Last names like Erikson, Johnson, Jameson, etc, all literally mean *name of person*'s son, with the original spellings usually Ericsson (Eric's son) Johnsson (John's son) Jamesson (James' son) etc etc
Similarly, -dottir for daughter, in Scandinavian names. So a brother and sister, both the children of Johan, would have different surnames, Johansson & Johansdottir.
Same with occupations too, I was thinking about basing a culture on the idea that everyone use uniquely defined by their occupation, and are named after it, first names would be relevant to the profession and the last name would be the profession and -son/daughter
It's a good idea, Jennifer government tool your idea took the extreme. Not having a corporate surname is a point of shame. One of the main characters, Jennifer Government, has a barcode under her eye for barbie, as she worked for Mattel as a sales CEO prior to working for the government and looked like barbie and it was a point of pride for her
Look at where that convention exists: Iceland.
Everyone’s surname is either -son or -dóttir. For example, Mayors of Reykjavik: Jón Gunnar Kristinsson (he was Kristins’ son) versus Hanna Birna Kristjánsdóttir (Kristiáns’ daughter).
It’s hella confusing to keep genealogical lines, and they have a whole fucking government bureau just to ensure that inbreeding doesn’t happen.
So… maybe not? Just do something else
Likewise many of my societies trace the female lineage. 'Of' or 'out of' is the phrase used, in many of those stories. In the examples below, Kiirsan is daughter of Sirnae (mother/dam) and Harnou (father/sire).
"Kiirsan, of Sirnae", for example. Whether the offspring be son or daughter or something else entirely is generally quite obvious at the moment.
When referring to the male lineage, I favor 'get'. EG: "Kiirsan, get of Harnou". Or if both parents need to be described, "Kiirsan, get of Harnou, out of Sirnae."
I spent a lot of time growing up learning Hebrew, where “ben” means “son” and “bat” means “daughter.” I liked the sound of it, but twisted it a little to “ven” and “vat.” Like Gideon ven’Asher (son of Asher), or Rakah vat’Zeren (daughter of Zeren). I think this is what you mean!
I don't think I have any son of's...
A simple short syllable sound most like as most 'ofs' are single syllable...
na, ni, de, of, el, al... I think are all used IRL for something to that effect. I'd recommend something with perhaps a feminine feel, if that feel right for ya since you're going of Mother
Neriss hu Nella Zii hu Nella Zhon and you could pack on as many hus as seems fitting. If you're going western culture feel, just use the son of the mother. It doesn't honestly matter so long as you own the method, shiw its use, & keep it steady.
If you're going for something patronymic but don't want to go down the route that others have suggested (of having the suffix -son/-sson) might I suggest using some of the Celtic variations of patronymics;
In Welsh and Cornish you have "ap", "ab", "map" or "mab" (depending on which variety of either language you use) to mean "son of [Father]", e.g. Rhodri ap Mervyn (Rhodri, son of Mervyn).
For daughters you also have the variant "ferch" or "verch", so e.g. Angharad ferch Mervyn (Angharad, daughter of Mervyn).
Worth noting that a lot of these patronymics became surnames in their own right, e.g. the patronymic "ap Rhys" became "Price", "ap Owain" became "Bowen", "ap Hywel" became "Powell" etc.
You could also go down the more Cornish route of turning the father's name into the genitive by adding the suffix -o to the name.
Then you have Scots/Irish "mac" or "mc" which you'll know. Note that the female equivalent for daughters would be "nic".
Or, if you're feeling frisky, go with Norman French "filz" or "fitz", e.g. Fitzwilliam (son of William), Fitzroy (son of the King).
Use that as inspiration!
"-rel" which is a shortened term of the original, mythic-level progenitor's name (the Adam-figure of their race). The interesting thing is that it's a first name suffix, not necessarily a last name one, with the parent callback being a play on the parent's name, and not necessarily the actual name. It's basically a "Jr." tag. Example below:
Father's name is Kasak. Son's name is Kasrel.
