[MR] How to pick a name?

[Towey, Brian]

> The range of good names pretty much depends on when and where you'd
> like to set your persona;

Well, now you're in a bigger fix than before!  You don't just need a name,
but a time and a place as well.  That's what you get for asking a herald...
<g>

I'm a big fan of letting fashion be your guide.  Get a big, colorful book of
costumes.  Flip through and think, "In all of history, what kind of clothes
would make me look the best?  What is the most flattering garment ever made
for my size and shape?"  I bet you'll be able to pick one pretty quickly.
That tells you your time and place.

Then, look up that time and place in an encyclopedia (printed or on line)
and look at the names of the people mentioned.  Not kings and queens, but
provincial governors and such, or the matron who commissioned a famous
statue.  Popular saints in the region will have towns and churches named
after them.

Those are the names you want.  Later, when you want to register your name,
you won't have to try to explain to the heralds how "Arwen Evenstar" really
is an appropriate name for a Saxon.

Of course, it's always fun to take a perfectly medieval name like "Ann" or
"Jane" and watch people struggle to figure out which is your legal name and
which your stage name.

Your servant,

Charles Fleming
"Miror Otium Negotium Multum Requirere"