George R. R. Martin on how he comes up with his characters' names.
Why Science Fiction & Fantasy Stack Exchange recommends it
Science Fiction & Fantasy Stack Exchange answerers cite it as the author's own account when explaining where Westerosi names and their spellings come from.
Recommended by 1 people across 1 different months, 2015 to 2021.
What it is
A short clip from a sponsored live event where George R. R. Martin, speaking alongside Robin Hobb, explains how he invents character names for A Song of Ice and Fire. It is a straight interview excerpt published by blinkbox Books.
What people said
Recommends Möoz · 2015-06 · Science Fiction & Fantasy Stack Exchange · on “What’s the real-world origin of the name Azor Ahai?”
I have done a fair amount of research and have found nothing specific about the origins of the name Azor Ahai [LINK] . Let's talk names In general though, George R. R. Martin [LINK] tends to create his names based on what he wants them to sound like. As per the below youtube video: His main points within that interview are: He dislikes most Fantasy names (e.g. Riznakh) He has tried many methods of name creation Including those funny online name generators Baby name books He wants his names to be meaningful He wants his names to "fit" and "sound right" This can be based on whether the person is "important" or not, ethnicity / exoticness within the story, etc He bases his names on existing or
Cites Möoz · 2015-06 · Science Fiction & Fantasy Stack Exchange · on “What’s the real-world origin of the name Azor Ahai?”
The closest I've come is this thread on westeros.org [LINK] and this youtube video of a GRRM interview, re how he comes up with names [this video] - in which he basically says they are made up but somewhat based on historical names (no specific mention of AA though). The main point for him is that it has to "**sound right**".
Cites TheLethalCarrot · 2017-10 · Science Fiction & Fantasy Stack Exchange · on “How did George R. R. Martin come up with the names of his characters?”
GRRM has answered this question himself when asked it in an interview alongside Robin Hobb. The following is a summary from the interview as given by @Möoz on a related answer [LINK] : He dislikes most Fantasy names (e.g. Riznakh) He has tried many methods of name creation Including those funny online name generators Baby name books He wants his names to be meaningful He wants his names to "fit" and "sound right" This can be based on whether the person is "important" or not, ethnicity / exoticness within the story, etc He bases his names on existing or historical figures, but usually gives them a slight twist so as to sound realistic and relatable John becomes Jon, Edward becomes Eddard, etc
Cites End genocide - save Gaza · 2021-04 · Science Fiction & Fantasy Stack Exchange · on “Is Jaime supposed to be pronounced in the Spanish way?”
English standardised its spelling centuries later than other western European languages, and so there are many medieval variants of the 'same' name. GRRM frequently borrows such spellings [this video] for his westerosi characters to give a more authentic medieval England feel. As such, it is fair to assume he intended a modern English pronunciation of "Jamie" for the spelling "Jaime", and Indeed this is how he pronounces it in interviews. Note the pronunciation used in the show cannot always be used as a barometer for GRRM's intended pronunciation - many names are pronounced differently by GRRM e.g. Name Show pronunciation GRRM pronunciation Dothraki /doθ'raki/ /doθ'rakai/ Balon /'beilon/ /'balon