-ine, -onne, -elle, -ette). See Lapori.

How to say it. Stress the first syllable and keep the ending light: ARN-lon, GUIL-hette. Say -an and -on with a slight French nasal.

A man's name becomes a woman's by resolving the nasal: Arnan, Arnine or Arnanne. Do not add -a.

How it is built. Given name, then the name of the matriarch's line: Selvukan Thirukavan. Knowledge and identity pass through the mothers. Names are Tamil in sound, warm and deliberate, ending in -an, -am or -ar for men and -i, -ai or -eni for women. Doubled vowels (aa, ii) mark age and formality for anyone. See Pachari.

How to say it. Stress the second syllable: sel-VU-kan, ka-ZHI-al. Zh is a rolled sound between "r" and "l".

A man's name becomes a woman's by changing the ending: Aravan, Aravi; Selvan, Selvi. The -al ending is borne by either sex.

How it is built. Given name, then scale-kin clan: Bhavesh Virashari. A scholar adds the lineage of their teachers, which can matter more than blood: Shivani, of the Thiruvaan water-study. Names are soft and sibilant, Sanskrit in feel, with v, s and sh and a gentle breathy bh or kh. See Serathi.

How to say it. Settle on the middle syllable: na-VI-ka, sa-RA-vak.

Endings set sex: short -a, -an, -ak, -esh masculine; -i, -ika, -ira, -asha, -ani feminine; long -aa either.

How it is built. Given name, then lineage name from a founding ancestor: Thrakias Mykronides, "of the Mykron line". Names are Ancient Greek in shape, formal and weighted, opening on clusters like Thr-, Khr- and Str-. The ending states sex, and long final vowels mark an elder. See Taurik.

How to say it. Stress the second- or third-to-last syllable: THRA-ki-as, men-i-O-ne. Kh is the "ch" in "loch".

A man's name becomes a woman's by changing the ending: Arkton, Arkta. A lineage name is the same for every descendant.

How it is built. Given name, then home-water name, the ocean region or coast the family belongs to: Tanehu Rongotika. Names are Polynesian in sound, every syllable open, with ng and doubled vowels. Sex comes from the root, never the ending: sky and navigator roots lean male, moon and water roots lean female, ocean roots are either. See Torten.

How to say it. Unhurried, with even weight; doubled vowels are long. Ng is the sound in "sing", even at the start of a word: NGAA-ro-to-a.

Serren, Zerren and Drakin are born into every land, and most carry the ordinary name of the culture that raised them. Start with the human or racial section above for their home, then apply the notes below.

How it is built. Most Serren have a regular name from their home culture, and many choose that on purpose so they are treated as people and not as holy objects. Some, close to an Aelar parent, carry a soft, vowel-rich given name, followed either by a home family name or by a particle and a lineage root: ael for the Radiant line, mir for the Mercy line. Some families give a virtue name instead. There are no Serren family names of their own. See Serren.

How to say it. Aelar-style names are soft and flowing: KAY-leth, SAYV-ra. Everything else follows the home culture.

Use ael only with Radiant names and mir only with Mercy names, one particle per name. Particles never change with sex. A Serren of mixed line may be called Kindled by other Serren; this is a description, never part of the name.

How it is built. Most Zerren carry an ordinary name from home, often as protection against prejudice. Those close to an infernal parent may use a hard, short given name with z, k and v, followed by a particle and a pact-root: kal for the Dominion line, vel for the Ravage line. Only Ravage names take an apostrophe break. In the harshest regions some were given a weight name, a single word such as Requiem, which takes no surname. Zerren have no family names of their own. See Zerren.

How to say it. Stress the first syllable and keep it clipped: KOR-vath, MORG-ath (with a catch at the apostrophe).

Never pair kal with a Ravage name or vel with a Dominion one. Particles never change with sex. A Zerren of mixed line may be called Shardborn; respected elders, Marked Elder.

How it is built. A full Drakin name has three parts: a personal name, an earned epithet, and a lineage identifier, as in Aldrath the Exact, Gale-descended. Day to day most Drakin use only the personal name. The personal name comes from the land that raised them: Shoing enclave names are long-voweled and flowing; Irna-raised names are shorter and harder; elsewhere the home culture's names are stretched toward draconic vowels. The epithet and lineage are the same everywhere. Epithets are honest, given by elders, and often unflattering. Drakin have no surnames. See Drakin.

How to say it. Ae is "eye"; stress follows the home culture: KAER-vath, AL-drath.

The seven lineage identifiers are: of the Ember Line, Tide-kin, Gale-descended, of Ore Heritage, Anchor-touched, Prism-born, Umbral-born. Epithets and lineages never change with sex. Honorifics such as Flamebearer describe what a Drakin is and are never used as names.