If Faith and Kendra's surnames begin with F and K respectively I'll scream. Apart from that, is it really necessary?

[ edited by Ghost Spike on 2004-09-24 00:34 ]

Ghost Spike | September 24, 02:34 CET

Oh wow. It never occurred to me that we don't know Faith's last name. I wonder what nationality it will be. Ooh! There's actually something new from the Buffyverse to look forward to! Yes, I take what I can get...

[ edited by electricspacegirl on 2004-09-24 00:43 ]

electricspacegirl | September 24, 02:42 CET

This is great! I've wondered about Faith's last name, and I joyfully accept crumbs from ME.

dreamlogic | September 24, 03:10 CET

As nifty as that is -I did a little dance in my head- I wanna know if they're ever gonna come up with surnames for the main vamps. The Master's got one, why not the Fanged Four?

icafreak | September 24, 05:07 CET

From an ethnic or cultural perspective, since Kendra is from the Carribean, her last name could be derived from anywhere from the Bahamas to Venezuela. Most assume she's Jamaican, but that's not necessarily so. Her Watcher's last name was Zabuto, but that suggests African. This could be an attempt by Whedon to mirror what's going on in Buffy's situation. Though at least a third generation American, Buffy's roots probably eked back to Victorian western Europe. So the logical choice would be a stuffy englishman as her Watcher. In Kendra's case, though perhaps not a native of South Africa, one could surmise that is her family's heritige.

So I went on the Internet and did a search for Jamaican specific surnames, and was greatly disappointed to learn there really aren't any geographically specific names from there. From Abraham to Young, the list looks just like any other part of the world. In fact, "Somers" with one M, appears to be mildly common in the Carribean as a family name, although "Saunders" is more common. Either choice would be ironic perhaps, or at least foolishly coincidental. But all the standbys are available: Nash, Thorpe, Yearworth, Thompson, Wells, Van Horn, Walker, Watson, Smythe (not Smith), Hall, Williams, Grant, Gordon.. They could use anything for her last name believably. Faith's even worse. She was originally from the New England area wasn't she? Boston or Philly? Somewhere around there? I think it's explained in the episode where we met her previous Watcher but I'm too lazy to look it up after all these surname websites. At any rate, she's an American and pretty much anything can be a last name in America. I wouldn't be surprised if there's a family name in this country similar to "Kitchensink." I was thinking it'd be cute if Faith's last name were Winters, but that'd be too corny.

After extensive research time, I'm laying down my guess. I think I found the perfect choices:
Kendra Grace. Faith Hunter.

ZachsMind | September 24, 05:17 CET

Eh, I don't really care to know their names. They recently finally revealed Rogue's name in the X-Men comics, and it turned into a complete bow to the movies; Anna Marie. (from Anna Paquin the actress and Marie being her name in the movies)

And I gotta say, it's a bit of a letdown, especially since it's just cowtowing to the movie franchise. (Comics are the source material, movies should cowtow to them, but that's just me) Of course last names are less important, so I don't think I'd mind with Faith and Kendra. Although I kinda liked Faith being just Faith, and as for Kendra...well don't really care one way or the other with her...

EdDantes | September 24, 05:24 CET

Faith is from Boston, ZachsMind. That was apparently because Eliza Dushku is from there. If they're still modeling the character on her, they could have given Faith an Albanian last name.

dreamlogic | September 24, 05:54 CET

Wouldn't it be interesting if Faith's last name is her surname and something else is her first name?

eddy | September 24, 05:56 CET

hahaha, that`s great.
Waiting to know their last names.

Angel TheVampire | September 24, 06:10 CET

Surely we already know Faith's last name - Hope, from the ep title. (yeah, there was a comma, but it was just misplaced, I'm tellin' ya)

[ edited by giles (yes, it is my real name) on 2004-09-24 04:49 ]

giles (yes, it is my real name) | September 24, 06:49 CET

Kendra specifically said that she didn't have a last name. As for Faith, I've always thought that it should be…Winters.

Son Of Shadow | September 24, 06:53 CET

Hey giles (yes, it is my real name), sorry to disappoint but 'Hope' is for Scott Hope, Buffy's almost-but-not-quite boyfriend.

icafreak | September 24, 07:28 CET

Alright let's go all the way then: Faith H. Charity.....

EdDantes | September 24, 07:42 CET

There's a pretty good (WIP) fic out there by Lizbeth Marcs called "Living History" that assigns Faith the last name Lanoire. I'm fond of it.

