New Post
Search
Help[Surname] Need Help with Native American names
I, a white man, am writing a story and one of my side characters is Native American. Specifically he is from the Muckleshoot tribe, descendants of people native to the area now known as Seattle. I decided I want his name to be accurate so I've been doing research, but I've had no luck in findinbg a name that fits. This character is about breaking tradition, and so I want his name to be a mix of European and Native names in a way that makes sense.
1
Replies
The Muckleshoot Tribe mainly has English and Spanish surnames, so realistically, there are no names to mix in a way that would immediately signal his indigeneity. For example, here are the names of the current members of the Muckleshoot Tribal Council (found here: https://www.muckleshoot.nsn.us/tribal-council):
- Jaison Elkins
- John Daniels Jr.
- Jessica Garcia-Jones
- Anita Mitchell
- Mike Jerry Sr.
- Virginia Cross
- Donny Stevenson
- Louie Ungaro
- LeeRoy Courville
If you want to learn more about Muckleshoot culture, I think a good place to start would be the videos here: https://www.wearemuckleshoot.org/storytelling; and the annual reports of the tribe here: https://www.muckleshoot.nsn.us/annual-reports
Edit: But if you really want an indigenous given name, you can also visit the fundraiser here: https://www.native-languages.org/names.htm, where you can request an authentic name for $10. They do not specifically state that they support Lushootseed (the language of the Muckleshoot), but they may still be able to do so.
- Jaison Elkins
- John Daniels Jr.
- Jessica Garcia-Jones
- Anita Mitchell
- Mike Jerry Sr.
- Virginia Cross
- Donny Stevenson
- Louie Ungaro
- LeeRoy Courville
If you want to learn more about Muckleshoot culture, I think a good place to start would be the videos here: https://www.wearemuckleshoot.org/storytelling; and the annual reports of the tribe here: https://www.muckleshoot.nsn.us/annual-reports
Edit: But if you really want an indigenous given name, you can also visit the fundraiser here: https://www.native-languages.org/names.htm, where you can request an authentic name for $10. They do not specifically state that they support Lushootseed (the language of the Muckleshoot), but they may still be able to do so.
This message was edited 5/27/2025, 1:12 PM
1