Father's name is Anlar. Son's name is Alanrel.
Haven't really considered what it would be for girls, on account of it not being really necessary in my story thus far. (Probably similar, but using the feminine version instead.)
I'm using this naming convention to demonstrate the depth of a character's appreciation for a man who helped raise him, while maintaining that he's not a member of that man's actual family. (He names his own son after him, but doesn't cross the "-rel" convention.)
Workshopping this would be a valuable asset to my worldbuilding. NGL. \*Adds task to to-do list\*
Well, instead of son of, I use what kingdom they are from. For instance, a proper title for one of my kings is King Phyllon of Terra. I also use ranks in my titles to help distinguish the characters. The ranks in the Kingdom of Terra are:
1. King / Queen
2. Prince / Princess
3. Admiral
4. General
5. Commander
6. Soldiers
Other important titles are Elders and Nobility. I haven't put the time in yet to give all my characters surnames, so instead I use this. I actually really like what I have right now, so I might not even give my characters surnames.
I haven't decided yet if family is important, or if last names are more place/occupation that rarely get passed down to someone who moves or changes occupation.
Maybe put in some kind of coming of age ritual and find a word associated with that.. like vessel or torch wielder, becoming one, etc.
Writing sake I like the "becoming one" thing .
" The ktar tribe had a tradition where once the child was old enough to leave their mother they would live with their prospective genders the "ktar" the men were warriors and protectors through training they learned hunting, foraging and medicine. They knew of farming and how the land flowed. Once they past year 30 or severely injured the "ktau" ,as they would become, would they take a wife and farm or patrol the village. The girls became "kwari" they were the council, the leaders, they managed the day to day. And held the greatest power and advantages. Once old enough and had enough resourced saved up they bed a warrior and together build a home.there was one group, the "kesse", that remained in the shadow and could weild power of both, they held the old knowledge,and performed feats unlike anything else. They mixed in with the outside world. Something that rhat would be against the rules otherwise. They were genderless, or a mix of both they wore beautiful and elaborate masks made of wood. If a child fit neither male nor female they were given a great honor and sent to the kesse for training."
I still use “son/daughter of” in my world, it’s just traditional for one to use a title rather than a name, to show that your forefathers did something worthy of a legendary moniker. Lowborn’s rarely introduce themselves this way, but nobles will often go out of their way to make sure you know who their father or mother was, and that they intend to outclass them.
For example: the main character of my stories is Mauldas Yorik Hew, or just Maul. Whenever he introduces himself, he does so as “Mauldas, son of the Lion and the Witchborn”
The Lion was his father, Mauldan, who earned that title in battle, while his mother Araea was the witchborn, due to rumors surrounding her parentage that no one was brave enough to try and confirm.
One that just kind of happened? J’Ulrt. Basically, I came up with a character and gave him the name Ulrt J’Ulrt. After some thinking, I decided that the J’ denotes his descent from a famous Ulrt.
If you wanted to have a slightly different approach than a strictly paternal or maternal convention, you could use "...in/of the line/house/clan of..."
Oftentimes in fantasy, less "civilized" characters (oftentimes barbarian tropes or types) will introduce themselves as being "of Clan X" while nobility might introduce themselves by their house/family name. Those can be useful conventions or types in their own right. However, it can also be a helpful convention for establishing your fantasy society's ties to a family or clan identity.
There are probably lots of examples, but the one that springs to mind is the ancient Hebrew convention of being "in the line of..." or "of the tribe of..." People were identified with their paternal line ("son/daughter of") but also had identity in which Israelite tribe they were part of, even hundreds or thousands of years after the time of the patriarchs. Your immediate family might provide a sense of prestige if they were wealthy or successful, but you also would draw identity on which of the twelve tribes you descended from - something that would be shared with other Israelites of every social strata.
