Many names from different nations are included. Amazing choice of names among different peoples

Abkhazia has been influenced by various cultures since ancient times. Representatives of many nationalities lived on its territory. This influenced the formation of Abkhaz names. And yet, Abkhazians remain faithful to their national names to this day.

There are still many controversial issues in the history of the Albanian people; even the meaning of a certain part of the ancient names remains unknown. However, Albanians remain true to their names, receiving a powerful charge of positive energy from them.

How are American names different from names in other English-speaking countries? Why is it so difficult for a foreigner to understand who, a man or a woman, we are talking about? How can we explain so many female names associated with flowers? What else do the names of America say?

Thanks to the widespread use of the English language throughout the world and the richness of English literature, English names are quite familiar to our ears. Moreover, there is some similarity between them and Russian names - the melody of pronunciation and the formation of diminutive forms. As in many other languages, the history of the origin of English names became a reflection of historical processes that took place in England.

Traditional Arabic names are very complex. Each element of such a name has a strictly designated purpose. A classic Arabic name can tell a lot of interesting things about its bearer. What is the meaning of modern Arabic names?

National Armenian names, of course, are the symbol that allows representatives of this ancient people to maintain their national unity.

Ancient Armenian names.

Some ancient Armenian names that have survived to this day appeared in the pre-Christian era. These are the names of pagan gods (Haik, Anahit, Vahagn), the names of Armenian kings and military leaders (Tigran, Ashot, Gevorg). Many names, both male and female, were formed from the names of various objects, abstract concepts, plants and animals. They evoke positive emotions - Arevik (sun), Vard (rose), Gohar (diamond), Mkhitar (consolation), Makrui (clean). A special group of names is associated with religion - Arakel (apostle), Sbrui (saint), Mktich (baptist).

Borrowed names.

Among the foreign names in the Armenian name book, the most are Persian and biblical borrowings - Suren, Gurgen, Movses (Moses), Soghomon (Solomon). During the Soviet period, Armenians willingly called children Russian names, reinterpreting them in their own way - Valod, Volodik (Vladimir), Serozh, Serzhik (Sergei). This is how they are written in official documents. In the last century, Armenians became fashionable for Western European names. Henry, Edward, Hamlet and Juliet can still be found among Armenians today.

Talking briefly about African names is not an easy task. After all, Africa is a huge continent inhabited by various peoples. Nowadays, there are more than three thousand tribal and clan groups that have different traditions, religions, languages, morals, and customs.

African Americans, descendants of slaves taken from Africa several centuries ago, for a long time did not have the opportunity to choose a name for a child “by the call of blood.” They were called by biblical names from the Old Testament. Now they are returning their native national names.

The Aztec culture lasted only 300 years and was swept away by the Spanish conquerors. But thanks to her bright personality and tragic story, she still excites the imagination. The mysterious names of the Aztecs contribute to this to a large extent.

The Bible is the most read and most quoted book in the world. Therefore, each of us is familiar with the names mentioned in it. But few people thought about the meaning of these ancient names. But all biblical male and female names have a deep meaning and contain a fairly complete description of their first bearers. First of all, this concerns Hebrew names. In classical Hebrew, words have hidden content and are associated with the essence of objects and phenomena. The similarity between the essence of a person and the name he bears distinguishes many biblical names.

Perhaps no Slavic people has preserved as many ancient names as in Bulgaria. The history of the origin of most Bulgarian names has Slavic roots - Zhivko (living), Iveylo (wolf), Lyuben (love), Iskra, Rositsa (dew), Snezhana (snow woman). Two-part names are still very popular - Krasimir, Lyubomir, Vladimir, Borislava, Desislava. Favorite national names are found in a variety of variants; many new names are formed from the same root. For example, “zora” (zorya, star) – Zoran, Zorana, Zorina, Zorka, Zoritsa. And how many “joyful” names are there - Radan, Radana, Radko, Radka, Radoy, Radoil, Radostin and simply Radost.

