Georgian surnames by region. Georgian surnames

Among the many generic names in the world, Georgian ones are one of the most recognizable. In any case, they are rarely confused with others. In the USSR, when everyone received a surname, nothing changed in Georgia. Georgian surnames older than the Russians by several centuries and no one thought of changing them or remaking them by analogy with the Russians, as happened in the autonomous regions. But if you dig deeper, not everything is so simple.

People who have no idea about the ethnogenesis of the Georgian people imagine it as something monolithic. In fact, united in politically it became after the adoption of Christianity, but the division into three groups within the Kartvelian language family still exists, especially in rural areas, and this is reflected in the composition of anthroponyms.

Linguistic information

Writing in Georgia appeared in the 5th century; in any case, no earlier sources of Georgian writing have been found. Before this, Greek, Aramaic, and Persian documents were known in the territory, but they did not reflect the local languages. Therefore, all information about the ancestors of modern Kartvelians can be gleaned either from foreign sources (of which, by the way, there are many), or on the basis of glottochronological data.

Thus, according to linguists, the Svans separated from the general Kartvelian community in the 2nd millennium BC. e., and the Iberian and Megrelian branches separated a thousand years later. The first surnames that were recorded in the 8th century reflect this difference. Initially, they were used as names of professions, but by the 13th century, place names and patronymics began to predominate.

Foreign influence on root composition

It so happened that the ancestors of the Kartvels lived somewhat away from the migration routes, although Hurrians, Caucasian Albanians, and Greeks took part in their ethnogenesis. At a later time, the territory of Georgia was under Persian and Turkish influence, which greatly affected the culture of the people. Abkhaz, Ossetian, Nakh and Dagestan peoples live near Georgia. Immigrants from these territories at one time acquired Georgian surnames for convenience, but the root of foreign origin remained.

Thus, the surname Sturua is Mingrelian in structure, but its root is Abkhazian; Dzhugashvili's ancestors came from Ossetia; The surname Khananashvili is based on a Persian root, and Bagrationi is based on an Armenian one. Lekiashvili have an ancestor in Dagestan, and Kistauri - in Chechnya or Ingushetia. But such anthroponyms in percentage not much, most often the root is of Kartvelian origin.

Classification of generic names

The first thing that catches your eye when talking about Georgian family names is their suffixes. Thus, -shvili and -dze in the surnames of Georgian celebrities are considered something of a marker of nationality (although these suffixes are also characteristic of local Jews). Some may recall other characteristic family endings in Georgia, but few people understand what they mean.

However, by looking at the suffix and root, one can learn about the origin of a person. Firstly, in each region preference was given to certain types of surnames, and secondly, Georgians have a high proportion of toponymic family names.

All surnames in Georgia can be divided into several groups:

• actually Georgian;
• Mingrelian;
• Laz and Adjarian;
• Svan

Moreover, some suffixes are common Georgian, so you will need to judge the origin by the root. If we do not take into account the Mingrelian, Svan and Laz surnames, then the Georgian ones themselves can be divided in more detail into:

• West Georgian;
• East Georgian;
• Pkhovskie;
• Rachinsky;
• pshavskie.

Family suffixes

Georgian family names include about 28 various suffixes. Their meaning and examples of beautiful Georgian surnames with them can be presented in the following table:

