What is the general consensus on making up your own names rather than using established ones?
I have combined [name_u]Ara[/name_u]- (the first part of Arabella) and bellum (meaning war) and I think Arabellum sounds pretty good. [name_f]My[/name_f] question is, is it too obvious this is not an actual name that exists? Does it sound like trying to hard? Is there a chance of people becoming offended since upon further research I realized that bellum is usually connected to the American Civil war in particular.
If I did entertain Arabellum as a name from now on I really appreciate it for its strong yet feminine sound and the nickname possibility of [name_u]Ara[/name_u] which I associate with [name_f]Arabella[/name_f] (a favorite of mine) that’s just so light and youthful. Thus far as middle names are concerned I like Arabellum [name_f]Nephele[/name_f] or Arabellum [name_f]Nox[/name_f].
[name_f]My[/name_f] immediate thought was the word ‘antebellum’. For that reason Arabellum doesn’t feel useable to me. I think it would evoke that time period and all that is associated with it for a lot of people, and I don’t think it would serve a child well to saddle them with that.
I don’t personally like made up names, mainly because I think there are so many beautiful names already and because often made up names sound, well, made up, and also because I like the history/mythology etc that is embedded in all names and which gives them so much of their charm.
Whilst I love a name to have history, my stance is that made up names are fine if they don’t sound made up. I immediately thought Arabellum might be a word, floral or scientific name, but I also thought antebellum, which makes it very unusable imo.
Yeah I worried about the antebellum association too which I want to stay away from. I hoped [name_u]Ara[/name_u] would sound distinctly different enough from ante to make the name ok but I can see how it would be in the back of people’s heads. Really unfortunate because I think it sounds so nice and like you said, kinda floral.
I don’t mind made up names in general. [name_f]Every[/name_f] name was made up at some point, right? So why not keep creating more!
But with this name specifically it definitely sounds way too close to antebellum which is not something you’d want to be associated with.
Arabellum has a cool sound and feels like it could be a real name though the similarity to antebellum puts me off slightly