The Chlouvānem people have a naming tradition which strongly reflects the traditional matrilinear society and the fact that names come from a variety of sources, due to the Chlouvānem people having absorbed many other different cultures and their names being kept, sometimes regionally in the territories of the Inquisition, some other times nationwide.

All names are adapted into their language, and follow its phonological rules and nominal declensions.

Chlouvānem names are made by three different parts: the matronymic (in Chl. nāḍimāvi), the surname (leliėmihaloe), and one or more personal (or given) names (lilahaloe, pl. lilahalenī— commonly just haloe/halenī). This is the standard for people everywhere in the Inquisition, but note that ethnic Bazá people from Tūnambasā diocese may also be called with the standard names for the Bazá people; anyway in the last two decades the Chlouvānem standard has grown from being used by 25% to 93% of all Bazá people living in Tūnambasā diocese; titular ethnicities in other ethnic dioceses follow the Chlouvānem standard.
All people, everywhere in the Inquisition, also have an unofficial but commonly used informal name (laltihaloe).

The standard format is matronymic - surname - personal name(s) ; the latter are usually romanized in italic in order to better distinguish them.

Matronymics (nāḍimāvīye)

The matronymic or nāḍimāvi (from nāḍima, honorific word for "mother") are always the first part of the name and are also the simplest to form, by adding -āvi to the mother's (first) given name. For example, the children of a woman named Līṭhaljāyim will all have the matronymic Līṭhaljāyimāvi.

A few names have particular matronymics:

  • Martayinām (and other rarer names compounds of -yinām) has Martayināvi
  • Nouns in make their matronymic in -yāvi, e.g. LairėLairyāvi
  • Nouns in -ca or -cha make their matronymic in -šāvi, e.g. LañekaicaLañekaišāvi
  • The common name Bandiė has Banditiāvi.
  • Lākhnī keeps the ī but shortened and therefore has Lākhniyāvi.

Surnames (leliėmihalenī)

The surname or leliėmihaloe (from leliėmita "family", and haloe "name") is of newer formation when compared to the matronymic, especially in rural areas. Chlouvānem people have a huge number of surnames, and there are different possible origins:

  • Some have been derived by ancient matronymics (keeping the one of the grandmother of the first generation which had this surname), and are distinguished by ending in -lišā, -æha, -æša, or others instead of -āvi. As this has a popular origin, the original name may not be recognizable, especially because of heavy shortenings and/or vernacular influence. Some examples include Lænkæša, Nākāyæha, Ñæhūvæša, Lūmāvæha, or Jėliāvyæša.
  • Some names have been derived by "extended" genitives in -iai/-ьai (sometimes also seen in placenames), often with otherwise -mi- root extension and ablaut. The original roots are often common places or professions; examples are Yālcai, Lanæmiai, Ṣveimiai, Mahāmiai (from amaha “abode”), Hāliai, Lūlulkaicai (from lūlulkita, a cocoa tree plantation), or Šītmiai. A common subpattern includes the many different, vernacular-influenced, variations on vīhatam "farm", like Vīhešai, Vaihātiai, Bahāmiai, Vīšmi, or Bīhašai.
  • A few surnames are derived by prefixing or suffixing the older genitive particle ga: these are mostly originary of those areas where the local vernacular has a genitive with that origin, like the central-western Lāmiejāya plain; examples are Galeli, Nānega, or Pomega.
  • Surnames derived from toponyms (of small places), especially through genitives or -ųu. Many of these toponyms, like in all of the Inquisition anyway, are of non-Chlouvānem origin due to them having displaced earlier cultures. Examples are: Paramaiti, Yuitani, Jāṇųu, Murtųu, Halьcaici, or Nuiñjuyai.
  • A few surnames derive from occupations or tools, either in genitive case (e.g. Ṣāṭi, Kolьcañī) or in direct case (e.g. Kumis, Drāṇīn).
  • Many Eastern surnames have their origins in Kans-Tsan clan names, like Yatakoma, Laranamon, Hantokan, Futahira, or Līkāntām.
  • Many surnames have unknown origin, most probably from non-Chlouvānem now displaced languages, especially in the jungle area. Examples are Nāʔahilūma, Jāmatthāla, Naiñoʔamė, Lamichlīkyah or Nājihaufram.

Variable and invariable surnames

Chlouvānem surnames, regardless of origin, may be variable or invariable, with about 55% of people having a variable surname.