Family ending	Approximate lexical meaning	Origin	An example of a Georgian surname with the ending
-dze	"son" (obsolete)	western Georgia; now found everywhere	Beridze, Dumbadze, Gongadze, Burjanadze; but Japaridze is a Svan root in the surname
-shvili	"descendant", "child"	eastern Georgia	Maharashvili, Basilashvili, Gomiashvili, Margvelashvili, Saakashvili (Armenian root), Gligvashvili (common among the descendants of Chechens)
-ia, -aia	diminutive form	Megrelia	Beria, Gamsakhurdia, Tsviritskaya, Zhvania, Gogokhia, Bokeria
-ava	corresponds to Slavic -skiy	Megrelia	Sotkilava, Girgolava, Papava, Gunava; Mingrelians themselves can omit the suffix
-ani, -they	possessive princely surnames	Svaneti everywhere	Gordesiani, Mushkudiani, Ioseliani, Zhorzholiani Dadiani, Bagrationi, Orbeliani
-uri		Pkhov surnames	Apkhazuri, Namgalauri, Bekauri
-wow		Megrelia and Abkhazia	Gogua, Sturua (Abkhazian root), Rurua, Jojua, Chkadua
-ate	forms active participles	Racha	Mkidveli, Rustaveli, Pshaveli, Mindeli
-uli	option -uri	Dusheti	Turmanauli, Khutsurauli, Chorkhauli, Burduli
-shi	plural	Adjara, Laz ending	Khalvashi, Tugushi, Jashi
-ba	corresponds to -skiy	Laz ending	Lazba, Akhuba; not to be confused with the Abkhazian Achba, Matsaba, Lakoba and others - there are more of them
-skiri (-skiria)		Megrelia	Tsuleiskiri, Panaskiri
-chkori	"servant"	Megrelia	Gegechkori
-qua	"stone"	Megrelia	Ingorokva
-onti, -enti		Adjara, Laz suffix	Glonti, Zhgenti
-skua	Mingrelian variety - shvili	Megrelia	Curaskua, Papascua
-ari		has no clear connection	Amilakhvari
-iti, -ati, -eti	place names	without reference	Dzimiti, Khvarbeti, Oseti, Chinati

Suffixless construction of surnames

Georgian family names are built according to a certain rule - they consist of a root and a suffix. But not all of them correspond to it, although sometimes it may seem that there is a correspondence. For example, the surname Gverdtsiteli is formed not by a suffix, but by adding the stems: “gverd” - side and “tsiteli” - “red”.

An interesting group are anthroponyms Greek origin, which do not have typically Georgian endings. Greeks have lived in western Georgia since ancient times, at least port cities Colchis was Greek. This connection did not stop later, since the Georgian Orthodox Church was closely connected with Byzantium. After Georgia became part of Russia, Greek migrants from Turkish territories settled in coastal cities.

Since that period, such surnames as Kandelaki, Kazanzaki, Romanidi, Khomeriki, Savvidi have remained in Georgia, but their carriers can be both Greeks and Georgians, since no one has canceled the assimilation process.

Distribution and some facts

Statistics show that the vast majority of Georgians have surnames ending in -dze. As of 2011, the number of their carriers was 1,649,222 people. In second place is the ending -shvili - 1303723. Over 700 thousand people bear Mingrelian family names, the remaining endings are much less common. The most common surnames in Georgia today are:

Only the names of citizens of the country are taken into account. If we consider the entire population, then Mamedov will be in second place - an Azerbaijani or Dagestan surname. Male labor migration from the eastern borders existed before, and some migrants settle in Georgia permanently. The diversity of family roots in the eastern Caucasus is less, so specific gravity Aliyevs, Mamedovs and Huseynovs turns out to be high.

Famous representatives of the people

People are little interested in the origin of surnames in general, but they may be interested in a specific person. Celebrities are often asked where their roots come from and what the entry in their passport means. You can try to help those interested and present some well-known family names of people from Georgia:

1. Georgian director Georgiy Danelia bears a Mingrelian surname. It is based on the male name Danel (in Russian - Daniil).
2. Basilashvili contains the baptismal name Basilius (Vasily).
3. Hero of the War of 1812 Bagration had the original surname Bagrationi. Its ending is typically princely, since it belonged to royal dynasty. But its roots go back to Armenia, and in times before our era.
4. Vakhtang Kikabidze on his father’s side he descends from the Imeretian princes, but information about the root of the surname cannot be found, and the number of its bearers is small.

It is not always possible to establish the roots of some family names the first time. The first reason for this is the antiquity of the surname: the language has changed over the centuries, but the root has remained. The second reason is the presence of foreign roots adapted to the phonetics of the Kartvelian languages. This is especially evident in Abkhazia and among the Mingrelians. Abkhazian anthroponyms may have a Mingrelian model due to the long proximity of the two peoples, and, on the contrary, Mingrelian may not differ from the Abkhazian one.

A bunch of noble families, including princely ones, is of foreign origin - Armenian, Ossetian, Abkhazian, Nakh. In view of this, a literal translation of the root of the surname is difficult, especially if there is no information about ethnic composition population of a particular region in the Middle Ages. There are many similar surnames - for example, Chavchavadze, Chkheidze, Ordzhonikidze.

