Names in Golarion

[Perram]

How are the various names and naming styles generated in Gollarion? The example names are a huge help for the various races and ethnicity listings, but I want to make sure that my choices of names are consistent.

I know that Gollarion is a real world analog... and getting names from different cultures listed is easy to compile... so I think it would be really helpful to have a good cheat sheet so that when my players hear the name of a person from Taldor, they recognize it as such, as opposed to someone from Cheliax or Galt, for instance.

[evilnerf]

Well, as far as Tien xia is concerned, it seems to go more by ethnicity then by region.
- Tian-Hwan are Korean names
- Tian-Dtangs are Vietnamese
- Tian-Shus are Chinese style
- Tian Las are Mongolian style
- Tian-Dans are Thai
- Tian Mins use Japanese style names
- Tian-Sing names are Sanskrit, I think. Possibly Indian.

If you want help making up NPC names I'd suggest this website:

http://www.atlantagamer.org/iGM/RandomNames/index.php

[GM Lilith]

I like Behind The Name myself for name generation. :)

[evilnerf]

Behind the name is certainly a good one. In most cases I like having 50 names in front of me so I can pick and choose a first and last name on the fly rather then refreshing the page a dozen times.

I wish I could get my hands on a korean phonebook for my current game I tell ya.

[GM Lilith]

Yeah, one of my GM tricks is to have a list of names that I can scratch off as I use them tucked in the back of my GM notebook. :D

[evilnerf]

smart! ill have to steal it.

[Icyshadow]

Chelish names seem to be at least partly inspired by Ancient Rome.

Brevic names are clearly Russian, while Taldan names are slightly Hispanic from what I recall.

[Numerian]

Cheliax - I've seen Latin and Italian names
Kelesh - Persian, possibly Arabic
Taldor - Latin, Italian, and Spanish
Mwangi - African, I don't know specifically
Ulfen - Norse, Germanic
Varisian - mixed Gypsy-Romania-Balkan Slavic
Ustalav - Romanian names, but there were other
Brevoy - Slavic names, Russian specifically
Vudra - India
Dwarves - sort of Germanic

[Scott Romanowski]

I've been long interested in random name generation, especially as a GM when I want the NPC's names to aid in the immersion and ease roleplaying. I recently completed a system for Taldan names based on Roman names. You can see the system, with instructions on how to use it at Taldan names sample.pdf.

Please post your thoughts here. I will be doing more.

[Adjoint]

The Jadwigas from Irrisen seem to be using Slavic-sounding names. Even Jadwiga, the name of a whole race, is a Polish feminine name. Many names of the places in Irrisen also are from Slavic languages, for example Czarny Las, Nadzieja Lato, Riba, Dobrova, Zlatomest, Ludovny, Morozny.

[Scott Romanowski]

@Adjoint,
Yes, I thought the same. Luckily there are lots of lists of names to provide "grist for the mill" of random name generation.

So far I have Taldane and Ulfen. You have to discard some names, as with any random name system. In both sets, some of the vowel groups are dipthongs (e.g., the 'ae' in Paesilia is prounounced like 'eye'), while others are pronounced separately.

Male Taldane names
Patalan Nogosius Tucvatio
Relumcus Casvadius Abrasus
Hortic Mardius Setirio
Glutio Vibierius Mosas
Ninian Porrius Ammacic

Married female Taldane names
Eupia Cafamia Ipisri
Semtiosia Rupellella Gebli
Caopivia Delcune Libi
Paburia Acunmiella Isuri
Auprevia Pelnecana Calranaei

Single female Taldane names
Bodia Lapcicie Terta
Luccilia Alme Octavia
Aslea Faera Secundella
Paesilia Seciana Quartella
Simildia Demitiella Major

For Ulfen names, the parts in <> are optional, and explanations are in (). Bynames are descriptors, so the first man's name below might be "Steini Hjorsteinsson the smith".

Male Ulfen names
Steini <Hjorsteinsson (patronymic)> <byname>
Arnfin <Hauvaldsson (patronymic)> <byname>
Gunndan <Horthsson (patronymic)>
Botmar
Ingodd <Hallifsson (patronymic)> <byname>

Female Ulfen names
Valdis <Arnnysdotter (matronymic)> <byname>
Asgerth <Gundasdotter (matronymic)> <byname>
Asvor <Arnlaugsdotter (matronymic)> <byname>
Heimgun <Thjothlaugsdotter (matronymic)>
Vahild <Bollnysdotter (matronymic)>