Nuim/Names

Structure
Nuim names are almost always made up of a matronymic and a given name. Unlike English, Nuim does not have family names or middle names and the matronymic always comes before the given name. Despite the fact that clans play an important role in the lives of the speakers of Nuim, Nuim lacks clan names all together.

Given Names
Unlike English and other European languages, Nuim does not have a particular set of words reserved for given names; any Nuim word could be used as a given name. Most Nuim given names come from objects or properties.

Names from objects and properties nearly always have positive connotations. Words like wuu "big," shuwir "strong," nanka "coral," and sina "good" make good names and are quite popular. Words like pimke "predator fish" and pudi "fly" make bad names as they are respectively eaten and obnoxious. Such words are rarely, if ever, used. Names derived from Nuim verbs are not nominalized. The word shuwir "strong" does not become shuwirme "strength" when used as a name.

Given names can also come from the recently deceased. When a child is born the given name of the most recently deceased non-family member in the community can be used as the given name of the new child. Generally, the deceased and the child should match in gender. Aunts, uncles, and cross cousins can be considered to be unrelated for naming purposes. A person does not need to know or have any attachment to the deceased providing the name and giving a dead name to a child does not imply that the child is in some way a "reincarnation" of the deceased.

Having the same given name as your mother, and therefore have the same matronymic as your given name, is disfavored.

Given names are only weakly gendered. Women are more likely to be named from objects and men are more likely to be named from properties but a person's name is not a good indicator of their gender. Unlike in many languages, 'strong' names are not particularly associated with men and 'pretty' names are not particularly associated with women.

Matronymics
A person's matronymic is simply their mother's given name followed by the genitive particle ku. Nuim matronymics are not maintained over multiple generations; every child receives the given name of their mother as their matronymic. As having the same given name and matronymic is disfavored, it is very rare for a parent and child to share a matronymic.

Nicknames
Nuim nicknames are acquired much as they are in other languages; mostly during childhood or adolescence from family and friends. Nuim nicknames are based either on the person themself (their attributes, skills, etc.) or on their given name.

A nickname based on the person should, ideally, start with the same syllable as the person's given name. If this is not possible, the the nickname should start with the first onset and vowel of the person's given name. Next preferred is, of course, a nickname that starts with only the first onset of the person's given name. Do to these restrictions, coming up with a good person-based nickname can be both challenging and rewarding.

A nickname based on the person's given name should consist of exactly two mora (two syllables without codas or one syllable with a coda). There are several methods to fit a person's given name into this pattern. The easiest method is to simply cut off everything after the first two mora. If the first syllable in the given name has a coda, the coda can be removed and then everything after the first two mora can be removed. Some given names and nicknames can be seen in the table below.

Milk Names
Nuim children are rarely named immediately upon birth. Until the child receives their actual given name, many parents will use a temporary nickname known as a milk name. Milk names follow the same general rules as given names with the exception that they nearly always bring up images of calm and stillness. Milpu "stone" and mamu "slow" are particularly popular milk names.