When we talk about Holland, we invariably remember tulips, mills, cheese and, of course, Dutch surnames, which are easily recognizable all over the world by the prefixes -van, -van der, -de. And few people know that names in the Netherlands not only appeared much earlier than surnames, but are still more important for the Dutch.

Irina, Alexey, Tamara, Kirill, Alexander, Polina and many other names have become so familiar, “ours”, that it’s hard to believe in their “overseas” origin. Meanwhile, these are names born before our era and imbued with the spirit of ancient Hellas. We can say with complete confidence that Greek names are the soul of the people. For example, many male Greek names reflect the idea of ​​the inevitability of fate, and their male bearers in our time not only see the “hand of providence” in all events, but are also ready to fight circumstances and are not afraid of the intensity of passions.

Why are Greek names popular?

The mystical power and enormous popularity of Greek names lies in their origin story. Some of them originate from ancient mythology - Aphrodite, Odysseas, Pinelopi. Others are associated with Christian values ​​- Georgios, Vasilios. Hebrew and Latin names easily adapted to Greek pronunciation - Ioannis, Konstantinos. Most male and female ancient Greek names had an analogue of the opposite sex, some forms have survived to this day - Eugene-Eugene, Vasily-Vasilisa.
Greek names are surprisingly melodic and characterized by positive energy - Eleni (bright), Partheonis (chaste), Chryseis (golden). In the rich nomenclature of the Greeks, there was also a place for foreign borrowings, which had to slightly change their sound, for example, Robertos. And each official name has a colloquial form (Ioannis-Yannis, Emmanuel-Manolis).

The meaning of a large group of ancient Georgian names is associated with the languages ​​of numerous ethnographic groups of Georgians - Khevsurs, Pshavs, Imeretians, Mingrelians, Svans, Gurians. Folk names were formed from various concepts and common nouns.

Dagestan is a country of mountains. This small territory is inhabited by Avars, Dargins, Kumyks, Lezgins, Chechens and other mountain peoples who speak more than thirty languages. But, despite such a number of languages, the system of names of all Dagestan peoples is largely the same.

Jewish names have a special history, and it is connected with the difficult fate of this ancient people.
Most of the ancient Jewish names have survived to this day thanks to their mention in the Old Testament. There are more than two thousand of them in the Bible. Many male names were formed from various names of God - Michael, Tsurishaddai, Yohanan. Sometimes theophoric names mean entire concepts - Israel (God-fighter), Elnatan (God gave).
Not all biblical names have religious connotations. Like many other peoples, a separate group of Jewish names highlights some attribute of a person - Yedida (sweet), Barzilai (hard as iron) or correlates with plants and animals - Rachel (sheep), Tamar (palm tree), Deborah (bee) ).

How did Jews “exchange” names with other peoples?

Even in Old Testament times, Jews had names borrowed from the languages ​​of neighboring peoples. The Chaldeans “gave” Bebai and Atlay to the Jews, and the Babylonians - Mordechai. In Jewish families one could find Greek and Roman names - Antigonus, Julius. And Alexander, popular in many countries, became Sender among the Jews.
As Jews became scattered throughout the world, some Hebrew names were forced to adapt to the indigenous languages. In Arab countries, Abraham turned into Ibrahim, David into Dawood. In Georgia, Yosef became Joseph, in Western Europe, Moshe became Moises. In Russia, many Jews used Russian names, which were close in pronunciation to traditional Jewish names - Boris-Berl, Grigory-Gersh, Lev-Leib. And such ancient Jewish names as Sarah, Dina, Solomon, Anna, Tamara, Elizabeth, Zakhar have long become international.

Many Indians name their children with names or epithets of gods. This is how they invoke divine mercy on their child. But in addition to the personal name, there is also a collective name. How can one determine the caste affiliation of a resident of India using this name?

At the end of the last century, Spanish names literally poured into our lives from television screens. The craze for Mexican and Brazilian TV series has led to Russia having its own Luis-Alberto, Dolores and, of course, “just Maria.” It’s no wonder that some Russian parents liked exotic names, as if filled with the hot sun. Another question is how such a Luis Alberto lives among the Pets and Fedorovs.

