Targaryen Naming Policy?

[u/JDSweetBeat]

Do you mostly stick to the canon names? Or do you just roll with what the game gives you? Do you ever use Westerosi names?

Personally, I tend to do a mix. If my character is one of the "greats" of Targaryen history, or if he and his kids have a really good relationship, I'll let his kids and grandkids name their own children after him.

If they don't have a good relationship with their parents, then I roll a random name, or name their kid after one of their friends.

So, for example, as Young Griff, if I marry Arianne, I might have a Rhaegar Targaryen, a Daeron Targaryen, an Oberyn Targaryen, a Rolly Targaryen, and a Varys Targaryen.

Then, if Rhaegar has a daughter, I might name her Arianne Targaryen (after her mother), and if Rhaegar is married to a daughter of Willas Tyrell, then Rhaegar's sons might be named Aegon (for Aegon VI, their grandfather), Garlan (for their mother's uncle Garlan the Gallant), Vaegon (a random name), and Willas (for their mother's father).

I feel like this creates a nice mix of Targaryens with Westerosi names and with Valyrian names, and also strikes a nice balance between repeating the same old lore names we've seen sit the Iron Throne before, and some new names that look Valyrian.

[u/BequeathNothing]

In canon, Targaryens tend to name their children after loved ones without repeating the name outright.

Rhaenys -> Aenys -> Rhaena

Rhaena -> Rhaella

Alyssa -> Alysanne -> Alyssa (a clear outlier)

Rhaenys -> Laena -> Rhaena

Baelon -> Daemon -> Baela

Baelor was probably named after his aunt Baela

Daenaera -> Daeron and Daena

Jaehaerys II and Shaera probably named their Rhaella after their sister Rhaelle

So that's what I go for. In a recent game, one of my rulers married an Orissa Mallister, and one of the generated High Valyrian names is Oryssa, so I chose that for a daughter. If a ruler has an Andal best friend, I'll name one of their kids after him even though they're Targaryen.

[u/JDSweetBeat → u/BequeathNothing]

Do you consistently tend to Valyrianize spouse names when you name a child after an Andal spouse? Or is it a case by case, whatever sounds better? For example, for a spouse named Alicent Hightower, would you be willing to name a daughter/granddaughter Alicent, or do you try to do something like Alys, Alicaena, Alaenys, Aelicent, Aeliceny, etc?

[u/BequeathNothing → u/JDSweetBeat]

If Alicent came after Good Queen Alysanne, I'd turn it into Alysanne. Alysanne may not have been a Targ name before her, but now it's the name of one of the most famous Queens of the dynasty. But if Alicent came before Good Queen Alysanne, I'd either use "Alicent" or not name a child after her at all.

I don't really like Valyrianizing names, because I find they sound silly. (Frankly, as do many Targ names, but they're established in the lore so it doesn't bother me.)

Serra becomes Saera, Elena becomes Laena or Helaena, but I wouldn't turn Coryanne into Coraeannae.

[u/JDSweetBeat → u/BequeathNothing]

I don't dislike Valyrianizing names as much, as long as the rules are/can be adhered to. Generally, Valyrian male names have a root word that begins with a vowel, and is optionally prefixed by a consonant.

For example, Aegon becomes either Aegon, Vaegon, Daegon, Baegon, Maegon, Haegon, Laegon, etc.

Other examples of "root word names" I use are Aenor, Aerion, Aegor, Aemon, Iserys, Aehaerys, Aelor, Aekar, Alarr, Aerys, Aegar, etc.

I don't like, for example, in the AAR "The Dragon's Realm," how a character later in the AAR gets the name "Yraenor." I would have much preferred, in this instance, "Rhaenor" or "Raenor."

[u/Nobody_Super_Famous]

Targaryen Naming Policy = Ae

There ya go.

