Color Naming Rule



The Color Naming Rule is a set of guidelines that define how characters in the world of RWBY are named. The rules were first revealed by series creator Monty Oum as a guide for naming fan-created original characters. Virtually all canon characters follow the rule.

The rules state that names of characters in RWBY must be at least one of the following:
 * 1) A color
 * 2) Sound like a color
 * 3) Mean a color
 * 4) Otherwise evocative of a color

Characters usually have a distinguishing feature (clothing or hair/eye color) that matches their namesake, but this is not always the case.

In addition, all team names must be a four-letter acronym that spells a word that also abides by the above criteria.

Background
An in-universe justification for the rule is given by Professor Ozpin in the episode "Field Trip".

During the Great War, one side destroyed art as part of their goal of suppressing all forms of self-expression. In defiance, those who opposed this tyranny began naming their children after a fundamental aspect of art - color. This symbolic gesture demonstrated that neither they nor the generations to come would tolerate such oppression. The latter group eventually prevailed, and the tradition of naming children after colors continues into the present day.

Characters
Barring some exceptions, all characters follow the color naming rule. However, exactly how the names of certain characters allude to colors is not always clear. This list attempts to extrapolate the intended connection in cases where it is not immediately apparent.


 * Ruby Rose - Ruby is a gemstone known for its red coloration. Roses are a flower known to come in red varieties, as referenced by her music theme, "Red Like Roses". Ruby also alludes heavily to the fairytale character Little Red Riding Hood. She also first appeared in the "Red" Trailer.


 * Weiss Schnee - Weiss or weiß is a German word meaning "white". Schnee means "snow" in the same language. Weiss also alludes to the fairytale character Snow White, and first appeared in the "White" Trailer.


 * Blake Belladonna - Blake is an Old English word meaning "black". Belladonna, or Atropa belladonna, is a plant known for its incredibly toxic berries which also have a dark purple to black coloration. Blake also first appeared in the "Black" Trailer.


 * Yang Xiao Long - Yang (阳) means "sun" in Chinese, which is evocative of the color yellow. Yang first appeared in the "Yellow" Trailer. Her fairytale allusion is Goldilocks, who is distinguished by her hair color.


 * Jaune Arc - Jaune is French for "yellow".


 * Nora Valkyrie - Nora is possibly named after the Nora Barlow columbine, a flower with a vibrant pink coloration. On RWBY merchandise, her emblem is often colored pink.


 * Pyrrha Nikos - 'Pyrrha" is derived from the Greek adjective pyrrhos (πυρρός), which means "flame-colored". Monty has also stated that she was named for her hair.


 * Lie Ren - Ren is Japanese for "lotus", a plant which is known for its bright pink flowers and green leaves. Ren's outfit is patterned after this color scheme, and on RWBY merchandise, his emblem is often colored pink.


 * Glynda Goodwitch - "Glynda" is based from the name "Glenda", the name is originally coined in Welsh's glân (“holy, fair”) and da (“good”). The concepts derived from Glynda's name, namely "holy" and "good" are often associated with the color white.


 * Peter Port - Peter is derived from the Greek word Πέτρος (Petros), meaning stone. Port may refer to port wine, which is typically a red.


 * Bartholomew Oobleck - In Dr. Seuss' children's book Bartholomew and the Oobleck, oobleck is a green sticky substance.


 * Adam Taurus - In Hebrew, Adam (אדם) means "Man" and Adom (אדום) means "Red". It is likely that Adam's name is a play on these two words.


 * Roman Torchwick - Roman's name and weapon could relate to the famous Roman candle firework which is normally associated with the color of fire (though it can be any number of common firework colors). There is also a shade of silver known as Roman Silver, which is blue-gray in color. Torch also brings to mind the colors of flame.


 * Cinder Fall - Fall is the American name for a season usually associated tree leaves turning red, orange and yellow. Cinders are the product of the combustion, also evoking flame-like imagery.


 * Emerald Sustrai - Emeralds are a green gemstone.


 * Mercury Black - Obviously, black is a color. Mercury is also an element with a metallic silvery-gray appearance, which is expressed by the character's gray outfit.


 * Hei "Junior" Xiong - Hei (黑) is Chinese for "black".


 * Melanie Malachite - Melanie is a Greek name derived from melania (μελανία) which means "blackness". Malachite is a mineral name derived from molochitis lithos (Μολοχίτης λίθος) which means "mallow-green stone". Appropriately, she has green eyes.


 * Miltiades Malachite - Miltiades (Μιλτιάδης) is a Greek name which means "red earth". Like her sister, she also has the green eyes appropriate to her last name.


 * Neopolitan - Neapolitan is a flavor of ice cream that combines strawberry (pink), chocolate (brown) and vanilla (white). Neo's eyes are capable of switching between these three colors, and her hair and outfit also follow this color scheme.


 * Cardin Winchester - Cardinal is a shade of red. It is also the common name of a species of bird with a rich red coat of feathers.


 * Russel Thrush - Russel is a name that means red.


 * Dove Bronzewing - Obviously, bronze is a color. Doves are also a bird species known for their pure white color.


 * Sky Lark - The sky appears blue during daytime. There is also a shade of blue know as sky blue.


 * Coco Adel - Possibly named after the cocoa plant, which comes in a variety of colors, but is mostly associated with its brown color when roasted.


 * Fox Alistair - Foxes are a carnivore species known for their reddish-brown or red-orange colored fur.


 * Velvet Scarlatina - Scarlatina is derived from "scarlet", a shade of red. Red Velvet is also a type of cake.


