spoiler How do last/familial names work in Equestria?

[Sidral Mundet 1,666]

So in the Flutter Brutter, Rainbow Dash calls Fluttershy's parents Mr. and Mrs. Shy and in the Crystalling Twilight's parents were called Mr. and Mrs. Sparkle in the credits. Yet both Zephyr and Shining Armor do not have the familial name of Shy and Sparkle respectively.  And then going on to Pinkie Pie, all of her sisters share her last name yet her parents have names that do not share the Pie name.  And let's not forget about the Apple's, who have a clan name,yet nobody seems to have it as a last name. Heck Granny Smith's last name might be implied to be Smith potentially indicating she Applejack's maternal grandmother.  And then Rarity and Rainbow Dash seem to have no familial name whatsoever (though we seen none of Rainbow's family save for a quick flashback to a pony that could be her father)

 

So how do last names work in Equestria? 

Edited June 4, 2016 by Sidral Mundet

[cmarston1 5,959]

I don't really think that there are last names in Equestria.

Either characters only have one word names like Fluttershy or Applejack or have two word names like Rainbow Dash but the don't have any last names.

[Megas 27,695]

I don't like to call the writers "Lazy", but fuck it. Maybe the writers were to lazy to give them names. I mean they still called Twilight's parents Mr and Mrs Sparkle long after fans called them Night Light and Twilight Velvet

 

Fuck I just realized Twilight's dad is Mr. Sparkle

 

Did Rarity's parents get any official names? So far only Pinkie's parents and Rainbow's Dad got actual names

[Sidral Mundet 1,666]

Did Rarity's parents get any official names? So far only Pinkie's parents and Rainbow's Dad got actual names

In the card games they are named Hondo Flanks and Cookie Crumbles. Same with Rainbow Dad since he's never been named in the show proper either. 

[El Duderino 879]

Personal head canon time!

I like to think they do have family names, but I think it's more of a clan name rather than actually part of their personal names. So Shining Armor would actually be Shining Armor Sparkle because he is part of the Sparkle family, but Sparkle isn't necessarily actually part of his name.

 

So in formal situations, you would call a pony by their clan name (like Mr Sparkle), but that may not actually be their name.

[Foxy Socks 2,599]

Maybe surnames are optional. Rarity doesn't have a last name for example, and Twilight's family doesn't seem to have a set name that I know of. The Pie family is the only one I know that uses surnames.

 

Also even  the Apple family is weird with it. Most of them have Apple in their first names, if any at all. 

[ggg-2 3,553]

So in the Flutter Brutter, Rainbow Dash calls Fluttershy's parents Mr. and Mrs. Shy and in the Crystalling Twilight's parents were called Mr. and Mrs. Sparkle in the credits. Yet both Zephyr and Shining Armor do not have the familial name of Shy and Sparkle respectively.  And then going on to Pinkie Pie, all of her sisters share her last name yet her parents have names that do not share the Pie name.  And let's not forget about the Apple's, who have a clan name,yet nobody seems to have it as a last name. Heck Granny Smith's last name might be implied to be Smith potentially indicating she Applejack's maternal grandmother.  And then Rarity and Rainbow Dash seem to have no familial name whatsoever (though we seen none of Rainbow's family save for a quick flashback to a pony that could be her father)

 

So how do last names work in Equestria? 

Pinkie's father and mother introduced themselves as Igneous Rock Pie and Cloudy Quartz Pie respectively in Hearthbreakers, so yes, Pie is part of their name.

[Babyyoshi309 1,829]

I am pretty sure that Twilight is her first name and Sparkle is her last name. Most people in Ponyville just refer to her as Twilight. As for Pinkie Pie, that is not her real name, that is just a nickname, her real name is Pinkamena Diane, but that is kind of annoying to say hence nickname.  

[PacificGreen 1,163]

I sorta think that they don't really have familial names and names like "Mr. and Mrs. Shy" are what they are called by those who are more familiar with Fluttershy. (Mater saying "Mrs. The King" in Cars comes to mind)

 

I also once saw some licenses made by a fan artist (DoctorFizzle, I think his name was) where Rarity and Sweetie Belle's last name is actually "Rarity". Which would be weird, considering then Sweetie would be calling her sister by their last name. But I still found it amusing.

 

In reality, though, this is still extremely ambiguous, so I don't think there's really a definite, show-supported answer to this question.

