names of Rand's characters

Why did Rand pick the names she picked for her characters, particular the names Howard Roark and Hank Reardon? Is it just coincidence that two of her major heroes share the same initials? I vaguely recall that the first name of Rand's childhood sweetheart began with an H. Am I remembering correctly? If so, is there any connection there?

I'd be interested to read ideas on how she came up with these names or others.

Jordan

Post 1

Sunday, December 12, 2004 - 10:48am

One person has suggested that the character of John Galt got his last name from the Jewish word for gold. I don't know if that's true or not, but given that the currency in Galt's gulch is gold, it would make sense.

Post 2

Sunday, December 12, 2004 - 11:44am

Mr. Maurone:

I am puzzled by your question as I am not aware of a "Jewish" language. Do you mean Hebrew? Do you mean Yiddish? Or do you mean some other language?

For what it might be worth, according to one English-Yiddish dictionary, the English translation of the Yiddish word for money is "gelt," which certainly is not Galt. I could not find an English translation of the Yiddish word for gold.

Possibly Rand liked the origin of the surname Galt: A bush of hair. Welsh, Gwallt.
Source: An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names With an Essay on their Derivation and Import; Arthur, William, M.A.; New York, NY: Sheldon, Blake & CO., 1857.

Perhaps Rand wanted to honor another author, by the name of John Galt. This bit of information about a real John Galt turned up in a Google search:

John Galt (May 2, 1799 - April 11, 1839) was a Scottish novelist. He is best known for his novels on Scottish rural life, tinged with ironic humour, including The Ayrshire Legatees (1820), The Annals of the Parish (1821), The Provost (1822) and The Entail (1823). In 1826 he went to Canada as a secretary with the Canada Company, founding the town of Guelph there in 1827. He was a friend of Lord Byron, and published a biography of him in 1830. His autobiography appeared in 1833.

Bert Ely

Post 3

Sunday, December 12, 2004 - 12:18pm

Well, I didn't actually ask a question, just tossed in a theory, which wasn't mine, but Jeff Walker's. Yes, I know Mr. Walker's credentials are dubious...and his theory was galt was gelt, or gold pronounced with a Yiddish infliction...yes, it's flimsy, but I still like the connotation, since gold is the standard in the Gulch.
And please, no need to call me mister. :)

Post 4

Sunday, December 12, 2004 - 12:29pm

I am also fascinated by the names of characters in Rand's fictions. Many of them appear perfectly legitimate English name, and yet I've never seen them anywhere else!

Dagny? Taggart? Rearden? Toohey? Balph?

How did she come up with those?

Post 5

Monday, December 13, 2004 - 8:10am

I have often wondered if 'Dagny' was chosen because it incorporates 'a' 'y' and 'n' (Ayn).

Apparently "Dagny" means "new day" in Swedish, but I have no idea if Rand knew that or intended that association.

I love her choice of names for the villains ... Elsworth M. Toohey, Balph and Bunny. They break me up.

And her choice of "Midas" Mulligan as a hero turns the normally pejorative connotation of a skinflint into a positive attribute.
Brilliant.

Sam

Post 6

Monday, December 13, 2004 - 1:51pm

There is a Simpson's episode featuring an "undercover" army recruiter with the name of something like "LT Steele." The name almost sounds "tough," and the character himself does not disapiont: he is a masculine, huge, and...tough. In a short story by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, a main character is named "Estaban" because the sound of the name itself implies characteristics about his personallity.

I think Ayn Rand did something similar in her names for her characters. "John Galt" and "Howard Roark" and "Dagny Taggart" all sound a bit "rough" and a weird sense imply toughness, independence, and in a way, masculinity. And as implied by Sam Erica, names of many of her antagonists don't, such as Elsworth M. Toohey.

Post 7

Tuesday, December 14, 2004 - 7:46pm

the English translation of the Yiddish word for money is "gelt," which certainly is not Galt.

Well, actually, it is very close. Philology teaches that vowels are shifty things, not as permanent as consonants. (There are rules for vowels. Rules for consonants are easier.) Galt, gilt, gold, geld, guild, the words are essentially the same. (In fact, speaking of consonants, "gold" and "yield" are the "same" word pronounced differently to allow for different shades of meaning. ) We might say that "galt" is the "second past tense" of "gold" -- or maybe Beowulf would recognize it that way -- help, helped, halp, y-holpen; gold, gilt, galt, y-golden.

(Speaking of Yiddish, here's a joke: What is the difference between a language and a dialect? Answer: Dialects don't have armies.)

(John Gault was granted a patent for the case that allowed postage stamps to circulate as money during the American War Between the States.)

(Edited by Michael E. Marotta on 12/14, 7:46pm)

Post 8

Tuesday, December 14, 2004 - 7:48pm

Why did Rand pick the names she picked for her characters...

Dominique Francon = Dominate Frank O'Connor.

Post 9

Thursday, December 16, 2004 - 12:17pm

"Dagny" was the actual first name of Dagny Juel Przybyszewska, mistress of Henryk Sienkiewicz. Dagny Juel translated Sienkiewicz's "Quo Vadis" into Swedish. When the novel became a best-seller in Sweden, it earned Sienkiewicz the Nobel Prize for literature; world-wide fame followed. Rand admired Sienkiewicz and learned a great deal from him. There are several additional references to Sienkiewicz in Atlas Shrugged, including plot elements from Quo Vadis and the characterization of the adolescent Francisco, based on Stasio in Through Desert and Jungle.

Post 10

Thursday, December 16, 2004 - 10:45pm

I thought the biggest payoff from any of the names in Rand's novels was when they were trying to get John Galt to be the economic dictator, and somebody said, "You could be Wesley Mouch!"

That cracked me up. It was just such a ridiculous moment.

Post 11

Friday, December 17, 2004 - 2:55pm