Names in A Strange New World | World Anvil

Names

After the Great Cataclysm, books were rare. Access to the internet and all electronically stored data was gone for hundreds of years. Education consisted of storytelling and apprenticeship, so many words lost their original meanings, gained new meanings or ceased to exist altogether. The same can be said for names. Popular stories passed down from storyteller to storyteller became the genesis of names. As a result, after more than three hundred years, most of the names in the Americas are names that originated in the mythology of the modern age: pop culture.   Surnames just don't exist in North America except for people who claim some position of authority associated with it, such as wealthy landowners or hereditary rulers. Rather, to differentiate people with the same name, they will usually attach an occupation or other identifying feature to their name such as: Rory Hairlip, Howdy the Sheriff or Sally Victor's Daughter.   In the coalition states, names are taken from historical paragons of human virtue, but there also seems to be an affinity for names that sound like they came from a 60's era spy novel, television show or movie. Names such as:
  1. Roman Temple
  2. Delta Rae
  3. Kyoo (child of a tinkerer or engineer)
  4. May Bee
  5. Parish
  6. Honey Rider
  7. Domino
  8. Kissy
  9. Einstein
  10. Bambi
  11. Thumper
  12. Solitaire
  13. Lullaby
  14. Shakespear
  15. Havelock
  16. Bibi
  17. Doll
  18. Mayday
  19. Xenia
  20. Paris
  21. Christmas
  22. Elektra
  23. Vesper
  24. Strawberry
  25. Draco
  26. Red
  27. Napolean
  28. Alexander
  29. Maxwell
  30. Siegfried
  31. Sebastian
  32. Forsythe
  33. Dimitrios
  34. Blue Skye
  35. Sunny Dae
  36. Steele
  37. Custer
  38. Euess Grant
  39. Ulysses
  40. Hannibal
  41. Caesar
  42. Hermione
  43. Kimmel
  44. Royal Pain
  45. Larabee
  46. Edison
  47. Tattledove
  48. Gemini
  49. Victor
  50. Sam Adams
  51. Rogan
  52. Winter(s)
  53. Cotton
  54. Risky Tide
  While the Colorado baronies seem to be populated by people named after western movies, television shows and books:
  1. Shane
  2. Clint
  3. Eastwood
  4. Yuma
  5. Rigger
  6. Blaine
  7. Utah
  8. Sackett
  9. Wayne
  10. John
  11. Gabby
  12. Hayes
  13. Roy
  14. Dale
  15. Jesse (James)
  16. Huckleberry
  17. Wyatt
  18. Earp
  19. Howdy
  20. Butch
  21. Sundance
  22. Django
  23. Mitchum
  24. Val
  25. Matt
  26. Kitty
  27. Elliot
  28. Mariachi
  29. Belle (Star)
  30. Sam
  31. Buster
  32. Tonto
  33. Lassie
  34. Trigger
  35. Silver
  36. Tequila Rose
  37. Maverick
  38. Hoss
  39. Dusty
  40. Carson
  41. Butch
  42. Buck
  43. Annie
  44. Calamity (Jane)
  Northern Gun and the Manistique Imperium retained a large amount of Golden Age culture. As a result, names adopted in their domains carry a more 21st century feel. Last names are more prevalent here as well, although they are not the majority.   Names shared by humans and deebees alike in the The Federation of Magic are similar to the Coalition States in that they take inspiration from mythology, only the inspiring heroes seem to come from superhero, science fiction and fantasy origins. It is not uncommon in the federation to run across the following:
