Line #11 Analysis/PreppyName


1	{{Preppy Name}}s according to region.
2	----
3
4	* For the Hispanic culture equivalent, note the constant use of the two first names, the emphasis in the last names (specially in countries where a bastard can have one ''if'' [[HeroicBastard they're worthy of]] ''[[HeroicBastard any]]'' [[HeroicBastard sort of respect]], where more legitimate children have two), or for some ridiculousness, certain kinds of nicknames. Nicknames ending in "-ina" are sometimes used to indicate a RichBitch of the airhead type (e.g. Paulina from ''WesternAnimation/DannyPhantom'').
5	* In Germany, the phenomenon of upper class parents giving their offspring more conservative names like Emil, Cornelius, or Viktoria has coined the term "Emilism" as opposed to "Kevinism", describing the tendency of lower class parents to give their children names unusual to German-speaking areas, especially Anglophonic names like the aforementioned Kevin, Justin, or Mandy. However, in another interesting twist of cultural dissonance, in the US and UK, the name "Emil(e)" would be considered ''flagrantly'' [[GhettoName ghetto.]]
6	* Russia currently lacks a preppy name tradition, because its upper class is still too young and the old, traditional one is gone because of [[UsefulNotes/RedOctober a certain unpleasantness in the early XX century]]. However, there was such a tradition during the Imperial period, often showing up in classical Russian literature. Typical traits of a Russian noble name were the ending "off" rather than "ov" used in romanization, the ending "sky" which could mean descent from really old Ruthenian princes or Polish szlachta (later shamelessly imitated by [[GhettoName Jews in the Pale of Settlement]]), the universal hyphenated last name or a [[UsefulNotes/GermanRussians German last name]], "[[TheVonTropeFamily von]]" optional. First names also were divided between noble and commoner; old Slavic or Scandinavian such as Oleg or Svyatoslav, or "international" Greek like Alexander were definitely preppy, and obscure Greek-derived names like Makar or Kondrat were hopelessly peasant.
7	* France is unusual in that although the particle "de" (non capitalised, detached particle) is strongly associated with the old, even medieval aristocracy, the nobles who didn't emigrate to England during UsefulNotes/TheFrenchRevolution often changed names or slightly modified the spelling to "blend in" -- and some republicans either chose new names mocking the old establishment or already had similar names which simply used "de" to indicate a place-name (so largely like "von" in German). See Dupont, which is one of the most common surnames in France, compared to, say, du Pont de Nemours (the American industrial group--and the fabulously wealthy family, descended from minor French aristocrats, who founded it), or Dominique Galouzeau de Villepin, or Philippe de Villiers. If they're worth their money their name is probably a castle somewhere. As for French first names, medieval names or names of obscure saints such as Enguerrand, Foulque, Hubert or Eudes are far more common than among the general population; vaguely Victorian-sounding names like Joséphine or Apolline for girls. Oddly, High Middle Ages-sounding names like Clovis or Harald seem to be making a comeback among the ''middle class''. Or, using the opposite of the most common usage of a unisex name: Camille, but only for a boy, or Claude, but only for a girl. Stock Preppy Names (or at least "BCBG" names) in French fiction will usually include unusual combinations of hyphenated first names, such as Jean-Gabriel or Marie-Chantal or Charles-Édouard or [[WebAnimation/TheMostPopularGirlsInSchool Saison-Marguerite]]; note that if you have "Marie" in a hyphenated boys' name, like "Jean-Marie" or "Charles-Marie", you're dealing with someone who may be an aristocrat, is likely rather conservative, and almost certainly a very serious Catholic--and if not, his parents were. On the opposite side of the social spectrum, Kevinism is in full swing, generally attributed to working-class mothers from the late Cold War drawing baby-names from poorly-produced American soap operas, Kevin and Vanessa being the most stereotypical examples possibly due to ''Series/TheYoungAndTheRestless'' being extremely well-known in France (as "Les feux de l'amour") and syndicated to this day.
