Do the people have last names?

[Z-Dragon]

ADMINISTRATIVE EDIT:

This post happens to have pretty excellent SEO still, so we figured we'd drop an edit here letting you know that Kanzenshuu has (in the years since this thread) launched a full, incredibly-extensive guide to family names in Dragon Ball over on the website-proper!

https://www.kanzenshuu.com/tidbits/family-names/

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We know that Bulma has her last name, Briefs, and Goku has his last name, Son. The others who don't have their own last names are Krillin, Yamcha, Tien (I've seen that he has his last name, Shinhan), Lunch, Muten Roshi, and whoever we know (huh?). There (is/are) the other races like Saiyans, Namekians, or whatever who only have a first name.

So why don't the humans have their own last names? Did AT run out of ideas about last names for them or named them after a first name only?

[jpdbzrulz4sure]

Since you mostly seem to be going by FUNimation's (disgustingly inaccurate) dub, here's a bit of clarification on the matter in the Japanese version:

1) Brief is not Bulma's surname, it's her father's given name.
2) You're right about Goku's surname.
3) Shinhan is not Ten's surname. It's part of his full given name, Tenshinhan.

In the Dragon Ball universe, almost nobody has a surname, and it was actually stated in the show by Videl. Goku and his family are an exception.

[Z-Dragon]

Since you're probably going with FUNimation's (disgustingly inaccurate) dub, here's a bit of clarification on the matter in the Japanese version:

1) Brief is not Bulma's surname, it's her father's given name.
2) You're right about Goku's surname.
3) Shinhan is not Ten's surname. It's part of his given name, Tenshinhan.

In the Dragon Ball universe, almost nobody has a surname, and it was actually stated in the show by Videl. Goku and his family are an exception.

1 and 3) Ah, I see. Thanks.

[Deity]

When does Videl say that, and what does she say exactly ?

[Kaboom]

When does Videl say that, and what does she say exactly ?

It's from when she's bribing Gohan about entering the tournament after figuring out his identity. She makes the connection between him and Goku, a prior winner, by the fact that they both have the same family name, "Son." In the process she notes that, "not many people have family names these days."

The only characters in the story which I can remember who use family names are:
- Goku and his male offspring (Son Gohan, Son Goten). Chi-Chi and Videl are never shown to use it even though they married into the family.
- The residents of Penguin Village. The reason of course being that the "rules" of Dr. Slump are different since it came first, but I guess you could also say the trends are different there due to it being such a far-removed place out in the boonies.
- The "Money" family from DBZ Movie 9. Maybe the family name is a sign of their super-rich status?

[Herms]

There's also Mou Kekko, and in the anime Gohan's teacher Shu Sai'aku.

In the Super Exciting Guide: Character Volume, Toriyama says that people don't have family names in the region where Videl and Mister Satan live (which is way Mister Satan's true name is simply "Mark" rather than "Mark Satan" or anything like that), which implies that having family names is more common in other regions. I guess Penguin Village must be one of them.

It is possible that "Tenshinhan" is supposed to be the character's family and given name rather than just one solid name, due to how he gets called "Ten" by Chaozu, the tournament announcer, and sometimes Goku. With Chaozu and Goku it could just be a cutesy nickname sort of thing, but if so it'd be odd for the tournament announcer to call him that. And in the anime he apparently calls the Shishin no Ken a "Ten Style" secret technique. If it is true though, then "Ten" would be his family name, and "Shinhan" his given name, not the other way around.

[CatouttaHell]

It is possible that "Tenshinhan" is supposed to be the character's family and given name rather than just one solid name, due to how he gets called "Ten" by Chaozu, the tournament announcer, and sometimes Goku. With Chaozu and Goku it could just be a cutesy nickname sort of thing, but if so it'd be odd for the tournament announcer to call him that. And in the anime he apparently calls the Shishin no Ken a "Ten Style" secret technique. If it is true though, then "Ten" would be his family name, and "Shinhan" his given name, not the other way around.

Tsuru-sennin also refers to him as "Ten." Very interesting though, I never actually considered this; though I don't really believe it because it's strange that Tenshinhan would just randomly get a last name in an Anime where damn near nobody ever gets one.

[Piccolo Daimao]

Chi-Chi and Videl are never shown to use it even though they married into the family.

Although, you know, wives don't always have to take their husband's names. Also consider the fact that this is Dragon Ball Earth, not real-life Earth. There may not even be a tradition like that.

Not to get off-topic, but talking of which, a personal theory of mine is that when people in DB Earth get married, they don't get engaged or have a whole ceremony like we do in real-life. After Goku and Chi-Chi's battle at the 23rd TB, it seemed to be treated as if they had got married just like that. Correct me if I'm wrong, or if I'm quoting Vizisms, but when Goku was about to fight Piccolo, didn't Chi-Chi say that she didn't want to be a "honeymoon-widow"? And at the end of the 23rd TB, Roshi said that Goku was a newlywed. And isn't the chapter title page during Goku and Chi-Chi's battle named, "Goku Gets Married!"?

Furthermore, when Vegeta finds about Goku bargaining with the old Kaioshin to feel up Bulma, Vegeta shouts that Bulma's his wife. Granted, this could be the same scenario as Trunks being angry at Vegeta for not saving "his wife and child", and it wouldn't make the same impact for him to say, "She's the mother of my child" and all that, but it's not as if anything contradicts Vegeta and Bulma getting married in those 7 years.

[Herms]

Although, you know, wives don't always have to take their husband's names. Also consider the fact that this is Dragon Ball Earth, not real-life Earth. There may not even be a tradition like that.

It would certainly make sense for them to not have a strong tradition of wives taking their husbands' family name if most people didn't have family names to begin with.

Not to get off-topic, but talking of which, a personal theory of mine is that when people in DB Earth get married, they don't get engaged or have a whole ceremony like we do in real-life. After Goku and Chi-Chi's battle at the 23rd TB, it seemed to be treated as if they had got married just like that. Correct me if I'm wrong, or if I'm quoting Vizisms, but when Goku was about to fight Piccolo, didn't Chi-Chi say that she didn't want to be a "honeymoon-widow"? And at the end of the 23rd TB, Roshi said that Goku was a newlywed. And isn't the chapter title page during Goku and Chi-Chi's battle named, "Goku Gets Married!"?

Yeah, in the Japanese manga they're treated as already being married just by agreeing to get married in their match. I seem to recall Viz actually having a line saying that they're engaged rather than married. Of course there's the anime filler about them having a full-blown wedding, but I guess that could be more of a ceremony to confirm their marriage rather than something to actually make them married.

From what I remember, in medieval Europe all that was needed for an official marriage was a statement of consent from both parties and witnesses, so by that criteria at least Goku and Chi Chi's "wanna get hitched?" "yep!" at the tournament would count as an actual marriage.

[Shoryuken]

It is possible that "Tenshinhan" is supposed to be the character's family and given name rather than just one solid name, due to how he gets called "Ten" by Chaozu, the tournament announcer, and sometimes Goku. With Chaozu and Goku it could just be a cutesy nickname sort of thing, but if so it'd be odd for the tournament announcer to call him that. And in the anime he apparently calls the Shishin no Ken a "Ten Style" secret technique. If it is true though, then "Ten" would be his family name, and "Shinhan" his given name, not the other way around.

Couldn't it be "Heavenly Style"? Jokes aside do you know if Shu Saiku's name was spelt in kanji or kana?

[Herms]

It's in kanji: 周災悪