Georgian anthroponymy in Russian

There is still debate about whether it is possible to incline Georgian anthroponyms. In the very Georgian language no declination, so the question is not worth it. But some insist that the Mingrelian ending -IA, which is written down in Russian documents as -IA, should not be declined.

Of course, a native Russian speaker himself is able to figure out whether to incline someone else’s name or not. Everything depends solely on how its ending fits into the paradigm of the Russian declension. As a rule, generic names in -iya are declined according to the model of adjectival declension, but as soon as “a” is written instead of “I”, the number of people willing to engage in inflection decreases. Some cases are tricky, especially if there is an -aya at the end.

Thus, singer Diana Gurtskaya has a Megrelian surname, which does not change in masculine: her father wore the same one, not Gurtskaya. Nevertheless, it can be declined, but according to the model of nouns ending in -я. It doesn’t sound very familiar to the Russian ear, but there is a possibility. And surnames in -dze and -shvili are pronounced and written the same in all cases.

Attention, TODAY only!

You can find out Georgian surnames from other peoples of the world quite simply. They are distinguished not only by their beautiful sound, but by the presence of their own specific structural system and special endings-suffixes. They are formed by attaching one of them to the root. Each locality has different roots and endings, which makes it possible to determine a person's historical origins.

Story

The Georgian state has existed for several thousand years, but in ancient times it was divided into two regions: Colchis and Iberia

• Georgian male surnames with “-dze” are most numerous in western Georgia, and “-shvili” are common only among representatives of eastern Georgia. Representatives of noble families had the endings “-ani”.
• The endings of Georgian surnames “-ua” and “-ia” determine Mingrelian origin.

“Like its analogue from Georgia, Armenia has princely surnames with “-uni” and it also denotes the noble origin of its bearer”

Statistics of Georgian surnames from 1997, their meaning and interpretation

If we consider all Georgian regions together, the most popular here will be the same famous “-shvili” and “-dze”. The latter is most common in western regions. It is found in the regions of Imereti, Guria and Adjara. Surnames starting with “-dze” have ancient roots, while “-shvili” is much newer and dates back to the times of united Georgia. The ending “-shvili” is common in the regions of Kakheti and Kartli.

1. The suffixes “-eti”, “-ati”, “-iti” and “-eti” are the third most common after “-shvili” and “-dze”. Example: Rustaveli, Tseretili..
2. Suffixes “-ani” to the descendants of kings and nobles of the Migreli tribes. Example: Dadiani.
3. Surnames with “-uli”, “-uri”, “iya”, “-ava”, “-aya” are less common, but among Georgian celebrities they are quite common: Okudzhava, Danelia.
4. A very rare ending “-nti”, which has Chan/Svan roots. Example: Glonti.
5. The prefix “m-” with a root denoting profession was popular in eastern regions, closely associated with Persia. Mdivani means “scribe”, Mebuke means “bugler”. Many of them have been translated from the Persian alphabet into Georgian. People with such surnames can be found in the eastern regions.

“The most unique of all is Amilakhvari. This surname has its roots in Persia. Its main feature is that it does not have a suffix or ending. Found mainly among eastern highlanders"

List of the most common surname endings in Georgia as of 1997

1. Dze – 1.65 million. Adjara, Imereti. Means "son". The ending is found in men in western Georgia.
2. Shvili – 1.3 million. West of the country. Means “child”, “child”, “descendant”. Many female surnames are formed with this suffix.
3. Uri – 760 thousand Tsageri district, Mestia, Chkhetiani
4. Uli – 237 thousand. Eastern Georgia
5. Iani – 129 thousand. Western Georgia
6. Shi - 7263, Adjara, Guria
7. Skiri – 2375 Areas in the east
8. Chkori – 1831 Regions in the east
9. Kva – 1023 Regions in the east

Structure

Family names of Georgians are given and built on the basis of established rules.

• If a child is baptized, he is given a name, which can later be turned into a surname by adding a suffix ending to it. Example: Nikoladze. This is a fairly common practice. In the same way, they can be formed from Muslim (mostly Persian) names, words and titles. The Georgian surname Japaridze is derived from the Persian name for the profession “dzapar” (postman).
• Often there are surnames that indicate the origin of its bearer from a certain Georgian area. Example: Tsereteli from the village and fortress of the same name Tseret. They often have princely origin, although not all of its bearers are descendants of princes.
• There can only be one ending.

