Dragonlance Names - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

Dragonlance Names

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
lugnut71
Dec 14, 2003 16:32:46 Does anyone know of a place that has names from the books sorted by country and race? Basically I'm looking for names to use for that sound Dragonlancy. I always have to try to think them up on the fly and would like a source to use. Specifically for Solmanic names. I'm running out of Latin names to use that fit the setting.
#2
zombiegleemax
Dec 17, 2003 14:25:20 As far as I can see, Solamnic names seem to follow one of two conventions: either they have the "uth" thing before their last name (which tends to be pretty simple, one or two syllables and closely approximates a first name - which seems appropriate, since it functions as the Irish "O'" the Scottish "Mac" the Scandinavian "-sson" etc. - that is, it seems to indicate the name of one's father, or perhaps a long-ago famous father of the clan), or, if they are one of the few famous Solamnic families, they will have a name like "Crownguard" or "Brightblade" - just take a couple knightly-sounding words and stick them together.
As for first names, they seem British Islesy for the most part, though with an archaic flair and maybe a fantastic twist: Derek, Gunthar, and even Sturm - if they aren't real names actually used in the English-speaking world at some point, then they are a close take on such.
Hope that helps. The Latinate stuff seems to me to be mostly in the time of Vinas Solamnus - it would be like giving Brit people in the 1700s Roman names - that is, those naming conventions existed long ago, and are no longer current. That is, anyway, the impression I get.

-Maofeng
#3
zombiegleemax
Dec 17, 2003 14:49:42 Actually, the Irish 'O' isn't utterly random. It was used to denote the clan leaders. So, if you met me, Paul Donovan, I would owe my allegiance to someone like James O'Donovan. If I was Irish.

The Solamnic naming thing was also supposed to be along the lines of taking your father's first name as your last, but not everyone has done that.

Other than that, the Ergothmen seem to take their father's names as their own, the Que-Shu and most other barbarians take a name like 'Moonsong', 'Riverwind' or 'Wanderer'. Hobgoblins and goblins have clans and unpleasant names (Lord Toede, for example, or 'King of Little Dry Frogs' as he becomes known as, briefly). Minotaurs have Es-something surnames if they're from Mithas and de-something if they're from Kothas (or vice versa, I forget which). Nerakans have evil sounding names.

Arg. I'm naked without my library of DL books.
#4
cam_banks
Dec 17, 2003 15:04:40
Originally posted by pddisc
Actually, the Irish 'O' isn't utterly random. It was used to denote the clan leaders. So, if you met me, Paul Donovan, I would owe my allegiance to someone like James O'Donovan. If I was Irish.

That's not entirely true. The fact that your last name is Donovan and somebody else's is O'Donovan is a reflection of the alteration of the name over the years since the 10th century, nothing to do with owing allegiance to anybody.

O' or Ua literally means "grandson" while Mac is "son", and came into use when surnames began to be popularized in the 9th and 10th centuries, especially with the Christianization of Ireland. Traditionally, you took your father's name as your last and added "mac", or you traced your lineage to an ancestor and added "ua" or "O'". Eventually for some the O' or Mac was dropped, for others the O' was dropped and the Mac added, or the Mac was added to another ancestor in the line of the original (such as his son or his grandson) and denotes a subdivision within the original line.

Cheers,
Cam
#5
zombiegleemax
Dec 17, 2003 16:47:33 I'd just like to point out that I wasn't submitting any sort of comment on Irish naming conventions, but merely pointing out that things like the Solamnic "uth" thing exist in real life, and that often it is the result of taking the actual first name of an ancestor and adding a few letters in front of or behind it - which is why I added that little bit about how the last names after the "uth"s are similar to, if not in fact the same as, actual names that Solamnics might have. "Wistan" could be some earlier version of Winston, Matar could be something like Martin (though I personally suspect that Weis and Hickman used Matar simply because it has that "m" and "r" that for reason we associate with evil).

Completely off topic, but does anyone know why Scots are supposed to be the ones with "Mac" and Irish people have "Mc"? The "O" and "Mac" thing was explored, but not "Mc."
#6
zombiegleemax
Dec 17, 2003 17:04:23 In war of souls, Gerard uth Mondar's ... father, was it? was Mondar uth (Something). So possibly it denotes your father, right? Or am I mistaken?
#7
zombiegleemax
Dec 18, 2003 23:00:21 Okay, when it comes to Solamnic last names, I'm the expert. Well, not really. But I do know what I'm talkign about. Some Solamnics have the last name uth Something. Uth is Solamnic for child of. So, Gerard uth Mondar was Mondar's son. Gunther uth Wiston is Wiston's son. Gregar uth Matar is Matar's son. Now, why does Kitiara call herdelf uth Matar instead of uth Gregar? She doesn't know enough about her Solamnic heritage to know about the last name thing. Which may have been why she enver found her family(she was looking for uth Matars, and there was only one.)
#8
zombiegleemax
Dec 19, 2003 8:49:18 I think it goes both ways. Some Solamnics take the name of their direct father, some take the name of a father further down the line, presumably a famous and gallant figure or somesuch.

