Names

[Mongoose Si]

As an extra feature to my character generator, I'm also working on a random name generator (I'm terrible at thinking of names). I've entered hundreds of human names, but I'm having real problems finding out names of other races.

At the moment I'm focussing on Narn, Centauri and Minbari. If anyone can think of any names used in the show or has any names of their own that you don't mind me using in my name gen, please let me know. I need both male & female first names, and also family / house names.

Any suggestions would be most appreciated Thanks in advance...

[Enlightened Bystander]

There's a piece on Narn names in the Regime factbook about their naming conventions, with a list of popular prefixes; It's on p35.

[Mongoose Si]

Ah, thanks for that. I don't have any of the race books yet (except EA) but I will hopefully order them soon

[Natxomann]

Try here:
http://www.jumpnow.de/dic/index.php
This guy has been developing a Minbari dictionary , names included , and if I recall correctly , he said time ago that he used Excel to generate new names .

[lastbesthope]

I remember sometime in late Season 5, Sheridan and G'Kar have the conversation where G'Kar calls him John. G'Kar goes on about the fact that Narns don't get their proper names until they reach a certain age as in the past the mortality rate amongst the young was quite high so they didn't bother giving them a 'proper' name till they had survived for long enough. Somewhere I read about the name comes from the religion you follow (G'Quon , etc.). At somepoint G'Kar discusses Na'Toth's religion, I think it's the episode with the G'Quoneth plant (could be wrong about that ep).

Just my 2 credits.

LBH

[Elfman]

No one cares about Drazi. We know this, and we accept this. You say no, Drazi same importance as Humans and Minbari, but that is not true. Minbari get vote, Humans get vote, Drazi have to share vote. Same with Mongoose: Minbari get book, Humans get book, Drazi get no book, have to wait until very late to get shared book. Is fact.

If anyone cared about Drazi, they could look at this thread for some tips on Drazi names.

But we know that no one will look. Is the way of things.

[PottsBr]

I guess with such squintly little eyes, I'm still amazed they can see out of them at all, it was thought that an entire book would be too much and cause much eye strain and suffering. Now the Centauri, who have great big eyes and a great big book, have no need of a separate document on naming ourselves as we know very well our family names and naming traditions, though where this Abrahamel Licolni came from, I still don't know. I don't find his family mentioned in the Imperial records. Oh well.

[PottsBr]

The Centauri book has a section about the noble houses which includes all of the major families. It does not, unfortunately, include any of the less significant houses.

Some Centauri names from the series include

Men
Londo
Vir
Carn
Kiron
Urza
Turhan
Cartagia
Durano
Vitari
Vol
Jano

Women
Adira
Aria
Daggair
Mariel
Timov
Morella
Lyndisty

Families
Molari
Coto
Refa
Tyree
Maray
Tensus
Jaddo

Some of these it's not clear if is a family or surname. Lord Refa is given by the books as being a family name, but there are many names we hear in the court with a title. I don't know if they are all family names. Lady Morella was the ex-wife of Empoer Turhan, but are those family or surnames. And actually the emporer is credited only as Emperor. The actor's name was Turhan, further complicating matters.

[Mongoose Si]

Thanks to everyone for all your help & comments.

PottsBr - I was also trying to decide whether Centauri names given in the show were first or house names. I came to the conslusion that any name spoken with a title, e.g. Lord Refa, was a house name. Not sure about the women though since Lady Morella was the wife of Emperor Turhan Argh, it gets very confusing!

Elfman - thanks for the info on Drazi names. My name creator is basically a database of first/last names but for the Drazi I will most likely program your rules in (if that's ok with you of course?).

That Minbari dictionary is also very good.

I have just ordered the race books so hopefully they will help a bit too

[PottsBr]

I think the titles preceed family names, Ambassidor Molari, Lord Refa, Emperor Molari, etc. Londo probably would have been Lord Molari if he did not have the title ambassidor to trump it.

The thing that I have to wonder about is Emperor Cartagia and Emperor Turhan. If this is a family name, wouldn't that imply that these were two of the great houses? Yet these house names do not appear in the Centauri Fact Book. Then we have the question of the emperor's wife, Lady Morella. It is possible that married women retain their original family names.

