Unsatisfactory last name choices

I've been looking at making an alt character for roleplay purposes for the last couple of weeks, but, I can't bring myself to be happy with any of the last name choices.

I know SL is planning on overhauling the last name options, but according to the feature feadback thread, that might not be done till sometime in the summer. I kinda want to make my alt soon.

According to the SL Wiki, it suggests that you can give some suggestions for last names on the SL forums, so, My question is, how true is that? Has anyone ever made a last name suggestion and had it used in any reasonable amount of time?

I dunno, I'd just like to see some more names of japanese origin.
Mogami
Kurobashi
Ichikawa
Yamamura
Fujioka
Kenishi
Shimazaki

Just a few suggestions, most of which were taken from http://rinkworks.com/namegen/

I think a name gen where you could choose a style/flavor of last name then choose from a list of 5 generated last names would be the ideal solution.

I know right now, I'd be suggestion SL to a few people, but the last 2 people I brought in, couldn't find a decent last name =/

One must not forget Kurosaki. The most bad-ass of all smart-alec Shinigamis (Death Gods).

I want Matsuda, Honda, or Toyoda.

They sound like car manufacturers. How about Mitzuibishi,Datzun and Isuzui? heheh sorry.

I've said it before and I'll say it again. Having to choose your surname from a pre-defined list that's available at sign-up appears to run contrary to the whole ethos of Second Life. In a world of imagination one of the most expressive things you can do is choose the name you wish to be represented with and yet we can't do that here, we only have partial control.

What's with that? I understand that it was first used to underpin a sense of community, a faintly bizarre reasoning as in real life how many people really use that as a metric to define their social interplay. There doesn't appear to be a technical reason why you couldn't pick your own surname, so why are we still limited in this way?

We should have the option of creating our own last name. Obviously it would have to have a minimum length and maximum length with only alphabetical charactes only. That way it would offer us a way to keep second life fresh with new last names.

Moopf is right. I'd even go a step further and just say make the name field 255 characters; pick any alphanumeric + spaces combination you wish, with obvious exceptions that are already enforced (no ending in "Linden", not "Fuck" allowed, although you can't spell Saltwater without... well, figure it out).

Regards,

-Flip

The reasoning I've always heard behind having set last names is to prevent the AOL syndrome.

You know. XxRyozuxX1010
Things like that.

They already have a plan in store to overhaul the last name system, but I couldn't even begin to figure out what, exactly, it is they plan to do.

I just know a name gen type thing (Everlasting Book of Names style) would be perfect, as you could get a name with flavor, and still prevent the AIM NAME syndrome.

Then again, I'd also like to see numbers in names done away with.

Until that happens though, I'm sorely unhappy with the last names they have to choose from right now. I can't make my Alt, and I can't even reccomend anyone to join SL until some better names come up. I'd just heard that you could suggest to the Lindens some last names, and they might (or probably not, I guess?) use them, but I have no idea where in the forums would be appropriate to make that suggestion.

So near, and yet so far.

It would be nice if, for some predefined and possibly exorbitant sum, we could get a new last night. Just picking from the then-current list of last names would please me.

I'd like to see some last names designed especially for business purposes (as in 1 or 2 person businesses, not larger groups like Anshe's). I've recently been considering creating a business alt (which would eventually be used for customer service, freeing my main account up for content creation & leisure). Unfortunately, none of the current last names appealed to me in the slightest.

Or creating our own last names would be good, yeh.

I would suggest it be alphabetic only - I don't see any need for numbers, unless we want SL to look like an AOL chat room.

Once a bird told me it was a database optimisation technique; they could use an integer instead of a string for the last name

Then again, I never trust talking birds

Well, except for Psyra, of course.

YES PLEASE! When i see people with like 5 numbers in their name i think to myself AOL *COUGH*. People should be more original with names. Either that or pick a nice normal name like mine! XD *giggles* Numbers just don't phaze me. I dont like to be given a number for a identity. Paging Nicole5002!! where is 5002? oh shes over their next to Tom152.

I woulld actually like the option to use numbers and even "possibly" some off-characters like "[]" or such. An example of that would be for like someone who is particular is codenaming themselves. An example would be "Projekt 240A" (Yes, with a "k" to create a codename fantasy like character. That would open the "creative" opportunity to signify yourself with a special organization and roleplay in some form or another.

The catch to this though is that you would be basically stuck with this name. So, this is where being able to change your name at will comes in play.

Second Life is a diverse culture of fantasy and should be open to a lot of flexibility.

Some regular expressions can take care of the IM-like usernames with excessive amount of numbers.

Oh good god more japanese names! please arnt there enough of them around! Why not more chinese,korean,latin,italian names! Japanese PLEASE NO MORE!

It's funny you say that. Right now, there aren't any Japanese names to choose from even. Chaika necesarrily japanese, and Calamari isn't really right either.

If people want Japanese names, let'em have them. Not that you're wrong, some more chinese, korean, latin, italin, greek, et al names would be good. A nice multi-themed name generator would work out quite nicely.

Heck, if the rumor about database optimization is true, then the name gen idea would fit in there just fine. A name could be a sequence of 2byte digits, each corresponding to a "chunk" from a name gen's theme.

1 43 45 23

1-Japanese name dictionary
43- Ko
45- Ji
23- ma

For example.

256x256 possible chunks for a name dictionary.

Just to play devil's advocate, for roleplay reasons wouldn't it be more immersive if we weren't able to pick our own name period, and upon enrolling in SL a random name (and family perhaps) were given to us based on our gender (and perhaps a chosen nationality). I mean, IRL we don't have a choice what name we end up with either, do we?

However, as in RL, we should be able to change our names if the name we were given was not satisfactory to us. But I wonder how many resident's would opt to keep their names anyway much like the majoriyt of people in RL opt to keep theirs?

But there always is japanese names, the reason there are none at the moment is because PEOPLE CHOOSE THEM. They fill up fast, after what is it 150 taken they are closed off. sometimes LLabs takes names off the board and later puts them back on for a later date.
Problem is if LLbs lets people have japanese THERE WILL BE NOTHING BUT JAPANESE NAMES. As a greeter I remeber this one name yamabashi name being taken. I had about atleaset 20 calls withthis name i was so sick of it. Problem is LLabs leaves the name on the boards too long. Until we are flooded withthat name. Musashi in fact was a popular in its time. Its now retired.........But I really rather see more names from diff parts of the world then Japan. LLabs is ALWAYS adding Japanese names. LOL some of those SORT or Japanese names are not japanese at all........That alone makes me laugh.
You
Just alittle insight from a person that plays deep in the game.

Heh, I hear what you're saying. Seeing more people around the game with names that originate in more diverse areas would be nice. I really want a japanese name for my alt though =P

Well, a friend of mine joined recently, but he was also very unsatisfied with the name selection. He couldn't find any patronymics - the type of surnames used in Norwegan or Scandanavian names - like Olafsson, Peterson, etc. . He almost declined to join, for lack of a suitable name choice.

When SL 2.0 comes along, and the technology is advanced anough to have really alien avatars... I want a last name like Tyrathect, Kadlinensur, Wrickwrackrum, or Jaquaramaphan.

Heh, indeed. Althought even now you can have some pretty alien avatars.

Kinda dissapointing, still no worthwhile japanese names, and no feedback from anyone even remotely in charge. =(

Yah I'd like the choice 'cockknocker'