TheJoyofZeppo | September 24, 08:07 CET

I thought Kendra didn't have a last name? Like Cher.

Bah. Whatever. Who cares about Kendra anyway? Wasn't she some minor character who died in season 2? Pssh...

And Faith don't need no stinkin' last name! She's wicked punk. (Besides, anything with more than one syllable would surely be beyond her schooling...)

I just want Joss to tell us SPIKE's last name. I can't tell you how many frickin' "historical fanfics" I've read where the author has been forced to make up an embarassing "authentically Victorian"-sounding surname for dear William...

Bad Kitty | September 24, 11:56 CET

Bad Kitty...How can you not care about Kendra? I don't consider her a "minor" character. I may be overreacting here but I have an attachment to every, single character that has graced the Buffyverse. I guess I don't understand how people can diss characters on a show that they love. Every character has had a part in making that show and the all around story what it is. Sure there are smaller parts as opposed to more meatier roles...but to just push Kendra aside as a "minor character who died in Season 2. Pssh..." Her role was major in the turn of events that would lead to Faith. Not minor in my thought process.

Coll | September 24, 17:47 CET

Coll is right. Kendra was a major character in season two -- she represents the first instance of another slayer (gasp) and a turning point in Buffy's feelings about her calling. She discovered she wanted it, she really, really wanted it.

My guess is that Faith's last name will either be Irish or Italian. Or maybe Slavic.

Kendra didn't have a last name. I really hope they don't rewrite the history of that to service a roleplaying game. It's Buffyverse canon, darnit.

phlebotinin | September 24, 17:54 CET

An excellent first post. And Faith Whedon is the name I'm going for ;).


And can people please not over react to what other people say. I think we'll agree to disagree on the importance of Kendra's character.

Simon | September 24, 18:11 CET

I really don't think I was overreacting. Just briefly stating a different opinion than that of Bad Kitty. I didn't get heated or personal, did I? If it appeared so, I apologize.

phlebotinin | September 24, 18:31 CET

I guess I don't understand how people can diss characters on a show that they love.
Ummmm... because loving a show doesn't mean you love every part of it? But i'd think that was pretty obvious. Most people on this site love Whedon's shows, I assume, or they wouldn't be here. But we can all disagree over our affection for various characters and episodes. Some people hate Dawn, Connor, or Kennedy, while others display undying affection for them. I always love hearing people defend episodes I thought were atrocious (Beer Bad? Bad Eggs? I'd say the titles were a good foreshadowing of what to expect of the episodes' quality :-) ).
Saying you can't dis a character on a show you love is like saying you can't criticize your country and still be patriotic. Criticism can still be a part of loving something, and as much as I adore BtVS, i'm the first to admit and laugh at its occasional missteps. I feel neither here nor there about Kendra - the accent was pretty bad, and i can't say i felt any deep twinges of grief when she died, but i didn't actively dislike her (Kennedy, on the other hand, could die a horrible death and i'd probably smile...). I don't remember finding out kendra didn't have a last name - when was that?
As for Faith? Can't say the last name really matters to me. She'll always just be "Faith" to most of her fans (and, as with most whedonverse characters, i'd say the name fits her perfectly). If she has to get one, just let it be suitably non-bland. Irish or eastern european or italian, perhaps? Definitely not Lanoire – sounds too goth romance-y, and a bit too fancy for our heroine.

acp | September 24, 18:35 CET

"I don't remember finding out kendra didn't have a last name - when was that?"

Okay, getting in touch with my BtVS geekyness here. This from What's My Line, Part Two:

Giles: And what are you called?
Kendra: I am the vampire slayer.
Buffy: We got that part. He means your name.
Kendra: Oh. They call me Kendra, only. I have no last name, sir.
Buffy: Can you say - stuck in the 80's?

Kendra's accent was pretty darn bad, for sure.

acp, good point: "Saying you can't dis a character on a show you love is like saying you can't criticize your country and still be patriotic." Especially these days.

phlebotinin | September 24, 18:41 CET

Wow, you people hate Buffy AND freedom....



Sorry, I don't remember how to do the sarcasm font..

Rogue Slayer | September 24, 20:45 CET

Geez, I hope we can diss a character and still love the show. I mean, I think Buffy herself becomes pretty tough to like as a person by the last couple of seasons, there. Doesn't make the show less genius. Makes it more so, in my opinion. One of the things about a character having layers is that you're way less likely to like all of the layers.

ella | September 24, 21:29 CET

All praise to your hilariousness, acumen, and geekyness Phlebotinin, but you're wrong about Kendra. Jamaicans have surnames. Kendra's parents have at least one surname. She just doesn't know what it is. That doesn't mean ME doesn't.

