Sarovian naming traditions

High Sarovian Sarovian Naming Traditions
Cover of the High Sarovian dictionary
Genders:	Male and female
Language:	High Sarovian and English and Portuguese dialects

Sarovian naming traditions have been used since the beginning of the New Sarovian Empire, and can be traced back much further to the times of King Tristam and Roisa. Naming traditions have been used to identify members of a family but also locations of where the family originated from as well as various other personal factors.

Basics

Sarovians have five different name "classes", but only the members of the nobility are allowed to use them all. These five classes are:

• Given name
  • A given name is any name that is given by their family patriarch or father/mother to the individual, and is for all intents and purposes the "first name" of the member.
• Baptismal name & godfather's name
  • All members who are baptised by Stefan are obligated to pick a Stefanic saint which will be their baptismal name. Members of the Sarovian nobility may also choose to name themselves after their godfather or godmother depending on gender, which is a different baptismal name.
• Family honour name
  • Members of the nobility are allowed to grant themselves up to five names of honour, which are names of other members of their family, usually previous members of the family that have passed away or disappeared. For some families, with permission of the Sarovian Sovereign, the final name of honour can be replaced by a cognomen - a name of triumph that celebrates an achievement, and can be hereditary or not depending on the level of reward.
• Surname
  • The surname is the individual's last name, which is the same for all members of their family.
• Noble titles
  • Of course, for nobles, their noble title comes last.

A fictional example of a commoner could be:

John Sarolus Smith

John is the first name, Sarolus is the name of the saint he chose when he was baptised, and Smith is his surname.

A fictional example of a Peer could be:

John Sarolus Louis Constantine William Aureanos Smith, Viscount Smith

John is the individual's first name, and Sarolus is the name of the saint he chose when he was baptised. Louis is the name of his godfather, and Constantine and William are names of other members of his family. Aureanos is a cognomen that was granted by Carolus XII Vasa for rescuing him from an Aurean attack. Smith is his surname or last name, and he is also the Viscount Smith.

Male Traditions

Men have various different naming traditions than women do. Men are strictly encouraged to name themselves in High Sarovian from the following list of names:

WIP

Male Commoners

Male commoners are often promoted to pick names that reflect their professions or honour their immediately family members, such as fathers, lost brothers or godfathers.

Male Nobility

Male members of the nobility are highly encouraged, and often shunned upon, for not picking a name of the reigning monarch at the time of birth. For example, members of the nobility born in the reign of Constantine IX Vasa would have public pressure to include Constantine, or the High Sarovian version of it, in their names. Likewise, one name is usually reserved for a warrior of some kind, either a saintly warrior or a famous warrior in their lineage.

Female Traditions

Women have various different naming traditions than men do. Women are strictly encouraged to name themselves in High Sarovian from the following list of names:

WIP

Female Nobility

Female members of the nobility are often pressured into choosing the name of the reigning consort or the most recent Empress regnant as one of their names of honour.