Guessing a Character's Nationality based on their names

Writers' Corner
1

I’m still building my characters for my book. It is fantasy, and is set in an alternative world, and so though my characters aren’t from real countries, I’ve based them on real countries, and by large named them names from these countries.

I’m here to ask what real countries or even continents you would guess my characters are from, just based on their names, to see if it helps people visualise them as I do. The character names I would like you to guess from are;

[name_f]Bryony[/name_f] Pinebone
[name_f]Nuala[/name_f] Pinebone
[name_f]Aoife[/name_f] Riverborne
[name_f]Roisin[/name_f] Riverborne
[name_f]Yolanthe[/name_f] Northwood
Intira Rayong
Nasira [name_m]Qadir[/name_m]
[name_f]Zenobia[/name_f] Proudlock
Kesan Blazemore
Zuze [name_f]Jinan[/name_f]
Vasili
Anatole

[name_f]TIA[/name_f]!

2

[name_f]Bryony[/name_f] Pinebone, [name_f]Nuala[/name_f] Pinebone - UK, though [name_f]Nuala[/name_f] also feels African
[name_f]Aoife[/name_f] Riverborne, [name_f]Roisin[/name_f] Riverborne - [name_f]Ireland[/name_f]
[name_f]Yolanthe[/name_f] Northwood - Dutch or Scandinavian
Intira Rayong - Middle [name_f]East[/name_f]
Nasira [name_m]Qadir[/name_m] - also Middle [name_f]East[/name_f], but another country
[name_f]Zenobia[/name_f] Proudlock - UK?
Kesan Blazemore - no idea
Zuze [name_f]Jinan[/name_f] - I’m not sure how to pronounce it, but maybe chinese?
[name_m]Vasili[/name_m], [name_m]Anatole[/name_m] - [name_f]Russia[/name_f]

3

Thanks Wandarine - about half of them were exactly what I was looking for.

4

[name_f]Bryony[/name_f]*Pinebone - Irish
[name_f]Nuala[/name_f]*Pinebone - Brazilian
[name_f]Aoife[/name_f]*Riverborne - Irish
[name_f]Roisin[/name_f]*Riverborne - Scottish
[name_f]Yolanthe[/name_f]Northwood - Norway
Intira Rayong - Iraq
Nasira[name_m]Qadir[/name_m] - South [name_f]Africa[/name_f]
[name_f]Zenobia[/name_f]Proudlock - [name_f]England[/name_f]
Kesan Blazemore - USA
Zuze[name_f]Jinan[/name_f] - Tunisia
[name_m]Vasili[/name_m] - [name_f]Russia[/name_f]
[name_m]Anatole[/name_m] [name_f]France[/name_f]

5

Thanks @[name_f]Sarah[/name_f], I have to say I’m quite surprised by some of your answers, some of them are very different to what I was looking for.

Does anyone else have any ideas?

6

[name_f]Bryony[/name_f] Pinebone : [name_f]England[/name_f]
[name_f]Nuala[/name_f] Pinebone : Irish or maybe UK.
[name_f]Aoife[/name_f] Riverborne : Irish
[name_f]Roisin[/name_f] Riverborne : Irish, or Welsh, maybe.
[name_f]Yolanthe[/name_f] Northwood : Scandinavian
Intira Rayong: Middle-east or Southern [name_f]Asian[/name_f]
Nasira [name_m]Qadir[/name_m]: Middle-east.
[name_f]Zenobia[/name_f] Proudlock: UK or maybe American.
Kesan Blazemore : UK or maybe [name_u]America[/name_u].
Zuze [name_f]Jinan[/name_f]: No idea, lol.
[name_m]Vasili[/name_m] : My first thought was Italian, but maybe Greek?
[name_m]Anatole[/name_m] : [name_m]French[/name_m], maybe? Italian?

7

Anybody else?

8

[name_f]Bryony[/name_f] Pinebone - USA
[name_f]Nuala[/name_f] Pinebone - [name_m]Hawaii[/name_m]/Polynesian islands
[name_f]Aoife[/name_f] Riverborne - [name_f]Ireland[/name_f]
[name_f]Roisin[/name_f] Riverborne - [name_f]England[/name_f]
[name_f]Yolanthe[/name_f] Northwood - [name_m]Israel[/name_m]
Intira Rayong Somewhere in [name_f]Asia[/name_f]
Nasira [name_m]Qadir[/name_m] - Saudi [name_f]Arabia[/name_f]
[name_f]Zenobia[/name_f] Proudlock -Ethiopia
Kesan Blazemore - [name_f]Canada[/name_f]
Zuze [name_f]Jinan[/name_f] - Japanese
[name_m]Vasili[/name_m] - Italian/Russian
[name_m]Anatole[/name_m] - Russian

9

Purposely not reading others’ answers to give you the most honest guessing (I’m not good at geography or nationalities, btw):

[name_f]Bryony[/name_f] Pinebone | [name_u]America[/name_u]/[name_f]England[/name_f]
[name_f]Nuala[/name_f] Pinebone | [name_u]America[/name_u]/[name_f]England[/name_f]

[name_f]Aoife[/name_f] Riverborne | [name_f]Ireland[/name_f]
[name_f]Roisin[/name_f] Riverborne | [name_f]Ireland[/name_f]

[name_f]Yolanthe[/name_f] Northwood | [name_f]Scotland[/name_f]

Intira Rayong | [name_f]India[/name_f]

Nasira [name_m]Qadir[/name_m] | Iraq/Afghanistan/Iran/somewhere Arabic/Middle-Eastern

[name_f]Zenobia[/name_f] Proudlock | South [name_f]Africa[/name_f]

Kesan Blazemore | Another African country, like Ethiopia or [name_u]Kenya[/name_u]

Zuze [name_f]Jinan[/name_f] | Philippines/Islander

[name_m]Vasili[/name_m] | [name_f]Italy[/name_f]

[name_m]Anatole[/name_m] | Greece