  1. Stark
  2. Luke
  3. Leia
  4. Han (Solo)
  5. Skywalker
  6. Ren
  7. Vader
  8. Darth
  9. Artoo
  10. Chewie
  11. Kylo
  12. Jabba
  13. Hulk
  14. Thor
  15. Mal
  16. River
  17. Crichton
  18. Dargo
  19. Rigel
  20. Teela
  21. Bender
  22. Wakanda
  23. Gambit
  24. Logan
  25. Charles Xavier
  26. Will Robinson
  27. Kirk
  28. Spock
  29. Checkov
  30. Sulu
  31. Uhura
  32. Jordy
  33. Picard
  34. Jean-Luc
  35. Riker
  36. Scotty
  37. Xena
  38. Gandalf
  39. Frodo
  40. Hobbit
  41. Aragorn
  42. Precious
  43. Sargon
  44. Legolas
  45. Potter
  46. Hermione
  47. Snape
  As the first successfully mass-produced Mutant Animal, Dogboys were rarely given human names in the beginning. As time has passed, this practice has evolved and they often take names associated with the animal kingdom:
  1. Tiger
  2. Monkey
  3. Ozark
  4. Mako
  5. Ace
  6. Sparrow
  7. Bunny
  8. Fang
  9. Felix
  10. Hondo
  11. Jack
  12. Crow
  13. Lucky
  14. Pinto
  15. Rudolph
  16. Dasher
  17. Donner
  18. Blitzen
  19. Hawking
  20. Raven
  21. Kitty
  22. Snail
  23. Gremlin
  24. Shark
  25. Mackeral
  26. Turtle
  27. Spider
  28. Crow
  29. Lassie
  30. Mustang
  31. Panda
  32. Wolf(ie)
  33. Goat
  34. Eagle
  35. Mouse
  36. Beaver
  37. Weasel
  38. Mink
  39. Kestrel
  Is stark contrast to Dog Boys, Bat Boys are a more subdued lot. Like humans, they've chosen names out of the mythology we know as pop culture. Rather than adventurous sounding names, however, they seem to prefer names taken from classic stories of romance:
  1. Sophie
  2. Thaddeus
  3. Belvedere
  4. Heathcliff
  5. Zelda
  6. Ethel
  7. Daisy
  8. Buchanan
  9. Myrtle
  10. George
  11. Meyer
  12. Gladys
  13. Virginia
  14. Rose
  15. Walter
  16. Arthur
  17. William
  18. Francis
  19. Roy
  20. Gertrude
  21. Mabel
  22. Nellie
  23. Mattie
  24. Hattie
  25. Eugene
  26. Edgar
  27. Chester
  28. Floyd
  29. Maude
  30. Flora
  31. Oliver
  32. Sibyl
  Ursa Warriors are far more blunt and brutal in their outlook towards life. Unsurprisingly, they adopt the names of weapons and the like:
  1. Mace
  2. Stiletto
  3. Dagger
  4. Glaive
  5. Halberd
  6. Pike
  7. Khukri
  8. Cestus
  9. Tommyhawk
  10. Scimitar
  11. Sabre
  12. Claw Claw
  13. Stomper
  14. Cross
  15. Haymaker
  16. Duke
  17. Chamber
  18. Morningstar
  19. Rod
  20. Wand(a)
  21. Knuckles
  22. Ravage
  23. Dutchman
  24. Maul
  25. Hammer
  26. Whip
  27. Donnybrooke
  28. Trench(er)
  29. Quarrel
  30. Caliber
  31. Winchester
  32. Remington
  33. Glock
  34. Rampage
  35. Cleaver
    Then there are the unique outliers whose names come obviously from American origins but do not seem to fit any convention. They are probably holdovers from the Golden age that have been passed down or picked up in the generations since:
  1. Charley
  2. Charlie
  3. Von
  4. Conchita
  5. Garth
  6. Basil
  7. Hubert
  8. Herbert
  9. Ayo-cee
  10. Beanie
  11. Kyle
  12. Kanye
  13. Rogan
  14. Alinity
  15. Gura
  And last are the names with utterly unknown origins:
  1. Plorthnoy
  2. Kook
  3. Sigil
  4. Twenty
  5. Catorce


Cover image: Tulcor's Rifts World Title by Tulcor

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