I still hope Faith has an Albanian name. They have cool names -
Belushi, Dushku, King Zog I (not made up).

dreamlogic | September 24, 21:45 CET

Faith King Zog. I'm all for it.

phlebotinin | September 24, 22:08 CET

If Kendra said, "I have no last name, sir," I'd believe she'd be telling the truth.

Invisible Green | September 24, 22:43 CET

If Kendra said, "I have no last name, sir," I'd believe she'd be telling the truth

No last name that she would remember, but wasn't she taken from her parents as a child? The parents would have a last name, even if she never found out what it was. After all, she had never met them, only seen pictures. *shudders*

Kristina | September 24, 22:50 CET

My apologies, Simon. Obviously I'm TOO emotionally attached to the show.

Coll | September 25, 00:22 CET

Just a thought I've been thinking. What if Faith wasn't a name given to her by her Mom, but what she started calling herself when she left home?

LudditeRobot | September 25, 00:45 CET

As much as I'd like to know what the character's last names are, since, it's likely they had them, I agree with EdDantes. I don't want them to have last names. Especially if they never really had them when the characters were created. The show is the source material, and if it wasn't published in a show bible, or a draft, then I think it's best to leave them as is.

And, if they're anything like the Rogue name, then, seriously, yuck. That's "reality" leaking into my mythical universe; imposing unnessary demands into a myth.

Especially given the fact that, for whatever reason, Kendra explicitly stated she had no last name.

k8cre8 | September 25, 00:59 CET

I would have expected a revelation like this to be revealed in the show for a reason, not just revealed for the sake of revealing it. We could have found out that Faith was related to another character and it could have been a plot point to build conflict or emotion.

I too will have a slight reservation about treating it as 'fact' if it's just a name picked out of a hat.

zz9 | September 25, 01:07 CET

One of the really little things I've always loved about the whedonverse is the names. It's a small point, but a nice touch, that the names are almost unfailingly original, unusual, and well-suited to their characters. With both faith and buffy, of course, they're great in their irony – buffy sounds like a weak, air-headed cheerleader, and faith has so many overtones of devout religion. And yet it suits the character, in some odd way. Perhaps it's the insecurity beneath the bluster, or the lost look she sometimes gets when she thinks no one's looking, but i've always loved that Faith was called such a seemingly incongruous name (plus, she does have faith, of a sort. both in herself, and in various father figures - the mayor, and angel).
Then, of course, there are all the other wonderfully bizarre and fitting whedonverse names. I'd be hard pressed to think of a Xander, or a Cordelia, or a Winifred that i know in real life (i have met one Willow). Unusual, beautiful, and without fail perfectly suited to the characters.

acp | September 25, 01:27 CET

Gotta agree w/ EdDantes and k8cre8: Faith is an effin' rock star and doesn't need a last name. Never has and never will. I won't accept it anyways--take that Buffy canon! Your foolish additions mean nothing to me. :)

themayor | September 25, 02:52 CET

"And, if they're anything like the Rogue name, then, seriously, yuck. That's "reality" leaking into my mythical universe; imposing unnessary demands into a myth."

Yeah that's what I said....uhm, except you said it better;-)

"Gotta agree w/ EdDantes and k8cre8: Faith is an effin' rock star and doesn't need a last name. Never has and never will. I won't accept it anyways--take that Buffy canon! Your foolish additions mean nothing to me. :)"

Ohh I see it now. We learn it's really Faith HARRIS! Xander's long-lost sister! Which makes a certain scene extra icky.....

EdDantes | September 25, 11:14 CET

Okay, having just read this entire thread i have to admit ...

I don't get it!

Seriously what is the big issue either way? Faith obviously would have a surname and it would be nice to know, just out of curiosity, what Mutant Enemy say it officially was but i was more than content to just know her as Faith. I can't see that being aware of her surname will effect my fondness for the character either way.

Kendra did say that she had no other name in What's My Line Part 2 however as some already pointed out she may just not have been aware of what it was. It would make it a lot easier for her to find her parents should she ever decided to track them down if she knew her surname and given the fact her culture believe that a slayer having contact with her family is a big no no it makes sense that nobody would tell her what her family name actually was.

Again though, does it really matter? When they release the names i'll take note but beyond these details being a minor addition to canon they really won't be that big a deal to me.

Koven | September 26, 15:20 CET