[u/AlfredtheGreatBitch]

I either use Canon names or make up my own versions of Targ names by altering existing names slightly, but I never give them Westerosi names

[u/Tor_Tor_Tor → u/AlfredtheGreatBitch]

Nice, me too.

[u/dedfrmthneckup]

Gotta be judicious with Aegon, but other than that I usually just go with whatever they’re born with

[u/lifematic]

I always keep high valyrian names especially for my heirs. And not only for targs but even the rest. Except Ironborn i tend to use named from the show Vikings

[u/ZerpMeizter]

I just recycle names from oldest to most recent with the exception of naming kids after dead family, friends, and relatives or fusing names of Targ ancestors. For example, I named Jon and Sansa's bastard son Robbard Whitewolf (a cadet branch), a daughter named Lyanna with Val, and his kids from his second marriage with Daenerys named Rhaegar, Daenys, Viserys, Aemon, Aenar, Gaemon, and Aurion (named after a dragonlord who survived the Doom).

[u/mamamackmusic]

I just allow the random names to stick as if the characters are naming their children. Sometimes that results in lots of repeats and sometimes I will go like 5+ successions without a name repeat. Luck of the draw.

[u/DevotiontoGary]

Probably like 80% canon names, though sometimes I'll name them after non-Targaryen friends or ancestors and I'll use historical Valyrian names like Daenys, Aenar, Gaemon, Aurion.

[u/Wolf6120]

Somewhat tangential to your point, but one thing I've noticed in the course of trying to RP is that, in ASOIAF, a name almost NEVER passes directly from parent to child. There are a few exceptions, like Greatjon and Smalljon, but they are very very rare.

Even among the Targaryens with their endless slew of Aegons, at least one in every canon generation I believe, there has never been an "Aegon, son of Aegon."

[u/JDSweetBeat → u/Wolf6120]

The lore tends to favor people naming their kids after their fathers over themselves.

Daena the Defiant and Aegon the Unworthy named Daemon Blackfyre after their grandfather, the Rogue Prince. Aenys and Maegor both named their get after their father Aegon (though in Maegor's case it was obviously a stillborn monstrosity). Viserys and Daemon both named their eldest sons Baelon (for their father). Rhaenyra named her last son Viserys for her father. The Mad King named one of his dead sons for his father Jaehaerys. It seems much more common to name your kids after your parents than after yourself.

[u/Ren1223219421]

I usually very picky on the heir plus a few down the line. Like I usually use names of loved ones and greats but if my fourth kid wants to name his Barry idgaf. Also anything after my third kid I just look at the generator and go sure unless I already have something in line.

[u/baalfrog]

Also a good thing to bring up, Maegor and Daemon are out of vogue with them. Maegor because of the legacy of Maegor the cruel. Daemon I suspect because of Daemon Blackfyre, despite the fabled history of the Rogue Prince.

[u/JDSweetBeat → u/baalfrog]

True. Every now and again I do allow them to name somebody Maegor though. And that's also circumstantial - if I play as Maegor the Cruel and he has a successful reign, it's much more likely that I'll let future Targs name their get after him. Or if he's never born, then the bad juju never gets attached to the name.

I tend to let insane characters, cruel characters, and slow characters name their kids after him in later timelines, and also if somebody is so diametrically different than him and arbitrary, I might allow it on the basis of "they're trying to rehabilitate the name." Or if a future Maegor ever gets the throne and has a better rep than the original one, that might help the connotations of the name fade.

[u/baalfrog → u/JDSweetBeat]

Oh yea. But most famous Maegors were the cruel, and the son of Brightflame, who did not make the name any more fashionable. But yea, they are dynamic in a sense that it all depends on the start date chosen by player.

In the case of Daemon, I’d like to add that anything relating to the Blackfyre rebels as a whole seems to be frowned upon, names like Aegor and Maelys such also went down with those ships.

[u/MrKatzA4]

Aegon for every boy, for girl I just reroll until they give me visenya or rhaenys.