Variable surnames have three forms: one for all women in the family, one for married men, and one for unmarried men. There are a few patterns based on the ending suffixes:

  • -(e)lišā (female), -orās (married male), -altīs (unmarried male) - e.g. Kāmīnelišā, Kāmīnorās, Kāmīnaltīs
  • -(y)æša, -ærās, -æltīs - Nainyæša, Nainyærās, Nainyæltīs
  • -(y)æha, -ąrās, -ąltīs - Lūmāvæha, Lūmāvąrās, Lūmāvąltīs
  • -(i)tėsa, -tairās, -teltīs - Neamitėsa, Neamitairās, Neamiteltīs
  • -(a)ṣrā, -ṣurās, -ṣraltīs - Bandikṣrā, Bandikṣurās, Bandikṣraltīs

While typically it is the matronymic-derived surnames (and sometimes the placename-derived ones) that are variable, these suffixes have also been applied to other kinds of surnames - an example being the late singer-songwriter Lālašvātyāvi Kāmilñariāh Turabayān, whose unnamed surname was Kašahitoraltīs (his mother was called Šulegāvi Kašahitorlišā Lālašvāti), of clear Kans-Tsan origin (cf. the existing, invariable modern surnames Kašahitah and Kašahitra).

In most areas of the Inquisition, men take their wife's surname (in the married male form, if variable) when they marry - so for example a hypothetical Martayināvi Lantakaltīs Kāltarvān who marries the hypothetical Namihūlšāvi Huliālišā Lairė will be known as Martayināvi Huliāyorās Kāltarvān after marrying. Their son Dalaigin's full name will be Lairyāvi Huliāltīs Dalaigin.

In some places, this is not the case, and the husband keeps his birth surname, but if it is variable, it will shift to the married form anyway.

Non-binary people get the option to choose either form, but once chosen it can't be changed without a long bureaucratic process.

Personal names (lilahalenī)

Chlouvānem personal names (lilahaloe, from lila "person" and haloe "name") have a large variety of origins.

Names inherited by the Proto-Lahob culture, or the earliest Chlouvānem names, are usually made by two elements compounded together (a kind of bahuvrihi compound), like for example the male names Gāṇakvyāta "steel hero" or Hånisrajñās "friend of toucans", or the female ones Martayinām "city protector" or Ñaiṭasamin "star child". There are also names made by a single Chlouvānem word, like Lairė "sky", Yānāh “innocence” (both female) or Hånia "toucan" (unisex but mostly female).

Anyway, possibly the majority of nationwide Chlouvānem names are not inherited from Proto-Lahob, but originally from cultures of the central Lāmiejāya plain in prehistoric times, many without a known meaning. Such names include for example the female Hæniląuya and Namihūlśa or the male Lælithiam and Nuikthalin. Other names with a known origin are for example the female Kūldendėla or Nariekaiṣa and the male Kāltarvān or Kāljivaṃṣān, all of Ancient Yodhvāyi origin (once spoken in the current-day dioceses of Galiākñijātia and Yodhvāya). A few nationwide given names also have Ancient Kūṣṛmāthi or other origins, but they're much rarer.

-likā and -mitā are usually used to form female names from common words; male counterparts to female names are formed by changing the final vowel, usually -a, with -mun. This is part of a pattern that sees most male nouns being grammatically of lotus gender and most female ones of the parrot one. Only a few nouns are unisex, for example Kailnenia (though female in the vast majority of cases), Terintān, or those ones formed with unisex names, like all of those with -samin (child).

Many areas of the Inquisition also have their own "local" names, taken from pre-Chlouvānem local languages; this is particularly common in the East with Kans-Tsan names, which often spread outside that area. Special mention also for the Dabuke female names Amabu and Nīmulšāmi, which have spread outside the local area and are commonly given nationwide.

Most common given names at the 4E 131 census

The 4E 131 Inquisitorial census found these names as the most common among the population of the Chlouvānem Inquisition.

