Post Apocalyptic Naming

Survival is tough in AMC's 'The Walking Dead'

Recently I had a really strange dream. I know a lot of boring conversations start this way - but stick with me, because I promise it’s name related!

The world had just gone through a zombie apocalypse (proving that this dream is directly related to the type of movies I watch) and in the aftermath our group of survivors found ourselves in the position of trying to re-establish some sort of community and re-start civilisation (somehow the zombies had either been wiped out or we were in a guaranteed safe zone. Don’t ask how).

As the group of the nine or so of us were discussing how to start, someone pointed out that since the world as we knew it was gone, if we wanted to change our names, now would be the time. They pointed out that none of us knew each other before the disaster, and what we had gone through had changed all of us, so maybe we felt our new lives deserved new names.

One girl who had been named Erin wanted to be known as Aquarius, because that was her star sign. A guy named Chris wanted to be known by a kind of non-committal grunt sound. Which I protested because how would I get his attention when I needed to call out to him? But I was over-ruled, as the spirit of the activity was that you could be whatever you wanted, none of the old “rules” applied. Everyone in the group chose to change their name. Everyone but me. For some reason I was quite happy to keep my name Brooke as my post-apocalyptic moniker. Go figure.

But this dream led me to think about post-apocalyptic naming in general. Would survivors feel the need to change their names, like we did? Would the names passed on to further generations carry on current naming trends in a bid to hang onto the old order? Or would they reflect what the world had gone through, or what the new mode of living was, or our hopes for the future?

I’d imagine that these are things that any writer in the post-apocalyptic genre must consider when naming their characters. So in the spirit of fun, I thought I’d consider some of the possibilities.

“Power of Nature” Names

It might not be a man made disaster that brings abut the collapse of the world as we know it. Many people believe the world changing event will indeed be natural - be it solar flares; a meteor strike; shifting tectonic plates causing earthquakes and volcanic eruptions; or climate change. Nature names are already popular, but if brought to our knees by the power of nature we could see nature names taken to a new level.

	Avalanche		Hurricane		Tornado
	Blizzard		Monsoon		Tremor
	Cyclone		Quake		Tsunami
	Force		Tempest		Twister
	Gale		Tidal		Volcano

“Thank Our Lucky Stars” Names

How about if we survived a disaster of massive proportions that left people thinking what a miracle it was that they survived. We could probably expect to see more miraculous and religious themed names. We already see some evidence of this today. And if everyone is doing it, suddenly some of the names used in 'The Hunger Games' such as Marvel might not seem so extravagant and self-indulgent. They might even seem humble, in deference to a higher power.

	Amaze		Miracle		Saviour
	Awe		Phenomenon		Sensational
	Blessing		Prodigy		Trinity
	Godsend		Rapture		Wonder
	Halo		Reverence		Wow

“Tough” Names

Kate Mulgrew as Red in
'Orange is the New Black'

If we’re talking zombie apocalypse or a ‘Mad Max’ style future I think this would be a popular choice. Names that people would respect as a sign of your prowess in a world filled with violence and a struggle to survive. Names that would instantly communicate “don’t mess with me”.

	Anarchy		Frenzy		Rebel
	Bayonet		Fury		Sassy
	Bloodrayne		Gunner		Scrapper
	Bruiser		Hatchet		Tank
	Cannon		Machete		Viper

“This Is Me” Names

Not everyone has to be a fighter, although choosing a name that instantly communicates something about ourselves or projects a certain image is a common theme in post-apocalyptic stories. 'The Walking Dead’ featured The Governor. The boy in charge of the cooking in ‘The Maze Runner’ is named Frypan. And it's not just a post-apocalyptic theme - think of Red in 'Orange Is The New Black'. The only problem here is that people are always so much more than any one thing that this feels like a mask of sorts.

	Catcher		Engineer		Karaoke
	Curly		Farmer		Mother
	Doc		Foxy		Nomad
	Dreamer		Gorgeous		Plaid
	Enforcer		Greenthumb		Sheriff

“Origin” Names

Maybe survivors would want to shed their old identity, without losing sight of where they came from. Or maybe it’s nothing more than a quick way to convey information about your previous life. They went this route in the movie ‘Zombieland’, where the four main characters are known as Columbus, Tallahassee, Wichita and Little Rock. And there’s a character in the ‘Resident Evil’ movies named K-Mart, as that’s where she was found by her fellow survivors.