“There are many Georgian surnames with Russian elements in them. Some of them acquired Russian endings “-ev” and “-ov”, like Panulidzev, Sulakadzev, etc. It is also possible to Russify them by removing the Georgian suffix and replacing it with Russian ones. Example: Avalishvili - Avalov, Batashvili - Baratov. Some of them have undergone changes due to translation into the Russian alphabet and vice versa."

List of declension rules

Today, there are no particularly strict rules on this matter, but it is recommended to pay attention to the list of main cases when they cannot be persuaded.

• In case the male and female forms are the same.
• Ending with unstressed vowels
• Suffixes “-iya”, “-ia” and “-aya”

Example: Gurtskaya, Garcia, Heredia. They never bow down.

“Many linguists, believing that it is possible to inflect surnames from Georgians, do not recommend doing this in order to avoid subsequent mistakes”

The topic of Georgian surnames is certainly interesting and requires an in-depth study of the history of this ancient region. They are not only beautiful, but also have an important role and meaning for Georgian culture. It is not difficult to identify them. Most often, they are built from the names of their speakers, by adding special suffixes; on behalf of the region or locality in which he was born or simply inherited from his parents. Since Georgia is in ancient times was divided into eastern and western parts, the surnames of the inhabitants of these regions differ from each other. Thus, in the west of the country, surnames with the ending “-shvili” and roots derived from Christian names are common, while in the east, Persian influence is felt. Also in connection with the presence of Georgia in the Russian Empire And Soviet Union, some residents of Georgia have certain surnames with Russified endings, such as “-ov” and “-ev” in addition to the existing suffixes or even completely replacing them. There are more Georgian surnames on Dze than anyone else.

Dze
1,649,222 people
The ending corresponds to the Russian ending -ov. Most common in Western Georgia (Guria, Imereti, Adjara). As a result of migration, their speakers appeared in Racha-Lechkhumi and Kartli. Gongadze (Imereti), Dumbadze (Guria), Silagadze (Lechkhumi), Archuadze (Racha). If you pay attention to the root of the surname, then by some signs you can determine its exact origin. Excl.: Japaridzes are mainly Svans. The surname Beridze is most often borne by Georgian Jews.

Shvili
1,303,723 people
Translated as child, child. It is usually found in Eastern Georgia (Kartliya, Kakheti, Meskheti, Javakheti). The surname Maharashvili is found mainly among Kakhetians. In frequent cases, bearers of surnames in -Shvili (especially in -Ashvili) are of non-Kartvelian (including Jewish) origin: Aslanikashvili (root Aslan), Gligvashvili (this surname is found among Chechens living in Kakheti), Saakashvili (from Armenian name Sahak), Dzhugashvili (from Ossetian surname Dzhugayts).

Eeyore(s)
-aia (-aya)
494,224 people
Diminutive endings for nouns. Distributed in Megrelia and Abkhazia. Often found in Abkhazia. Example: Beria, Gulia, Gurtskaya, Tsviritskaya.

Ava(s)
200,642 people
Also, the Mingrelian ending probably corresponds to the Slavic -skiy, but it is usually not pronounced by Mingrelians. Example: Girgolava, Girgola.

Ani(s)
129,204 people
Svan ending (analogous to -skiy), now common in Svaneti, Lechkhumi, Imereti and Racha.

In Eastern Georgia, the consonant Georgian ending -ani is found, indicating a very noble origin. The difference can only be determined by knowing equally the Svan and Georgian languages ​​based on an analysis of the root of the surname.
Armenian surnames in -yan in Georgian transcription are read with the ending -iani. Petrosiani.

Examples: Gordesiani (Svaneti), Dadeshkeliani (Svaneti, princely surname), Mushkudiani (Lechkhumi), Akhvlediani (Lechkhumi), Gelovani (Lechkhumi, princely surname), Ioseliani (Imereti), Zhorzholiani (Imereti), Chikovani (Megrelia), Dadiani (Megrelia, princely surname, they were the rulers of the entire region), Orbeliani (princely surname), Kitovani.

