The Etymological and Pragmatic Aspects of Personal Names in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein

This article examines the etymological origins and pragmatic functions of personal names in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1818). While the novel has been extensively analyzed from philosophical, psychological, and cultural perspectives, its anthroponymic system remains relatively underexplored. A total of eight main character names were analyzed: Victor Frankenstein, the Creature (unnamed), Elizabeth Lavenza, Henry Clerval, Alphonse Frankenstein, William Frankenstein, Justine Moritz, and Robert Walton. Combining etymological analysis and pragmatic-literary analysis, this research identifies patterns linking etymology and narrative function. The conducted analysis allowed the characters’ names to be classified according to their thematic and ethical functions. Results indicate that Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley employs names as semiotic tools to reinforce themes of creation, ambition, morality, and alienation. The absence of a personal name for the Creature emerges as a deliberate pragmatic strategy emphasizing dehumanization and existential otherness. These findings contribute to broader literary onomastics and support the thesis that naming in Romantic literature operates as an ideological and emotional code rather than a neutral narrative device.