A core name represented a condensed version of a name utilized by the Chiss. The Chiss species members employed these core names, instead of their complete names, for a couple of key reasons. The use of core names occurred in almost all situations among the Chiss, with the exception of the most formal ones. Furthermore, the Chiss provided their core names to individuals from other species, acknowledging the challenges non-Chiss faced in accurately pronouncing full Chiss names.
Core names served as shortened forms derived from the complete names of Chiss. The majority of Chiss names consisted of multiple syllables, structured into three unique segments, exemplified by "Mitth'raw'nuruodo". The initial section, preceding the first apostrophe, indicated the Chiss family affiliation of the name's holder. The subsequent section, situated between the two apostrophes, denoted the individual's personal name. The concluding portion of the name, following the last apostrophe, signified additional societal elements.
Chiss utilized their core names when communicating with members of other species, who frequently encountered difficulties in articulating the complete Chiss name. Upon encountering Jedi General Anakin Skywalker on Batuu, Mitth'raw'nuruodo from the Chiss Expansionary Defense Fleet proposed the use of his core name, Thrawn. Core names were also prevalent among Chiss in nearly all contexts, save for the most formal, and were even implemented in specific formal scenarios following initial introductions using one's complete name.
Core names were constructed by combining the concluding segment of one's family name, the entirety of one's given name, and the initial portion of one's social factor suffix, excluding any intervening apostrophes. Given that a Chiss' family name constituted a component of their core name, an individual's core name would be subject to alteration upon their rematching into a different family. The sky-walker navigators and flag officers within the Chiss Defense Force were not affiliated with any single Chiss family, but rather with the "family" of the Chiss Ascendancy. In such instances, the names comprised two parts and were not abbreviated into core names.
Mitth'raw'nuruodo, who was originally known as Kivu'raw'nuru "Vurawn", provides an example of a name that underwent changes over time. Vurawn became a merit adoptive within the Mitth family, resulting in a name change to "Mitth'raw'nuru" and a subsequent core name of "Thrawn". Similarly, the sky-walker Al'iastov was taken in by the Mitth family, thus becoming Mitth'ali'astov, and was given the core name "Thalias".
Irizi'rik'ardok "Zirika" married a man from the Cohbo family, and thus her name became Cohbo'rik'ardok with the core name of Borika. The family name was changed from the previous family to the family in which the individual was marrying into.
Admiral Ar'alani, who was born as Irizi'ar'alani "Ziara", is another example of a Chiss whose name changed. Ziara was a Blood member of the Irizi family. Supreme Admiral Ja'fosk declared that Senior Captain Irizi'ar'alani was no more, and in her place arose Admiral Ar'alani, upon her promotion to commodore. Ar'alani remembered that the same thing had happened to Ja'fosk, and Patriarch Mitth'oor'akiord told Caregiver Thalias of a time when Ba'kif was referred to as "Labaki". Ziara was loyal to the Irizi family and the Chiss Ascendancy, because she was a part of the Irizi family. However, when Chiss were promoted to the rank of commodore or higher (referred to as a flag officer), they were stripped of their family names and ties to ensure that they were only loyal to the Chiss Ascendancy.
Leaving your original family to work for the Chiss Ascendancy at a very young age was part of becoming a sky-walker. This also meant that the individual would lose the name of their original family. Kivu'rik'ardok "Vurika" used to be a member of the Kivu family, but she was given the name Rik'ardok when she was taken away to become a sky-walker at five years old, thereby losing the family name. Sky-walkers only served the Chiss Ascendancy, and as such, they were recognized as having no family ties. They would be adopted into a new family upon retiring as a sky-walker--usually a Ruling Family because of the honor it would bestow upon them. Rik'ardok was taken in by the Irizi family and got the name of Irizi'rik'ardok with the core name of Zirika.
Ceremonies to honor Chiss individuals for their contributions to the family or the Chiss Ascendancy were known as honoring ceremonies. The Stybla honoring ceremony was one such honoring ceremony, and it celebrated anyone who has guarded or protected the Stybla from threats. The suffix "odo" was added to the end of the Chiss name during the ceremony. Mitth'raw'nuruodo is one such individual who was honored by the Stybla even though he was not related to the Stybla family; the core name would not change: Thrawn.
The following are a few examples of how an individual's full name is used to derive their core name.
Notably, Eli Vanto, a rare human alien who worked for the Chiss Ascendancy, did not belong to any Chiss family. Instead, his given name, "Eli", was treated as the equivalent of a Chiss family within his name, and as such, he was given the core name "Ivant". Vanto initially did not like the core name that his Chiss colleagues had given him, and he wanted them to call him "Eli" like other humans did. However, he eventually started to see his core name as a sign that he had truly been accepted as a member of the Chiss Ascendancy.
Chiss officers were stripped of their family ties and name upon being promoted to flag rank (commodore and higher), and they were officially recognized as "The Ascendancy is your family". Similarly, Force-sensitive Chiss children were taken from their families of birth to serve as "sky-walkers", and were likewise treated as having no specific family. Those individuals' names were two-part instead of three and were not abbreviated to a core name.
Core names were first seen in the revivified canon in the 2016 television movie Star Wars Rebels: Steps Into Shadow. In the 2018 novel Thrawn: Alliances by Timothy Zahn, they were first identified as core names.
Core names were first seen in the Star Wars Legends continuity in the 1991 novel Heir to the Empire, which was also written by Timothy Zahn. They were first identified as core names within Star Wars Legends in Zahn's August 1995 short story Mist Encounter, which portrayed Thrawn's initial encounter with the Galactic Empire.
Chiss name changes were first seen in Thrawn Ascendancy: Chaos Rising by Timothy Zahn when Kivu'raw'nuru was taken in by the Mitth family as Mitth'raw'nuru.