It remains a mystery whether it is the life-loving Italians who make their names so attractive, or whether the Italian name endows its bearers with positive energy. One way or another, Italian names have a special charm and warmth. Perhaps the secret is that almost all Italian names end with a vowel. This gives them melodiousness and melody.

Meaning of Latin names.

Most Italian names have ancient origins. Latin names were a distinctive sign of a person - Flavio (blond), Luca (who came from Lucania). Commoners received names derived from the titles of their owners - Tessa (countess), Regina (queen). Names such as Elena and Ippolito were borrowed from the myths of Ancient Greece, and Western European peoples enriched the Italian naming book with their names, rearranged in the Italian way - Arduino, Theobaldo.

Traditions of Italian naming.

Christianity not only brought some Hebrew and Arabic names to the Italians, but also forbade calling children “barbarian” names. The name for the newborn could only be chosen from the Catholic calendar, and the same names in the same family were repeated from generation to generation. This was due to the fact that children were traditionally named after their maternal and paternal ancestors. This custom has survived to this day. It led to the appearance of many derivative names in the Italian nomenclature. For example, Antonio - Antonello, Antonino, Giovanna - Giovanella, Ianella, Janella.

In any Kazakh family, the birth of a child is a big holiday. Therefore, the choice of a name for a newborn has always been treated with responsibility. Traditionally, the name was chosen by the grandfather or a respected person so that the baby would grow up to be a worthy person.

Modern Azerbaijani names are diverse in their origin and meaning. In religious families, children are most often called by Muslim names. According to folk tradition, children are given the names of respected people, prominent figures, and literary heroes.

Chinese names name a person’s personal characteristics and distinguish him from the numerous members of the collective name. Traditionally, male Chinese names celebrate masculine character traits, military prowess, and intelligence. What do women's names emphasize?

Classic male Roman names were a reflection of the way of life and traditions of Ancient Rome. All of them consisted of at least two parts - a personal and family name. Sometimes personal nicknames or names of branches of the main genus were added to them.

For Lithuanians at all times, a name has been a key word for determining a person’s identity. In ancient times, each of the Lithuanian names had its own individual meaning. If the name given at birth did not fit with the character or behavior of its bearer, then a nickname was chosen for him, reflecting internal and external qualities - Juodgalvis (black-headed), Majulis (small), Kupryus (humpbacked), Vilkas (wolf), Jaunutis (young).

Muslim names are a special layer of names that are permitted by Sharia law. Most of them are of Arabic origin, but there are names with Turkic and Persian roots.

Male Muslim names.

In Muslim countries, there are certain rules that are strictly observed when choosing a name for a child. Allah has 99 names, but man cannot bear the name of God. Therefore, the prefix “abd” (slave) is added to names - Abdullah (slave of Allah). The names of prophets and their companions are traditionally popular among Muslims - Muhammad, Isa, Musa. At the same time, Shiites do not recognize the names of the caliphs who came to power after the Prophet Muhammad (Umar), and Sunnis do not name children after the names of Shiite imams (Jawad, Kazim). Naturally, everything said concerns male Muslim names.

Female Muslim names.

Women's Muslim names captivate with their melody. According to custom, names for girls should delight the ear with a harmonious sound and emphasize the beauty and virtues of the fair sex. Women are compared to flowers (Yasmine-jasmine), the moon (Ayla-lunar-like), and their external attractiveness is highlighted (Alsu-beautiful). But the most popular Muslim female names remain the names of the mother of the Prophet Isa - Maryam, the wives and daughters of the Prophet Muhammad - Aisha, Fatima, Zeinab.

In German families, when choosing a name for a newborn, simple rules are strictly followed. The name must indicate gender and cannot be fictitious. Indeed, why invent non-existent names when there is already a large selection. Moreover, the law does not limit the number of registered names, and some parents give up to ten of them to their beloved child. Moreover, short forms of the name, for example, Katya, can be considered official.

Ancient German names.

