(Done for the night. Will tweak more tomorrow.)
I set out to write this guide expecting it to be a simple set of existing groups – male names, female names, and a surname list divided by clan. Instead I found it was more complicated and then I just had (had!) to go deep diving into French names and now know more about them than I was ever planning to. (Though I'm sure I'm still pronouncing them all wrong.)
And then once I had that research, I thought it would be a simple matter to match that up to existing names, but that turned out to be an even more massive project.
The length of time spent on this guide is at least partly due to feeling like I shouldn't just be scratching the surface of something I know nothing about, but after months of working on this project mostly spent looking up name origins, ultimately I must settle for a disclaimer:
While anything directly relating to character names found in FFXIV or FFXI has been thoroughly checked, anything regarding real-world languages, names or history should be double-checked against a more reputable source, as I do not have even an amateur knowledge of this subject outside of what I tried to understand to write this guide.
The name origins section will have to remain rough for a while, as it will take time to convert all the URLs into proper forum-coded links. Input is greatly welcomed! At this point it's all a matter of stumbling across the right trivia and obscure names.
CONTENTS
Part 1: Name structure
1A: Basic name structure
1B: Short name forms
1C: More on using surnames as forenames
1D: Epithets
1E: Other notes
1F: Official remarks on Elvaan and Elezen names – and why they are not entirely correct
Part 2: Elezen cultures and backgrounds
2A: Known cultures that use standard Elezen naming conventions
2B: A short history of Elezen in Eorzea's Sixth Astral Era
2C: Other possible and speculative cultures and naming conventions
Part 3: Existing character name lists
3A: Forenames separated by source – for "showing my working" and noting things I have included and left out
3B: Combined lists of forenames – for an all-in-one-list browsing of existing name options. Will be colour-coded (once I work through it in the forum editor) to warn against picking notable character names.
3C: Surnames (split by clan)
Part 4: Building your own Elezen name
4A: Name building methods
4B: Recommended sources for picking names
4C: Simple list of common Elezen name suffixes
4D: Prefixes, suffixes and recurring elements
4E: Reverse alphabetical list of existing characters (for comparing suffixes and name endings)
Part 5: Name origins
A massive undertaking that may never be complete. More remains to be worked out.
Part 6: Possibly useful lists
6A: Names from the name generator that have not yet been used for NPCs
6B: Elvaan names that were directly reused for Elezen
6C: Non-Elezen names that have erroneously been in databases
6D: Mashup names
Part 7: Miscellaneous
Sources
Version history
THE SHORT VERSION
•Elezen names have a standard English-like "Forename Surname" structure.
•Although the official naming conventions guide indicates that the "spelling and phonetic rules [of Elezen names] are extremely similar to those of French", and this does form the focal point for name choices, they are actually much more wide-ranging: all Romance (Latin-based) and Germanic languages seem to be fair game to some degree, along with a small number of names taken from other European language groups or French-influenced languages in other parts of the world.
•Male names tend to be longer than female names.
•Names may be taken directly from an appropriate language, but are more often constructed from a merging of up to two real names and a suffix. Non-French names may (but not always) be adapted to appear more French.
•Wildwood and Duskwight surnames are officially stated to be clan-specific. It's not clear how the surnames of other Elezen groups (Ishgardian, Sharlayan, etc.) fit into this divide, but there is no overlap apparent for existing characters.
•Regardless of the surnames being clan-specific, they can also be (and frequently are) used as male forenames for any clan. Consequently, some names we have only encountered as character names may be usable as surnames.
•It is not clear whether surnames can be used for female names – it is certainly not common practice and the scarce few examples may be a character being referred to by surname – but there is nothing explicitly stating that it cannot be done.
•In short, if a forename sounds like it would be a good surname, or a surname sounds like a good forename, go ahead and use it!
•We don't have any substantial knowledge of any Elezen cultures existing outside of Eorzea, only a passing mention of a nomadic tribe somewhere in the eastern continents who seem to be using standard Elezen names, and some number of Elezen integrated into Garlean society and using that name group.
Additional notes on Elvaan names
•FFXI's Elvaan are the precursor to Elezen and broadly share the same naming conventions, although the exact formation of names seems to have drifted over time. My impression from trying to trace name origins is that Elvaan are more likely to have "difficult" names when trying to identify their sources, and are more likely to be drawing from a wide range of influences.
•Elvaan names also often have a feature not found in Elezen names: a middle initial indicating social rank, somewhat comparable to FFXIV's Garlean names.
•Elvaan in FFXI's Near East use Near Eastern names (ancestor to FFXIV's Thavnairian). I have tried to separate those out but it is possible that some have slipped through.
PART 1: NAME STRUCTURE
1A: Basic name structure
Elezen names have a simple "Forename Surname" or "Forename Epithet" structure, but the sources you can use vary by gender and culture.
Male forenames may be chosen from not only the dedicated list of forenames but also from any of the surname lists, regardless of culture, except possibly Ishgardian noble surnames. It is quite common for male NPCs to be named this way.
Female forenames are likely only drawn from the forenames list, but there are a few ambiguities (see the additional notes below).
Surnames (when actually used as surnames) are culture-specific, at least between the Wildwood and Duskwight clans. Ishgardian and Sharlayan cultures seem to have their own surname lists as well.
There is indication that at least Ishgardian nobles have multiple given names – the character usually known as Francel is formally addressed as "Joacin Charlemend Francel de Haillenarte" at one point (https://www.garlandtools.org/db/#quest/66448) – but we have no further examples to indicate that lesser nobles or other clans use this format. The lorebook does not make any mention of any characters having extended full names.
1B: Short name forms
Shortened forms of long names may be used, though this is uncommon – we only have a few examples of them being used, and generally only when addressing them directly.
For Elezen:
Jannequinard – "Janne"
Langloisiert – "Lang"
Theomocent – "Theo"
Plus a couple of instances where someone else shortens a person's name informally or dismissively.
For Elvaan:
Joseaneaut – "Josea"
Liliana – "Lili"
Selfeilliget – "Sel"
(All of these are from the Vana'diel Tribune newsletter website; there may be others mentioned in the game dialogue but I haven't played it to encounter them.)
Using short forms is not guaranteed even for a close relationship – twins Alphinaud and Alisaie still always call each other by their full names.
For player-character naming purposes you can’t get the other characters to vary how they address you, so you would either have to fully commit to the short form as your character’s name, or (more likely) use their full name and only have the nickname as an imagined detail.
1C: More on using surnames as forenames
There is no mention in the official naming conventions of using surnames as forenames for either gender, so all of this can only be guessed at by looking at character names and how they are used.
It is quite common for male characters to have forenames directly taken from the name generator's surname lists, but female characters only seem to take names from the forename list, so the common understanding is that males can draw from both their dedicated forename list and the surname list for their names, while females are limited to forenames only.
