The greater bulk of humanity takes a
single name, such as Doust or Mourngrym, with a secondary name
added if there is confusion, either from profession (Doust the
Fighter), location (Doust of Shadowdale), or lineage (the latter in
particular if some legendary figure was in family line, such as
Doust, Grandson of Miniber the Sage). In addition, a name may
be added for a physical condition, such as "Blackmane" or
"Firehair", or for some legendary or extraordinary event. (There
are a large number of "Trollkillers" in the Realms, more a credit
to the numbers of the monsters, rather than the prowess of their
slayers.) Younng children are given a pet name or diminutive that
is sometimes retained, but more often than not dropped upon
adulthood (Mourngrym and Shaerl's son is named Scotti, but that
may change when he reaches his majority). A wedded couple
sometimes takes a common name which may be his or hers (par-
ticularly when dealing with nobility) or be a new name entirely.
In the course of a liftime, average humans can take and discard
several surnames, keeping their given names throughout.
* Source:
Ed Greenwood and Jeff Grubb. "Forgotten Realms: A Grand Tour of the Realms."
Lake Geneva, W.I.: TSR, 1993, 23.