The oldest German names appeared before our era. As in other languages, they described the virtues and characteristics of a person - Adolf (noble wolf), Karl (brave), Ludwig (famous in battle). There are only a few such names left in modern German, about two hundred. From the second half of the 8th century, Christian names gradually began to gain more and more popularity. Children are increasingly being called by biblical names of Hebrew, Greek or Roman origin. At the same time, the actual German names associated with religion appeared - Gotthold (power of God).

Borrowings.

The close ties of the Germans with other peoples brought borrowings from the languages ​​of Western Europe and even the Russian language into German culture. German parents give their children the names of famous actors and show business stars. Nowadays in Germany, original foreign names often become popular, which do not always comply with the laws of German spelling. So, Gertrude is next to Natasha, and Hans is next to Lucas. But traditional German names have always “won” over extravagant inclusions.

The history of the origin of Polish names, like that of other Slavic peoples, goes back to the pre-Christian era. Early Polish names arose from common nouns, which were essentially nicknames for people - Wilk (wolf), Kowal (blacksmith), Goly (naked). A child was often named in honor of a deceased relative, so some names were passed down from generation to generation and became entrenched in the popular name book. The division of society into classes singled out the nobility. In this environment, names formed from two components (Vladislav, Kazimir) became popular, which are still found in our time.

In Ancient Rome, the attitude towards names was more than serious. There was even a saying: “Names are not to be made public.” Therefore, the Roman priests avoided pronouncing the names of the patron gods of Rome - enemies would recognize these names and lure the gods to themselves. And slaves did not have the right to tell the name of their master to a stranger.

The vast majority of Russian names, so familiar to our ears, actually do not have Slavic roots. They appeared in Russian names during the period of the establishment of Christianity in Rus'. And, oddly enough, the original Slavic names were almost completely forced out of use. What did our distant ancestors call each other?

Ancient pagan names.

The pagan Slavs lived in harmony with nature, believed in the existence of souls in plants and animals, and endowed natural phenomena with mystical powers. The name served not only to distinguish people. It was both a personal amulet and a characteristic of a person. To ward off “evil spirits”, the child was often given an unsightly name - Crooked, Zloba. The affectionate name that the parents called the child was kept secret so that no one could use it to spoil the baby. The teenager, when some of his personal qualities were already manifested, was given a new name. Children were called names from the plant and animal world (Wolf, Nut). In large families, the name indicated the order of birth - Pervak, Nine. The names assessed the personality and appearance of their bearers - Durak, Krasava, Malusha. Old Slavonic nicknames have long disappeared from use, but at one time they became the basis for the formation of surnames - Volkov, Durakov, Karasin.

Russian names with Slavic roots.

Ancient names, consisting of two bases, which were originally the privilege of princely families, continue to live in the modern world - Yaroslav, Svyatoslav, Miroslava. Already in Christian Rus', the female names Vera, Nadezhda and Lyubov, popular at all times, were born. This is a direct translation of the Greek words pistis, elpis and agape (faith, hope, love). The Slavic names Olga, Oleg, Igor were included in the calendar, their use was legalized by the church.

Serbs are a South Slavic people who, despite the centuries-old domination of the Ottoman Empire, were able to preserve their national culture and language. Serbian names testify to this. The history of the origin of most Serbian names has Slavic roots.

The warlike nature of the numerous tribes that inhabited the lands of Scandinavia in ancient times left its mark on the origin and meaning of most Scandinavian names. Even the custom of naming itself was quite harsh - the father had every right to recognize the newborn as a member of the family and give him a name in honor of his ancestors or abandon the baby.
Many ancient Scandinavian names are derived from common nouns that name distinctive features of a person, names of animals, objects, or abstract concepts. Such nicknames could change as a new individual characteristic appeared.

Scandinavian loyalty to national names.

The rich mythology of the Scandinavians also could not remain aloof from the peculiar “fashion” for names - children were willingly named after mythical heroes. Even women's names often had a menacing connotation - Hilda (battle), Ragnhild (battle of the defenders). Most of these names have two stems, which makes them similar to the ancient Slavic names - Vigmarr (glorious war), Alfhild (battle of the elves).
The commitment of the Scandinavian peoples to their national names, which came from time immemorial, is worthy of respect. Even the spread of Christianity and the power of the church could not supplant patriarchal names. In the Middle Ages, a child could generally be baptized under any pagan name. Even later, the baptismal name remained secret, and in everyday life people used familiar old names. And representatives of the military elite even called only illegitimate children by Christian names.

