Naming Conventions without Christianity

As an offshoot of the 'world with no Christianity' thread, what might be common names in different regions of Europe without Christianity?
 
To start the ball rolling; a version of the Icelandic naming system so for example Charles Phiilipson and Anne Elizabethdaughter.
 
As an offshoot of the 'world with no Christianity' thread, what might be common names in different regions of Europe without Christianity?

Not that hugely different maybe, no biblical names, and survival of 'pagan names' - but not a few survived here in OTL anyway, like in slavic cultures...

And of course, that depend on what religion(s) take hold instead. In east-south europe, like with Buddhism who seep in, you may see occidentalised forms of buddhist names, like Devadata(?) one of the key early followers...

Maybe Iranian names become popular in Alt Turkey...
 
As an offshoot of the 'world with no Christianity' thread, what might be common names in different regions of Europe without Christianity?

Actually, Christian names (by that, I mean biblical + christian hagiographies) didn't really began to impose themselves before the end of Early Middle Ages, and did definitely after the beggining of the Great Plague where saint names were adopted by devotion.

Admitting that, nevertheless disapperence of Christianism, you still end with a germano-roman western Europe, you'll have predominance of germanic-issued names eventually followed by romance. Even today, the "pagan" (aka not directly christian-issued) germanic and romance names are hugely representated in western cultures.

More than reference to direct relatives (that can works on small societies, but not on larger) you'll probably have maintenance of reference made to lineage, with name of a large family followed by a precision (most probably location, or collective surname).

Finally, the personal surname would have, as OTL, a great importance maybe the greatest up to the fixing of names.

Something like "Alfred the Red [of Edimburg], son of Albert [of York]" that could end in different ways with fixing names :
- Alfred Red
- Alfred Red Albertson
- Alfred Albertson
 
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I don't think the adoption of hereditary surnames in Europe had to do with Christianity.

Partially, it does, church being the institution keeping records of names, it was used to make easier the fixing of surnames. Of course, it would be most probable that such fixing would happen sooner or later with the development of states and their administrations, but the usage of personal surnames could have lasted longers and let more traces in a modern and contemporary society.
 
Partially, it does, church being the institution keeping records of names, it was used to make easier the fixing of surnames. Of course, it would be most probable that such fixing would happen sooner or later with the development of states and their administrations, but the usage of personal surnames could have lasted longers and let more traces in a modern and contemporary society.

Romans already have gens and cognomen before Christianity, so I think church or no church wouldn't make much of difference.
 
Partially, it does, church being the institution keeping records of names, it was used to make easier the fixing of surnames. Of course, it would be most probable that such fixing would happen sooner or later with the development of states and their administrations, but the usage of personal surnames could have lasted longers and let more traces in a modern and contemporary society.

Well, if the church isn't keeping records, then states will. Maybe it will happen later, but eventually you'll start having the state mandate set surnames.

But, I think that it's possible that countries with patronyms, Norway and the like, will keep the system, just because of butterflies. Iceland seems to be doing fine with no hereditary surnames, after all.
 
Well, if the church isn't keeping records, then states will. Maybe it will happen later, but eventually you'll start having the state mandate set surnames.

But, I think that it's possible that countries with patronyms, Norway and the like, will keep the system, just because of butterflies. Iceland seems to be doing fine with no hereditary surnames, after all.

A lot of Asian states didn't mandate fixed surnames. Much of South India and a lot of Muslim cultures go by patronymics.
 
A lot of Asian states didn't mandate fixed surnames. Much of South India and a lot of Muslim cultures go by patronymics.

This.

Furthermore, the time states began to keep records, and if we have a administrative/institutional advance comparable to OTL (only for demonstration), you'll have a gap of at best 300 years, more for the others. It's enough to make the patronymic, personal surnames or locative names (whatever dominates) more important as a usage and lasting when names are fixed.
 
As Flocculencio has stated the use of family names as surnames are not common in South India. Sometimes personal name of father is used in place of surname. Among Hindus use of caste names as surnames were common not only in South but all over India. In the southern states of Kerala and Tamilnadu surnames are seldom used.
 
As Flocculencio has stated the use of family names as surnames are not common in South India. Sometimes personal name of father is used in place of surname. Among Hindus use of caste names as surnames were common not only in South but all over India. In the southern states of Kerala and Tamilnadu surnames are seldom used.

Well in Kerala it's a mixed system depending on which jati you belong to (Nairs and Syrian Christians use house names which are sort of like surnames but not quite). In Tamil Nadu, however, they just use patronymics e.g. Sellapanramanathan s/o Vigneswaran.
 
I don't think the adoption of hereditary surnames in Europe had to do with Christianity.
As said, church registration matters here, but yeah, it's not the only factor. Indeed, familial names stressing common descent from a single ancestor (ie. Amelungen) are very common early on in the Germanic world, so it's very likely to be pre-Christian.

Of course, a hybrid system like in Russia might be a possible occurrence. Dirk Dirkszoon Dirking, that sort of thing.
 
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