Another possibility is that House and Family are not really the same thing and that there can be several names in a single house. It just so happened that Refa and Molari were members of the dominant families of their respective houses.

[Mongoose Si]

Another possibility is that House and Family are not really the same thing and that there can be several names in a single house.

That's a very good point which further complicates matters! Let's hope one of the Mongoose people read this and can give an official answer before my brain explodes

[CARTMAG]

some minbari names would have to be

Delen
Lennier
Neroon
Valen (probably highly common)
Dhaliri
Rathenn
Durlan
Solniet
Alnenn
Coplann
Hedronn
Shakat
Katz
Barenn
Zaca
Nur
Mazik
Burli
Lavell
Sinavel
a name im using for a Minbari is
Alkon (sounds minbarish)

[frobisher]

Valen (probably highly common)

I'd say not - it would probably be sacrilegious to the ultraorthadox Minbari (though if it were pronounced "Walen" you might get away with it )

a name im using for a Minbari is
Alkon (sounds minbarish)

Some we've used in a previous campaign have included...

Maylenn
Mayann
Laneth
Tufann
Serune
Lenor
Mikann

The felt mostly right at the time (even if one felt more like a fabric conditioner...)

[Enlightened Bystander]

Turhan and Cartagia will be first names, or possibly names made up on their ascension, in the same way that Monarchs are refered to by first name (you'd get a chain of King Windsor the whatever, or King Tudor the whatever otherwise)

Valen is likley to take the rarity of Jesus in Modern Christian Communities, rather than the commonality of Mohammed Modern Muslim Communities

[Elfman]

Ghost Dancer can use Drazi rules, is OK.

Me like Ghost Dancer. You not try to steal Drazi intellectual property. Good human, so much better than other humans out there. Much like Drazi. Next time we choose sashes, you may join us, is great honor.

Others will use Drazi rules without asking, that is also OK. Drazi will share with others, even if others do not like Drazi very much.

[psychoadept]

If people want to see it, I made a chart of minbari name syllables and possible meanings based largely on the info at jumpnow.de.

Some Minbari names that have been used in my game:
Hentur (Warrior caste)
Kelneir (Worker caste)
Ardain (alias for a male Warrior caste trying to sneak on to Babylon 5)
Vadokk (the aforementioned Warrior caste's actual name)

Other names I've used:
Tarkal (Drazi)
Sheg/Varg, usually called "Sugar" (Pak'ma'ra--at least according to the B5 CCG, Pak'ma'ra names consist of two guttural syllables with the same last letter, written with a slash between them.)

Pak'ma'ra names from the B5 CCG:
Nug/Ulg
Nhuk/Vrek
Lhim/Dram
Luhf/Syhf
Vlur/Nhar

Campbell

[PottsBr]

Given that the hump on the back of the Pak'ma'ra is not actually a hump, but rather its mate, the dual name is not surprising. This is likely not one name, but two, one for each Pak'ma'ra. A Pak'ma'ra without a mate (if there is such a thing) probably only has one name.

[Mongoose Si]

If people want to see it, I made a chart of minbari name syllables and possible meanings based largely on the info at jumpnow.de.

That sounds good. Any chance of posting it here? The more names I can put in my name database the better

The Pak'ma'ra names are good too. I didn't know how their names were done so thanks for those too.

[psychoadept]

Given that the hump on the back of the Pak'ma'ra is not actually a hump, but rather its mate, the dual name is not surprising. This is likely not one name, but two, one for each Pak'ma'ra. A Pak'ma'ra without a mate (if there is such a thing) probably only has one name.

I hadn't realized that. So that's why we never see any female Pak'ma'ra...

Campbell

[PottsBr]

Either that, or we see nothing but female Pak'ma'ra with the male riding on her back. This is a non-human, and alien species. which may not be equivalent to any animal group on Earth. We should not assume that the larger and more visible Pak'ma'ra are the males. Hopefully the League book will tell us more when it comes out. Of course, if it spends too much time on the other races, the Drazi will get upset

Look at it this way, Elfman, at least you got a picture in the rule book. Look at the poor Brakiri. Those who have not watched a fair amount of the series don't even know what they look like.