Female names:

  1. Martayinām
  2. Lairė
  3. Bandiė
  4. Yārachilgėn
  5. Amabu
  6. Mæmihūmia
  7. Huliāchlærim
  8. Læhimausa
  9. Namihūlša
  10. Kælidañca

Male names:

  1. Kāltarvān
  2. Dalaigin
  3. Bhārmatah
  4. Khālbayān
  5. Kāljivaṃṣān
  6. Darkhām
  7. Ārṣam
  8. Jalgudām
  9. Hūlamastān
  10. Mūñcangām

Common given names and their meanings

Here is a list of common Chlouvānem given names and, where known, their origin and meaning:

Name Origin Meaning Gender
Amabu Eastern Dabuke beauty Female
Ārṣan Tamukāyi strength of the hill(s) Male
Bālagudām Ancient Yodhvāši long breath (= long life) Unisex (most commonly male)
Bālagudairah Ancient Yodhvāši (variant of Bālagudām) Female
Bandiė Old Cambhaugrāyi beauty of the wind Female
Barhāma Tamukāyi sunlight Female
Bhārmatah Chlouvānem lion Male
Bradhma Ancient Kāṃradeši pearl Female
Bradhulkam Ancient Kāṃradeši (variant of Bradhma) Male
Braivaren Ancient Kāṃradeši carrying great hope Male
Buyāna Ancient Kāṃradeši daughter Female
Chališiroe Old Cambhaugrāyi sage word, (s)he who gives advice Unisex
Chīlgantāram Ancient Yodhvāši light foot Male
Chilamulka Ancient Yodhvāši good foot Female
Chlamijeniū Chlouvānem golden flower Female
Chlouvešāh Chlouvānem from chluvaikā (wealth), probably merged with chloucæm (better) Female
Chlærьmitūh Chlouvānem body of light Female
Dāgnabhrām unknown, probably Near Eastern Male
Dāgnabhrāni (female version of Dāgnabhrām) Female
Dalaigin Ancient Kāṃradeši having light Male
Dalaigana Ancient Kāṃradeši (probably derived from Dalaigin) Female
Dāneh unknown (Chlouvānem?[1]) Female
Daṃdhigūlan Ancient Kāṃradeši blue star Male
Dariāmitā Ancient Yodhvāši strong woman Female
Darkhām Ancient Yodhvāši strong Male
Dėlendarhām Ancient Yodhvāši strong leader Male
Dėlenitā Ancient Yodhvāši leading woman Female
Dulmadin Ancient Kāṃradeši lucky, of a miracle Male
Dulmaidana Ancient Kāṃradeši (probably derived from Dulmadin) Female
Gāṇakvyāta Chlouvānem iron hero Male
Geñchīntāram Ancient Yodhvāši light blade Male
Hāliehaika Anc.Yodhvāši/unknown hālʲ- from Anc. Yodhvāši for "reflection"; -haika unknown Female
Hāliehulca Anc.Yodhvāši/unknown (post-classical corruption of Hāliehaika) Female
Halinækha unknown Female
Halinurkam unknown (variant of Halinækha) Male
Hānimausa Ancient Yodhvāši beautiful reflection Female
Hilvargholah Ancient Namaikehi (variant of Hilvarghom) Female
Hilvarghom Ancient Namaikehi famous warrior Male
Hūlamastān unknown Male
Huliāchlærim Chlouvānem moonlight Female
Hūrtalgān Ancient Yodhvāši man of gems Male
Hælahaika Anc.Yodhvāši/unknown (variant of Hāliehaika) Female
Hæniląuya unknown Female
Hånisrajñas Chlouvānem friend of toucans Male
Hånia Chlouvānem toucan Unisex
Jādāh Archaic Chlouvānem wealth(y) Female
Jalgudām Ancient Yodhvāši distant sight Male
Janighālah Ancient Namaikehi brave Unisex
Jardām Ancient Yodhvāši sight in the dark Male
Jauhækūmi unknown Female
Jīvardām Ancient Yodhvāši fighting word Male
Julūmausa Ancient Yodhvāši beautiful gold Female