Soviet names, the fashion for which swept the inhabitants of the Soviet Union in the first half of the twentieth century, amaze with their “originality”. It is impossible to imagine that now anyone would want to name their son Uryuvkos or Jarek. What do these names mean?

It so happened that the Tatar people “responded” to almost every historical event by forming or borrowing new names.
Pagan names had common roots with all Turkic peoples. Usually they indicated belonging to one or another clan and the social position of a person - Ilbuga (homeland of the bull), Arslan (lion), Altynbike (golden princess).

Arabic and Persian roots of Tatar names.

In the 10th century, Islam began to spread among the ancestors of today’s Tatars, and Arabic and Persian names became stronger in the Tatar name book. Some of them undergo changes, adapting to the Tatar language - Gabdulla, Gali. Female Tatar names of Arabic origin are still especially popular today. They are filled with positive energy and have a melodic sound - Latifa (beautiful), Valiya (saint).
In Soviet times, there was no longer a need to name children only with Muslim names; ancient names of Turkic-Bulgar origin - Aidar, Chulpan, Bulat - reappeared in everyday life. And outdated names (Chanysh, Bikmulla) were replaced by new ones - Leysan, Azat. In many Tatar families, children began to be called by European and Slavic names - Svetlana, Marat, Rosa, Eduard.

Variety of Tatar names.

There are a huge number of Tatar names. Their diversity is associated not only with extensive borrowing, but with the creative imagination of the Tatar people. This was manifested in the formation of new names with components from different languages ​​- Zhantimer (Persian-Turkic-Tatar), Shahnazar (Arabic-Persian). Female analogues of male names appeared - Ilhamiya, Farida. Despite the fact that the meanings of many Tatar names are difficult to determine, they are remembered for their beauty and originality.

In the Turkish naming book, names of various origins and meanings occupy a worthy place. Muslim families try to name their children by the names mentioned in the Koran. Folk names have a beautiful sound and interesting meaning.

Turkic names are an ancient mirror that reflects the Turkic ideas about the world, their way of life, and relationships in society. Names tell about the warlike character of their bearers, who the Turks worshiped, and what character traits they valued.

Uzbek names amaze with their diversity, bizarre construction patterns and multifaceted meanings. To some, these names may seem exotic and unusual. Their true meaning becomes clear if we consider the history of the origin of Uzbek names as a reflection of the way of life, traditions and customs of the people.

Ukrainian names differ little from Russian and Belarusian names and have a similar history of origin. This is explained by the historical community of the East Slavic peoples, close traditions and a common faith.

The history of the origin of ancient Finnish names is closely connected with the Finns’ subtle perception of nature. In the old days, names were formed from the names of objects and phenomena of the surrounding world - Ilma (air), Kuura (frost), Villa (grain), Suvi (summer). Until the 16th century, the Finns did not have their own written language, and the Finnish language was considered the language of the common people until the middle of the 19th century. Folk names were passed on from mouth to mouth, forgotten over time, and were replaced by new names borrowed from other peoples.

Ah, these luxurious French names! How they fascinated Russian society in the 19th century. All you had to do was change the name a little and put the emphasis on the last syllable, and the rustic Masha turned into the sophisticated Marie, and the bumpkin Vasya into the aristocrat Basil. At the same time, few people knew that French names, in fact, are “foreigners” in their homeland. Their origin is connected with historical events that led to numerous borrowings from the name books of various ancient tribes and peoples.

Historical borrowings of French names.

Since ancient times, on the territory of France, the population has used Celtic (Bridget, Alain-Alain), Greek and Hebrew names (Dion, Eva). The Romans left their family names (Marc, Valerie) as a “legacy” to the French. And after the German invasion, German names appeared in the name book (Alphonse, Gilbert). In the 18th century, the Catholic Church prohibited naming children with names not included in the Catholic naming calendar. The choice of names for French newborns has become limited, and borrowing has ceased.
In modern France, these restrictions have been lifted, and parents are free to choose any name they like for their child. Foreign names have become popular again - Tom, Lucas, Sarah. The French are quite warm towards Russian names, using them in a short form. Calling a little French girl Tanya or Sonya is especially chic. How to pronounce a Russian name with a “French pronunciation” in Russia.

