Well, here's an idea.
Even though it could cause arguments, how about you put the letter of your first preference behind your name in parenthises (sp)? Even without the ~asylum~ tag, we'd be able to recognize what each player preferred most. For example, my new name would be:
Joyeuse ~Asylum~ (M)
...and you know that I like melee units above all else. If I can't have melee units, you'd ask my next preference, like we do now (Which would be explosive...hehe).
For ppl with longer names, all that they'd need would be the letter. Example:
William Wallace (M)
...since we know he likes zerks so much.
Or none of the above. I'm just ranting because it's so late.
-Joyeuse