I want to write a story with tight ties with England, and even with noble families. What surname sounds more classy, purely ENGLISH, royal/noble sounding and posh? Stratford, Windsor, Gladstone, Prescott or Berkeley? Why?
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$\begingroup$ What period in England? Depending on the period you might have a mix of Anglo-Saxon, Norman, Scottish, Welsh, Irish, and Germanic names for royalty. $\endgroup$– SchwernCommented May 22, 2016 at 0:28
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2$\begingroup$ I predict this will get put on hold pretty quickly, because you've asked an opinion-based question. If you want to know what the "Poshest" British name is, the present Queen of the UK is the richest woman on Earth (if you include real estate value.) That's relatively posh. Her dynastic name is Windsor, but it's not strictly her "surname", and this is somewhat typical for nobility. $\endgroup$– SudoSedWinifredCommented May 22, 2016 at 2:01
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$\begingroup$ I think this is a very good question. Compare Horatio Herbert Kitchener and Tommy Watkins ... would Mrs. Watkins have come up with a Horatio? $\endgroup$– o.m.Commented May 22, 2016 at 7:08
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$\begingroup$ Nobility intermarries culturally quite often (or did when feudalism ran the world, at least) for diplomatic and claim-acquiring purposes. All that is required for a British noble to wind up with the name Horatio is to have one parent from a noble house of Spain. $\endgroup$– SudoSedWinifredCommented May 22, 2016 at 17:14
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1$\begingroup$ @SudoSedWinifred The grand irony is the Queen is more Germanic than English and the House of Windsor is made up. George V changed it to Windsor from "Saxe-Coburg and Gotha" of the House of Wettin because it sounded too Germanic when WWI broke out. $\endgroup$– SchwernCommented May 22, 2016 at 21:07
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3 Answers
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This question is really really broad and so I am just going to give you some links to check out
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The best names that suggest English nobility are names of the actual nobility!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Noble_families_of_the_United_Kingdom
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From the point of view of someone from the USA who watches British tv shows sometimes (which are typically police procedurals, mysteries, oe comedies):
- Use a multi-part name with hyphins.
- have extra letters that are not pronounced.
- suffix it with roman numerals and/or other decorations.
- don't use the terms "Mr./Mrs." but insist on some special title instead.
Shows that are light comedy in tone but primarily a drama, mystery, or whatever (not a "comedy") would be the best to observe to get a stereotypical name that deliberately conveys the social status and history of the guest character, without being overly silly about it.
answered May 22, 2016 at 20:49
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$\begingroup$ I did not say all names had these features. I stated my observations that fiction draws upon these as stereotypes. $\endgroup$– JDługoszCommented Oct 6, 2016 at 6:56
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$\begingroup$ I thought about noting examples when I watched such shows, but the question was closed and I think writers’ forums have resources for choosing names already. $\endgroup$– JDługoszCommented Oct 6, 2016 at 7:13