# Gaydar of Caldor: why do RPG character and place names sound like that? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 27, 2007, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gaydar-of-caldor-why-do-rpg-character-and-place-names-sound-like-that/424217 "2007-10-27T13:18:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Cerowyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/82dd89/32.png) [@Cerowyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cerowyn)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2007, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gaydar-of-caldor-why-do-rpg-character-and-place-names-sound-like-that/424217/41 "2007-10-30T21:22:08Z")
[QUOTE=sturmhauke] Cerowyn, elf bard/sorcerer [/QUOTE] I can’t carry a tune in a bucket, so I hope your character isn’t a singing-type bard. ---
**Author:** ![sturmhauke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e47c2d/32.png) [@sturmhauke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sturmhauke)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2007, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gaydar-of-caldor-why-do-rpg-character-and-place-names-sound-like-that/424217/42 "2007-10-30T23:37:16Z")
[QUOTE=Cerowyn] I can’t carry a tune in a bucket, so I hope your character isn’t a singing-type bard. [/QUOTE] OK, that’s weirding me out. I don’t remember seeing your screenname before I named that character, but it’s possible. Anyway, my character is more of an orator type who was descended from heroes but has turned to E-vil. You’re not an E-vil, scheming rabblerouser, are you? ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2007, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gaydar-of-caldor-why-do-rpg-character-and-place-names-sound-like-that/424217/43 "2007-10-30T23:51:47Z")
I like to think I’m pretty good at naming my WoW characters. Of course, I like to think I’m irresistible to throngs of adorable 20-year-old gaybois, too, so find some salt to help swallow that claim. Some of them are humorous: Khermut, my orc shaman (he’s green, nudge, nudge); Haunau, my tauren druid (she’s a brown cow, nudge, nudge); and Haagendasz, my ice mage (no need to nudge, I trust?). Some of them are appropriate for the cognate culture of the character race they are: Ruslan, Lyedya, Griygoriy and Ludmil, draenei (Russian/Eastern European cognates) Some are more or less generic fantasy names that sound right to me: Somavandel, Kaelmar, Vazjin, Elathai, Jalisse, Lowwnor Yes, I have alt-itis. Shut up. ---
**Author:** ![Critical1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@Critical1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Critical1)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2007, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gaydar-of-caldor-why-do-rpg-character-and-place-names-sound-like-that/424217/44 "2007-10-31T00:26:42Z")
I collect words from obscure languages for use as names and I also like to use names vrom weird places or just spell something backwards if it works Dradnats Nacerama (American Standard) yes a urinal. Richard Roe (the name police give the second unidentified male dead body at a scene after John Doe is taken) Diabalein Avidyia is taken from ancient Greek (Diabalein means “To oppose”) and Avidyia from Sanskrit means “Spiritual ignorance” its a name I have been using for years and got its start when I played EQ on a pvp server with religiously divided teams. Derf Dias Thgir is also one of my favorites from the reverse spelling category ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2007, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gaydar-of-caldor-why-do-rpg-character-and-place-names-sound-like-that/424217/45 "2007-10-31T00:43:52Z")
I like to have fun with naming characters sometimes. In the D&D game I run\*, one of the (now defunct) major houses in my Drow city was House Baenana. (Deliberate joke, but a valid house name by the naming system, which was taken from Dragon magazine.) The Vampire Bard big bad was named William Bledsoe (a reference nobody in my game got since I was the only Buffy fan). Also a demon-hunting half-demon named Angel. - Theoretically…it’s on hiatus, at the moment. Characters I’ve played, I’ve used comic book references a couple times… I’ve had a wizard named Johanna Constantine, and a powered armour-wearing cyborg named Victor James Stark. Vic’s name is a combination of Victor Stone and Tony Stark, although the GM also pointed out Victor suggests Dr Doom, and James, which I just thought was euphonious, suggests James Rhodes - War Machine. I do try to avoid overblown names, and when I change spellings, I’m careful not to create abominations. Non-joke names I’ve used for PCs and NPCs: Torin Talia (Torin’s daughter.) Arrowroot Loamsdown, AKA Kitsune (halfling werefox) Ash (Quarter-demon with ash-grey skin, hair, and eyes.) Alferd Elveson. (Elf-hating half-orc.) Cameron Sharpe Valas, Kalanar, and Brizlin (Surviving siblings of the Drow PC in my game.) Vladimir - undead, but NOT a vampire (faked out my players with that one). ---