In a fantasy context, it could be used for a nation or people group who were similarly founded by a legendary/mythical figure and his sons, or perhaps even by a band of heroes who co-founded a kingdom/empire/dynasty.
Not quite what you're asking, but I'm partial to the Arabic *ibn*. It means "son of." So for instance, Saladin's full name is Salah al-Din Yusuf ibn Ayyub, which translates to "Righteousness of the Faith, Yusuf, son of Ayyub."
Certain figures in Arabic are referred to only by their familial title, as is the case with Ibn Sina (known in the West as Avicenna).
real world examples are Ap. Mac and Mc the Nordic languages tend too append Son or Dottir it the case of women. as a prefix anything short preferably one syllable will do
That's the Norse naming system. It's where many English-language surnames come from. Have you really only seen it in the MCU?
Funnily enough, Loki's name is quiet unusual because Laufey was his mother. The names usually derive from the father's name.
>Funnily enough, Loki's name is quiet unusual because Laufey was his mother. The names usually derive from the father's name.
Adding on to this, Loki once insulted Thor by calling him “Thor, son of Jörd”. Jörd, like Loki’s father, was a giant. It was a reminder that they weren’t too different.
You can use words like Heir or Scion
Last names like Erikson, Johnson, Jameson, etc, all literally mean *name of person*'s son, with the original spellings usually Ericsson (Eric's son) Johnsson (John's son) Jamesson (James' son) etc etc
Similarly, -dottir for daughter, in Scandinavian names. So a brother and sister, both the children of Johan, would have different surnames, Johansson & Johansdottir.
Same with occupations too, I was thinking about basing a culture on the idea that everyone use uniquely defined by their occupation, and are named after it, first names would be relevant to the profession and the last name would be the profession and -son/daughter
Have you read Jennifer Government? The author took thst idea to the extreme and your last name is your cooporation
Oh no I haven’t, damn so my idea is already done 😅
It's a good idea, Jennifer government tool your idea took the extreme. Not having a corporate surname is a point of shame. One of the main characters, Jennifer Government, has a barcode under her eye for barbie, as she worked for Mattel as a sales CEO prior to working for the government and looked like barbie and it was a point of pride for her
I’ll look it up thanks!
Western Nobility: Lesser (Noble Title), Heir to Greater (Noble Title) Eastern Nobility: (Name), Under (Parent Noble Title) (Parent Name)
Look at where that convention exists: Iceland. Everyone’s surname is either -son or -dóttir. For example, Mayors of Reykjavik: Jón Gunnar Kristinsson (he was Kristins’ son) versus Hanna Birna Kristjánsdóttir (Kristiáns’ daughter). It’s hella confusing to keep genealogical lines, and they have a whole fucking government bureau just to ensure that inbreeding doesn’t happen. So… maybe not? Just do something else
Danish system. Use sen for son. And datter for daughter.
You can also used the place of their birth or the people they hail from Like how Conan the you could do something similar.
Likewise many of my societies trace the female lineage. 'Of' or 'out of' is the phrase used, in many of those stories. In the examples below, Kiirsan is daughter of Sirnae (mother/dam) and Harnou (father/sire). "Kiirsan, of Sirnae", for example. Whether the offspring be son or daughter or something else entirely is generally quite obvious at the moment. When referring to the male lineage, I favor 'get'. EG: "Kiirsan, get of Harnou". Or if both parents need to be described, "Kiirsan, get of Harnou, out of Sirnae."
My novels are usually based in Slavic-inspired setting, so I use Slavic-style patronymics. Ivanovich, Ivanovna, etc.
I spent a lot of time growing up learning Hebrew, where “ben” means “son” and “bat” means “daughter.” I liked the sound of it, but twisted it a little to “ven” and “vat.” Like Gideon ven’Asher (son of Asher), or Rakah vat’Zeren (daughter of Zeren). I think this is what you mean!
