When I first joined up to MR, an initial irritation was the number of non-authentic names that were floating around. You know the kind, Xbox 360 handles. Time has passed and I can appreciate that not everyone has that same lust for realism, while there are also some who are trying to keep things interesting. Pokemon, Asian Dictators, Food, Musicians, RPing animals and the like. 

So anyway, I did my thing, created my Gato surname and strung up a family tree around it and let the story play out. If I met anyone along the way that I felt deserved it, I would offer them the option to come back one day as a Gato and grow that family. The same is true between Louis Mezzo and myself.

In more recent days however, I've noticed an influx in people sporting the 'family name' and building a reputation around that. We all know Ligambi has been a long standing tradition, both in name and the fact that the guy just doesn't die. But also a collection of others adding that little bit of depth to their characters. If they do well, that name will thrive and survive. The name Oakheart still holds significance to me. 

So this thread is for you guys, the Luciano's, Ferrari's, Laurel's, Russo's, Pavanno's and Vitti's; Patangeli's, Alo's, Bowdens', Byrne's, Verratti's, Lombino's, Briggs', Santoro's and all the others adding authenticity to this place. Feel free to share your thoughts on using a family name and hopefully inspire others down the same road. 

Using a Family Name, hm, The name Pavanno I kinda took from GTA IV, but instead of one 'n'-  I modified it to two, I don't what I wanted for a family name, but I did want something that sounded Italian or allowed me to stand out among the crowd, something that added more to the character, because who is going to take a guy named '' or whatever, I added the Pavanno name simply because it added more to the character, Charlie. It gave me a background that I could use, they could be a wealthy family that was once apart of the Old Country or one of the enforcers of a Mafia Chieftain, it all came down to what I wanted to specify with my character and what I wanted to establish. 

Through my first playthrough, I was able to establish a true family back home for the first character, which allowed me to build another character, one that was established through later stories and it continues now, there is so much you can do with a family name, one that you can establish and make it your own personal brand, one day it could be famous in the game and you could realize that all the hard work you put into the name has finally paid off, that you are now known as 'That Person' - you are known as the person who built their own personal legacy and allowed other people to adopt it into their own. 

It's special and you can see how people take it into their own, how people like Joe_Ligambi are expanding their family in terms of branches, such as the Ferrari Crew, Russo Crew, Etc. They are creating their own personal brand, and it's all how you decide to play the game, how you want to be remembered really. 

That's my take on it Connie, I have much more to say, but wouldn't want to take the spotlight off of others! :P

I prefer originality still.