However, compiling this list has led me to find that there are three direct matches of a female name and a surname:
Frilaix – 1.X character, reused as a Wildwood surname in the name generator https://ffxiv.gamerescape.com/wiki/Frilaix
Friont – 1.X character, reused as a Sharlayan surname in Endwalker/EE3 https://ffxiv.gamerescape.com/wiki/Friont
Marette – 1.X character, reused as a Sharlayan surname in Endwalker/EE3 https://ffxiv.gamerescape.com/wiki/Marette
Additionally, a further possible match between female name Roelle and surname Roaille (both first used in 1.X) – switching of E and AI is a common alteration of Elezen names.
However, Friont is a Maelstrom soldier and Frilaix may be in low-ranking Twin Adder gear, so it is possible that these are badly indicated surnames to begin with.
More generally, the official naming conventions note that female names often end in "ette" or "elle". These endings are also found on a number of surnames (this also happens in real French), which leads to the possibility that some surnames could be used as feminine names.
However, there is an example of an Elezen "elle" surname being used for a male name (1.0 character Tristelle) so that would suggest that surnames are regarded as masculine regardless of their apparent sound – though on the other hand there is also an example of a male character using an outright female name (FATE ally Mianne; the name is straight from the female name generator list and used in 1.X); it is possible this was an error but it's canon now.
1D: Epithets
Epithets use English language, not French.
Adaundel the Younger
Ser Adelphel Brightblade
Alaimbert of the Spiked Butt
Armantel Scaletalker
Arthurioux the Bear
Ser Aucheforne of the High Tide
Audrie Clovenfoot
Aurifort of the Three Clubs
Ser Branthuc the Meek
Brunadier of the Blue Bell
Castellaint the Careful
Celestaux the Keen
Celie the Pursuant
Ser Charibert the Stern
Turncloak Clairvisse
Constaint Solidblade
Corentiaux the Colder
Coultenet the Cultured
Drividot Shortline
Eline the Razor
Eugenaire the Grey
Florimond the Fleet
Foulques of the Mist
Gaidelie the Just
Gilbrisbert the Puppetmaster
Ser Grinnaux the Bull
Ser Guerrique the Cleaver
Guildivain of the Tainted Edge
Gustavain Gysahlheart
Ser Handeloup of the One Heart
Ser Haumeric the Valiant
Ser Hermenost the Levinlight
Hersande the Heavy-handed
Heustienne Trueshot
Truthspeaker Huibairten
Ser Ignasse of the Dragon's Tail
Ser Janlenoux of the Steel Oath
Janremi Blackheart
Jehantel the Godsbow
Landenel the Unafraid
Lanquairt the Lean
Lanverlais the Lawful
Leonceault Leadthumb
Louistiaux of the First Line
Louviaune of the Lake
Marcelain the Meek
Hardheel Marcheterre
Margault Shortmane
Miraudont The Madder
Mourechaux the Unbroken
Ser Noudenet the Wise
Nourval of the Branching Path
Octavel the Unforgiving
Ser Ompagne Deepblack
Ser Paulecrain Coldfire
Quimperain Evertrue
Ser Renaut of the White Mountain
Sartauvoir the Inferno
Thibain the Blunt
Ser Vellguine the Unbreakable Stone Spear
Ystride Godhand
Charlemend Redmane (1.0 levequest client, not the Ishgardian count)
Mourechaux the Unbroken
Romaraint Rimebeard
Amarissaix Longbranch
Pelinne Catcaw
Lamberteint the Lithe
Florine Whitepaw
Mareillie Greenthumbs
Pricinne the Swiftshine
Flambert Sancroit III
Felixient the Unknotted
Mathistien of the Cloven Hoof
Ser Aucheforne of the High Tide
Vainchelon Whitewater
(Somehow I have misplaced the Ishgardian high houses; they will be added later.)
1E: Other notes
One instance of a name being passed down through generations: 1.0 levequest client "Flambert Sancroit III", a merchant. https://ffxiv.gamerescape.com/wiki/F..._Forgetfulness
No examples of this in the current state of the game.
If you use the in-game random name generator for ideas, avoid the names Artoirel, Emmanellain and Estinien, as these are fairly prominent characters.
1F: Official remarks on Elezen/Elvaan names – and why they are not entirely correct
There are official comments and instructions on the names of both Elvaan and Elezen, but the Elezen instructions in particular are more limiting than the full range of name creation options and methods that the game devs have used to invent their character names.
Vana'diel Tribune: Names of the Elvaan (written as in-universe commentary)
http://www.playonline.com/ff11eu/gui...t/18/05-3.html
Quote:
What types of names come to mind when someone mentions the Elvaan?
Very common names for males include "Cyranuce," "Aurege," and "Raminel." "Monberaux" and "Civerion" are also very classy names, don't you think?
They have a certain refinement to them, very high class. These names sound well suited to beings made of gossamer. Why is that?
The Elvaan are known for their swordsmanship and other skills in battle. Elvaan culture considers having one's exploits woven into an epic poem to be among the greatest of honors, so it is no surprise that Elvaan give their children names that would fit nicely in such an epic.
But what about the women?
Take, for example, the names of some of my friends, such as "Lutia," "Catalia" and "Nenne." "Leaute" and "Esca" are also typical names for Elvaan females. […]
"Unadorned" and "strong" are the ideas that these names are meant to honor and communicate. Or, at least, this is the theory I'm looking into.
So the names that Elvaan give to their daughters tend to be shorter and easier to say that those given to sons.
FFXIV forum official post: Elezen naming conventions
Quote:
Both the Wildwood and Duskwight Elezen are proud clans from a proud race. The forenames and surnames used by them have changed little since the time when they first crossed into Eorzea from the north. However, over the ages, due to bad blood between the two tribes, the surnames once commonly used by both, have been claimed by one side or the other. Now, you will find that while the structures and spellings of the names are extremely similar, and they follow the same phonetic rules, a Duskwight and a Wildwood Elezen will never have the same last name.
The spelling and phonetic rules are extremely similar to those of French, and while there are no set-in-stone guidelines for male or female names, there are some distinguishing features.
Female
Female names tend to end in “ne,” “ette,” or “elle” or on extended vowels like “ie”, and be shorter than the male names.
Tivionne
Elviane
Jainelette
Saulette
Etoinelle
Pimelle
Jannie
Ceaulie
Male
Male names are longer, and will end in x, such as ‘loix’ (pronounced ‘lo-ah’) or ‘aux’ (pronaounced ‘oh’), or end in a silent t, such as ‘mont’ (pronounced ‘moan’) or geant (pronounced ‘john’).
Raitmeaux
Mourechaux
Nogeloix
Padilloux
Vairemont
Carrilaut
Aurifort
Bertennant
One will also notice that some of the Elezen names appear familiar to those of the Hyur.
Louis vs Louisoix
Eugene vs Eugenaire
Arthur vs Arthurioux
Gwen vs Gwenolie
Hilda vs Hildie
There are Eorzean historians who believe that these similarities in names may be proof that the two races are of similar origin─’open-minded’ Hyuran historians claiming the Elezen are a bastard race spun off from the Hyurs (and not the other way around). Elezen historians, on the other hand, simply deny any blood relation whatsoever.
