Naming conventions

Third Horizon culture: origins

Checking on the Coriolis Discord, I read that the publishers are OK with players recreating tables, figures and data from the RPG source material where the only purpose is the facilitation of playing their game and I hereby promise this is my only intent with this article. The 'origins' First-come and Zenithian are from the Coriolis RPG; everything else is my own content - Doctor Weather

Family connections and achievements are important for naming in both cultures but their different societal structures give rise to different uses for names.
Source for Arabic name structure: Council of science editors
...which I've then adapted into two variations for the two origins.

First-come

NAME CONSTRUCTION

ism	kunya	nasab	laqab	nisba
Personal name	Parent of...	Child of...	Epithet - usually religious or descriptive	Tribe, clan or geographic location

Larger family units
First-come familty units are larger than Zenithian and whole clans or tribes consider themselves one family, generally not placing much importance on separating out subgroups of closer family members. Also, members usally live closer together, often taking over a small area to themselves - both on-world and off, on ships and space stations. Membership of a particular clan or tribe is therefore much more obvious, meaning names focus more on identifying the person's position within the family, achievements that honour the family and the location and capability of that family.
Explicit family names are the preserve of the privileged
Those First-come that are absorbing Zenithian values are starting to emphasise the significance of smaller family units within the tribe or clan, perhaps to secure a power structure or to impress Zenithians with whom they want to collaborate. Traditional First-come generally see this as too self-serving however, and the use is usually only possible for priviledged families that have the power to uphold their individual authority. The lower classes that are much less invested in the getting advantage from their identity over longer distances and the more traditional shun this change.
Tribe/clan names focus on the location of the family or its honour
Such names refer to the name of a famous family member or ancestor, or the location in which the family lives. Nomads are the prime users of such, often having descriptive clan names such as 'of the Rushing Water' and 'Beyond the Star's Path'. Such names may be of ancient origin though, and so potentially taken from an older language.
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Zenithian

NAME CONSTRUCTION

ism	nisba
Personal name	Family name, sometimes an occupation where an individual is having to start out anew or alone Sometimes the nisba is double-barrelled, also indicating the corporation or organisation to which the family belongs

Smaller families, more concerned with the perception of the family
Zenithian family names are highly valued and are brandished as part of a person's core identity. Zenithian family units are much smaller and individuals are much more likely to stray from home for business and adventure, meaning the family name is an important banner or flag to carry with you. To some, family names are very much a brand, used almost as a marketing tool, and so reference to famous members and prestigious occupations can very much enhance that brand.
All Zenithians use family names
The Zenithians use first and family names at all levels of society.
Zenithian nomads are a new occurence
Zenithian nomads have newer - or truer - group surnames that everyone shares or that is sometimes the name of the clan's founding member or their founding purpose. Even with this return to a clan structure, the composite families are still very much recognised and individuals will use both a family and clan name.
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CC61, segment of The Deckhand

Contents

• First-come
• Zenithian

Related articles:

• Clothing
• Origins - similarities and differences
• Recreational substances