We’ve just finished the longest series we’ve done to date, so this week we have a nice fun simple topic: How silly should names be in Victoriana? I hope this fun little post broadens the possibilities.
I’ve heard many players grip over the difficulty of naming a character. While I love coming up with names, as GM it can be difficult to come up with a good name on the spot, or a whole bunch of names while preparing an adventure. Fortunately for you and me, Victoriana is very forgiving when it comes to names. If you look into the history and literature of the time, hilarious, on-the-nose, and sinister names abound.
The true founder of this feast of names is Charles Dickens. All through his stories, Dickens titles his characters with wit, charm, and a gift for foreshadowing, often giving his readers a glimpse of the character’s inner life and their place in the plot. Here are just a few examples of his skill:
Dickensian Names
Female Male
Affery Flintwinch Adolphus Tetterby
Anastasia Veneering Augustus Snodgrass
Betsy Prig Bayham Badger
Charity "Cherry" Pecksniff Clarence Barnacle
Clemency Newcome Ephraim Flintwinch
Cleopatra Skewton Hamilton Veneering
Fanny Squeers Hannibal Chollop
Henrietta Boffin John Peerybingle
Jemima Bilberry Jonas Chuzzlewit
Lucretia Tox Luke Honeythunder
Malta Bagnet M'Choakumchild
Peg Sliderskew Montigue Tigg
Polly Toodle Newman Noggs
Sophronia Lammle Paul Sweedlepipe
Mrs. Spottletoe Rogue Riderhood
Volumnia Dedlock Theophile Gabelle
If the PC’s meet an NPC named Augustus Snodgrass or Betsy Prig, they should already have some idea of the NPC’s place in society. Rouge Riderhood has to be a thief; he just can’t be anything else. So much can be said in a name, and in Victoriana, Gamemaster’s have the opportunity to say a lot. At least according to Dickens.
In Victorian education the classics are essential, so it should be no surprise well educated parents pulled names from the ancient world into their family tree. Triumphant generals, Roman wives, and Greek poets loaned out their weighty names to a new generation.
Classical Names
Female Male
Female Male
Vesta Evodius
Vipsania Dignius
Dolabella Alfenus
Agrippina Albinovanus
Albina Euphemius
Alpha Spiculus
Delphia Carpophorus
Electa Dulcitius
Fidelia Ennodius
Parthenia Erasinus
Sophronia Flaccus
Azura Frumentius
Delbora Quintus
Delbora Quintus
Paltith Maximian
Tharbis Iddo
One of the most ubiquitous sources of names is the Bible. Mary, John, Sam, David, Paul, Hannah, Ruth, and Peter are just a few examples of common biblical names, but there are a ton of interesting names left to play with. Biblical names also have the added prestige of holiness, foreshadowed consequences, and hidden meanings.
Biblical
Female Male
Sula Eliphaz
Mahala Ephraim
Adah Reuel
Gomer Kenaz
Acsah Magdiel
Bilhah Tubal
Dorcas Togarmah
Euodia Arphaxad
Haggith Uzal
Junia Nimrod
Keturah Hakkoz
Matred Hamor
Naamah Melzar
Orpah Molid
Syntyche Ozem
Going back a couple hundred years, the puritans used evocative and colorful names that literally make a statement. While these names are old fashioned by the 1800s, the streak of Puritanism runs strong in Victorian England and old fashioned names have a way of coming back.
Puritan Names
Replenish Liberty
Approved Placidia
Clemency Creedence
Consider Desire
Delivery Increase
Diligence Forsaken
Discipline Tace
Discipline Tace
Continent Honesty
Experience Donation
Humiliation Refrayne
Abstinence Vanity
Reformation Lively
Obedience Submit
Lament Meek
Silence Steadfast
Diffidence Thurgood
Tenacious Troth
Honour Original*
*Please, please name somebody Original Jr.
Shortly after the public demonstration of ether in 1845, a generation of new parents named their baby girls Anesthesia. With Anesthesia as an acceptable name, we can have all sorts of fun with medical terms, particularly if we need to name evil magicians, body snatchers, and charlatans:
Medically Inspired Names
Female Male
Coprolalia Purfle Malcam Cozzard
Angina Rictus Ashima Fettle
Rubella Gorman Measle Peck
Melena Numbles Glossitis Sallic
Herpangina Quean Augrey Quidnunc
Eczema Slaut Litotes Fugax
Dystonia Swell Pyrosis Stangury
Syncope Gait Epistaxis Bruit
Nocturia Pallor Rash Stridor
Nocturia Pallor Rash Stridor
Sadly that’s all the room we have in this post for name ideas. Naming a character shouldn’t be a dreadful chore. Look at Fanny Squeers and Bayham Badger. Dickens had fun with it, you should too.
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