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Regarding the character of Kraft Lawrence from _Spice and Wolf_ , I've often
wondered whether Kraft was supposed to be his familiar name or his surname.
Kraft sounds more like a surname to me, but Lawrence could be either. I'm
aware that in Japan, the family name is given before the familiar name, but as
the story is styled more as a European medieval fantasy, it isn't so clear to
me what Isuna Hasekura intended. Characters such as Norah Arendt and Eve
Boland seem to have their familiar names first. Unlike Lawrence, Norah and Eve
are both more commonly referred to by their first names rather than their
last. My confusion is further legitimized by the third volume of the _Spice
and Wolf_ manga. In the bonus manga at the end, set in Japan, Lawrence is
introduced thusly:

> Young Master Lawrence of the House of Kraft.

This sidestory is obviously not canonical and not authoritative, but still
serves to muddy the issue. So, is there any information that would
definitively prove whether Kraft is Lawrence's familiar name or his surname?


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2017-06-23T15:51:04.247
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2017-06-23T20:08:54.100
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spice-and-wolf
Which is Kraft Lawrence's familiar name, and which his surname?


I'm pretty sure "Lawrence" is intended to be his surname/family name and
"Kraft" his personal name. My recollection from the anime is that he is
occasionally referred to as "Lawrence-san," which while permissible for a
personal name would be unusual enough to be remarked.

Moreover, he's frequently referred to as "Mr. Lawrence" by people who would
have absolutely no reason to call him something cutesy like Mr. Personal-name.
For example, in the Vol. 1 of the light novel (Yen Press translation), Marheit
(head of Milone Trading, features in the silver _trenni_ arc) calls him "Mr.
Lawrence" on pp. 238, 243, 248, 260... pretty much throughout their
interactions.


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2017-06-23T20:08:54.100
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