First Names Nitpick

[LordSeaSnake]

Time for an extremely minor nitpick I have with the worldbuilding is the name consistency. European noble families picked first names from a relatively small pool of names, and often used the same ones repeatedly. From a writing standpoint, I understand it, as it would be painful if literally every Stark was named Brandon.

By and large, it's typically fine with the Starks as we have a pool of Brandon, Benjen, Rickard, Rickon, etc. but then you get random wildcard names like Walton and Rodwell, which don't really seem to fit and almost take you out of it with how disparate the name appears to be. Then with the Arryns, we get an Arnold and a Darnold, and Eldric and an Elbert, and not one name of a King of the Vale is repeated by any post-Conquest Arryns. The Lannisters don't have a single repeating name amongst the lords of Casterly Rock, but at least they generally use a consistent naming scheme with Gerold, Jason, Loreon (though why Loren?), and Damon being used by other members of the house.

The most jarring for me was the names of Daemon Velaryon's three sons: Corwyn, Jorgen, and Victor. Corwyn was used twice by Corbrays, so I could see maybe Daemon wed an Arryn or prominent Vale lady, and she named their children. But Jorgen and Victor???? For Valyrians??? Otherwise, I enjoy how the Velaryons seem to have their own pool of Valyrian names with only a few being shared with the Targaryens. And we are told Jacaerys is a common name amongst the Velaryons, yet we only see it once, though at least see two Daemons, Corlys, and Lucerys.

I would have appreciated a pool of names for each region, with some crossover between neighbouring regions, or maybe the south, Dorne, Iron Islands, and the north/First Men houses having a relatively consistent pool of names. It would feel more immersive if we had nobility from the westerlands more often than not named Tybolt or Jason or Gerold rather than Erwin or Podrick or Antario.

The maesters have their own issue where a good portion of maesters likely come from nobility, but their first names are virtually never seen amongst the landed nobility of Westeros. I couldn't imagine seeing a Alfador Westerling, or a Yandel Smallwood, or a Aethelmure Roote. I just always find it odd how the maester names seem to be picked from another continent.

Anyways, bizarre and nitpicky rant over. Probably hypocritical, but I have grown a bit fond of the Dance-era Tully names.

[SaffronLady]

58 minutes ago, LordSeaSnake said:

But Jorgen and Victor???? For Valyrians???

It might come from intermarriage with other Narrow Sea houses, like Massey and Sunglass.

[Kinola]

Quote

I would have appreciated a pool of names for each region, with some crossover between neighbouring regions, or maybe the south, Dorne, Iron Islands, and the north/First Men houses having a relatively consistent pool of names.

 

We should probably create one here. Divide it up by sections of Westeros as well as in Essos. Should Valyrian names have their own category?