Prefix お for names - how is it used?


I recently watched a Japanese drama titled 「おせん」. The title comes from the
first name of the main character - the character's name is 半田{はんだ}仙{せん} who is
a young お上{かみ} of a traditional restaurant.

My question is: is it common for the honorific お prefix (I guess it is used
like that) to be added to names? How is it used? Other people in the drama
often address this character as おせんさん. Is it normal to add both お and さん?




It was a common practice during the Edo and Meiji periods and on through
Taishou and early Shouwa periods.

Women's names back then tended to be short (mostly two-syllable long and
sometimes just one as OP's example) and surprisingly simple compared to their
present-day counterparts. Baby girls were often named literally after simple
plant, flower and animal names, such as
まつ(pine)、きく(crysanthemum)、うめ(plum)、とら(tiger)、かめ(turtle)、たつ(dragon), etc. They
were by and large written in kana as well because people selected these names
for their sounds, not for their meanings.

These names just sounded "better", "cuter" and/or "more rhythmical" if the
honorific 「お」 was added. This 「お」 was for expressing affection, not
necessarily respect.

「さん」 was also added depending on who was addressing (or referring to) whom.




It was a common practice during the Edo and Meiji periods and on through
Taishou and early Shouwa periods.

Women's names back then tended to be short (mostly two-syllable long and
sometimes just one as OP's example) and surprisingly simple compared to their
present-day counterparts. Baby girls were often named literally after simple
plant, flower and animal names, such as
まつ(pine)、きく(crysanthemum)、うめ(plum)、とら(tiger)、かめ(turtle)、たつ(dragon), etc. They
were by and large written in kana as well because people selected these names
for their sounds, not for their meanings.

These names just sounded "better", "cuter" and/or "more rhythmical" if the
honorific 「お」 was added. This 「お」 was for expressing affection, not
necessarily respect.

「さん」 was also added depending on who was addressing (or referring to) whom.