Uri
76,044 people
This ending widespread in Mountainous Georgia among the peoples of the Pkhov group (Khevsurs, Mokhevians, Tushins). For example: Dzidziguri, Apkhazuri.

Ua (-uya)
74,817 people
Megrelian ending, most often found in Abkhazia and, less commonly, in Georgia. For example: Chkaduya, Gogua.

Ate (-ate)
55,017 people
The endings are usually found in Racha; outside its borders only Pirveli (Svaneti) and Machabeli (Kartliya) are known. They are a form used to form participles, for example, Mkidveli (from kidva - to buy). Pr: Pshavel, Rustaveli.

Uli
23,763 people
The phonetic variant is Uri, common among the peoples of the Mtiul-Pshavian group (Mtiuls, Gudamakarians, Pshavs) in Mountainous Georgia.

Shi (-sh)
7,263 people
Laz ending. Found in Adjara and Guria. Plural view numbers.
For example: Khalvashi, Tugushi.

Ba
Quantity unknown
Laz analogue of Mingrelian -ava. A very rare ending. Not to be confused with Abkhazian -ba

Skiri (-skiria)
2,375 people
Rare Mingrelian ending. For example: Tsuleiskiri.

Chkori
1,831 people
Rare Mingrelian ending. For example: Gegechkori.

Kwa
1,023 people
Rare Mingrelian ending. For example: Ingorokva. Kva - stone.

Enti (-onti)
Quantity unknown
Lazian and Adjarian suffix. For example: Glonti, Zhgenti.

Skua (-skua)
Quantity unknown
Megrelian version - shvili. Found in Megrelia.

Ari
Quantity unknown
Rare ending. Example: Amilakhvari.

The surnames of Pontic Greeks starting with -idi, -adi and -aki are often considered Georgian.
(Savvidi, Kivelidi, Romanidi, Kandelaki, Andriadi, Kazanzaki).

The surname Marr is found in Georgia, whose bearers also live in Europe.

Chechen origin have the following genera: Chopikashvili, Kazbegi, Tsiklauri, Tsitskashvili.

Megrelian endings: -ia, -iya, -aia, -aya, -ava, -va, -ua, -uya, -skiri, -skiria, -chkori, -kva, -skua, -skaya.
Laz and Adjarian endings: -enti, -onti, -ba, -shi, -sh.
West Georgian ending: -dze.
Without territory bindings: -ari.
East Georgian ending: -shvili.
Svan endings: -ani, -oni.
Rachin endings: -ate, -ate.
Pkhov ending: -uri.
Mtiulo-Pshava ending: -uli.

Georgian surnames are quite easy to recognize among all others. They are distinguished by their characteristic structure and noticeable ending. Georgian surnames are formed using two parts. They are the root and the ending. With good orientation in this topic, you can accurately say in most of the cases presented which region of Georgia this or that surname belongs to. There are only thirteen known types of different endings belonging to Georgian surnames.

Georgian surnames - origin of Georgian surnames

The history of Georgia goes back several thousand years. In ancient times, the country did not have common name, but was divided into two parts. Western Georgia was called Colchis, and Eastern Georgia was called Iberia. Iveria was in contact with Iran and Syria, it had weak connections with ancient world. In the fifth century AD, Georgia became a Christian country. By the thirteenth century, Georgia had become a powerful state in the region, with reliable trade links with both the East and Europe. The entire history of Georgia is filled with the struggle for independence. At the same time, the population of Georgia created a unique and high culture.
It is believed that true Georgian surnames end in “dze”. Such surnames occur using the genitive case. People whose last name ends with “shvili” often belong to those people who do not have entirely Kartvelian roots. From the Georgian language this suffix means “son”. If a person’s Georgian surname ends with “ani,” then you have a person with a very noble origin. Such surnames are very ancient in origin. Armenians also have such surnames. Only theirs ends in “uni”. Georgian surnames that end in “ua” and “ia” are of Mingrelian origin. There are many more family suffixes, but they are rarely used.

