Naming

Surnames and Marriages

While many cultures in Ruartei have their own naming conventions, most peoples recognize the following practices.

• A spouse who marries and changes surname groups/families will change their formal name to their new/married surname and will often append their previous/birth surname, using nupta. For example, Aurelia is born Aurelia Vita Nona Livy and upon marriage becomes Aurelia Vita Evzen nupta Nona Livy.
• A spouse who marries, becoming part of their spouse's surname group/family, yet also maintaining their birth/previous surname group/family position will keep their given surname and usually append their married name, using uVo. For example, Tatiana is born Tatiana Liviana Nona Livy and upon marriage becomes Tatiana Liviana Nona Livy uVo Lyard.
• A person with a special connection, usually familial, to a surname group may have a name qualifier plus the surname added to the end of their name. Often, these are only used in legal documents and formal interactions. For example, before Ranber was adopted as a nonaLivy heir, his full name was Ranber Evzen legat nonaLivy but was generally known as Ranber Evzen. After his adoption, he became Ranber Evzen Nona Livy

A number of different name qualifiers exist, such as bren, din, gar, kael, legat, lin, mes, myr, nar, nupta, rex, rho, tres, uVo, val, zil. Each of these denote a specific type of connection to the surname group. Note: some of the meanings may vary greatly in differing cultures/surname groups.

• legat — person has a connection to a secondary surname group that is obligated, by custom or contract, to provide a specific ongoing benefit (usually a bequest or stipend). Note: this is a rarely used practice. Naming rule: name primary Surname legat secondarySurname
• nupta — person has changed their primary surname group, but retains a significant connection to their previous/birth surname group. Naming rule: name newSurname nupta previousSurname
• uVo — person joins a new/secondary surname group, but keeps their position in their previous/primary surname group. Naming rule: name primarySurname uVo secondarySurname