Worldbuilding: Nomenclature (Patreon)

Whew! I finally hashed out all the rules for this. Although it hasn't been updated on the site, I'm altering the -iza suffix for kids' surnames to -iton. 

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 First names are based in RL naming systems. They're regional, and rarely "fantastical." Some exceptions, just as there are in reality.

Last names are more complex. A last name is an Identifying Moniker. As a child, your IM will be one of your parents’ names suffixed with -iton. Which spouse is up to the parents and the decision is largely based on what sounds good or who they want to honor more. Some couples use a different IM for each kid. Some alternate, some go with the opposite sex parent if applicable. There's no real rule for it. They just do what works for them.

As an adolescent, when you start a job, you are referred to usually by your p/matronym and your occupational name. For example, Parsley Anseliton Server. 

When you come into your career, your occupational name changes as well. If you either lead two jobs or are still well known for your previous occupation, it’s common to hyphenate. For example, Henry Sawyer-Sheriff. When you’re an adult and have enough things to identify you on your own merits, you drop your p/matronym from your name.

Not every IM is occupational, however. Some folks are known more for other things than their jobs. For example, Oakewood isn’t much of an occupational title, is it? Instead, it refers to the Oakewood Library, one of the most recognizable landmarks in the region. It’s been in his family since Treehollow was founded, and it’s that which people are most likely to recognize.

Now, with occupational surnames, there’s the possibility of confusion when you go outside of a little hamlet like Treehollow. So if need be, you add their locale onto the whole thing. For example, “Tyson Smith of Tangled Branch.”