<p>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.</p>

<p>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 <em>trenni</em> arc) calls him "Mr. Lawrence" on pp. 238, 243, 248, 260... pretty much throughout their interactions.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-06-23T20:08:54.100Z
2017-06-23T20:08:54.100Z
Tiercelet
<p>Regarding the character of Kraft Lawrence from <em>Spice and Wolf</em>, 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 <em>Spice and Wolf</em> manga. In the bonus manga at the end, set in Japan, Lawrence is introduced thusly:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>Young Master Lawrence of the House of Kraft.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>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?</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-06-23T16:05:20.050Z
Tote Coll also seems to go by his last name more often than his first.
Shaymin Gratitude
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-06-24T07:54:50.347Z
The usage of "[familiar name](https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/familiar_name)" trips me since it's usually used as a nickname or how they are used to be called. Did you mean "[given name](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/given_name)"?
Aki Tanaka
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-06-25T17:33:35.387Z
@AkiTanaka Yes.
Shaymin Gratitude
<spice-and-wolf>
Which is Kraft Lawrence's familiar name, and which his surname?
# Which is Kraft Lawrence's familiar name, and which his surname?
Posted by: username_0 on 2017-06-23
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?
**Tags:** spice-and-wolf
> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Tote Coll also seems to go by his last name more often than his first.  
> **username_1**: The usage of "[familiar name](https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/familiar_name)" trips me since it's usually used as a nickname or how they are used to be called. Did you mean "[given name](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/given_name)"?  
> **username_0**: @AkiTanaka Yes.  
---
## 1 answers
### Answer by username_2 on 2017-06-23. Score: 4 | Accepted answer
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.
---