Georgian surnames - list of Georgian surnames

Still, the most common among Georgian surnames are those that end in “dze” and “shvili”. Throughout almost the entire territory of Georgia you can find surnames with “dze”. They are very often found in Guria, Adjara and Imereti. They are rarely found in the eastern part of the country. Surnames ending in “shvili” are predominantly found in Kartli and Kakheti, which are located in the eastern part of Georgia. Translated from Georgian into Russian, these endings mean “born” or “son”, respectively. Now in modern times, it is generally accepted that the ending “dze” belongs to the oldest genealogies. The ending “shvili” is considered to belong to more modern genealogies. Unofficial statistics number about three million people with such surnames.
When a newborn is baptized, he is given a name. The beginning of some Georgian surnames begins with this name. Several similar examples can be given. These are Matiashvili, and Davitashvili, and Nikoladze, and Georgadze, and Tamaridze. There are many examples. Another part of Georgian surnames takes its origins from Persian and Muslim words. When studying the roots of surnames, small controversial issues. For example. If you study the roots of the Japaridze surname. This surname can be derived from both the Muslim name Jafar and the Persian dzapar, which means “postman” in that language.

Georgian surnames - endings of Georgian surnames, meaning of Georgian surnames

A special group of surnames includes Georgian surnames that end in “eti”, “eli”, “ati” and “iti”. You've probably heard such Georgian surnames as Rustaveli and Tsereteli. The most common Georgian surnames are Khvarbeti, Dzimiti, Chinati. Another group of Georgian surnames includes surnames that end in “ani”. Many examples can also be given. These are Dadiani, Akhvelediani, and Chikovani. The pedigrees to which these surnames belong start from famous rulers Megrelia. Not so common, but there are still surnames belonging to this group that end in “uli”, “uri”, “ava”, “aya”, “ua” and “iya”. Among them are many representatives of star families, such as Beria, Danelia and Okudzhava.
It is very rare to find Georgian surnames that end in “nti”. They are of Chan or Svan origin. For example, such surnames as Zhgenti, Glonti. Among such surnames you can find surnames that contain the name of the profession and the participial prefix “me”. Examples: Mdivani. This surname comes from the Persian word nodivan, which translates to advice. Mdivani means clerk. The surname Amilakhvari is of interest. It is of Persian origin and is a familiar suffixless formation. The Georgian surname Mebuke is translated from Persian as a bugler, and the surname Menabde is a burka maker.

Georgian surnames - Russification of Georgian surnames

When Georgian surnames penetrated Russian onomastics, they were not distorted, even despite the unusual combination of sounds and their length. But you can meet individual cases Russification of Georgian surnames. For example, the Georgian surname turned into the surname Orbeli, and the surname Muskhelishvili into the surname Muskheli. Some Georgian surnames contain the suffixes “ev”, “ov” and “v” appended to them. There are many examples of such surnames: Sulakadzev, Panchulidzev. During Russification, Georgian surnames that end in “shvili” are very often shortened. The surname Avalov is derived from the Georgian surname Avalishvili, Andronnikov - Andronikashvili, Sumbatov - Sumbatoshvili, Tsitsianov - Tsitsishvili, Baratov - Baratashvili, Manvelov - Manvelishvili and many other surnames that we are accustomed to consider Russian.
It is worth adding Abkhaz surnames to the Kartvelian surnames that were considered. The Abkhaz language belongs to the North Caucasian group. In modern times, fifteen percent of the population of all Abkhazia are Abkhazians. This is in most cases due to the fact that larger number Abkhazians have Mingrelian or Georgian surnames. There are also specific Abkhaz surnames, the final element of which is “ba”. This is Eshba, and Lakoba, and Agzhba.

Georgians (3 million 670 thousand people; self-name Kartvelians) belong to the South Caucasian (Kartvelian) group of the Iberian-Caucasian family of peoples; constitute the main population of Georgia; also live in other areas former USSR; several thousand Muslim Georgians live in Turkey and Iran.

The formation of the Georgian people began in ancient times. IN early middle ages based on the merger of mainly three related tribal groups: the Karts, who inhabited Eastern and Southwestern Georgia; Mingrelo-Chanov (Mingrelo-Lazov) - the main population of the South-Eastern and Eastern Black Sea region and Svans - the highlanders of Central Georgia - the Georgian nation was formed. In the 5th century In Eastern Georgia, writing was born and literature emerged. From this time on, all Kartvelian tribes began to take an active part in the development of the Georgian literary language. The formation of the modern Georgian nation began in the 19th century. in the era of intensive development of bourgeois relations on the territory of the Russian Empire.