8	* In Israel, due to historic reasons, German names are more likely to be found among the upper classes; although the business sector is somewhat less discriminating, giving rise to some clearly non-Ashkenazim rising to the upper echelons of Israeli wealth, even among the [[http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3427561,00.html Eighteen Families]], other prestigious fields, such as the academia, are still Ashkenazi-dominated. ''Hebrewfied'' surnames, i.e translations of existing names, usually indicates that the family has been in the country for at least a generation (which is a lot, in a country that has only been around since the late forties). As for first names, adopting innovative names, often evoking pleasant imagery, is common among upper-middle classes.
9	* In the eastern part of the Arab world--the part formerly controlled by or under the influence of the Ottoman Empire--names of Turkic, Persian, or Caucasian origin have historically been seen as the "upper class" names.
10	** This is especially true with names for girls and ''especially'' true with names for girls with the "v" sound in them (which [[UsefulNotes/ArabicLanguage doesn't exist in Arabic]]) like "Nivin" and "Mervat".
11	** Arabic-origin names historically common in Turkey--and especially names of old Ottoman sultans like `Uthman/Osman,[[note]]An extremely old Arabic name--one of the four Rightly Guided Caliphs under Sunni historiography--but also the name of the founder of the Ottoman dynasty[[/note]] Selim,[[note]]An Arabic name meaning "peaceful" or "secure", it was borne by three Ottoman sultans, most notably Selim I [[TheMagnificent the Grim]] who won the Ottomans most of the Middle Eastern part of their empire[[/note]] and Suleyman[[note]]The Arabic form of "Solomon", borne by the greatest Ottoman sultan of the lot, Selim I's son Süleyman I TheMagnificent--yes, [[Series/MagnificentCentury that one]][[/note]]--are also seen as old-school high-class.
12	** Arab Christians have their own variant, with wealthier Christians often taking Western--especially French--names essentially unmodified (e.g. "Georges" and "Michel"). More working-class and rural Christians tended to prefer older names taken more or less directly from Aramaic, Hebrew, and Greek like Butrus (Peter, from Greek ''Petros'' via ArabBeobleTalk) and Yuhanna (the Arab Christian rendering of the Hebrew/Aramaic "Yochanan", i.e. "John"), or invented within the Arabic-speaking Muslim-dominated milieu, like Abdulmasih, literally "Slave/Servant of Christ", modeled after Muslim names that take the form of Abdul[Insert One of the 99 Names of God in Islam] like Abdullah or Abdulrahman.
13	* In Nicaragua, the name "Chamorro" indicates upper class, especially if a relation to the political and business empire of the family of that name actually exists. German derived last names are still upper class more often than not, despite Somoza's expropriation of many Germans during the 1940s. In first name there is a certain tendency towards exotic names and/or spelling among the lower classes with Ruswel (sic!) just one example. Some people even give their child a PortmanteauCoupleName. During the 1980s, names like Lenin or even Russian derived names like Mijail were reasonably popular among leftists and Sandinista sympathizers. The upper crust has mostly stuck with traditional Spanish names, though occasional English names like Hope (instead of the more pedestrian Esperanza) can also be found. Double names are a must for every class, so triple and quadruple names are not unheard of.
14	* In Filipino literature, Spanish names (especially of Basque, French or other Mediterranean origin) often serve as the equivalents, owing to some 300+ years of colonial occupation—[[OverlyLongName the longer]] and more European-sounding, the better. Bonus points if they have the titles "Don" or "Doña" appended to them.
15	* Bulgarian upper-middle class (more like NouveauRiche) parents from the 90s and 00s onward tend to choose Anglophonic names for their children such as Robert or Jessica, and sometimes English versions of names that do have native equivalents, such as George (spelled Джордж [Dzordzh] instead of Georgi) or Stephen (spelled Стивън [Stivăn] instead of Stefan).

Context Analysis / PreppyName