**Author:** ![Parthol](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/dec6dc/32.png) [@Parthol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Parthol)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2007, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gaydar-of-caldor-why-do-rpg-character-and-place-names-sound-like-that/424217/46 "2007-10-31T00:56:50Z")
I’ve been running a D&D game for lo these 12 years now, and my favorite source for good fantasy-sounding names is the world of professional athletes. I’ve had NPCs named: Ozilinsh Bavaro Larkin Embree Habibulin Koenig Manzanill Hasek Hundley Laetner Tocchet Marbury Frowirth Sutton Camby Mobley Conine Womack Alstott …and I’m sure there are more. It’s a gold mine, I tell you! 😃 -P ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2007, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gaydar-of-caldor-why-do-rpg-character-and-place-names-sound-like-that/424217/47 "2007-10-31T01:00:21Z")
I think the reason is a combination of great imagination at the beginning of the genre, then lack of imagination forevermore after. In much the same way, science fiction is crammed with aliens who have names composed almost entirely of apostrophes (where, honestly, the vowels they imply would have been just fine) and high-scoring Scrabble tiles zryk-krujj, x’yoq’p , j’rux-knoz’rq, and so on. ---
**Author:** ![Hostile\_Dialect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e495f1/32.png) [@Hostile\_Dialect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hostile_Dialect)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2007, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gaydar-of-caldor-why-do-rpg-character-and-place-names-sound-like-that/424217/48 "2007-10-31T05:20:30Z")
> [@Critical1](#): > > Dradnats Nacerama (American Standard) Um, don’t you mean Amarecan Standard? ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2007, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gaydar-of-caldor-why-do-rpg-character-and-place-names-sound-like-that/424217/49 "2007-10-31T05:34:54Z")
I once played a noble-born wizard in an Egyptian-themed adventure. I named him Amun Joi. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2007, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gaydar-of-caldor-why-do-rpg-character-and-place-names-sound-like-that/424217/50 "2007-10-31T05:50:20Z")
Oh, yes, I just remembered an accidentally amusing name that showed up in my game. I had an NPC, in one of the Asian-themed nations. He was half Li Lung dragon. and a general in the nation’s army. I named him for his draconic heritage - The only name he was given was Li. It was several sessions along before I realized he was General Li. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2007, 11:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gaydar-of-caldor-why-do-rpg-character-and-place-names-sound-like-that/424217/51 "2007-10-31T11:04:39Z")
[QUOTE=Critical1] I collect words from obscure languages for use as names [/QUOTE] That’s what I do - I ran a Rolemaster game for years where all names and placenames were based on either Gothic, Brythonic or Proto-Indo-European dictionaries. I’ve run others using Native American names or Turkish. Players still haven’t twigged. For my own PCs in others games, I either find out if they use a similar system (only 1 ever has, so far - Magyar and Slav names) or pick a real-world name from a similar culture. ---
**Author:** ![Whiteknight](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whiteknight/32/4962_2.png) [@Whiteknight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whiteknight)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2007, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gaydar-of-caldor-why-do-rpg-character-and-place-names-sound-like-that/424217/52 "2007-10-31T12:46:33Z")
[QUOTE=GuanoLad] I often judge a fantasy book by its character names. You can often tell it’s trashy pulp by its unimaginative, or overly complicated, naming structure. When I name characters, I tend to use existing familiar names, and change one or two letters, so you’d get: Symon Erek Liisa Katrena etc. [/QUOTE] Robert Jordan seems to do this a lot too. ---
**Author:** ![Critical1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@Critical1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Critical1)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2007, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gaydar-of-caldor-why-do-rpg-character-and-place-names-sound-like-that/424217/53 "2007-11-01T18:17:01Z")
[QUOTE=fetus] Um, don’t you mean Amarecan Standard? [/QUOTE] > **[Google Search](https://www.google.com/search?q=American+Standard&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a)** nope, got the name while taking a wiz. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2007, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gaydar-of-caldor-why-do-rpg-character-and-place-names-sound-like-that/424217/54 "2007-11-01T18:55:06Z")
[QUOTE=Critical1] > **[Google Search](https://www.google.com/search?q=American+Standard&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a)** nope, got the name while taking a wiz. [/QUOTE] I think he’s pointing out you spelt the name ‘Nacerema’, not ‘Nacirema’. ---