[Fhaolan 4,484]

I wrote long and involved blog entries on names at one point. It's a tad out-of-date as it was written awhile back, but I don't think anything in it has been invalidated yet.

 

https://mlpforums.com/blog/844/entry-6202-a-rose-by-any-other-name/

https://mlpforums.com/blog/844/entry-6203-a-rose-by-any-other-name-part-2/

[PuppyKit 12]

I don't think they have family names so much as "Family Themes". They name their children based on whatever theme the family has. If they can find a word that fits into the theme they will use it but if those words match up is largely coincidence.

 

As for why Fluttershy's parents were called Mr. & Mrs. Shy as well as as the fact Twilight's parents were called Mr. & Mrs. Sparkle might be because it is considered improper to use the real names of your friend's parents as they are not your friends but people you should respect. To show you respect them you use the last name of their child who you are friends with.

 

Equestria has a lot of interesting cultural characteristics the show has confirmed, which is mostly shown in the new lore for holidays, and they often imply they have a different culture to our own that is still loosely based on our world.

 

With that in mind we can't assume they do everything like we do and it actually helps expand the world to figure out how their culture is different then our own. Even if it's just headcanon until the writers confirm it in the show.

 

MLP seems to be filled with the most headcanons I've ever seen in a series, including Star Trek and Star Wars

[Kyoshi Frost Wolf 41,614]

I feel like last names in Equestria are technically optional to use. Like, they are still part of your name, but you can choose to have that in your actual said name or not. That or parents in this world have very strange naming concepts. Like, where does Flurry Heart fit in with Shining OR Cadence?

[Justin_Case001 4,896]

Fuck I just realized Twilight's dad is Mr. Sparkle

 

But this is certainly a question for the ages.  Surnames in pony culture seem to have no coherence whatsoever, not to mention that many, if not most, pony names couldn't possibly make sense or be explained unless the name was given to them after they reached an age where they displayed personality traits and passions.  E.g Why on earth would parents name a baby Cloud Kicker, Cloud Chaser, Vinyl Scratch OR DJ-Pon-3 (which is an alias, not a name), Fluttershy, or any other name that describes personality, profession, or hobbies.  Native American nomenclature seems to make the most sense.  E.g. Dances With Wolves.  But it's still a mystery as to why we seem to have family surnames that do not apply to every member of the family.

 

 

And then going on to Pinkie Pie, all of her sisters share her last name yet her parents have names that do not share the Pie name.

Well, Cloudy Quartz might have simply not taken her husband's name, but I could have sworn that his name was actually Igneous Rock Pie.  I could be mistaken, though.

 

I also once saw some licenses made by a fan artist (DoctorFizzle, I think his name was) where Rarity and Sweetie Belle's last name is actually "Rarity". Which would be weird, considering then Sweetie would be calling her sister by their last name.

That's funny, because I've actually seen a headcanon that their surname is Belle, and therefore Rarity's full name is actually Rarity Belle, and perhaps "Sweetie" isn't a real name at all, but just a nickname that stuck with her last name.  I kinda like that headcanon actually.

[Nightmare Moon Draws 31]

How last names work in Equestria, no one will know. But what I think, is that ponies need to have similar names to be related. Although I give no exeption to Pinkie, I mean srsly why did her parents not name her something rock related? "She's pink so we name her Pinkie." Srsly?! Although I think in Equestria ponies can name their children whatever you want, no such things as last names.

[Fhaolan 4,484]

I feel like last names in Equestria are technically optional to use. Like, they are still part of your name, but you can choose to have that in your actual said name or not. That or parents in this world have very strange naming concepts. Like, where does Flurry Heart fit in with Shining OR Cadence?

 

This one is twisted, but I think I have it. Cadance's proper name is 'Princess Mi Amore Cadenza'. In the same way Twilight's family has the theme of light (Sparkle, Shining, etc.), Cadance's family has taken the theme of love (Mi Amore, Heart, etc.). So Flurry Heart is actually named after Cadance's family.

 

It wouldn't surprise me to find out that Shining's name may have officially changed to Shining Amore...

[silvadel 1,393]

It could always just be nobility that does it that way.  If you don't have an important family name, you only use it for geneological purposes.

[FullmoonDagger 200]

I don't think there is actually proper family names in the equine tradition, but more clan-like thing. The Apple clan, maybe the Sparkle one, are some "important" groups kinda known in the kingdom. There is more of bloodlines system in there