Generates realistic, pronounceable synthetic surnames using phonetic onsets, vowels, and common surname endings (e.g., `-berg`, `-ton`, `-man`, `-wood`, `-ford`). Supports strict exclusion lists (e.g. to guarantee real investigator surnames are never generated) and reproducible seed-based sampling without mutating the global RNG state.
Usage
generate_last_names(
n = 10,
seed = NULL,
exclude = character(),
max_tries = 100L
)Arguments
- n
Integer, number of unique names to generate (default 10).
- seed
Optional integer, random seed for reproducibility.
- exclude
Character vector of surnames (case-insensitive) that must not be generated.
- max_tries
Integer, maximum attempts multiplier before throwing an error if distinct names cannot be generated.
Examples
# Generate 5 random last names
generate_last_names(5)
#> [1] "Nearell" "Trietrevoton" "Hiewoaford" "Clailienis" "Boploford"
# Reproducible generation with exclusions
generate_last_names(3, seed = 1, exclude = c("Madison", "Davison"))
#> [1] "Fajeford" "Nesin" "Draimousen"