Should surnames be mathriarchal in the Pokéworld?

[KaylaBaraonda]

Mostly since usually with breeding the Pokémon end up as the mother's species, and the culture is founded on Pokémon training with many families seeming related to a specific type with hair, eyes, and personality to match. And often even names (in the translated versions of the first four gens). So most families would consider themselves to be somewhat like Pokémon (for example the brocklets, jennys, joys, and don georges. Although I'm pretty sure that jennys, joys, and don georges can be from any family and just change their hair and wear contacts as part of an uniform.) and so their surnames would be matriarchal.

 

[Esserise]

I like the idea, but don't we already know they're not?

Prof. Oak > ??? > Blue and Daisy Oak

Joseph Stone > Steven Stone

Cedric Juniper > Aurea Juniper

 

[KaylaBaraonda]

Those characters could've taken their wife's last name.
Agatha Oak and Samuel Derchbald have a daughter name Gaetha Oak who is Daisy and Blue's mother.
Joseph Eracur and Samantha Stone have a son name Steven Stone.
Cedric Veal and Tamara Juniper have a daughter name Aurea Juniper.

Then again many of those surnames seem more to be like titles than actual surnames. AND the Pokéworld is being completely retconned with each generation. Usually Game Freak just gives the same surname to every member of a specific family and does'nt say whether the surname came from the mother or father.

 

[Beth Pavell]

I don't really see much reason for society as a whole to tangentially copy pokémon. There's no particular reason that I can think of as to why surnames couldn't be matrilineal (There's got to be a technical term for that) - I just don't see pokémon providing the impetus for it

 

[KaylaBaraonda]

It would make sense if it was just some regions being matrilineal. (Or just "Mistery Dungeon-y" settings where the people ARE Pokémon) Then again most Poképeople don't seem to have surnames.

>Japanese version of the anime does'nt give surnames to the main characters
>PokéSpe does'nt give surnames to the dexholders
>Nobunaga's Ambition is the only spinoff that seem to give the characters surnames, and that's because they're based on real people
>You'd think that of all protagonists and rivals, Hilbert, Hilda, Cheren, Bianca, Serena, Calem, Shauna, Sun, Moon, Hau, Lillie, and Gladion would have been given surnames at least, but they don't
>Aether is likely just the foundation's name, and Harmonia is most likely just Ghetsis' middle name which he also gave to N, Anthea, Concordia, and the Shadow Triad when he fostered them.
>Japan, Korea, and China originally did'nt have surnames for commoners, and surnames still aren't much of a thing in South Asia where people tend to have many given names instead.
>Unova\Kalos are as much Americanized\Europized East Asia as they are actual New York\France.

Poké-Surnames seem to mostly be an invention of the American English ashnime dub.

 

[Beth Pavell]

Surnames weren't common among ordinary people in England and Scotland till about the 15th century either, if I remember my history correctly. It's not really relevant to whether or not surnames end up as patrilineal or matrilineal.

It's ironic, sure, that one of the very few characters with a full name in the games is also one with an obviously invented - and dumb name. Even so, I'm not sure how much stock to place in most characters having one canon name. It's not like it really matters that they don't have a canon surname.

Matrilineal surnames do make a good deal of sense for the Mystery Dungeon settings - does the breeding mechanic work the same way in Pokémon Mystery Dungeon? I've never played them, but assuming they do, I can see it as the sort of information a pokémon society might want to know

 

[KaylaBaraonda]

Yup surnames are pretty much a late 15th century invention.

In the original Japanese version of the original games, there were some surnames.
Prof. Oak - Dr. (Yukinari) Ookido
Daisy Oak - Sakura Ookido
Blue Oak - Green Ookido
Bill - Masaki Sonezaki
and the Dr. and Mr. Fuji
None of these are really "invented" well except for Green which well is a theme name and you can change it. In Diamond I've named the rival both his civilian name (Alvise, it was the Italain version) and his color name (Perl) in diff playthroughs. (And then when I made a round robin RP I called him Jun Okutan...)

And yes, Natural Harmonia Gropius is kind of a weird name. But Gropius is an actual IRL surname as well. Unovan (and Kalosian and Alolan) names tend to be more uncommon\weird\less plain than Shoyoan (Kanto\Johto\Hoenn\Sinnoh) names, in both Japanese and the various language translation. Orre's names are even weirder than the gen 5\6\7 ones.

It would be nice to have some Pokémon names as surnames of character, like the aforementioned Jun Okutan. Also either Kouki Eamudo and Hikari Berlitz or Hikari Eamudo and Kouki Berlitz depending on which was the main character. (Eamudo for who you play as and Berlitz for who is the prof's assistant.)

There is no breeding shown in Mistery Dungeon, some families may be shown though. But it is usually families made up of the same evolution line. Is it possible that in their universe a Pokémon can be either parent's species. Or maybe it works like Neopets where species seems to just be whatever the writers thought it fit the most for the character.

Also it's pretty much fanon that most Poképeople just don't have surnames, is'nt it?

 

[PkmnTrainerV]

N gets his surname from Ghetsis...

You have to go through too many hoops to make your claim seem true after this.

I like the idea, but don't we already know they're not?

Prof. Oak > ??? > Blue and Daisy Oak

Joseph Stone > Steven Stone

Cedric Juniper > Aurea Juniper

I really don’t see any reason to assume that ALL of these people have taken their wives' names, specially when there is no reason given that things are different about marriage than our world.

 

[Esserise]

N gets his surname from Ghetsis...

While that's true, it was more of a loan

Ghetsis isn't his real dad, so there wasn't a mother whose name could be taken anyway