I could only see this working in a world were very, very few people survived, or it could get confusing quickly. But I love that this potentially makes us reconsider which place names make for “suitable” given names. People I might meet in my area if the apocalypse happened tomorrow could be:

	Armadale		Elwood		Stonnington
	Burke		Frankston		Summerhill
	Chadstone		Malvern		Tarneit
	Coburg		Melbourne		Wattletree
	Dandenong		Richmond		Yarra

**disclaimer: these name suggestions are in the spirit of fun - I am not recommending that they are all suitable for a person**

The Nature of Nature Names

If you're a regular reader here, you've probably heard me say before that I love nature names. People often talk about choosing a name with "meaning", and I feel that nature names have meaning for everyone. They can help to give us a spiritual connection to the world around us, a respect for the power and beauty that surrounds us.

I was watching a show recently about what would happen to the planet if humans just disappeared from Earth tomorrow. The thing that struck me the most was that even with the massive amounts of pollution humans have already generated, and even though the nuclear power plants would meltdown and throw tons of radiation into the atmosphere, given just decades the trees and oceans would clean the atmosphere and plant and animal life would continue. The power of nature is awe-inspiring sometimes.

Normally, when we talk of nature names people think of names like River, Willow and Lily - nature words that are also used as names. But nature names can be so much subtler and more diverse than that. So instead of breaking them down by the usual categories such as trees, flowers, animals, gemstones etc, I thought I'd look at them in a slightly different way.

1. "Straightforward" Nature Word Names
These are the types of names I mentioned above - the names you'll find on any nature names list.

It's great to see how people's opinions of these names have changed over time. Compare for example the names Rose and River. Rose is an enduring classic. Since the first SSA records of 1880 Rose has been a top 500 name in the U.S. You almost forget it's actually a flower name, it's so established as a given name. River however would have been almost unthinkable as a given name in 1880. When it first charted for boys in the 1970's it was a rarity and considered to be a "hippy" name, as many other nature names also were at that time. This opinion would be the popular one for a couple of decades. By 2012 River is far from a rare novelty, charting at #407 for boys and #686 for girls.

In recent years we've seen female characters named both Rose and River on the popular TV show 'Doctor Who', and no one blinks an eye. Our attitudes as to what constitutes a "name" are relaxing, and even the most exotic nature word names are now fair game.


2. Nature Words with Dual Meanings
One of my favourite examples of this is Sage. Yes, it's a herbal nature name, but it also means wise. In addition to those that have "official" second meanings, many plants and stones have a history of associated meanings. For example, Alyssum is a flower name, means 'noble', and symbolises beauty. Ruby symbolises vitality and royalty. The extra meanings and symbolism traditionally attributed to these add an extra depth of meaning to a name. Just like the people they are naming, they have many facets to their personality.


3. "Normal" Names with Nature Meanings
It's like a sneaky little surprise. While people were busy deriding "hippy" names, they were overlooking plenty of "normal" names with nature meanings, such as Daphne (meaning 'laurel'), Paloma (meaning 'dove') or Audra (meaning 'storm'). If you desire a connection to nature but aren't so keen on word names, this might be the path for you.


4. Place and Surnames Derived from Nature
Lots of surnames were taken from the towns where people lived, and many towns were given their names based on the characteristics of the surrounding land. Aren't names with meanings such as 'east meadow', 'people of the riverside forest', 'place on the riverbank' or 'where birches grow' every bit as nature oriented as Meadow, Forest, River or Birch? Then meet Astley, Dresden, Reminton and Berkeley.

This style of nature name opens a lot of possibilities. It also offers more versatility, as they usually combine two or more elements into one. It could be the solution to honouring two loved ones with nature names of their own without necessarily creating a "new"smoosh-hybrid. Plus, they tend to be a bit preppier or "proper" sounding if you want a nature name with a bit more panache.


Whether you like your nature names to be boldly forthright or subtly surprising, the world of nature names is just as rich with choice and variety as nature itself is. In our ever changing world, nature is a constant all powerful force. I can only see them growing more popular. This month I'm all about nature names, so if there's one that you would like to see profiled this February, just let me know in the comments below!