Kailemūrṣa Tamukāyi she whose courage is told Female
Kailnenia Chlouvānem pure soul Female
Kāljivaṃṣān Ancient Yodhvāši sage man Male
Kāltarvān Ancient Yodhvāši painted man Male
Khālbayān Ancient Yodhvāši brown man Male
Klætsflian unknown (probably from the Near East) Male
Kūldendėla Ancient Yodhvāši beautiful flower Female
Kuretsufan Kans-Tsan strong boy Female
Kælidañca Ancient Yodhvāši great joy Female
Lākhnī unknown, probably Near Eastern Female
Lairė Chlouvānem sky, air Female
Lanaijuniā Chlouvānem island flower Female
Lañekaica Ancient Yodhvāši (variant of Lañikaiṣa) Female
Lañemulka Ancient Yodhvāši (variant of Lañimulca) Female
Lañikaiṣa Ancient Yodhvāši blessed hand Female
Lañimulca Ancient Yodhvāši good hand Female
Lārta unknown Female
Lāyašvāti unknown, probably Near Eastern Female
Lāyašvūs (male version of Lāyašvāti) Male
Liftrantas unknown, probably Near Eastern Male
Liftraišī (female version of Liftrantas) Female
Līnænuliah unknown Female
Læhimausa Tamukāyi ray of light Female
Lælithiam unknown Male
Maibeh Eastern Dabuke/Chlouvānem archaic diminutive of Amabu Female
Mailhomma Chlouvānem water pearl Female
Mambapinga Eastern Dabuke the beautiful one Female
Mamieh Eastern Dabuke/Chlouvānem archaic diminutive of Amabu Female
Martayinām Chlouvānem city protector Female (historically unisex)
Miąrlenīn Chlouvānem (s)he who makes good choices Unisex
Mūñcangām Ancient Yodhvāši warrior Male
Mæmihomah unknown (variant of Mæmihūmia) Female
Mæmihūmia unknown (possibly Laifutaši) Female
Mæmijaiya unknown (possibly Laifutaši) Female
Mæmimausa unknown/Anc. Yodhvāši mæmi- unknown; -mausa from the Anc. Yodhvāši word for "beautiful" Female
Naina Old Cambhaugrāyi melodic Female
Naik​ā Ancient Yodhvāši song Female
Nājaldhīm Aṣasṝkhami bringer of happiness Female
Namihūlša Laifutaši ? Female
Nariejūram Ancient Yodhvāši woman of light Female
Nariekaiṣa Ancient Yodhvāši blessed woman Female
Nariekayah Ancient Yodhvāši (variant of Nariekaiṣa) Female
Nariekūrda Ancient Yodhvāši woman of flowers Female
Nilāmulka Laifutaši ? Female
Nimahullė Ancient Yodhvāši smile of the stars Female
Nīmulšāmi Eastern Dabuke the young one Female
Nukthalin unknown Male
Nukthælieh unknown (probably derived from/related to Nukthalin) Female
Ñaiṭasamin Chlouvānem star child Unisex
Pirkabhrām unknown, probably Near Eastern Male
Pirkabhrāni (female version of Pirkabhrām) Female
Ṣastira Tamukāyi water fairy Female
Ṣastirvam Tamukāyi (variant of Ṣastira) Male
Šulega Ancient Kāṃradeši happiness Female
Švaragūlan Ancient Kāṃradeši star of the sea Male
Tainā Tamukāyi gem Female
Tālimausa unknown/Anc. Yodhvāši tāli- unknown; -mausa from the Anc. Yodhvāši word for "beautiful" Female
Terintān Ancient Yodhvāši fast jump Unisex
Turabayān Ancient Yodhvāši brown step Male
Turgandām Ancient Yodhvāši step into the dark Male
Vælvah Chlouvānem cloud Unisex (usually female)
Yāmurtān Ancient Yodhvāši fast kick Male
Yānāh inherited from Proto-Lahob great purity Female
Yārachilgėn Ancient Yodhvāši[2] sky girl Female
Yunaira Tamukāyi good doing Female