However, the instructions are overly simple compared to the actual range of names used for characters in the game, or even what is directly offered to players via the in-game name generator.
The most obvious omission is that out of the examples, five of the eight male names – Raitmeaux, Nogeloix, Vairemont, Carrilaut, Aurifort – are found in the name generator as surnames rather than forenames, albeit ones that have also been used as male character names.
Name length is less of a gender indicator than the instructions would suggest. While there is a tendency towards longer male names and shorter female names, this is not an absolute rule – there are also short male names like Edmont, Francel and even the single-syllable Foulques (a French rendering of Germanic name Fulk) while female names can go to three or even four syllables (eg. Ameliance, Maudilyonne, Laideronnette). Any names drawing from real French names will tend towards longer female names as this is often the case in French – though the Elezen renderings sometimes try to balance this by cutting out a syllable or two in the middle.
Name endings are more varied than the instructions indicate, and the claim that male names “will” end in X or T is far too certain – presumably an "often" was left out of the sentence. (At the time of writing, I have listed 494 names as male Elezen, and out of these 144 end with T and 69 with X – so almost half, but nowhere close to all of them.)
The comparison of Hyur and Elezen names also gives a false impression that Elezen names will always be a more elaborated version of Hyur names when they overlap, when this is not actually the case, especially when directly using real-world names for Elezen. For example, compare Highlander Hyur "Engerrand" (エンゲランド E N GE RA N D0) and Elezen "Enguerran" (アンゲラン A N GE RA N) – so far as I can tell, as real-world names both of these would be French-influenced variants of Germanic Engilram. (BTN lists Enguerran, Enguerrand and Engrand as French forms; Engeram and Ingram as English – so Engerrand probably belongs closer to the French group and should not be used as a Hyur name for either clan.)
For additional confusion, Gamer Escape's wiki lists a 1.0 Elezen character named Ingram, although with the lack of character image I suspect this is a mislabelling of a Hyur.
DMNES list of variants does not include "Engerrand" at all; I'm not sure how thorough it is but perhaps that means the FFXIV devs invented this spelling. https://dmnes.org/name/Ingram
The comparison also draws a somewhat misleading equivalence between Eugene and Eugenaire, because if you look up the pronunciations (both how the game characters are written in katakana and how real French names starting with “Eu-” are spoken) you will find that they are different by language – Hyur name Eugene (ユージーン, Yuujiin) starts with the “yoo” sound we use in English, while French uses “oo” instead – compare similar Elezen name Eugennoix (ウジェノア, Ujenoa).
The equating of "Gwen and Gwenolie" is an odd choice too, because the GW spelling is distinctly Breton (a Celtic language used in northwestern France) rather than French, which would normally use GU. A close real example is the Breton masculine name Gwenole, gallicised (ie. "frenchified") as Guénolé. https://www.behindthename.com/name/g...le10/submitted (It is possible that the FFXIV devs mistook Gwenole for a feminine name – switching E for IE is a recurring alteration from French feminine names to Elezen names.)
While there are other Elezen names influenced by Breton, no other Elezen names begin with GW.
PART 2: ELEZEN CULTURES AND BACKGROUNDS
This section may need some further editing / gap-filling.
2A: Known cultures that use standard Elezen naming conventions
There are three main Elezen cultures encountered so far, all found in Eorzea and using the same naming conventions: Wildwood, Duskwight and Ishgardian, with residents of wider Coerthas (the land in which Ishgard is located) possibly counting as a fourth culture, but this is not looked at in detail.
Wildwood
Wildwoods are the Elezen population of the forest city of Gridania, which was founded around 6AE 1070 (about 500 years before the present day) when the population of the subterranean city of Gelmorra were able to make peace with the elementals who roamed the forest above.
Duskwight
When the Gelmorrans left the caves for their new home of Gridania, a small population stayed behind, and these are known as the Duskwights. We unfortunately know very little of their current status as a civilisation, and the archaeologists at Issom-Har talk as if the city has been abandoned for some time, though other sources (mainly the cultural profile in EE1.083) seem to indicate they are still dwelling in caves to the present day.
More often, Duskwights are encountered as bandits, whether working alone or as part of the gang known as the Redbelly Wasps, mostly active in the South Shroud.
Some Duskwights live in Gridania but "often suffer undue discrimination" from other residents of the city and surrounding areas.
Ishgardian
The Ishgardians are a separate strand of Elezen culture found in the northern parts of Eorzea, having separated from the proto-Gelmorrans long before that group split into Wildwood and Duskwight clans. The region was previously temperate, but since the Calamity five years ago it has been gripped by a permanent winter.
As of the beginning of the game's story, Ishgard is a highly traditional and religious society, politically isolated from the other Eorzean city-states. I am not certain whether residents are able to leave easily, but foreigners are not able to enter without hard-earned permission.
As a character concept this is probably best left until you have played the game and are familiar with the city, but there are various opportunities for character types: nobles, merchants, commoners, or the industrialists developing airships and machinist technology; also residents of the surrounding villages in Coerthas and the hunters' outpost in Dravania.
Sharlayan
Elezen are prominent among the mulitracial population of Sharlayan. From their names it seems there may be some cultural mixing here – there is a prominent Elezen family with the Hyuran surname Clarke, and one Elezen NPC with a Hyuran forename.
The player-character would not canonically be a Sharlayan.
2B: A short history of Elezen in Eorzea's Sixth Astral Era
Relevant pages in EE1 for history of the current Elezen populations:
035: Sixth Umbral Era
036-7: Sixth Astral Era
047-53: A Chronology of the Sixth Astral Era (more precise dates for info elsewhere)
082-3: The Elezen
113: History of Gridania
149: History of Ishgard
NOTE: The lorebook sometimes uses the term Wildwood to include the Ishgardians, while in other places only indicating that they share ancestry. The actual history given suggests that the term Wildwood should only apply to the fairly recent post-Gelmorran culture in Gridania as they were not forest-dwellers before this.
Additionally, while most Ishgardians are represented in the game as Wildwood NPCs (likely the actual reason for the lorebook trying to use that terminology for them), some are Duskwights with more human skintones – sometimes a little grey-tinged but never the fully blue/grey shades.
In short, the histories given in EE1 for the Elezen groups that can be currently found in Eorzea are traced back to the early Sixth Astral Era (commencing 1577 years prior to the present day), and while there is presumably some earlier history for the race – the Elezen themselves claim to have been the original inhabitants of the land since the First Astral Era – I have not delved into the earlier part of EE's history lessons to check whether there are direct references to the Elezen belonging to earlier civilisations.
The entry on the Sixth Umbral Calamity and aftermath (EE1.035-6) indicates that widespread flooding and the exodus to safe higher ground in Gyr Abania disrupted all previous societies and caused a breakdown into small tribes and clans, who initially settled in Gyr Abania and then, as the flooding receded, set back out to repopulate the rest of Eorzea.
