RfS Part II, Compatible Name Content
#2PART II - COMPATIBLE NAME CONTENT Every word in a Society name must be compatible with period naming practices, as is required by General Principle 1a of these rules. This section defines the categories of words that the College of Arms has generally found to be compatible. > 1. Documented Names. - Documented names, including given names, bynames, place names, and valid variants and diminutives formed in a period manner, may be used in the same manner in which they were used in period sources.
> The name Bucephalus, although it is documented as the name of Alexander the Great's horse, should not be used as a name for a human. Pronunciation and spelling variants are linguistically valid if formed according to the rules for such variants in the language of the documented name. For example, the alternation of C and K at the beginning of names is a well-documented feature of Welsh. Therefore, both Cadogan and Kadogan would be permitted, even if only one of these forms had been found in period sources. Qadogan would not be permitted in a Welsh name, since Q does not alternate with C and K in Welsh.
> 2. Constructed Names. - Documented names and words may be used to form place names, patronymics, epithets, and other names in a period manner.
> Constructed forms must follow the rules for formation of the appropriate category of name element in the language from which the documented components are drawn. For instance, the standard male patronymic in Old Norse consists of the possessive form of the fathers name joined to the word son//, like //Sveinsson// is the son of Svein. The documented Old Norse given name //Bjartmarr// could be used in this construction to form //Bjartmarsson//, even if this particular patronymic was not found in period sources. Similarly, German towns on rivers regularly use the name of the river with the word //brück// , like //Innsbrück//, to indicate the town had a bridge over that river. A new branch could use the documented German name of the river //Donau// to construct the name //Donaubrück.
> 3. Invented Names. - New name elements, whether invented by the submitter or borrowed from a literary source, may be used if they follow the rules for name formation from a linguistic tradition compatible with the domain of the Society and the name elements used.
> Name elements may be created following patterns demonstrated to have been followed in period naming. Old English given names, for instance, are frequently composed of two syllables from a specific pool of name elements. The given name Ælfmund// could be created using syllables from the documented names //Ælfgar// and //Eadmund// following the pattern established by similar names in Old English. Other kinds of patterns can also be found in period naming, such as patterns of meaning, description, or sound. Such patterns, if sufficiently defined, may also be used to invent new name elements. There is a pattern of using kinds of animals in the English place names //Oxford//, //Swinford// and //Hartford//, and so a case could be made for inventing a similar name like //Sheepford. No name will be disqualified based solely on its source.
>> a. Invented name elements may not consist of randomly arranged sounds or characters.
>> Use of components of name elements without reference to a period naming pattern, such as combining the syllables of Ælfgar// and //Eadmund// to form //Ælfmunead//, will not be allowed. Similarly, patterns from one language or tradition may not be applied to elements from a different language. The existence of the two syllable pattern in Old English cannot justify combining syllables from the Spanish names //Pedro// and //Jose// to invent //Pese//. //Elulol// and //Myzzlyk, which create nonsense syllables and link them without reference to any period pattern, are also not acceptable.
>> b. Invented given names may not be identical to any other word unless a strong pattern of use of a class of words as given names in the same language is documented.
>> Although China//, //Random// and //Starhawk have been used as given names in recent fantasy literature, they may not be registered without evidence that names of countries, adjectives, or epithets were regularly used as English given names in period. 4. Legal Names. - Elements of the submitters legal name may be used as the corresponding part of a Society name, if such elements are not excessively obtrusive and do not violate other sections of these rules.This allows individuals to register elements of their legal name that cannot be documented from period sources. The allowance is only made for the actual legal name, not any variants. Someone whose legal given name is Ruby// may register //Ruby// as a Society given name, but not //Rubie// , //Rubyat// , or //Rube// . Corresponding elements are defined by their type, not solely their position in the name. This means a person with the legal name //Andrew Jackson// could use //Jackson// as a surname in his Society name in any position where a surname is appropriate, such as //Raymond Jackson Turner// or //Raymond Jackson of London , not just as his last name element. - - 5. Registered Names. - Once a name has been registered to an individual or group, the College of Arms may permit that particular individual or group to register elements of that name again, even if it is no longer permissible under the rules in effect at the time the later submission is made. This permission may be extended to close relatives of the submitter if the College of Arms deems it appropriate.Only the actual name element from the originally registered submission is covered by this permission. For example, if an individual had registered a surname from a fantasy novel that has no relation to period naming before such names were restricted, that surname could be retained if that submitter decided to change his given name, even though it might not be acceptable under these rules. He could not register other surnames from the same novel, however. The College of Arms might also agree to register this surname to the original submitters children. This allowance will not be granted for submitters other than the original owner under any other circumstances.