Naming Conventions and Titles of Nobility in Equestria
An Overview by Twilight Sparkle
“Every subject of the world possessing sentient thoughts and/or citizenship as defined by Article I, Section I is, regardless of species, race, color, gender, orientation, religion, political stance, opinion, origin, title, status, family, or history, to be entitled to the right of having a name. Names can only be bestowed upon citizens by their parents or guardians, and cannot be unreasonably infringed upon or revoked by any other power save for that of the citizen’s own choosing.” -Declaration of Rights, Article II, Section IV.
Everypony has a name. Every citizen is entitled to one, regardless of status, crimes, or any other condition. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna first enacted this in the year 11 BLN in the Declaration of Rights, a document that has since been reaffirmed every half decade since.
While the right to have a name is not a subject of question, what constitutes a proper name is the cause of some debate. The ‘Full Name Decree’ of the Griffon Empire requires that every citizen be given at least two separate names, a practice that is already widely in use. Though Equestria has not yet produced any legislation on the subject, the two name system has been growing steadily for the past few hundred years.
One recent development in the naming conventions of Equestria is the introduction of family names. A family of ponies would adopt a last name that would be passed down to their offspring. While this practice was in limited use in the Crystal Empire during the Pre-Classical Era, it has only seen resurgence in Equestria’s large cities in the last three centuries.
As of now, most ponies in Equestria are only referred to by a single name, such as Rarity or Fluttershy, and have no current family name. Other ponies have multiple parts to their given name, such as Twilight Sparkle or Rainbow Dash. These given names are not always passed down, and a pony may be referred to by either the first part or the full name (Twilight or Twilight Sparkle). Families in Equestria may adopt family names to differentiate themselves, creating families such as the Apples of Ponyville. Family members are rarely referred to by their full name (ex. Applejack Apple would only be referred to as Applejack), unless a pony prefers to be named in the style of their choosing (Pinkamena Diane Pie may be shortened to Pinkie Pie).
Many family names hold significant weight in Equestria, though the concept of holding a single family name is relatively recent. The Unicorn Nobility in Canterlot largely revolves around House Platinum, the sigil of which is a prominent compass rose, selected in memory of what is said to be the ‘excellent navigation’ shown by Princess Platinum during the Great Migration at the end of the Pre-Classical Era. Many of the members of House Platinum hold the compass rose as their cutie mark, the most prominent member being Princess Platinum’s direct descendent, Prince Blueblood.
Newer families in Equestria, while not possessing many generations of history, can also be seen climbing the social ladder of Equestria. The widespread Apple Family of Earth Ponies is a prime example of the benefits of a tight-knit family, rising from migrant seed collectors, niche farmers, smiths, and pilgrims, to become one of Equestria’s most successful food producers. The fact that this was accomplished in only two generations and led to the founding of towns such as Ponyville and Appleloosa makes the Apple Family one of the most prominent family houses in Equestria, overshadowing many older and nobler houses even without formal titles.
Titles and name suffixes, while important in Equestria, are usually only used in formal occasions. This excludes members of royalty and members of the military, where only close family or friends are not expected to address a pony by their title. A pony that is knighted by either Princess Celestia or Princess Luna is almost always addressed by ‘Sir’, usually following any other ranks or titles before his name (ex. Guard Captain Sir Shining Armor), unless another title overrules the knighthood (Prince Shining Armor).
In the case of the Royal Princesses Celestia and Luna, special designation is given. Unlike the Unicorn Nobility in Canterlot, a pony is expected to bow in the presence of an Alicorn Princess and address them as either “your Highness”, “your Grace”, or “your Majesty”. Though Celestia has called this practice “dated and rustic,” other members of both the Solar and Lunar Courts insist on its use.
The full title of Princess Celestia is “Her Royal Majesty, the Mare of Morning, Princess Celestia of Equestria, Protector of the Realm, Ruler of the Solar Court, Bringer of the Dawn, Empress of the Sun, and Diarch of the Day,” though the title is so long that she prefers “Princess Celestia of Equestria”.