Gridanian (Wildwood and Duskwight) Elezen
The ancestors of the Gridanians seem to have settled somewhere in the vicinity of the Black Shroud but not within it; the events recorded in EE1 begin around the year 6AE 660 (about 900 years before the present day), when the second migration of Hyur into Eorzea forced the Elezen from their lands and into the Black Shroud, where they came under attack from the resident elementals, driving them to seek safety in the caverns deep below the forest. Later, the increasing Hyuran population also spread into the forest and came into conflict with the Elezen again, until in around 740 they made a peace-pact and together established the subterranean city of Gelmorra.
Three hundred years later, around 1020, the Ixal were suddenly banished from the forest by the elementals, and the Gelmorrans resolved to take this opportunity to attempt to commune with the elementals and seek permission to dwell above ground, though it would take another 50 years to successfully make contact.
With the elementals' approval obtained, most of the Gelmorrans departed the caves and founded the new city of Gridania – but some distrusted the elementals and so chose to remain behind in Gelmorra, and in time became known as the Duskwights.
The exact history of the Duskwights since that point is unclear, particularly as it seems that all of Gelmorra (or at least any parts accessible to the player) is now in ruins and the only known major population of Duskwights is the bandit gang occupying a regular village in the South Shroud. However, the lorebook indicates that "the customs of the subterranean city of Gelmorra are still practiced by the Duskwight to this day" and that they "pursue their own path in the shadowy seclusion of Eorzea's deep tunnels and caverns" and may have sought out new locations rather than staying in Gelmorra itself.
Ishgardian Elezen
Ishgard's mythologised history records that the city's founders, led by a prophetic vision, "departed the Black Shroud for the highlands of Coerthas" in the year 545. More accurately they first arrived in around 350, which EE1 notes "coincides with the [first] Great Hyuran Migration into the northern continent of Ilsabard" and speculates that this drove the Elezen to seek sanctuary in Coerthas. (I suspect this is supposed to say that the Hyuran migration came from rather than into Ilsabard, though I don't think there is anywhere to directly confirm this – the closest is a mention of "immigrants from Othard and Ilsabard" in the general 6AE history on page 36.)
This unaccounted-for 200 years seems to have been spent settling the now-abandoned civilisation in the Dravanian Forelands and the Churning Mists, after which they either retreated to Ishgard at the beginning of the Dragonsong War or perhaps were simply wiped out by the dragons. Either way, this chapter of history remains unknown to most Ishgardians until the events of Heavensward.
2C: Other possible and speculative cultures and naming conventions
(including cultures that may just be more of the same naming conventions)
Elezen are not part of the local population in most of the locations we have visited outside of Eorzea, but we have several indications that they are present in parts of Ilsabard.
Garlean Elezen
There are some Elezen among the Garlean army using Garlean naming conventions (borrowing real-world Roman/Latin names) – it seems possible that these are part of Garlemald's civilian population rather than foreign conscripts, as most non-Garleans who ally with the Garlean army retain their original culture's given name and only adopt a Garlean surname.
A cultural connection between Garlean and Elezen may tie in neatly with real-world evolution of languages and names, as the Garleans use Roman/Latin names and some French names are Latin-derived.
In the opposite direction, Garlean name “Nael” is French (unless also found in Latin).
The Eschva and other Ilsabardian Elezen
The field record profile for Clarricie quo Priscus describes her as "of the Eschva, a nomadic people" but provides no elaboration on this, and her name seems to be standard Elezen with a Garlean surname.
However, Medieval French name Eschive notes: "Derived from Old French eschiver "to evade; to avoid", ultimately from Frankish *skiuhjan "to fear"." https://www.behindthename.com/name/eschive/submitted
So we can guess that the Eschva are still following standard Elezen naming conventions or something very close to it.
Separately, at one point we see the ruins of some kind of anti-Garlemald rebel camp whose members appear to be Duskwight Elezen.
It is possible that we will meet some of these groups if and when the story takes us to the as-yet unexplored regions of Ilsabard-Othard.
Corvosi Elezen (speculative)
One of the bosses in the variant dungeon The Merchant's Tale (essentially a playable version of a Corvosi fairytale) is a mysterious swordswoman who may have an Elezen model, though it is not certain.
Additionally, while it may be a stretch of speculation – Corvos is in southern Ilsabard, close to Thavnair, and in FFXI the Elvaan are one of the races that use Near Eastern names (roughly equivalent to Thavnairian) in relevant areas, so it is possible that could be carried over into FFXIV.
Aerslant Elezen (speculative)
We know little of Aerslant, ancestral home of the Roegadyn, except that the founders of Limsa Lominsa were (as Eorzean history tells it; see EE1.095) the surviving instigators of a failed coup against a tyrant in that land, who subsequently fled to find sanctuary elsewhere – and that, at least by the time they were approaching the island they would soon name La Noscea, their crew included three Elezen: Jean De Nevelle, Guy La Thagran, and a third not directly named but for whom the island was named. There is no indication whether these were natives of Aerslant or foreigners who somehow became involved.
While overall fitting into standard Elezen naming conventions, it is interesting that both are recorded as having short forenames taken directly from real French rather than the more elaborate typical Elezen names. Are they nicknames that somehow went down in the history books, deliberately short full names (lending weight to the possibility of a culture somewhat separate to other Elezen groups) or is it an out-of-universe error?
Also of some interest, the surname Nevelle comes up again among the Duskwight – specifically from levequest cards (https://www.garlandtools.org/db/#leve/732) the archaeologist Rolandaix (the one trying to do research outside the Palace of the Dead) signs his name as "of House Nevelle".
Historical possibilities
One of the “demiurges” of the ancient Meracydian primal Sophia appears to be an Elezen, though that doesn’t confirm that they live there currently. He also may have been a tempered Allagan rather than a native Meracydian.
The Dravanian/Avalonian civilisation may have had some alternate naming influence (perhaps the dragons), as Thordan, Haldrath and Shiva are all not very Elezen-like, though Haldrath's knights (Flavien, Guenriol, Driancoin and Sylvetrel) have more conventional Elezen names. A passing mention of "Branthuc" as an additional knight (EE2.196) seems on the not-so-Elezen side, though may be Germanic-derived.
(Shiva of course is a long-established Final Fantasy summon, which overrides making the name fit the current setting.)
SPECULATIVE: The game itself does not draw this connection, but several historical Allagan names can tie back to French, though not specifically Elezen-style names: Xande (a form of Alexander), Amon, Scylla (Priscylla), Salina (Séléna); Desch could be a corruption of a few different surnames (Deschain, Deschamps, Deschanel, Deschenes). There's also a Phlégon in the history list. (No matches for Unei and Doga though, or Sari from the SMN questline.) Visually, Amon appears to be a Elezen, as his mask has the pointed ears.
