Epiphany · 2:36am Sep 14th, 2014
For those of you who missed my previous blog (i.e. everyone)
I present to everyone, my new theory on pony naming customs, specifically the use (or lack thereof) of surnames.
As I'm sure everyone is aware, most ponies have names that can't be readily traced back to their ancestors, immediate or otherwise, such as with Rarity, or Thunderlane. There is simply one name. However, other family names, like the Apples and Pies are practically household names. The reasoning is simple, only earth ponies name their progeny after the parents.
Take for example the Cakes. Cup Cake and Carrot Cake are both earth ponies, and while their foals, Pumpkin and Pound Cake are not, they have the pseudo-surname "Cake". As previously stated, the Apple family and Pie families also have pseudo-surnames, or at least a likeness of a surname, (the difference between Braueburn and Apple Fritter) so that their heritage is utterly unmistakeable. Now, there can be some argument to this as Derpy Hooves' foal Dinky shares a pseudo-surname with her parents, but her father, Time Turner (aka. Dr. Hooves) is an earth pony. This trend is also observable with Berry Punch and her daughter (speculative) Berry Pinch, as they share a first name. (Note: This instance would not hold to the theory in the case of sisterhood, as no parent names are known)
Now, to add evidence that this is exclusively and earth pony custom, and for this I will use Twilight Sparkle and Rarity (I would also use Rainbow Dash but I cannot find the cannon name for her father). Now, Twilight by herself is a stroke against the theory, as her mother's name is Twilight Velvet, giving her a pseudo-surname of "Twilight" but her father's name is Crescent, and Shining Armor has nothing in common with either, so the whole family is a it of a mix and match. Rarity on the other hand is a perfect example, as her and Sweeite Belle's parents are Hando Flanks and Cookie Crumbles (cannon names). Neither of the parents' names have anything in common with their daughters, and likewise, their daughter's names have no association alone.
Based on the evidence above, (and some other evidence based on non cannon OC namings) earth ponies have the custom of naming their foals after the parents, while unicorns (and pegasi, for lack of evidence to the contrary) do not.
I think that Twilight's family are minor nobility (based on how they got a princess to babysit their daughter) and would thus have some form of naming traditions like having it that all females in the family are to have the name Twilight as a part of there name.
2454467 But, that's only because Twilight was enrolled in Celestia's school for Gifted Unicorns
2456997 she was her foal sitter before that:
i.ytimg.com/vi/mfUR1K7kUu8/maxresdefault.jpg
see the lack of a cutie mark? that means she foal sat her before the entrice exame.
Interesting observation
2457360 If you think that's interesting, then technically, Celestia and Luna are Twilight's aunts-in-law, because her brother married Celestia's niece, Cadence. Which makes me think that Prince Blue Blood is somehow related to Cadence, because otherwise the origins of his relation to Celestia is questionable.
2458732
Siblings or cousins maybe... :/
probably not related by blood because cadence was a Pegasus once living with earth ponies
2460478 Right. But talk about keeping it in the family.