Informal names (laltihalenī)

The Chlouvānem informal name (laltihaloe, from lalteh (friend) and haloe (name)) is the form of the given name used in many particularly informal settings. As with all things informal in the Chlouvānem-speaking world, there is no uniform rule because they are deeply influenced by the local vernacular and, more often than not, they are never even used when speaking Chlouvānem as such kind of conversations may often be exclusively in the vernacular.
However, there is a simple pattern that can be used in order to derive pan-Inquisitiorial informal names from given names: either the first or the stressed syllable of the name is taken, with optional vowel changes (usually a to æ, æ and ai to e, e to i, and often o to either a or u), and for female informal names or -em for male ones. Female names often shift post-tonic velars, h, or s, to palatals.
As different syllables may be taken, there are even for this pattern different possibilities. Some examples (usually, the more common a name is and the more informal forms it has):

Martayinām [ˌmaˤ.ta.(j)iˈnaːm] → Mærī, Mætī, Matī, Næmī, Nāmī
Mæmihūmia [ˌmɛ.mʲiˈɦuː.mʲa] → Memī, Hūmī, Mæmī
Kælidañca [ˌkɛ.ɴ̆ʲiˈdaɲ.c͡ɕa] → Kelī, Kælī, Dæñī, Dañī
Kāltarvān [ˌkaːɴ̆.taɐ̯ˈʋãː] → Kālem, Kælem, Vānem, Vænem, Kāltem
Khālbayān [ˌkʰaːɴ̆.baˈjãː] → Khælem, Khālem, Yænem, Yānem
Læhimausa [ˌɴ̆ɛ.ɦiˈmaʊ̯.sa] → Læšī, Læhī, Lešī, Maušī, Mūšī, Mūsī

Using names

→ See also: Chlouvānem morphology § Honorific titles

Chlouvānem names are rarely used alone: they are most often coupled with some kind of honorific. There is a so-called "politeness scale" for their use:

1. When speaking to someone:

  • All three parts of the name are used alone in roll calls exclusively;
  • The most polite form is to use the appropriate honorific title or formula plus the honorifics yamei and lāma, all applied to matronymic and given name; e.g. Martayināvi yamei murkadhāna Læhimausa lāma (something like Respectable Inquisitor, Ms. Læhimausa, daughter of Martayinām). This form is usually used at the beginning of a conversation, as subsequently the norm is to use a shorter form - in this case either yamei murkadhāna or yamei Læhimausa lāma;
  • The usual polite form is simply given name plus lāma (or any other appropriate title, like e.g. kauchlærīn (professor), or suntam, tanta, lallāmaha...); e.g. Læhimausa lāma (Ms. Læhimausa), Læhimausa kauchlærī (Professor Læhimausa);
  • Using any of the three parts alone (usually the name) is a moderately colloquial form, usually used between colleagues or friends with a moderate degree of acquaintance. Even between colleagues of the same age this is somewhat rude if they do not each other much, and in that case tanta or lāma should be used;
  • The informal name is the form used by close friends, by siblings, partners, and towards all family members of a younger generation. It is however generally rude to use any kind of personal name towards an older family member, or a non-sibling of the same generation (brothers/sisters-in-law, unless they are close friends).

2. When speaking of someone:

  • If the listener is likely to not know who the person spoken of is, the full three parts of the name are used (but sometimes the surname is omitted), usually with yamei, a title (lāma, tanta, suntam), and usually the profession too (e.g. Martayināvi yamei murkadhāna Læhimausa lāma), but no titles are used (only optionally yamei) if they're of a lower rank — for example a teacher speaking about one of his/her students to another teacher;
  • If the person spoken of is respected (of higher rank), then the appropriate formula is used the first time they're mentioned, then the norm is to use a shorter form - in this case, a form like yamei Læhimausa murkadhāna is accepted, while it is not when speaking directly to that person. The higher rank that person is, usually the longer it takes to completely shift to a shorter form — e.g. while the Great Inquisitor will not be referred to every time as nanū aveṣyotāra lallāmaha Hæliyoušāvi yamei Dhīvajhūyai Lairė camimurkadhāna lāma, it will not probably get shorter than nanū aveṣyotāra yamei lallāmaha ([Her] Respectable Most Excellent Highness) or nanū aveṣyotāra lallāmaha camimurkadhāna ([Her] Most Excellent Highness, the Great Inquisitor);
  • If the person spoken of is of equal rank, in a polite context they'll be referred to with tanta (the usual title for equal grades), or lāma;
  • The use of the bare given name (or matronymic or surname) and of the informal name follow the same guidelines as when talking to that person. Note that, though, in a family context it will be more common to use the names of older family members in order to disambiguate about them (e.g. Amabu paṣmeinā ukulanilь Læhimausa paṣmeinā prišniliukula no (Grandma Amabu has spoken and Grandma Læhimausa has answered [her]).

The second- and third-person pronouns used with the various honorific styles also vary. See the respective section of the Grammar for more details.

Notes

  1. ^ The word dāneh means "nut" in Chlouvānem but the similarity is probably only coincidental.
  2. ^ Coined in the late Third Era for the main character of a novel by writer Ñælihairāvi Kaitakalīm Lileikhura.