Continue reading...
I set out to write this guide expecting it to be a simple set of existing groups – male names, female names, and a surname list divided by clan. Instead I found it was more complicated and then I just had (had!) to go deep diving into French names and now know more about them than I was ever planning to. (Though I'm sure I'm still pronouncing them all wrong.)
And then once I had that research, I thought it would be a simple matter to match that up to existing names, but that turned out to be an even more massive project.
The length of time spent on this guide is at least partly due to feeling like I shouldn't just be scratching the surface of something I know nothing about, but after months of working on this project mostly spent looking up name origins, ultimately I must settle for a disclaimer:
While anything directly relating to character names found in FFXIV or FFXI has been thoroughly checked, anything regarding real-world languages, names or history should be double-checked against a more reputable source, as I do not have even an amateur knowledge of this subject outside of what I tried to understand to write this guide.
The name origins section will have to remain rough for a while, as it will take time to convert all the URLs into proper forum-coded links. Input is greatly welcomed! At this point it's all a matter of stumbling across the right trivia and obscure names.
CONTENTS
Part 1: Name structure
1A: Basic name structure
1B: Short name forms
1C: More on using surnames as forenames
1D: Epithets
1E: Other notes
1F: Official remarks on Elvaan and Elezen names – and why they are not entirely correct
Part 2: Elezen cultures and backgrounds
2A: Known cultures that use standard Elezen naming conventions
2B: A short history of Elezen in Eorzea's Sixth Astral Era
2C: Other possible and speculative cultures and naming conventions
Part 3: Existing character name lists
3A: Forenames separated by source – for "showing my working" and noting things I have included and left out
3B: Combined lists of forenames – for an all-in-one-list browsing of existing name options. Will be colour-coded (once I work through it in the forum editor) to warn against picking notable character names.
3C: Surnames (split by clan)
Part 4: Building your own Elezen name
4A: Name building methods
4B: Recommended sources for picking names
4C: Simple list of common Elezen name suffixes
4D: Prefixes, suffixes and recurring elements
4E: Reverse alphabetical list of existing characters (for comparing suffixes and name endings)
Part 5: Name origins
A massive undertaking that may never be complete. More remains to be worked out.
Part 6: Possibly useful lists
6A: Names from the name generator that have not yet been used for NPCs
6B: Elvaan names that were directly reused for Elezen
6C: Non-Elezen names that have erroneously been in databases
6D: Mashup names
Part 7: Miscellaneous
Sources
Version history
THE SHORT VERSION
•Elezen names have a standard English-like "Forename Surname" structure.
•Although the official naming conventions guide indicates that the "spelling and phonetic rules [of Elezen names] are extremely similar to those of French", and this does form the focal point for name choices, they are actually much more wide-ranging: all Romance (Latin-based) and Germanic languages seem to be fair game to some degree, along with a small number of names taken from other European language groups or French-influenced languages in other parts of the world.
•Male names tend to be longer than female names.
•Names may be taken directly from an appropriate language, but are more often constructed from a merging of up to two real names and a suffix. Non-French names may (but not always) be adapted to appear more French.
•Wildwood and Duskwight surnames are officially stated to be clan-specific. It's not clear how the surnames of other Elezen groups (Ishgardian, Sharlayan, etc.) fit into this divide, but there is no overlap apparent for existing characters.
•Regardless of the surnames being clan-specific, they can also be (and frequently are) used as male forenames for any clan. Consequently, some names we have only encountered as character names may be usable as surnames.
•It is not clear whether surnames can be used for female names – it is certainly not common practice and the scarce few examples may be a character being referred to by surname – but there is nothing explicitly stating that it cannot be done.
•In short, if a forename sounds like it would be a good surname, or a surname sounds like a good forename, go ahead and use it!
•We don't have any substantial knowledge of any Elezen cultures existing outside of Eorzea, only a passing mention of a nomadic tribe somewhere in the eastern continents who seem to be using standard Elezen names, and some number of Elezen integrated into Garlean society and using that name group.
Additional notes on Elvaan names
•FFXI's Elvaan are the precursor to Elezen and broadly share the same naming conventions, although the exact formation of names seems to have drifted over time. My impression from trying to trace name origins is that Elvaan are more likely to have "difficult" names when trying to identify their sources, and are more likely to be drawing from a wide range of influences.
•Elvaan names also often have a feature not found in Elezen names: a middle initial indicating social rank, somewhat comparable to FFXIV's Garlean names.
•Elvaan in FFXI's Near East use Near Eastern names (ancestor to FFXIV's Thavnairian). I have tried to separate those out but it is possible that some have slipped through.
PART 1: NAME STRUCTURE
1A: Basic name structure
Elezen names have a simple "Forename Surname" or "Forename Epithet" structure, but the sources you can use vary by gender and culture.
Male forenames may be chosen from not only the dedicated list of forenames but also from any of the surname lists, regardless of culture, except possibly Ishgardian noble surnames. It is quite common for male NPCs to be named this way.
Female forenames are likely only drawn from the forenames list, but there are a few ambiguities (see the additional notes below).
Surnames (when actually used as surnames) are culture-specific, at least between the Wildwood and Duskwight clans. Ishgardian and Sharlayan cultures seem to have their own surname lists as well.
There is indication that at least Ishgardian nobles have multiple given names – the character usually known as Francel is formally addressed as "Joacin Charlemend Francel de Haillenarte" at one point (https://www.garlandtools.org/db/#quest/66448) – but we have no further examples to indicate that lesser nobles or other clans use this format. The lorebook does not make any mention of any characters having extended full names.
1B: Short name forms
Shortened forms of long names may be used, though this is uncommon – we only have a few examples of them being used, and generally only when addressing them directly.
For Elezen:
Jannequinard – "Janne"
Langloisiert – "Lang"
Theomocent – "Theo"
Plus a couple of instances where someone else shortens a person's name informally or dismissively.
For Elvaan:
Joseaneaut – "Josea"
Liliana – "Lili"
Selfeilliget – "Sel"
(All of these are from the Vana'diel Tribune newsletter website; there may be others mentioned in the game dialogue but I haven't played it to encounter them.)
Using short forms is not guaranteed even for a close relationship – twins Alphinaud and Alisaie still always call each other by their full names.
For player-character naming purposes you can’t get the other characters to vary how they address you, so you would either have to fully commit to the short form as your character’s name, or (more likely) use their full name and only have the nickname as an imagined detail.
1C: More on using surnames as forenames
There is no mention in the official naming conventions of using surnames as forenames for either gender, so all of this can only be guessed at by looking at character names and how they are used.
It is quite common for male characters to have forenames directly taken from the name generator's surname lists, but female characters only seem to take names from the forename list, so the common understanding is that males can draw from both their dedicated forename list and the surname list for their names, while females are limited to forenames only.
