Giving names with a first letter to match a person's assigned level is a tradition that began early on in the journey to Second Earth. It became law with the third great Admiral, whose son, Admiral Artemus, began tracking letters by implanting a chip into the arm of all citizens of the Beast at birth.

There are a few ways to change your letter. The most infamous is The Letter Trials. Someone who ascends every Letter Trial is assigned a new letter on the Top. A woman may marry and take her new husband's letter, and a K-guard failing in their duties may also be reassigned to a new letter (though more often they are simply reassigned to serve in the Belly).

In this discussion of letters, I would be remiss in mentioning the absurd fable of "unlettered" people existing within the Beast. Reality dismisses such a notion. An unlettered person would exist on the fringes of society: without medical care, food or water rations, a place to live, and most importantly without a chip, which K-guards are free to scan at their discretion. An unlettered individual would instantly be identified and entered into the Letter Trials.

The only true unlettered individuals who exist on the Beast are the Letter Trials combatants. When entering a trail, their chip is rendered useless, and they are given new, unlettered names. It is the first, and some say greatest punishment of the Trials: losing your name and letter forever.

- "The Fall of Earth and the Rise of the Ark Nations"