post-apocalyptic naming conventions

[ladyjanelly]

I just realized why everyone born after the *event* in a post-apocalyptic world has a weird name, something not-from-before. When that first generation is popping out of the womb, every old-style name reminds someone of somebody. If you've got a survivor group of 30 people, someone is mourning a George or Mary or Ashley or Chad. Someone hated a Mark or a Kelly or Dan, and it's a sharp feeling to know that person is gone, even with the hate.

Safer to make up a name that nobody has any connection to, or to use a word that's never been a name before.