However, compiling this list has led me to find that there are three direct matches of a female name and a surname:
Frilaix – 1.X character, reused as a Wildwood surname in the name generator https://ffxiv.gamerescape.com/wiki/Frilaix
Friont – 1.X character, reused as a Sharlayan surname in Endwalker/EE3 https://ffxiv.gamerescape.com/wiki/Friont
Marette – 1.X character, reused as a Sharlayan surname in Endwalker/EE3 https://ffxiv.gamerescape.com/wiki/Marette
Additionally, a further possible match between female name Roelle and surname Roaille (both first used in 1.X) – switching of E and AI is a common alteration of Elezen names.
However, Friont is a Maelstrom soldier and Frilaix may be in low-ranking Twin Adder gear, so it is possible that these are badly indicated surnames to begin with.
More generally, the official naming conventions note that female names often end in "ette" or "elle". These endings are also found on a number of surnames (this also happens in real French), which leads to the possibility that some surnames could be used as feminine names.
However, there is an example of an Elezen "elle" surname being used for a male name (1.0 character Tristelle) so that would suggest that surnames are regarded as masculine regardless of their apparent sound – though on the other hand there is also an example of a male character using an outright female name (FATE ally Mianne; the name is straight from the female name generator list and used in 1.X); it is possible this was an error but it's canon now.
1D: Epithets
Epithets use English language, not French.
Adaundel the Younger
Ser Adelphel Brightblade
Alaimbert of the Spiked Butt
Armantel Scaletalker
Arthurioux the Bear
Ser Aucheforne of the High Tide
Audrie Clovenfoot
Aurifort of the Three Clubs
Ser Branthuc the Meek
Brunadier of the Blue Bell
Castellaint the Careful
Celestaux the Keen
Celie the Pursuant
Ser Charibert the Stern
Turncloak Clairvisse
Constaint Solidblade
Corentiaux the Colder
Coultenet the Cultured
Drividot Shortline
Eline the Razor
Eugenaire the Grey
Florimond the Fleet
Foulques of the Mist
Gaidelie the Just
Gilbrisbert the Puppetmaster
Ser Grinnaux the Bull
Ser Guerrique the Cleaver
Guildivain of the Tainted Edge
Gustavain Gysahlheart
Ser Handeloup of the One Heart
Ser Haumeric the Valiant
Ser Hermenost the Levinlight
Hersande the Heavy-handed
Heustienne Trueshot
Truthspeaker Huibairten
Ser Ignasse of the Dragon's Tail
Ser Janlenoux of the Steel Oath
Janremi Blackheart
Jehantel the Godsbow
Landenel the Unafraid
Lanquairt the Lean
Lanverlais the Lawful
Leonceault Leadthumb
Louistiaux of the First Line
Louviaune of the Lake
Marcelain the Meek
Hardheel Marcheterre
Margault Shortmane
Miraudont The Madder
Mourechaux the Unbroken
Ser Noudenet the Wise
Nourval of the Branching Path
Octavel the Unforgiving
Ser Ompagne Deepblack
Ser Paulecrain Coldfire
Quimperain Evertrue
Ser Renaut of the White Mountain
Sartauvoir the Inferno
Thibain the Blunt
Ser Vellguine the Unbreakable Stone Spear
Ystride Godhand
Charlemend Redmane (1.0 levequest client, not the Ishgardian count)
Mourechaux the Unbroken
Romaraint Rimebeard
Amarissaix Longbranch
Pelinne Catcaw
Lamberteint the Lithe
Florine Whitepaw
Mareillie Greenthumbs
Pricinne the Swiftshine
Flambert Sancroit III
Felixient the Unknotted
Mathistien of the Cloven Hoof
Ser Aucheforne of the High Tide
Vainchelon Whitewater
(Somehow I have misplaced the Ishgardian high houses; they will be added later.)
1E: Other notes
One instance of a name being passed down through generations: 1.0 levequest client "Flambert Sancroit III", a merchant. https://ffxiv.gamerescape.com/wiki/F..._Forgetfulness
No examples of this in the current state of the game.
If you use the in-game random name generator for ideas, avoid the names Artoirel, Emmanellain and Estinien, as these are fairly prominent characters.
1F: Official remarks on Elezen/Elvaan names – and why they are not entirely correct
There are official comments and instructions on the names of both Elvaan and Elezen, but the Elezen instructions in particular are more limiting than the full range of name creation options and methods that the game devs have used to invent their character names.
Vana'diel Tribune: Names of the Elvaan (written as in-universe commentary)
http://www.playonline.com/ff11eu/gui...t/18/05-3.html
Quote:
What types of names come to mind when someone mentions the Elvaan?
Very common names for males include "Cyranuce," "Aurege," and "Raminel." "Monberaux" and "Civerion" are also very classy names, don't you think?
They have a certain refinement to them, very high class. These names sound well suited to beings made of gossamer. Why is that?
The Elvaan are known for their swordsmanship and other skills in battle. Elvaan culture considers having one's exploits woven into an epic poem to be among the greatest of honors, so it is no surprise that Elvaan give their children names that would fit nicely in such an epic.
But what about the women?
Take, for example, the names of some of my friends, such as "Lutia," "Catalia" and "Nenne." "Leaute" and "Esca" are also typical names for Elvaan females. […]
"Unadorned" and "strong" are the ideas that these names are meant to honor and communicate. Or, at least, this is the theory I'm looking into.
So the names that Elvaan give to their daughters tend to be shorter and easier to say that those given to sons.
FFXIV forum official post: Elezen naming conventions
Quote:
Both the Wildwood and Duskwight Elezen are proud clans from a proud race. The forenames and surnames used by them have changed little since the time when they first crossed into Eorzea from the north. However, over the ages, due to bad blood between the two tribes, the surnames once commonly used by both, have been claimed by one side or the other. Now, you will find that while the structures and spellings of the names are extremely similar, and they follow the same phonetic rules, a Duskwight and a Wildwood Elezen will never have the same last name.
The spelling and phonetic rules are extremely similar to those of French, and while there are no set-in-stone guidelines for male or female names, there are some distinguishing features.
Female
Female names tend to end in “ne,” “ette,” or “elle” or on extended vowels like “ie”, and be shorter than the male names.
Tivionne
Elviane
Jainelette
Saulette
Etoinelle
Pimelle
Jannie
Ceaulie
Male
Male names are longer, and will end in x, such as ‘loix’ (pronounced ‘lo-ah’) or ‘aux’ (pronaounced ‘oh’), or end in a silent t, such as ‘mont’ (pronounced ‘moan’) or geant (pronounced ‘john’).
Raitmeaux
Mourechaux
Nogeloix
Padilloux
Vairemont
Carrilaut
Aurifort
Bertennant
One will also notice that some of the Elezen names appear familiar to those of the Hyur.
Louis vs Louisoix
Eugene vs Eugenaire
Arthur vs Arthurioux
Gwen vs Gwenolie
Hilda vs Hildie
There are Eorzean historians who believe that these similarities in names may be proof that the two races are of similar origin─’open-minded’ Hyuran historians claiming the Elezen are a bastard race spun off from the Hyurs (and not the other way around). Elezen historians, on the other hand, simply deny any blood relation whatsoever.