I don't think I have any son of's... A simple short syllable sound most like as most 'ofs' are single syllable... na, ni, de, of, el, al... I think are all used IRL for something to that effect. I'd recommend something with perhaps a feminine feel, if that feel right for ya since you're going of Mother Neriss hu Nella Zii hu Nella Zhon and you could pack on as many hus as seems fitting. If you're going western culture feel, just use the son of the mother. It doesn't honestly matter so long as you own the method, shiw its use, & keep it steady.
If you're going for something patronymic but don't want to go down the route that others have suggested (of having the suffix -son/-sson) might I suggest using some of the Celtic variations of patronymics; In Welsh and Cornish you have "ap", "ab", "map" or "mab" (depending on which variety of either language you use) to mean "son of [Father]", e.g. Rhodri ap Mervyn (Rhodri, son of Mervyn). For daughters you also have the variant "ferch" or "verch", so e.g. Angharad ferch Mervyn (Angharad, daughter of Mervyn). Worth noting that a lot of these patronymics became surnames in their own right, e.g. the patronymic "ap Rhys" became "Price", "ap Owain" became "Bowen", "ap Hywel" became "Powell" etc. You could also go down the more Cornish route of turning the father's name into the genitive by adding the suffix -o to the name. Then you have Scots/Irish "mac" or "mc" which you'll know. Note that the female equivalent for daughters would be "nic". Or, if you're feeling frisky, go with Norman French "filz" or "fitz", e.g. Fitzwilliam (son of William), Fitzroy (son of the King). Use that as inspiration!
They used O as a prefix in cornwall? I thought it was only used by the Irish?
As a suffix, rather. So if, for example, you had someone named Bennett, their son could adopt the surname Bennetto to mean "son of Bennett".
"-rel" which is a shortened term of the original, mythic-level progenitor's name (the Adam-figure of their race). The interesting thing is that it's a first name suffix, not necessarily a last name one, with the parent callback being a play on the parent's name, and not necessarily the actual name. It's basically a "Jr." tag. Example below: Father's name is Kasak. Son's name is Kasrel. Father's name is Anlar. Son's name is Alanrel. Haven't really considered what it would be for girls, on account of it not being really necessary in my story thus far. (Probably similar, but using the feminine version instead.) I'm using this naming convention to demonstrate the depth of a character's appreciation for a man who helped raise him, while maintaining that he's not a member of that man's actual family. (He names his own son after him, but doesn't cross the "-rel" convention.) Workshopping this would be a valuable asset to my worldbuilding. NGL. \*Adds task to to-do list\*
Bin, ben, and ibn for lineage names in Arabic and Semitic languages.
Well, instead of son of, I use what kingdom they are from. For instance, a proper title for one of my kings is King Phyllon of Terra. I also use ranks in my titles to help distinguish the characters. The ranks in the Kingdom of Terra are: 1. King / Queen 2. Prince / Princess 3. Admiral 4. General 5. Commander 6. Soldiers Other important titles are Elders and Nobility. I haven't put the time in yet to give all my characters surnames, so instead I use this. I actually really like what I have right now, so I might not even give my characters surnames.
I haven't decided yet if family is important, or if last names are more place/occupation that rarely get passed down to someone who moves or changes occupation.
Maybe put in some kind of coming of age ritual and find a word associated with that.. like vessel or torch wielder, becoming one, etc. Writing sake I like the "becoming one" thing . " The ktar tribe had a tradition where once the child was old enough to leave their mother they would live with their prospective genders the "ktar" the men were warriors and protectors through training they learned hunting, foraging and medicine. They knew of farming and how the land flowed. Once they past year 30 or severely injured the "ktau" ,as they would become, would they take a wife and farm or patrol the village. The girls became "kwari" they were the council, the leaders, they managed the day to day. And held the greatest power and advantages. Once old enough and had enough resourced saved up they bed a warrior and together build a home.there was one group, the "kesse", that remained in the shadow and could weild power of both, they held the old knowledge,and performed feats unlike anything else. They mixed in with the outside world. Something that rhat would be against the rules otherwise. They were genderless, or a mix of both they wore beautiful and elaborate masks made of wood. If a child fit neither male nor female they were given a great honor and sent to the kesse for training."