Gypsies living in different countries not only preserve their traditions, but also have to adapt to different cultures and languages. This determines the complex system of gypsy names and the history of their origin. In the modern world, every Roma has an official first and last name, registered in their passport in full accordance with the laws and customs of the country of residence. But along with the official name, it is customary for Gypsies to have their own, Gypsy, “internal” or “secular” name. “Secular” names can be divided into proper Gypsy names, foreign names adapted to Gypsy culture, and directly borrowed names from other languages.

Nowadays, the vast majority of Chechens try to adhere to established traditions when choosing a name for a child. 90% of modern Chechen names are of Arabic origin. At the same time, borrowed Russian and Western names, mostly female, sometimes “penetrate” the Chechen name book. Some of them are even a short form of names - Lisa, Sasha, Zhenya, Raisa, Tamara, Rosa, Louise, Zhanna.

The history of the origin of Scottish names is like a mosaic. Each period of the difficult, eventful life of the Scottish people left its mark on the names. The most ancient population of Scotland - the legendary Picts, representatives of the Celtic tribes (Scotts and Gaels), Roman conquerors - all of them influenced the composition and meaning of Scottish names.

The Yakuts have always been very responsible when choosing a name for a child. Their names became the parents' wish to see their children strong, healthy and happy. If the name did not match the character or appearance, the person received a new name.

The choice of names for newborns is unlimited. Parents can create any name for their child. The main thing is that you can only use permitted hieroglyphs, of which there are about two thousand. How did the ancient samurai clan influence the formation of new names?

You are probably familiar with the phrase from the movie “Moscow Doesn’t Believe in Tears,” which has long become a catchphrase: “I need Georgy Ivanovich, aka Yuri, aka Gosha, aka Zhora, aka Gora...”

Why do different names have so many variations?

Why are people called the same names in different countries and even on different continents?

Science provides the answer to these questions anthroponymy, which studies the origin, evolution and functional components of names.

· Scientifically, proper or personal names (for example, Ivan, Maria, Svetlana) are called anthroponyms. By the way, anthroponyms also include patronymics, surnames, nicknames and even nicknames.

But let's focus on names for now. How is it that, living in different countries, having different histories, cultures and languages, we have, if not the same, then very similar names?

WE ARE UNITED BY HISTORY

In fact, everything lies in the story.

All nationalities, regardless of their territorial location, went through similar evolutionary milestones, a similar cultural path of development, during which the first and subsequent names appeared, as well as traditions of naming people.

In ancient times, people identified themselves with the Universe, believed in their origin and dependence on the nature around them - plants, animals, as well as natural phenomena. The reason for choosing a name was also the expected or desired qualities of the newborn person, as well as his external signs. Another significant “reason” for getting a name is the activity that the newborn’s family is engaged in.

The most obvious and, perhaps, well-known example of naming people from these points of view can be called names in Indian tribes. You have probably read and remember fascinating books about the Indians, where the main characters were called Vigilant Falcon, Leather Stocking, St. John's Wort, Faithful Hand, etc.

The same can be said about Old Russian names. Digging through the archives and descriptions of family trees, you can find names such as Pie Oladin, Rusin, Kozhemyaka, Dobr, Hitr, Molchan, etc. Agree that from the examples given you can easily guess what this or that family did, or what this or that person was like.

Many names that are still used today have come to us since pagan times, when people wanted to give their child a sonorous, promising or “happy” name.

For example, how would you decipher and compare two names like Valdemar and Vladimir? It turns out that they actually have a lot in common:

The Slavic name Vladimir consists of two parts and literally means “ own the world»;

In turn, Valdemar similarly means kingdom and glory (valtan + mar), so in Germany you can safely call Vova Valdemar.