However, the instructions are overly simple compared to the actual range of names used for characters in the game, or even what is directly offered to players via the in-game name generator.
The most obvious omission is that out of the examples, five of the eight male names – Raitmeaux, Nogeloix, Vairemont, Carrilaut, Aurifort – are found in the name generator as surnames rather than forenames, albeit ones that have also been used as male character names.
Name length is less of a gender indicator than the instructions would suggest. While there is a tendency towards longer male names and shorter female names, this is not an absolute rule – there are also short male names like Edmont, Francel and even the single-syllable Foulques (a French rendering of Germanic name Fulk) while female names can go to three or even four syllables (eg. Ameliance, Maudilyonne, Laideronnette). Any names drawing from real French names will tend towards longer female names as this is often the case in French – though the Elezen renderings sometimes try to balance this by cutting out a syllable or two in the middle.
Name endings are more varied than the instructions indicate, and the claim that male names “will” end in X or T is far too certain – presumably an "often" was left out of the sentence. (At the time of writing, I have listed 494 names as male Elezen, and out of these 144 end with T and 69 with X – so almost half, but nowhere close to all of them.)
The comparison of Hyur and Elezen names also gives a false impression that Elezen names will always be a more elaborated version of Hyur names when they overlap, when this is not actually the case, especially when directly using real-world names for Elezen. For example, compare Highlander Hyur "Engerrand" (エンゲランド E N GE RA N D0) and Elezen "Enguerran" (アンゲラン A N GE RA N) – so far as I can tell, as real-world names both of these would be French-influenced variants of Germanic Engilram. (BTN lists Enguerran, Enguerrand and Engrand as French forms; Engeram and Ingram as English – so Engerrand probably belongs closer to the French group and should not be used as a Hyur name for either clan.)
For additional confusion, Gamer Escape's wiki lists a 1.0 Elezen character named Ingram, although with the lack of character image I suspect this is a mislabelling of a Hyur.
DMNES list of variants does not include "Engerrand" at all; I'm not sure how thorough it is but perhaps that means the FFXIV devs invented this spelling. https://dmnes.org/name/Ingram
The comparison also draws a somewhat misleading equivalence between Eugene and Eugenaire, because if you look up the pronunciations (both how the game characters are written in katakana and how real French names starting with “Eu-” are spoken) you will find that they are different by language – Hyur name Eugene (ユージーン, Yuujiin) starts with the “yoo” sound we use in English, while French uses “oo” instead – compare similar Elezen name Eugennoix (ウジェノア, Ujenoa).
The equating of "Gwen and Gwenolie" is an odd choice too, because the GW spelling is distinctly Breton (a Celtic language used in northwestern France) rather than French, which would normally use GU. A close real example is the Breton masculine name Gwenole, gallicised (ie. "frenchified") as Guénolé. https://www.behindthename.com/name/g...le10/submitted (It is possible that the FFXIV devs mistook Gwenole for a feminine name – switching E for IE is a recurring alteration from French feminine names to Elezen names.)
While there are other Elezen names influenced by Breton, no other Elezen names begin with GW.
PART 2: ELEZEN CULTURES AND BACKGROUNDS
This section may need some further editing / gap-filling.
2A: Known cultures that use standard Elezen naming conventions
There are three main Elezen cultures encountered so far, all found in Eorzea and using the same naming conventions: Wildwood, Duskwight and Ishgardian, with residents of wider Coerthas (the land in which Ishgard is located) possibly counting as a fourth culture, but this is not looked at in detail.
Wildwood
Wildwoods are the Elezen population of the forest city of Gridania, which was founded around 6AE 1070 (about 500 years before the present day) when the population of the subterranean city of Gelmorra were able to make peace with the elementals who roamed the forest above.
Duskwight
When the Gelmorrans left the caves for their new home of Gridania, a small population stayed behind, and these are known as the Duskwights. We unfortunately know very little of their current status as a civilisation, and the archaeologists at Issom-Har talk as if the city has been abandoned for some time, though other sources (mainly the cultural profile in EE1.083) seem to indicate they are still dwelling in caves to the present day.
More often, Duskwights are encountered as bandits, whether working alone or as part of the gang known as the Redbelly Wasps, mostly active in the South Shroud.
Some Duskwights live in Gridania but "often suffer undue discrimination" from other residents of the city and surrounding areas.
Ishgardian
The Ishgardians are a separate strand of Elezen culture found in the northern parts of Eorzea, having separated from the proto-Gelmorrans long before that group split into Wildwood and Duskwight clans. The region was previously temperate, but since the Calamity five years ago it has been gripped by a permanent winter.
As of the beginning of the game's story, Ishgard is a highly traditional and religious society, politically isolated from the other Eorzean city-states. I am not certain whether residents are able to leave easily, but foreigners are not able to enter without hard-earned permission.
As a character concept this is probably best left until you have played the game and are familiar with the city, but there are various opportunities for character types: nobles, merchants, commoners, or the industrialists developing airships and machinist technology; also residents of the surrounding villages in Coerthas and the hunters' outpost in Dravania.
Sharlayan
Elezen are prominent among the mulitracial population of Sharlayan. From their names it seems there may be some cultural mixing here – there is a prominent Elezen family with the Hyuran surname Clarke, and one Elezen NPC with a Hyuran forename.
The player-character would not canonically be a Sharlayan.
2B: A short history of Elezen in Eorzea's Sixth Astral Era
Relevant pages in EE1 for history of the current Elezen populations:
035: Sixth Umbral Era
036-7: Sixth Astral Era
047-53: A Chronology of the Sixth Astral Era (more precise dates for info elsewhere)
082-3: The Elezen
113: History of Gridania
149: History of Ishgard
NOTE: The lorebook sometimes uses the term Wildwood to include the Ishgardians, while in other places only indicating that they share ancestry. The actual history given suggests that the term Wildwood should only apply to the fairly recent post-Gelmorran culture in Gridania as they were not forest-dwellers before this.
Additionally, while most Ishgardians are represented in the game as Wildwood NPCs (likely the actual reason for the lorebook trying to use that terminology for them), some are Duskwights with more human skintones – sometimes a little grey-tinged but never the fully blue/grey shades.
In short, the histories given in EE1 for the Elezen groups that can be currently found in Eorzea are traced back to the early Sixth Astral Era (commencing 1577 years prior to the present day), and while there is presumably some earlier history for the race – the Elezen themselves claim to have been the original inhabitants of the land since the First Astral Era – I have not delved into the earlier part of EE's history lessons to check whether there are direct references to the Elezen belonging to earlier civilisations.
The entry on the Sixth Umbral Calamity and aftermath (EE1.035-6) indicates that widespread flooding and the exodus to safe higher ground in Gyr Abania disrupted all previous societies and caused a breakdown into small tribes and clans, who initially settled in Gyr Abania and then, as the flooding receded, set back out to repopulate the rest of Eorzea.
