Book of Mormon Evidence: Historical vs. Fictional Names

Introduction 

Proper names are a notable feature of the Book of Mormon. Many of these appear to have authentic roots in the ancient Near East.1 Some readers, however, claim that the Nephite text is a work of fiction and that its names were merely invented by Joseph Smith or some other modern writer. One way to explore this issue is to examine how writers of fiction typically go about creating names and then to compare those tendencies with patterns of naming found in the Book of Mormon.

Naming Practices Used by Writers of Fiction 

Authors of fictional works use a variety of methods to invent names for the characters in their stories. Typically, this is not a random process. In a study published in 2011, Sharon Black and Brad Wilcox gathered information from popular contemporary fiction authors, collected from interviews and other published sources, who explained how they created names for characters in their stories.2 Several common themes and tendencies emerged within this data:

• The authors expressed the importance of the names of characters in their stories and were deliberate in their choice of names.
• Names should be accessible to the reader, meaning that the reader should not have to spend much time reviewing them and keeping them straight.
• Names should fit the characters in the stories and reflect appropriate background.
• Inventing a large number of names often required that the authors go to sources beyond their own imagination for help in order to generate names that were believable for their characters and that would accurately reflect the culture and background.
• Authors tended to choose names that were personally significant to them or which were associated in some way with their acquaintances or experiences.3

It is enlightening to compare these common tendencies or informal “rules” with the naming patterns found in the Book of Mormon.

Deliberate Choice of Names

Authors indicate that names should be chosen with care and require deliberate choices and consideration. According to author Chris Crowe, “The names I give are not just deliberate choices, they are very deliberate choices.”4 Inventing names that will suit a story can be a laborious process. Michael O. Tunnell states that while some names that seem right come to his mind quickly, he has to work hard on most of the names he creates.5 Keeping track of a large number of names in a story can be daunting for an author. Writers may change the names of characters several times during the process of writing before the story is complete.6 According to Chris Stewart, an author of techno-military novels, when writing, “character always precedes the name” and “sometimes I have named a character ‘X’ because I didn’t want to throw a name in and get used to it.”7 Some authors assign a name spontaneously to a character as a temporary place holder in initial drafts of the story but then go back later to give a name to the character that is more fitting.8

The Book of Mormon, which contained 588 pages of published text in the original 1830 edition, was dictated in around sixty working days.9 It contains 337 proper names, 188 of which are original (in the sense that they aren’t also found in the Bible). “Unlike successful fiction writers,” write Black and Wilcox, “Joseph Smith appears not to have spent time considering or revising names.”10 In fact, evidence from the Book of Mormon’s original manuscript suggests that the initial spelling of names was often dictated by Joseph Smith one letter at a time, a conclusion that is supported by statements from various witnesses to the translation.11 Although scribes introduced minor variations in the spelling of names, we get no indication that Joseph Smith ever systematically renamed or fundamentally altered the name of any characters.12

Accessibility

Fictional writers commonly state that it is important to create names that will be easy for the reader to remember and that are easy to pronounce. Citing Cynthia VanRooy, Black and Wilcox note that readers will “be calling this character by name in their heads as they read […] Every time the unpronounceable name comes up, the reader will halt, then stumble over it.”13 While the writer may choose an exotic sounding name for an exotic fictional setting, the name should not be so exotic that it would be hard for the reader to recall. An author does not want the reader to get lost and lose interest in the story.

According to author Scott Nicholson, although names are not the only factor in creating a story, they are an important element. “You don’t want the name to throw up a speed bump for a reader.”14 Authors Shannon Hale and Brandon Mull both stated that they try to avoid having two characters in their stories that have names beginning with the same sound.15

In contrast, the Book of Mormon has many examples of characters with names that seem to break these tendencies or informal “rules.” Some names, such as Giddianhi and Gidgiddoni, can easily be confused and are not easy to pronounce or remember without practice. Names with initial sounds that are similar include Alma, Amgid, Aminadab, Aminadi, Ammon, Amaron, Ammaron, Amoron, Amulon, Ammon, Ammonihah, Amlici, Amaleki, Amalickiah, Antiomno, Antion, Antionah, Antionum, Antiparah, Antipas, Antipus, Antum, Corianton, Coriantor, Coriantum, Coriantumr, Corihor, Korihor, Corom, Cumeni, Cumenihah, Cumom, Cumorah, Gad, Gadiandi, Gadianton, Gadiomnah, Gid, Giddonah, Giddianhi, Gideon, Gidgiddonah, Gidgiddoni, Helam, Helem, Helaman, Helorum, Jacob, Jacobite, Jacobugath, Jacom, Jashon, Josh, Joshua, Kish, Kishkumen, Kumen, Kumenonhi,  Laban, Laman and Lemuel, Limhah, Limher, Limhi, Limnah, Lamah, Lamoni, Lachoneus, Lehi, Lehonti, Mathoni, Mathonihah, Moriancumer, Morianton, Moriantum, Mormon, Moron, Moroni, Moronihah, Mulek, Muloki, Nehor, Neas, Nephi (multiple characters), Nephihah, Nephite, Neum, Nimrah, Nimrod, Omer, Omner, Omni, Onidah, Onihah, Onti, Paanchi, Pachus, Pacumeni, Pagag, Pahoran, Riplah, Riplakish, Ripliancum, Sam, Samuel, Sariah, Seantum, Sebus, Cezoram, Seezoram, Senine, Senum, Shared, Shazer, Shelem, Shem, Shemlon, Shemnon, Serem, Sherrizah, Sheum, Shez, Shiblom, Shiblon, Shilum, Shilom, Shim, Shimnilon, Shiz, Shule, Sidom, Sidon, Teocum, Teomner, Zarahemla, Zerahemnah, Zeram, Zoram, Zerin, Zeniff, Zenephi, Zenock. In several cases—such as Alma, Ammon, Lehi, Moroni, Nephi, etc.—multiple characters share the same name, adding further opportunity for confusion.  