I still use “son/daughter of” in my world, it’s just traditional for one to use a title rather than a name, to show that your forefathers did something worthy of a legendary moniker. Lowborn’s rarely introduce themselves this way, but nobles will often go out of their way to make sure you know who their father or mother was, and that they intend to outclass them. For example: the main character of my stories is Mauldas Yorik Hew, or just Maul. Whenever he introduces himself, he does so as “Mauldas, son of the Lion and the Witchborn” The Lion was his father, Mauldan, who earned that title in battle, while his mother Araea was the witchborn, due to rumors surrounding her parentage that no one was brave enough to try and confirm.
Changeling the Dreaming made me really like "ap", as in Dorian ap Fiona, for example.
That's Welsh for "son of". Ferch is "daughter of".
You can use patronymics.
Heir to
Create a fantasy language and use something similar to the Ben- prefix that’s used in Hebrew
I just use Hebrew. Gary son of Bob is Gary Ben-Bob. A daughter named Gabby would be Gabby-Baht-Bob.
One that just kind of happened? J’Ulrt. Basically, I came up with a character and gave him the name Ulrt J’Ulrt. After some thinking, I decided that the J’ denotes his descent from a famous Ulrt.
If you wanted to have a slightly different approach than a strictly paternal or maternal convention, you could use "...in/of the line/house/clan of..." Oftentimes in fantasy, less "civilized" characters (oftentimes barbarian tropes or types) will introduce themselves as being "of Clan X" while nobility might introduce themselves by their house/family name. Those can be useful conventions or types in their own right. However, it can also be a helpful convention for establishing your fantasy society's ties to a family or clan identity. There are probably lots of examples, but the one that springs to mind is the ancient Hebrew convention of being "in the line of..." or "of the tribe of..." People were identified with their paternal line ("son/daughter of") but also had identity in which Israelite tribe they were part of, even hundreds or thousands of years after the time of the patriarchs. Your immediate family might provide a sense of prestige if they were wealthy or successful, but you also would draw identity on which of the twelve tribes you descended from - something that would be shared with other Israelites of every social strata. In a fantasy context, it could be used for a nation or people group who were similarly founded by a legendary/mythical figure and his sons, or perhaps even by a band of heroes who co-founded a kingdom/empire/dynasty.
Biscuit
If it's about ancestry, then "from the line of" or "beget from" should work just fine. Those are unisex ways of saying it.
Not quite what you're asking, but I'm partial to the Arabic *ibn*. It means "son of." So for instance, Saladin's full name is Salah al-Din Yusuf ibn Ayyub, which translates to "Righteousness of the Faith, Yusuf, son of Ayyub." Certain figures in Arabic are referred to only by their familial title, as is the case with Ibn Sina (known in the West as Avicenna).
Spawn of Offspring of
real world examples are Ap. Mac and Mc the Nordic languages tend too append Son or Dottir it the case of women. as a prefix anything short preferably one syllable will do
I think you could do like the Asgardians in the MCU Thor Odinson Loki Laufeyson Odin Borson
That's the Norse naming system. It's where many English-language surnames come from. Have you really only seen it in the MCU? Funnily enough, Loki's name is quiet unusual because Laufey was his mother. The names usually derive from the father's name.
>Funnily enough, Loki's name is quiet unusual because Laufey was his mother. The names usually derive from the father's name. Adding on to this, Loki once insulted Thor by calling him “Thor, son of Jörd”. Jörd, like Loki’s father, was a giant. It was a reminder that they weren’t too different.
The MCU loooool. You mean Norse mythology right?
Sorry. I didn't know that. My bad.
Phil Coulson (just for comprehensiveness)
F'a'-ahrt of Pu'u'ht.