Gerard uth Mondar marked the first time I'd heard of the name passing on - Like you pointed out, Kitiara doesn't do this, and I have to wonder if Uth Wistan did this either, since the actual castle is title Castle Uth Wistan (which leads me to suspect that it was like that way before Gunther's time).

That's kinda the way I figured it. Solamnics name themselves after ancestors, or objects, or roles - Like Crownguard and Brightblade and Tallbow. I have a knight character who uses Uth Rogan, and I just have the mysterious ancestor be a Knight of the Rose from way, way back, which the whole family name honors by continuing his name (and his castle, but that's another matter).
#9
zombiegleemax
Dec 19, 2003 10:32:12 You might want to track down the Everchanging Book of Names here: http://ebon.pyorre.net/.

I think that in the latest version, Ansalonian names are in the "Worlds of Fantasy" supplementary book. But try them all, they are small downloads anyway.

I've been using this for like, ever, on my games. I usually generate a dozen names for each session (different genres and races) in case my players want to harrass a local resident and ask his name.
#10
lugnut71
Dec 19, 2003 12:53:48 Thanks to all
#11
zombiegleemax
Dec 20, 2003 0:35:16
Originally posted by The Udjat
Gerard uth Mondar marked the first time I'd heard of the name passing on - Like you pointed out, Kitiara doesn't do this, and I have to wonder if Uth Wistan did this either, since the actual castle is title Castle Uth Wistan (which leads me to suspect that it was like that way before Gunther's time).

Read the Annotated Chronicles. In the part where it first mentions Gunther, it explains the whole naming thing. It even says that if Gunther's son was something like Craig or something crazy like that, then his name would be Craig uth Gunther. It was simply called Castle uth Wistan because the lord of the mannor's surname was uth Wiston. Just like if I killed Gunther in a duel and took over all of his holdings, it would be called Castle Solo. Well, probably Solo Castle. Or I might change my name to Jacen uth Han...