A similar example of “big” names that have the same roots but different sounds is widely known and quite popular Henry and already forgotten Slavic Domazhir. Although it’s hard to believe, in fact, people with such names are full namesakes, since in the literal sense their names mean “wealth (“fat” - in the Slavic example) in the house.”

AND RELIGION

Religious beliefs, rituals, superstitions and traditions played a huge role in the emergence of names. This largely explains the fact why we all have “namesakes” in other countries, which, by the way, we may not even be aware of.

Many peoples were united by the Christian faith, which, in turn, collected and sanctified, or, more correctly, canonized many names from different languages. At one time, when baptizing children, newborns should have been given only those names that were permitted or “welcomed” by the church. Now parents can give their child any name that pops into their head.

· For example, let us recall that in the first years of Soviet power such “pearl names” as Oktyabrina, Noyabrina or Elmira appeared, meaning “electrification of the world.” At the same time, names appeared at the same time - analogues of traditional foreign ones, but with a completely different meaning. For example, the Soviet Gertrude is not a German analogy at all, but an abbreviation for “Hero of Labor”. Or the male version - Renat: this name, familiar to Tatars and Muslims, is also an abbreviation of the loud Soviet slogan “Revolution, science, labor.” Here are your namesakes!

· Today, “advanced” mothers and fathers also amaze with their rich imagination, calling their children unimaginable names. For example, in domestic registry offices, babies have recently been registered with the names Uslada, Dolphin, Lunalika, and even a name in the form of a set of numbers...

But let’s return to traditional names that have similarities in different nationalities and mean the same thing in different languages.

Christian names became most widespread in the 10th century. The Orthodox world actively borrowed or, more precisely, collected the best names from around the world. As a rule, they are of Greek, Latin and Hebrew origin - which is why names that essentially mean the same thing can differ markedly in pronunciation. Byzantium, located between Europe and Asia, played a special role in the spread of Christianity, therefore the names legitimized by the Byzantine Empire are somewhat different.

There are many examples of such “international” names.

One of the most famous and widespread is the name Ivan, to which, by analogy with the phrase from the movie “Moscow Doesn’t Believe in Tears” mentioned at the beginning of the article, we can add:

He is John and Johann, Gianni, Jean and Johan, Giovanni and Joao, Juan and Jens, as well as Janos and Jan. Most of our compatriots Ivanov do not even realize how many namesakes they have around the world!

Among other names that are common everywhere, it is necessary to note such as Anna and Maria, Andrey and Alexey, Olga and Ekaterina, Mikhail and Yuri and many others. If you trace the history of their occurrence, you will immediately discover religious origins.

Let us give in the table several examples of what the name means and how it sounds in different language interpretations:

Russian variant	Meaning, origin	English version	German version	French version
Alexander	From Greek "defender"
	From euros "grace"
	From Greek "courageous"
	From Greek "enemy"
	From Greek "royal"
Georgy, Yuri	From Greek "farmer"
	From Greek "noble"
Catherine	From Greek "clean"
	From Greek "torch"
	From euros "gracious"		Johann, Hans
	From euros "madam"
	From Greek "winner""
	From lat. "small"
	From Greek "stone"

These are not all examples, and the list can be supplemented with analogues of these and other names in other languages ​​(for example, in Italian Georgiy is Giorgio, Alexander is Alessandro, and the famous Shakespearean heroine Juliet is the namesake of the Russian Julia). As you can see from the table, the names are more than similar to each other - the differences are explained by the linguistic characteristics of each language.

EVERYTHING NEW IS WELL FORGOTTEN OLD

There are several other reasons for the international “interpenetration” of names, in particular, globalization and the expansion of ties between different countries. But even in such cases, it often turns out later that a foreign name is a well-forgotten anthroponym that has been around for centuries. For example, modern Angelicas and Angelinas are the namesakes of girls who long ago bore the name Angelina.

However, the tradition of such naming did not take root. And a person who was constantly called not by his real name, but by a nickname, often acquired all the qualities characteristic of this nickname. In such a situation, the name-amulet protected the person from unknown reasons. Since the name was not spoken out loud, it had no internal connection with its bearer.