Names with Fitting Characteristics

Authors of fiction often try to give names to characters in their stories that sound authentic and believable for the invented cultures they try to represent. According to Stewart, “names convey something about characters, and I try to use that for all it is worth.”16 Author Chris Crowe wrote a historical novel set during the 1950s. He named one of his characters “R. C. Rydell.” He took the first initials of the name from R. C. Cola, a soft drink of the time, and Rydell was the name of a popular brand of tennis shoes. Shannon Hale wrote a novel inspired by Mongolian culture. Yet, because Mongolian names tend to be long, she generated shorter names based on root words in that language.17

Black and Wilcox observe, “Unlike Crowe, Joseph Smith could not create a name from a specific drink or footwear. Unlike Hale, Joseph Smith could not look up ancient Hebrew and Egyptian word roots, as those were yet to be discovered …. This kind of projection would be very difficult to make in a realistic work.”18 This makes the attestation of many names in recently discovered ancient inscriptions particularly notable, since they lend authenticity to those in the Nephite text.19

Help from Sources

Contemporary writers of fiction often consult resources to help them generate names that might fit within their invented cultures. According to Brandon Mull, “When you have to come up with name after name, you just can’t do it on your own without them sounding alike.”20 When they want to give their names an authentic ring, writers often look for convenient lists with appropriate names for relevant cultures. These could be derived from telephone books, obituaries, internet lists of names in various languages that would fit the character in the story, and so forth. Names might also be created from variations in the names of family, friends, and others that held special importance to the writer.

Unlike contemporary novelists today, Joseph Smith’s information environment was comparatively restricted. There were no internet lists or telephone books available at that time. There were newspapers, but these would not have been particularly helpful in generating Hebrew or Egyptian names. The most useful and available resource for one such as Joseph Smith would have been the Bible which he read. A Bible, however, would not have been particularly helpful in generating many of the non-biblical names in the Book of Mormon, including some attested at archaeological sites long after the Book of Mormon was published.21

Personal Significance to the Author

Black and Wilcox state:

Personal associations were also an important part of name selection for the authors included in this study, and the serendipity behind many of these name choices provides clear insights about the author’s personalities. Many characters are named after people from the author’s personal lives—family members, friends, or acquaintances who happened to have a useful name.22

According to writer Yvonne Bertills, “The author’s own personal background and intentions form one significant criterion for name formation and selection of literary characters.”23 Author J. K. Rowling named Harry Potter, the titular character in that series, after several close friends she knew in her youth whose last name was Potter.24 Brandon Mull states that when trying to decide on a name that needs to sound strange in a story, “I just talk nonsense until something sounds good, or I start with a familiar word and change endings or beginnings.”25

Some have argued that Book of Mormon names point to the origin of the text in an early nineteenth century environment. Walter Franklin Prince, for example, claimed that that text could only have been written in upstate New York between 1826 and 1829 due to what he argued were echoes of Masonic and anti-Masonic words and names in the account.26 However, this particular claim has fallen flat, even among those skeptical or dismissive of the Book of Mormon’s divine origin.27

Others have attributed names to other sources, such as the Bible, arguing that names were generated by adopting biblical names or rearranging parts of biblical names into new combinations.28 While this could be argued for some unique Book of Mormon names, upon closer examination, many examples have been dismissed as nonsense, modern, or inauthentic, have been attested in ancient Near Eastern inscriptions discovered long after 1830. This is the case, even with some of the more complicated examples such as Gidgiddoni.29

Conclusion

There are some caveats to this type of analysis that need to be addressed. First of all, most modern authors of fiction are not trying to pass their works off as genuine ancient documents. Thus, some of the tendencies or “rules” followed by such authors might be different if their primary goal were to fabricate a believable historical record rather than to create entertaining and accessible fiction.

Another thing to consider is that not all writers strictly follow these informal guidelines or rules. For instance, well-known fantasy authors such as J. R. R. Tolkien and Robert Jordan have many named characters in their works that start with the same letter or sound, or that are spelled similarly, or that are rather long, or that may be difficult for readers to pronounce. Thus, authors involved in more realistic and immersive worldbuilding endeavors may approach names differently than authors of other types of fictional works.

That being said, it is not insignificant that the naming conventions in the Book of Mormon are indeed on the more realistic and complex end of the spectrum. They look like they could easily belong to a genuine historical document and are inconsistent with the kinds of names or naming patterns that many writers of fiction might come up with. The constraining factors of the Book of Mormon’s dictation—involving no notes, no reference materials, no revisions, and so forth—make its consistent presentation of names especially remarkable.30

While this certainly doesn’t prove the authenticity of the Book of Mormon, it adds another set of data that is aligned with that conclusion. This feature of the text complements the already impressive evidence for the Semitic and Egyptian origin of many Book of Mormon names, which is based on individual name elements, a growing number of unique Book of Mormon names attested in the archaeological record after 1830, and a large number of proposed Semitic and Egyptian wordplays.31