Title, name and background for a German character with a stereotypically aristocratic name.

[penitentmoomin]

Anyone who has a name that strongly suggests a national, class or other stereotype has to learn to deal with the reactions of other people. I want one of the characters in my novel, a German living in Britain, to have a name and title that sounds to British ears almost ridiculously typical of a German noble; like something from a movie. As a result

Comments

[movingfinger]

If you would like to include a self-referential nod to Ludwig Bemelmans (author of the Madeline books) and his very funny work How to Travel Incognito, in which he describes his brief and halcyon days posing as down-on-his-luck nobility, the title of Prince of Bavaria is almost certainly still available for use.

[asthenie_vd]

Actually, if the work is set in any time but the future I guess, that "title" isn't as free as you might think. The Wittelsbach line (of the last Bavarian kings) is still around, and while they're no longer legally princes or kings, the current head of house Wittelbach could style himself "Prinz von Bayern" if he chooses to (which he doesn't).

[movingfinger]

It's from the 1950's.

[fragesteller]

Maybe it's better to take a look at Liechtenstein which is a constitutional monarchy and fully German-speaking.
The names of the modern members of the dynasty can be used as a reference for your work.

[ruthste]

A real life anecdote, in case it's of use/interest to you. My husband's family have a very obviously Germanic sounding name (though not especially aristocratic, I get asked about it a lot). They came to England in the early 1900s (or possibly slightly earlier) and have kept the surname despite serving in the British Navy through both World Wars.