Princess Luna’s full title is “Her Royal Majesty, the Mare of Midnight, Princess Luna of Equestria, Protector of the Realm, Ruler of the Lunar Court, Bringer of the Dusk, Empress of the Moon, and Diarch of the Night,” though she has taken the similar title, “Princess Luna of Equestria” or simply “Luna, Princess of the Night”.
The reason why the Princesses prefer not to use the title of ‘Queen’ is one they refuse to comment on, though it is revealed in the recovered texts of Smart Cookie, who acted as a scribe for the Last Congress of Everfree, in which Celestia and Luna called upon the leaders of the Equestrian Union to unite to overthrow Discord. They decided that because neither Luna nor Celestia held ultimate authority, the title of ‘Queen’ was unjustified. To overthrow Discord, the self-proclaimed ‘King of Chaos’, and simply install another autocrat, would achieve no end. Thus, the Equestrian Union became the Royal Principality of Equestria, and Celestia and Luna became the ruling Diarchal Princesses.
Even without Luna’s input as a diarch the practice of Princess’ rule remained. After the Second Congress of Canterlot, Celestia decided to keep the title of ‘Princess’, despite Nightmare Moon’s self-appointed title of ‘Queen of the Night’. For over a thousand years Equestria has not had a Queen or King in power, a freedom not always shared by the rest of the world.
Makes sense to me. Also, a noble attempt at making some kind of sense out of Equestrian naming conventions, or the lack thereof.
2877205
Confound those ponies! They drive me to create unnecessarily detailed explanations to figure out why their names don't make sense!
2878128
Brilliant! I'll make the necessary changes.
Hmm, fascinating!
Suddenly I realize that Shining Armor is totally Sam Vimes. (And now I need to write a story where he arrests a dragon...)
Personally I think it's more likely that the human system of appending family name to given name just doesn't exist in Equestria, and if Applejack were to introduce herself to a complete stranger she'd go with something like "Applejack, of the Apple Family" as separate personal and group identifiers respectively. "Applejack Apple" (and "Apple Bloom Apple" and "Babs Seed Apple" for that matter) just seem so unwieldy compared to acknowledging the use of the family name within the given one.
Hmm. Does Cadance not have the authority to grant knighthoods? For that matter, where the heck did "Mi Amore Cadenza" come from anyway? And what about King Sombra, in the procession of historic royalty?
3752727
You may be right about the lack of a last name, though there are numerous instances in the show that makes me believe that the concept of family last names exists in Equestria.
Mr. Carrot Cake and Mrs. Cup Cake share a family name. While it might have been coincidental that they share the same last name, they are referred to as 'Mr. and Mrs. Cake'. They then went on to name their children Pound Cake and Pumpkin Cake.
Aunt and Uncle Orange also seem to share a similar last name, and since they are Applejack's Aunt and Uncle, one of them must have been born into the Apple family, married the other, and adopted the Orange family name.
There are numerous other examples, although you are probably right that Applejack would not introduce herself as 'Applejack Apple'. I may amend it later.
Thank you for the comment!
3752734
I completely forgot about Cadance, but I don't believe she would have knighted anypony prior to gaining control of the Crystal Empire. It's probable that any princess has that authority, though it seems that Cadance wasn't exactly given many royal duties. She was foalsitting Twilight before Twi even got her cutie mark and became Celestia's student.
As for Mi Amore Cadenza, I have no clue. Maybe she's Italian?
As for Sombra, I had an idea earlier that he might have been the father of Princess Platinum. He may have stayed in the North even after the Windigoes made the rest of the ponies go South. Maybe it was around the same time that Discord was unleashed when he took over the Crystal Empire and banished it's ruler, the Crystal Queen (Chrysalis). It was going to go into the next essay, but Season 4 may shed more light on things.
Again, thanks for the comment!
Notice to all (not many) readers:
I only found out that Season 4 was back on yesterday. I have not given up this fic and I do have more stuff to write.
As Season 4 made some of the elements in the essays non-canonical, I will make a few tweaks as needed. Keep in mind that these essays were written by Twilight before Season 3 Episode 13, and she only has the knowledge available to her at that time (common knowledge, books, etc.).
I have to go back to college soon, but I promise to come back from time to time. The next essay may be done soon.
Thank you.