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 lugnut71 Dec 14, 2003 16:32:46	Does anyone know of a place that has names from the books sorted by country and race? Basically I'm looking for names to use for that sound Dragonlancy. I always have to try to think them up on the fly and would like a source to use. Specifically for Solmanic names. I'm running out of Latin names to use that fit the setting.
#2 zombiegleemax Dec 17, 2003 14:25:20	As far as I can see, Solamnic names seem to follow one of two conventions: either they have the "uth" thing before their last name (which tends to be pretty simple, one or two syllables and closely approximates a first name - which seems appropriate, since it functions as the Irish "O'" the Scottish "Mac" the Scandinavian "-sson" etc. - that is, it seems to indicate the name of one's father, or perhaps a long-ago famous father of the clan), or, if they are one of the few famous Solamnic families, they will have a name like "Crownguard" or "Brightblade" - just take a couple knightly-sounding words and stick them together. As for first names, they seem British Islesy for the most part, though with an archaic flair and maybe a fantastic twist: Derek, Gunthar, and even Sturm - if they aren't real names actually used in the English-speaking world at some point, then they are a close take on such. Hope that helps. The Latinate stuff seems to me to be mostly in the time of Vinas Solamnus - it would be like giving Brit people in the 1700s Roman names - that is, those naming conventions existed long ago, and are no longer current. That is, anyway, the impression I get. -Maofeng
#3 zombiegleemax Dec 17, 2003 14:49:42	Actually, the Irish 'O' isn't utterly random. It was used to denote the clan leaders. So, if you met me, Paul Donovan, I would owe my allegiance to someone like James O'Donovan. If I was Irish. The Solamnic naming thing was also supposed to be along the lines of taking your father's first name as your last, but not everyone has done that. Other than that, the Ergothmen seem to take their father's names as their own, the Que-Shu and most other barbarians take a name like 'Moonsong', 'Riverwind' or 'Wanderer'. Hobgoblins and goblins have clans and unpleasant names (Lord Toede, for example, or 'King of Little Dry Frogs' as he becomes known as, briefly). Minotaurs have Es-something surnames if they're from Mithas and de-something if they're from Kothas (or vice versa, I forget which). Nerakans have evil sounding names. Arg. I'm naked without my library of DL books.
#4 cam_banks Dec 17, 2003 15:04:40	Originally posted by pddisc Actually, the Irish 'O' isn't utterly random. It was used to denote the clan leaders. So, if you met me, Paul Donovan, I would owe my allegiance to someone like James O'Donovan. If I was Irish. That's not entirely true. The fact that your last name is Donovan and somebody else's is O'Donovan is a reflection of the alteration of the name over the years since the 10th century, nothing to do with owing allegiance to anybody. O' or Ua literally means "grandson" while Mac is "son", and came into use when surnames began to be popularized in the 9th and 10th centuries, especially with the Christianization of Ireland. Traditionally, you took your father's name as your last and added "mac", or you traced your lineage to an ancestor and added "ua" or "O'". Eventually for some the O' or Mac was dropped, for others the O' was dropped and the Mac added, or the Mac was added to another ancestor in the line of the original (such as his son or his grandson) and denotes a subdivision within the original line. Cheers, Cam
#5 zombiegleemax Dec 17, 2003 16:47:33	I'd just like to point out that I wasn't submitting any sort of comment on Irish naming conventions, but merely pointing out that things like the Solamnic "uth" thing exist in real life, and that often it is the result of taking the actual first name of an ancestor and adding a few letters in front of or behind it - which is why I added that little bit about how the last names after the "uth"s are similar to, if not in fact the same as, actual names that Solamnics might have. "Wistan" could be some earlier version of Winston, Matar could be something like Martin (though I personally suspect that Weis and Hickman used Matar simply because it has that "m" and "r" that for reason we associate with evil). Completely off topic, but does anyone know why Scots are supposed to be the ones with "Mac" and Irish people have "Mc"? The "O" and "Mac" thing was explored, but not "Mc."
#6 zombiegleemax Dec 17, 2003 17:04:23	In war of souls, Gerard uth Mondar's ... father, was it? was Mondar uth (Something). So possibly it denotes your father, right? Or am I mistaken?
#7 zombiegleemax Dec 18, 2003 23:00:21	Okay, when it comes to Solamnic last names, I'm the expert. Well, not really. But I do know what I'm talkign about. Some Solamnics have the last name uth Something. Uth is Solamnic for child of. So, Gerard uth Mondar was Mondar's son. Gunther uth Wiston is Wiston's son. Gregar uth Matar is Matar's son. Now, why does Kitiara call herdelf uth Matar instead of uth Gregar? She doesn't know enough about her Solamnic heritage to know about the last name thing. Which may have been why she enver found her family(she was looking for uth Matars, and there was only one.)
#8 zombiegleemax Dec 19, 2003 8:49:18	I think it goes both ways. Some Solamnics take the name of their direct father, some take the name of a father further down the line, presumably a famous and gallant figure or somesuch. Gerard uth Mondar marked the first time I'd heard of the name passing on - Like you pointed out, Kitiara doesn't do this, and I have to wonder if Uth Wistan did this either, since the actual castle is title Castle Uth Wistan (which leads me to suspect that it was like that way before Gunther's time). That's kinda the way I figured it. Solamnics name themselves after ancestors, or objects, or roles - Like Crownguard and Brightblade and Tallbow. I have a knight character who uses Uth Rogan, and I just have the mysterious ancestor be a Knight of the Rose from way, way back, which the whole family name honors by continuing his name (and his castle, but that's another matter).
#9 zombiegleemax Dec 19, 2003 10:32:12	You might want to track down the Everchanging Book of Names here: http://ebon.pyorre.net/. I think that in the latest version, Ansalonian names are in the "Worlds of Fantasy" supplementary book. But try them all, they are small downloads anyway. I've been using this for like, ever, on my games. I usually generate a dozen names for each session (different genres and races) in case my players want to harrass a local resident and ask his name.
#10 lugnut71 Dec 19, 2003 12:53:48	Thanks to all
#11 zombiegleemax Dec 20, 2003 0:35:16	Originally posted by The Udjat Gerard uth Mondar marked the first time I'd heard of the name passing on - Like you pointed out, Kitiara doesn't do this, and I have to wonder if Uth Wistan did this either, since the actual castle is title Castle Uth Wistan (which leads me to suspect that it was like that way before Gunther's time). Read the Annotated Chronicles. In the part where it first mentions Gunther, it explains the whole naming thing. It even says that if Gunther's son was something like Craig or something crazy like that, then his name would be Craig uth Gunther. It was simply called Castle uth Wistan because the lord of the mannor's surname was uth Wiston. Just like if I killed Gunther in a duel and took over all of his holdings, it would be called Castle Solo. Well, probably Solo Castle. Or I might change my name to Jacen uth Han...