Does he have a last name? I don't recall them mentioning one on the series, but I do remember reading stories here and on lcfanfic.com where he does. Is there a general fandom accepted last name for him? If anyone could let me know what they think, I'd appreciate it.

--Laura

No, I don't believe he was ever given a name. Just like Ralph, people make up last names for him.

Nah, we were never told, so you can join the long list of authors who just made it up as they went along, Laura.

You might find in previous fanfic that one name or another crops up more than once, but that just tends to be because authors make up a name and use it a story and subsequent authors pick it up and use it in theirs - sometimes in the mistaken belief that it's actually canon. So that doesn't mean anything much really and needn't be taken as a sign that there's any established last name already out there.


LabRat

Thank you so much both Karen and LabRat for the answers. I'll play around with a few names and see what I like best together. Thanks!

Laura

Well, if you want a name that sounds French, I can help you out. (if I didn't hate it so much, I'd let you use mine - then again, we hate Claude too... don't we? LOL!)

Actually, that would be wonderful. Do you have any suave but evil sounding suggestions?

In a story I wrote, I called him Claude Kendall - because I wanted him to have the initials CK. Sort of a parallel to the LLs in Clark's life. Since Claude had a big impact on Lois, he seemed an appropriate "CK" candidate.

c.

oooh - a name that starts with a K sounds like a good idea. Kendall sounds rather English, though... and I can't even find one really French sounding name that starts with a K - I checked through the phonebook, even, but all the names sound foreign. Mind you, he can have a foreign name, they don't exactly all have specifically French-sounding names in France, do they?

A suave name, to me, would probably begin with "De" - that would give it some standing, some nobility. To me, anyway. ("De" means "Of")

Here are a few that I got from a listing of popular French names... All of these I've seen written as one word or two (with the "De" separate or not)

Decourval
Degrandmaison
Debeaumont
Debellefeuille
Demontigny

They all sound noble and rich to me... The first and last would be my preferred choices, if that helps at all.

A lot of people like to use French words that mean not-so-nice things. I think a few people used the French word for "roach." I once gave him the last name "DeLaChienne," which isn't particularly good French but does translate as "(coming/originating) from the female dog."

We never knew if Claude was Euro- French. He could have been a Quebecois where a great many francophones have English, Irish or especially Scottish surnames as a result of intermarriage a couple of centuries ago.

All sorts of possibilities.

c.

Yeah, he could have been Québécois, but we don't normally refer to ourselves as being French...

People from France are French, we're ...oh, it really depends who you're asking - personally, I say I'm French-Canadian. Most, I think will insist that they're Québécois.

Oh yes, i know.

But an American perhaps wouldn't necessarily do so. Also, in the show his nationality was never given, but because of how Lois pronounced his name, we assumed he was French, but we could as logically have assumed that he was Quebecois or from any other Francophone country or region.

c.

Then again, there are always plenty of historical characters (and historical literary characters), which may provide a long list of infamous French names associated with treachery, back-stabbing and similar tales of stolen glory that Claude represents...


I do not know any names myself, not knowing enough French history nor literature...

oooh, I'v got a made-up one that I just created from an online French Dictionary...

Claude de la Suçon (translated as *Of the love bite*)...
or the not so good Philtre (love potion)
etc...

She says "he was French" - to me that's nationality and not language. Same as with "he's English" - I assume that means from England, else I'd probably say the person was "anglophone" so as not to confuse the person I'm talking to.

Of course... I'm in a category of people that's used to making these distinctions else everyone gets us all mixed up for something we aren't. *lol* You might say I'm French, but I'm not from France (and as such I'm just a francophone) and you could say I'm American, though I'm not from the US - I'm just a girl who happens to live someplace on the American continent and whose first language is French. Confused anyone yet? hehehe!

Claude de Sade?

c.

No, I think that's his cousin, Mark.

Mark Qui?? (I know I should have resisted.... but....)

c.

*choking with laughter*

Nice one!

lol
well I don't think that is quite what I had in mind, but :


how about:
Claude Cochon d'Amore (the Love Pig...)

I have used Claude Guillot (pronounced gee-oh with a hard 'g' [instead of the soft 'g' which sounds like a 'j']) because of a guy I went to college with who was self-important and superior and smug and very irritating. (He dropped out before he finished the first semester). I also made him use 'DuBois' (pronounced doo-bwah) when he was using a false identity.

But whatever you come up with will be fine. If he's going to be a major character, may I suggest 'Michaud' for no particular reason?

just wanted to clarify - "Malfois" is Olympe's suggestion , not mine

c.

*lol* Terry, I love "Guillot", it sounds great!! Quite close to "guillotine" and that kinda creates a nice image, to me... hehehehe!

Michaud is nice, too. I wouldn't use it myself, but only because Claude Michaud is the name of a rather well known Quebec actor - who happens to be nice and amusing, not at all evil and annoying. *lol* So the mental image wouldn't fit in my head. *giggles*

I've been trying to find some sort of pun we could make with his name (like the one that's being used for Ralph.. *lol*) but I couldn't find any English words that start with the right sound... Or French ones, for that matter. Well, OK, I found one - claudicant - but I have no idea how to turn that into a first/last name combination and it's really not that funny anyway. Oh hum.

WOOPS....... Sorry about the mis-quote there... do not have a clue as to how I made that mistake


Claude: and puns...


hmmm
let's ramble a bit (because isn't procrastinating from the real world fun!!!!!!!!)

Claude.....Claw/Claws... reminds me if Inspector Gadget
and the image is closer to Mr Smith from Vixen etc (as opposed to luckabe)

Claude......Flawed....
Claude... Forward (as in his manner was very forward...)
C.............Coward
C.............Clod
..............clout


btw. I liked the Guillotine reference
then if you use DuBois there is always "THE DUBIOUS Monsieur Claude DuBois" (but is that what you were going for Terry, I read your fic when LL goes into space and Claude is murdered?)
and I loved that fic....one of my fav's the write stuff

Oh my gosh! You guys cracked me up with some of those.

But they were all really wonderful and helpful suggestions. Sorry it's taken me so long to respond! I've been away for the past few days with no internet access and no way for my L and C fix. *sigh.* But this is all wonderfully helpful. I feel like it's my birthday and I get to go down and select a name...

Thanks everyone!

Laura

Claude Yarmoff? (say it to yourself)

LOIS:Don\'t be ridiculous. It was ...e was French -- he had this accent...


As for his last name I like " St. Dimas ".

Interesting that you chose St.Dimas

It adds a side to Claude that is not often seen in fandom, which is his penitence...

I read one story once (actually a favourite, but before I started saving to my hard-drive so cannot name it for you) whereby C. is dying of AIDS, and comes back because he must inform L. of the issue due to their past history.... if you want to pursue this angle, then I highly recommend it...does anyone know the story I mean... C. also gives L. his Kerth at some awards ceremony as a sign of his repentance...

Redemption by Irene Dutch

A delightful story. As normal with Irene's tales they pull on your heart stings.