The anthroponymy of Georgians reflected all the complexities of their historical path. The sources of the Georgian name book are very diverse. In conditions of close and long-term communication between Georgians and the peoples of neighboring regions and state entities (North Caucasus, Armenia, Iran, Byzantium, the Arab Caliphate, etc.) foreign names were included in the Georgian anthroponymic “repertoire” in the traditions of local cultural and linguistic characteristics. The early adoption of Christianity from Byzantium brought church names which have become mandatory.

Names dating back to oral folk art, were distributed mainly among masses and, as a rule, were not canonized, for example: husband. Mgelika wolf cub, Dzaglika“puppy”, “dog”, female. Mzekala sun-virgo. To the names of this type include such as the still popular husband. Badri, Mindia, wives Dali, Tsiala. Most of them are a product of Georgian (Kartvelian) word formation itself. The fund of Georgian anthroponyms that existed in the past in certain ethnographic groups Georgian people (Khevsurs, Pshavs, Imeretians, Gurians, Mingrelians, Svans, etc.); Over time, these names gained nationwide distribution.

A peculiarity of Georgian anthroponyms of foreign origin can be considered that they sometimes exist exclusively among Georgians. This is, for example, the history of the name Vakhtang, arose in the 5th century. and related to Iranian cultural world, although it is completely unfamiliar to Iranians. During the period of the developed Middle Ages, when close cultural contacts were established between the peoples of Transcaucasia and Iran, old Iranian names began to be revived in Georgia and new ones began to penetrate. And in in this case we are faced with the peculiarities of borrowing names by Georgians. For example, husband. Rostom, Bezhan, Givi - Georgian forms of Iranian names Rustam, Bijan, Giv, which are the names of the heroes of the Iranian epic “Shah-name”. These names, unusual for the Iranians themselves, became widespread among Georgians, since that part of the famous Iranian epic in which the named heroes act was especially popular among Georgians and even became part of their folklore (“Rostomiani”). With the penetration of Perso-Arabic literature into Georgia, still popular female names of Persian and Arabic origin began to be borrowed from it: Leila, Turpa and etc.

Even in the early Middle Ages, they were widely circulated among Georgians and now popular names Biblical and Greek-Byzantine origin: David, Isaak (Isaac), Mose (Moses), Ekvtime (Eufimiy), Ioane (John), Giorgi (George), Grigoli (Gregory) etc. However, here again we are faced with the peculiarities of Georgian borrowings. For example, common female name Eteri comes from the Greek word aither“ether” This word in Georgian form is etheri - as a colorful epithet, it is found in ancient Georgian literature. Thus, the name arose from “foreign material”, but received a purely local national connotation. (Eteri- the heroine of the famous medieval Georgian love epic “Eteriani”.)

Georgian names, especially male half-names, are often used in the form of the vocative case developed in the Georgian language, for example: Andro(from Andria), Dato(from David) etc. Nicknames of a nickname nature have long been popular in Georgia: husband. Bichiko boy, Chichiko“little man”; wives Gogol girl, Cira“a beautiful maiden”, etc.; metaphorical names like Raindy“knight”, etc. You can even establish the time of occurrence of some of them. For example, the first bearer of the now popular name Vaja“courageous man” was a famous Georgian poet Luka Razikashvili, had a pseudonym Vazha Pshavela(1861 - 1915). It is noteworthy that for the first time among Georgians named And copper“Hope” was named by King Irakli II (1748 - 1796) by Vazha Pshavela’s grandfather, which marked the beginning of the popularity of this name among Georgians.

With the annexation of Georgia to Russia (1801), the penetration of Russian names and names popular in Russia into Georgian anthroponymy began. And again the borrowed anthroponyms receive a purely Georgian design. For example, the name that has become widespread in Georgia Vladimir(cargo. Vladimeri) in half name Volodya in Georgian it began to sound like Flado. By some names one can judge the conditions of contact between Georgians and Russians at the time of borrowing a particular name. So, Georgian name Iagora penetrated into Georgia through live communication from Southern Russia where it sounded in the form Jagor(from Egor- Russian variant George).

