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* Character names in the stories often derive from words in languages other than English.

Smith seemed particularly fond of using numbers for this purpose.

For instance, the name " Lord Sto Odin " in the story " Under Old Earth " is derived from the Russian words for " One hundred and one ", сто один.

Quite a few of the names mean " five-six " in different languages, including both the robot Fisi ( fi-si ), the dead Lady Panc Ashash ( in Sanskrit " pañcha " is " five " and " ṣaṣ " is " six "), Limaono ( lima-ono, both in Hawaiian and / or Fijian ), Englok ( ng < sup > 5 </ sup >- luk < sup > 6 </ sup > < nowiki >- wikt: 六 # Cantonese | 六 < nowiki ></ nowiki >, in Cantonese ), Goroke ( go-roku < nowiki >- wikt: 六 # Japanese | 六 < nowiki ></ nowiki >, Japanese ) and Femtiosex (" fifty-six " in Swedish ) in " The Dead Lady of Clown Town " as well as the main character in " Think Blue, Count Two ", Veesey-koosey, which is an English transcription of the Finnish words " viisi " ( five ) and " kuusi " ( six ).

Four of the characters in " Think Blue, Count Two " are called " Thirteen " in different languages: Tiga-belas ( both in Indonesian and Malay ), Trece ( Spanish ), Talatashar ( based on an Arabic dialect form < big > ثلاث عشر </ big >, thalāth ʿashar ) and Sh ' san ( based on Mandarin 十三, shísān, where the " í " is never pronounced ).

Other names, notably that of Lord Jestocost ( Russian Жестокость, Cruelty ), are non-English but not numbers.