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HelpRe: Magnolia Corvina Betancourt Jordan: seeking feedback on this name.
in reply to a message by Messalyle
I love Magnolia! I would immediately assume this character is a member of nobility and that’s why she has so many names.
Replies
Thank you. :) Four names doesn't necessarily equate to nobility, though. Lots of people have middle names, and some women use both their maiden name and their married name. They might be even more likely to do so if they are married to another woman, as Magnolia is. This is the name that would appear on Magnolia's driver's license, not the one she would use in everyday conversation.
It's the norm in Latin America to have two surnames, so that's probably meant to show her heritage; but it does stand out to me that one name has "court" in it (is that supposed evoke nobility?), and the other (Jordan) doesn't seem particularly Hispanic...I guess they're meant to seem ambiguous, though.
eta: oops, nvm, OP said one is her married name
eta: oops, nvm, OP said one is her married name
This message was edited 11/1/2024, 11:41 AM
No, surnames containing "court" don't necessarily evoke nobility. And according to the baby names website, Betancourt was one of the surnames that spread from the Canary Islands (a territory of Spain) throughout some Latin American countries. Actually, it's another spelling of Bettincourt, named for a French city, which then spread to Portugal, then the Canary Islands, then Latin America.
Yeah, I just meant that if I'm analyzing a character name, it's something I notice as a potentially suggestive word type association, especially since in an English context, I see why multiple surnames could come across as aristocratic (though less so if she's not using both).
Betancourt actually reminds me of Barbancourt if anything. It's a rum (named after a surname) made in Haiti. So I get an ambiguous French/Spanish/Caribbean type vibe from it.
Betancourt actually reminds me of Barbancourt if anything. It's a rum (named after a surname) made in Haiti. So I get an ambiguous French/Spanish/Caribbean type vibe from it.
This message was edited 11/1/2024, 9:13 PM
Well, she's got one grandparent from Cuba and another from the French territory of Guadeloupe, so in her case, the vibe you get isn't far off at all!