Keeping my ponies canon

[dynamite]

This is just me but when I make an OC I want the ponies to be in canon. So I have a question to everyone on the lore of MLP. Does their name have to completely reflect their cutie mark? Because Pinkie Pie seems to be an exception to this rule (Pinkie Pie has balloons for a cutie mark but Pinkie Pie doesn't sound like balloons :p), and on second thought Celestia's name does not reflect the sun on her flank but then again I guess some can argue that the sun is a "celestial" body.

[Ramisha]

I don't think ponies should share their name with their cutiemarks. Maybe in some elements, but not ALWAYS.
Let's say Twist: her cutiemark is sweets, that has nothing to do with her name.
My pony's name is Forest Wyvern and she has a silver wyvern with a pencil cutiemark.
Also, not all of a pony's talents have to show on their cutiemark. Just look at Rarity; her cutiemark reflects her gem finding spell but she's also a skilled designer.

[Coffee Rush]

Twist could be referring to a peppermint twist, or a candy cane. She does look like a candy cane, though. Nonetheless, I don't think the names have to be, though it seems like it in the show.

[Gracie Sky]

When I name my OCs, I will avoid naming him or her something that contains a direct correlation to his or her cutie mark, unless the OC in question is going to be a background pony. The more specific a name is, the harder it is to believe the authenticity of it. For example, I have a painting expert pony named Paint Brush. This is an implication that his parents named him Paint Brush when he was born, but it should be impossible for them to have known his special talent would be painting. Only if they were also painters themselves or had reason to believe he was going to be a painter would they give him such a narrow name.

The best kind of names are symbolic to what their special talent is, as well as their family history and character specific quirks. It is also possible a pony changes his or her name, like Pinkie Pie did, to reflect a more current version of their self image. I would always suggest thinking about what the OCs parents would name their child in order to find a good starting point. Something vague, yet meaningful.

[dynamite]

It is quite questionable how the parents of the mane six knew the right name to name their ponies to match their cutie marks that wasn't there. Maybe there is a ceremony/ritual that determines their names? A sorting hat? Who knows there isn't enough information on that. I just think as part of a cartoon it just doesn't care how their cutie marks came to be connected with a name they were given at birth with a blank flank.

I just want to keep it how the cartoon is and if anyone felt threatened about all this I'm only lining this up on my ponies not on anyone's ponies out there because people can make that mistake on the purpose of this thread. Following canon is just sort of the kind of fun I have when making OCs.

[Ramisha]

Well, I think most ponies are named like this.

First, the foal's color scheme is taken into account.
If there's a theme the parents want for their foal's name to contain, that's okay, if there isn't one, they can make up one from the foal's color scheme.
Then they just search for a name that feels right for the pony.

Or maybe they name them like common language Argonians; the parents observe their child for a few weeks, and then name it.
E.g. an Argonian that runs all the time might be called Quick-on-feet, an Argonian that is adventurous can be called Wanders-ruins.
But Argonians aren't even closely connected tto ponies so I don't know why I brought that up-