Among the Georgian names there are many that testify to the connections of Georgians with neighboring peoples at various stages of their history - the names of ancient Ossetian, ancient Vainakh (Vainakhs are the ancestors of modern Chechens and Ingush) origin, these include: Zaire from Sourmag black-armed, Tatash from Tatraz- one of the heroes of the Ossetian Nart epic, Jokola from the anthroponymic fund of the Ingush, etc. Quite a few names of Turkish origin are included in the Georgian name book, but it must be borne in mind that Turkish names It was not the Turks themselves who spread among the Georgians, but the Laz, who from the beginning of modern times had taken the path of “Turkification” and who in Georgia were usually called “Turks.”

WITH late XIX and especially in the 20th century. as a result of Georgia's accession to European culture The names of heroes are gaining wide popularity among Georgians Western European literature: Albert, Maurice, John, Carlo etc. After the victory Soviet power in Georgia (1921), Georgians paid tribute to the general trend of that time: artificial anthroponyms appeared, which essentially never took root: Dictatorship, Communists etc. In the process of the struggle for peace, which became especially widespread after the Second World War, names like Omismteri“enemy of war”, etc.

It is extremely rare for men and women to have the same name (cf. Russian. Vasily - Vasilisa, Valentin - Valentina and so on.). A rare, if not the only, exception is the name Suliko“darling” (there is no category of grammatical gender in the Georgian language), which entered Georgian anthroponymy thanks to the famous song of the same name based on the words of A. Tsereteli (1840 - 1915).

The ethno-tribal diversity of the Kartvelians was primarily reflected in the Georgian families. For example, Georgian surnames of the lowland zone, as a rule, end in its western half with -dze and in the eastern -shvili. These anthroponymic formants are known even in the most early period ancient Georgian writing and are translated as “son”, “descendant”. For the surnames of the mountainous regions of Eastern Georgia - Pshavia, Tusheti, Khevsureti and some others, the ending is characteristic -uri, -uli. This formant, which generally plays an active role in the Georgian language, indicates territorial or clan affiliation. In Western Georgia and especially in areas such as Guria, Imereti, Adjara, the same -dze And -shvili, and -ate, playing the same role as in Eastern Georgia -uri, -uli. The Mingrelo-Chan subgroup has still preserved three anthroponymic formants - - ishi(performing the same functions as -uri, -uli, -eli), -ava And -ia, For example: Jashi, Tandilava, Kiria etc. The last two suffixes are possibly of late origin, and their anthroponymic functions are not entirely clear. Typical endings for Svan surnames are -iani And -ani, For example: Kopaliani, Gulbani and so on.; the functions of these formants are the same as -uri, -eli, that is, they indicate territorial or tribal affiliation.

Many roots of Georgian surnames, as in the anthroponymy of other peoples of the world, carry a certain semantic load. It is often possible to trace centuries-old ethnic processes, which actively took place in the context of contacts between Georgians and neighboring peoples. For example, the roots of surnames Khurtsidze And Sturua clearly of Ossetian origin (cf., respectively, Osset. khurts“hot” and shit“big”, “great”); Among the Georgian surnames of Abkhaz origin, one can indicate not only such as Abkhazava, which does not need etymology, but also Machabeli from an Abkhazian surname Achba; surnames of Adyghe origin include Abzianidze, Kashibadze and some others. In Eastern Georgia there are many surnames of Dagestan origin, for example Lekiashvili from leki- the general name of Dagestanis in the Georgian language; Vainakh - Malsagashvili, Kistiauri and so on.; Azerbaijani - Tatarishvili; Armenian - Somkhishvili from some-hi- Georgian name for Armenians, etc.

Georgian male middle names are formed by joining the father's name in the genitive case of the word dze son: Ivane Petres-dze and so on. Female middle names in Georgian they also retained an archaic form in the form of adding to the father’s name in the genitive case an ancient Georgian word that has almost fallen out of use in modern speech, -asuli(adequate to Old Russian daughter): Marina Kostas-asuli etc. However, patronymic names are practically excluded in live communication between Georgians. They are usually used in official documents. In party and Soviet institutions, often in official business situations they use the word amkhanagi“comrade”, calling the person only by his last name. In family and everyday communication, as well as in academic circles, the address predominantly contains the word loaf(most equivalent to Russian sir and Polish pan) in combination exclusively with the name, regardless of the age, rank, position, etc. of the person being addressed.