Gridanian (Wildwood and Duskwight) Elezen
The ancestors of the Gridanians seem to have settled somewhere in the vicinity of the Black Shroud but not within it; the events recorded in EE1 begin around the year 6AE 660 (about 900 years before the present day), when the second migration of Hyur into Eorzea forced the Elezen from their lands and into the Black Shroud, where they came under attack from the resident elementals, driving them to seek safety in the caverns deep below the forest. Later, the increasing Hyuran population also spread into the forest and came into conflict with the Elezen again, until in around 740 they made a peace-pact and together established the subterranean city of Gelmorra.
Three hundred years later, around 1020, the Ixal were suddenly banished from the forest by the elementals, and the Gelmorrans resolved to take this opportunity to attempt to commune with the elementals and seek permission to dwell above ground, though it would take another 50 years to successfully make contact.
With the elementals' approval obtained, most of the Gelmorrans departed the caves and founded the new city of Gridania – but some distrusted the elementals and so chose to remain behind in Gelmorra, and in time became known as the Duskwights.
The exact history of the Duskwights since that point is unclear, particularly as it seems that all of Gelmorra (or at least any parts accessible to the player) is now in ruins and the only known major population of Duskwights is the bandit gang occupying a regular village in the South Shroud. However, the lorebook indicates that "the customs of the subterranean city of Gelmorra are still practiced by the Duskwight to this day" and that they "pursue their own path in the shadowy seclusion of Eorzea's deep tunnels and caverns" and may have sought out new locations rather than staying in Gelmorra itself.
Ishgardian Elezen
Ishgard's mythologised history records that the city's founders, led by a prophetic vision, "departed the Black Shroud for the highlands of Coerthas" in the year 545. More accurately they first arrived in around 350, which EE1 notes "coincides with the [first] Great Hyuran Migration into the northern continent of Ilsabard" and speculates that this drove the Elezen to seek sanctuary in Coerthas. (I suspect this is supposed to say that the Hyuran migration came from rather than into Ilsabard, though I don't think there is anywhere to directly confirm this – the closest is a mention of "immigrants from Othard and Ilsabard" in the general 6AE history on page 36.)
This unaccounted-for 200 years seems to have been spent settling the now-abandoned civilisation in the Dravanian Forelands and the Churning Mists, after which they either retreated to Ishgard at the beginning of the Dragonsong War or perhaps were simply wiped out by the dragons. Either way, this chapter of history remains unknown to most Ishgardians until the events of Heavensward.
2C: Other possible and speculative cultures and naming conventions
(including cultures that may just be more of the same naming conventions)
Elezen are not part of the local population in most of the locations we have visited outside of Eorzea, but we have several indications that they are present in parts of Ilsabard.
Garlean Elezen
There are some Elezen among the Garlean army using Garlean naming conventions (borrowing real-world Roman/Latin names) – it seems possible that these are part of Garlemald's civilian population rather than foreign conscripts, as most non-Garleans who ally with the Garlean army retain their original culture's given name and only adopt a Garlean surname.
A cultural connection between Garlean and Elezen may tie in neatly with real-world evolution of languages and names, as the Garleans use Roman/Latin names and some French names are Latin-derived.
In the opposite direction, Garlean name “Nael” is French (unless also found in Latin).
The Eschva and other Ilsabardian Elezen
The field record profile for Clarricie quo Priscus describes her as "of the Eschva, a nomadic people" but provides no elaboration on this, and her name seems to be standard Elezen with a Garlean surname.
However, Medieval French name Eschive notes: "Derived from Old French eschiver "to evade; to avoid", ultimately from Frankish *skiuhjan "to fear"." https://www.behindthename.com/name/eschive/submitted
So we can guess that the Eschva are still following standard Elezen naming conventions or something very close to it.
Separately, at one point we see the ruins of some kind of anti-Garlemald rebel camp whose members appear to be Duskwight Elezen.
It is possible that we will meet some of these groups if and when the story takes us to the as-yet unexplored regions of Ilsabard-Othard.
Corvosi Elezen (speculative)
One of the bosses in the variant dungeon The Merchant's Tale (essentially a playable version of a Corvosi fairytale) is a mysterious swordswoman who may have an Elezen model, though it is not certain.
Additionally, while it may be a stretch of speculation – Corvos is in southern Ilsabard, close to Thavnair, and in FFXI the Elvaan are one of the races that use Near Eastern names (roughly equivalent to Thavnairian) in relevant areas, so it is possible that could be carried over into FFXIV.
Aerslant Elezen (speculative)
We know little of Aerslant, ancestral home of the Roegadyn, except that the founders of Limsa Lominsa were (as Eorzean history tells it; see EE1.095) the surviving instigators of a failed coup against a tyrant in that land, who subsequently fled to find sanctuary elsewhere – and that, at least by the time they were approaching the island they would soon name La Noscea, their crew included three Elezen: Jean De Nevelle, Guy La Thagran, and a third not directly named but for whom the island was named. There is no indication whether these were natives of Aerslant or foreigners who somehow became involved.
While overall fitting into standard Elezen naming conventions, it is interesting that both are recorded as having short forenames taken directly from real French rather than the more elaborate typical Elezen names. Are they nicknames that somehow went down in the history books, deliberately short full names (lending weight to the possibility of a culture somewhat separate to other Elezen groups) or is it an out-of-universe error?
Also of some interest, the surname Nevelle comes up again among the Duskwight – specifically from levequest cards (https://www.garlandtools.org/db/#leve/732) the archaeologist Rolandaix (the one trying to do research outside the Palace of the Dead) signs his name as "of House Nevelle".
Historical possibilities
One of the “demiurges” of the ancient Meracydian primal Sophia appears to be an Elezen, though that doesn’t confirm that they live there currently. He also may have been a tempered Allagan rather than a native Meracydian.
The Dravanian/Avalonian civilisation may have had some alternate naming influence (perhaps the dragons), as Thordan, Haldrath and Shiva are all not very Elezen-like, though Haldrath's knights (Flavien, Guenriol, Driancoin and Sylvetrel) have more conventional Elezen names. A passing mention of "Branthuc" as an additional knight (EE2.196) seems on the not-so-Elezen side, though may be Germanic-derived.
(Shiva of course is a long-established Final Fantasy summon, which overrides making the name fit the current setting.)
SPECULATIVE: The game itself does not draw this connection, but several historical Allagan names can tie back to French, though not specifically Elezen-style names: Xande (a form of Alexander), Amon, Scylla (Priscylla), Salina (Séléna); Desch could be a corruption of a few different surnames (Deschain, Deschamps, Deschanel, Deschenes). There's also a Phlégon in the history list. (No matches for Unei and Doga though, or Sari from the SMN questline.) Visually, Amon appears to be a Elezen, as his mask has the pointed ears.
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