 * Yatsuhashi Daichi - Yatsuhashi are a Japanese treat, often colored a warm brown tone.


 * Sun Wukong - The Sun is usually associated with its yellow color. Sun's namesake is often associated or is evocative of the color gold.


 * Scarlet David - Scarlet is a shade of red with traces of orange.


 * Sage Ayana - The leaves of the sage plant, when dried up, adopt a brown-green color.


 * Neptune Vasilias - Neptune is a gas giant planet in the solar system with a deep blue color. Neptune is also the Roman God of the Sea, which is evocative of the blue color of the ocean.


 * Penny - Penny's name can bring to mind the color of copper, which pennies are coated in. It can also bring to mind the green color that copper takes on when it is oxidized.


 * James Ironwood - Iron is a metallic, chemical element with a silvery-gray luster.


 * Qrow Branwen - Crows are birds with black feathers. Branwen is Welsh, meaning "blessed white raven/crow", which corresponds to his first name.


 * Summer Rose - Roses are a type of flower that are usually a red color. White roses can also be referred to as "summer roses".


 * Taiyang Xiao Long - Like his daughter Yang, his name Tai Yang (太阳) refers to Sun, which is yellow.


 * Raven Branwen - When referring to color, Raven refers to a deep color of black. Branwen is Welsh, meaning "blessed white raven/crow", which corresponds to her first name.


 * Winter Schnee - Winter is a season known for snow, which is white. Schnee means "snow" in German.


 * Arslan Altan - Arslan is Turkish for "Lion". Lions are feline animals, with light yellow fur. Altan means "red dawn" in Turkish and "golden" in Mongolian.


 * Bolin Hori - Bolin is a Chinese name usually given to boys that could mean either "elder brother" or "rain", the later bringing to mind the color blue. Hori roughly translates to "yellow" in Basque.


 * Reese Chloris - Reese is an Old English name which means "fiery or ardent" which bring fiery and warm colors to mind. Chloris is derived from the Greek word chloros (χλωρός) meaning "green", especially in relation to youth and vigor.


 * Nadir Shiko - When said together, Nadir Shiko's first and last names sound like Nadeshiko, the Japanese name for a family of pink flowers commonly known as carnations.


 * Brawnz Ni - Brawnz sounds like "bronze", a metal alloy characterized by its brownish tinge. "Ni" is the chemical symbol for Nickel, a silver metal used in the making of bronze.


 * Roy Stallion - Stallions are adult male horses, usually depicted with a brown coat. Also, Roy comes from the Gaelic ruadh, which means red.


 * Nolan Porfirio - Porfirio comes from the greek Porphyry, meaning "purple clad".


 * May Zedong - Zedon is chinese for "east of the marsh", which is evocative of green and brown colors. May is also the fifth month of the gregorian calendar and the second month of spring, which brings to mind bright greens and pinks.


 * Nebula Violette - Violette is french for violet. Also, Nebulas can be seen in a deep violet.


 * Dew Gayl - Dew commonly forms on grass, which is typically green.


 * Gwen Darcy - Gwen is a Welsh name for "white" or "holy". Darcy is an Irish name, which translates to "dark one".


 * Octavia Ember - Embers are small flames or smoldering pieces of wood, which can be reddish-orange in color.


 * Tukson - His name is likely derived of the Spanish given name Tucson, which means "black base".


 * Cyril Ian - When said together, his name sounds like "cerulean", a deep blue.


 * Lisa Lavender - Her last name, "Lavender", is the name of a light shade of purple.


 * Lagune - His last name is derived from "Lagoon", which are small bodies of water.


 * Professor Peach - Peaches are fruits with pink or orange flesh.


 * Perry - "Perry" is the name of a alcoholic beverage made from fermented pears.

Teams
All team names are four-letter acronyms that spell a word that is a color, sounds like a color, means a color or is evocative of a color.


 * Team RWBY (pronounced "Ruby") - Ruby is a red-colored gemstone. The first four trailers released for RWBY, "Red", "White", "Black" and "Yellow", all shared a color theme that corresponded to one member of the eponymous Team RWBY. The lyrics of the song "Red Like Roses" refers to each of the four team members of Team RWBY by their color.


 * Team JNPR (pronounced "Juniper") - The Juniper plant bears blue berries and is known for the vivid yellow color that its leaves turn in autumn.


 * Team CRDL (pronounced "Cardinal") - A shade of red.


 * Team SSSN (pronounced "Sun") - Evocative of the sun, which is a yellow star.


 * Team CFVY (pronounced "Coffee") - Coffee is a beverage with a characteristic brown coloration.


 * Team ABRN (pronounced "Auburn") - Auburn refers to a reddish-brown color, especially with reference to hair.


 * Team BRNZ (pronounced "Bronze") - Bronze is a type of metal alloy with a characteristic brownish tint.


 * Team NDGO (pronounced "Indigo") - A color between blue and violet. One of the seven colors of the rainbow.

Trivia

 * Interestingly, Ozpin is explicitly stated as the only character who does not follow the Color Naming Rule by Monty, the only character officially confirmed as such. Monty enigmatically attributes this to "reasons". What this means, as well as its significance, is entirely unknown. Regardless of this claim, Ozpin alludes to the Wizard of Oz, who is associated with the color green, a color which is prominently represented in Ozpin's wardrobe.
 * The Color Naming Rule doesn't seems to be applied to pet animals, since Zwei's name doesn't reference any color.
 * Locations also don't follow the Color Naming Rule.