**Author:** ![Cemetery\_Savior](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/439d5e/32.png) [@Cemetery\_Savior](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cemetery_Savior)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2007, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gaydar-of-caldor-why-do-rpg-character-and-place-names-sound-like-that/424217/55 "2007-11-01T19:10:52Z")
Huh…I must have been in the most naming-challenged D&D campaign out there. One friend played almost nothing but half-ogres, and the names were: Pug Dug Mug Thug (he went all ‘4-letter’ on us) There was this pulp-looking set of stories (a trilogy) with titles like "Sos the Knife, Var the Rope, and something else…this must have informed our naming. I went through my Welsh-naming convention later, and my Gaelic attempts. Welsh = throw in a couple 'y’s, some 'w’s, and maybe a double-L. Gaelic = a couple of 'bh’s, maybe a ‘ch’. -Cem ---
**Author:** ![Cemetery\_Savior](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/439d5e/32.png) [@Cemetery\_Savior](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cemetery_Savior)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2007, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gaydar-of-caldor-why-do-rpg-character-and-place-names-sound-like-that/424217/56 "2007-11-01T19:12:33Z")
[QUOTE=Tengu] I think he’s pointing out you spelt the name ‘Nacerema’, not ‘Nacirema’. [/QUOTE] “Aaaaayyyyyyyyyyyyy, Nacerema!” -Cem ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2007, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gaydar-of-caldor-why-do-rpg-character-and-place-names-sound-like-that/424217/57 "2007-11-02T18:05:39Z")
[QUOTE=Cemetery Savior] “Aaaaayyyyyyyyyyyyy, Nacerema!” [/QUOTE] If I introduce an NPC named Macarena into my game when it gets started again, it’ll be on your head. I’ll be sure my players know who to lynch. \>\_\> ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Angel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d26b3c/32.png) [@Johnny\_Angel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Angel)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2007, 6:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gaydar-of-caldor-why-do-rpg-character-and-place-names-sound-like-that/424217/58 "2007-11-03T06:38:36Z")
I once played a wizard. The DM set me up with a backstory in which I was a scribe, and he let him have the Copy spell (this was 2nd edition) for free. So, I named him Xerox, the Magi. ---
**Author:** ![Cerowyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/82dd89/32.png) [@Cerowyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cerowyn)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2007, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gaydar-of-caldor-why-do-rpg-character-and-place-names-sound-like-that/424217/59 "2007-11-04T04:39:00Z")
[QUOTE=sturmhauke] Anyway, my character is more of an orator type who was descended from heroes but has turned to E-vil. You’re not an E-vil, scheming rabblerouser, are you? [/QUOTE] Depends on who you ask. I started using the name for D&D in the late '70’s, sorta/kinda ripped off from a Welsh goddess. The fact that I’m male, as was my character, bothered me not at all, 'cause the “wyn” ending seemed reasonable as a masculine suffix in “Elvish,” despite its feminine connotations in Welsh. My father, whose first language was Welsh, was less impressed. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2007, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gaydar-of-caldor-why-do-rpg-character-and-place-names-sound-like-that/424217/60 "2007-11-04T05:30:40Z")
[QUOTE=Cerowyn] The fact that I’m male, as was my character, bothered me not at all, 'cause the “wyn” ending seemed reasonable as a masculine suffix in “Elvish,” despite its feminine connotations in Welsh. My father, whose first language was Welsh, was less impressed. [/QUOTE] That reminds me…swiping a Welsh name lead to another accidental goofy NPC name from me. Although in someone else’s game - the NPC in question was part of my PC’s back story. My character, a half-elven bard named Jasellis Sunleaf, nicknamed Jesse, in honour of her father, was raised, after her mother’s death (her father died before she was born), by a friend of her parents, who she called her uncle, despite having no blood relation. For her uncle, I borrowed a Welsh name. Unfortunately, all I know of Welsh is how to pronounce it, and a handful of names, and, while I was writing Jesse’s background out, that knowledge left me, resulting in her Uncle Dafydd becoming Uncle Daffyd. This was well before Little Britain, so there were no ‘Only Gay in the Village’ jokes, but it was joked his last name was ‘Uck’. (The former would have been funnier if the context had existed to make them happen, particularly if the game hadn’t fallen apart before Jesse could have come out as a lesbian…) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gaydar-of-caldor-why-do-rpg-character-and-place-names-sound-like-that/424217.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gaydar-of-caldor-why-do-rpg-character-and-place-names-sound-like-that/424217.md?page=4)