The influence of a name on a person and his fate has been noticed for a long time. It has always been believed, and quite rightly, that a word chosen for a name with love will help in life. But at the same time, giving a name, naming it means gaining secret power. The emotional connotation of a word does not change in different languages, and what means something pleasant has a sound that is pleasant to the ear, and vice versa.

Thus, the development of the name has a long history. Before the adoption of Christianity in Rus', original names were used, created on Slavic soil using the Old Russian language. The Slavs chose any words to name their children that reflected the various properties and qualities of people, the characteristics of their character: Clever, Brave, Kind, Cunning; features of behavior and speech: Molchan; physical advantages and disadvantages: Oblique, Lame, Krasava, Kudryash, Chernyak, Belyai; the time and “order” of the appearance of a particular child in the family: Menshak, Elder, First, Second, Tretyak; profession: Villager, Kozhemyaka and much more. Similar names were also used by other peoples; it is enough to recall the names of the Indians, which characterized the characteristics of a particular person: Eagle Eye, Sly Fox, etc. We had several other names, which later, with the adoption of Christianity and the consolidation of names in church calendars, became into nicknames. Some of these nicknames have come down to us in the form of surnames: Cat, Beetle, Wolf, Sparrow. It should be noted that these surnames are very common.

From the 11th to the 17th centuries, native Slavic names fade into the background, and Byzantine-Greek ones come to the fore. With the advent of Christianity, a two-name system began to develop. In order to protect a person from evil spirits, he was given one name and called a completely different one. This period is characterized by social stratification. At this time, Old Russian names were common, which consist of two roots and contain the root -slav. These are names such as Vyacheslav, Svyatoslav, Yaroslav, Borislav, which were joined by Byzantine-Greek names with the same root: Stanislav, Bronislav, Miroslav, etc.

From the beginning of the 18th century until 1917, canonical names dominated, a three-part formula for naming a person (last name, first name, patronymic) developed and spread, and a pseudonym appeared.

After the revolution, newly created names reflecting the events taking place in the country became very popular. The formation of new names especially affected girls. So, they were called Idea, Iskra, Oktyabrina. There is evidence that one girl was even called Artillery Academy. It was fashionable to call twin boys and girls Revo and Lucia; the names of the boys are known: Genius, Giant (it is noteworthy that these names did not always correspond to reality, and often completely contradicted). However, at this time names appeared that continue to live now: Lilia (it is similar to the Russian name Lydia and is very euphonious), Ninel (reading the name Lenin in reverse order), Timur, Spartak.

The modern Russian name book includes many names with different origins. But still, names that we can now rightfully call Russian have a huge advantage. Although there are very few actual Russian names left. Over time, the original meaning of names was forgotten, but historically each name was a word or phrase of some language. Almost all modern names came to us from Byzantium and have Greek roots, but many of them were borrowed from other ancient languages, or were simply borrowed from ancient Roman, Hebrew, Egyptian and other languages, and with this method of borrowing they were used only as a proper name, and not as a word meaning anything.

Almost all personal names that we have long been accustomed to consider Russian were brought by Christianity to Rus' through Byzantium, which collected the best names from its language, as well as foreign names and canonized them, that is, officially legitimized them, making them church names. Therefore, they are of Greek, Latin, Hebrew origin, and occasionally you can find names belonging to some other eastern languages, for example, Syriac, Egyptian. The same can be said about many other nations. That is why there is a correspondence of names in different languages: Russian - Ivan, Polish - Jan, French - Jean, English - John, German - Johann; Russian - Mikhail, French - Michel, Polish - Michal; Russian - Olga, German - Helga; Russian - Pavel, French - Paul, German - Paul, etc. When names were transferred from other languages, their original meaning was lost (after all, they all came from common nouns), and they became only proper names.

It is interesting that different peoples chose roots with different meanings for the name. Thus, among the Slavs the components predominate: “good”, “holy”, “light”, “glory”, “grow”, “peace”, “nice”, “glad”, “love”; among the Greeks and Romans - the words emphasizing moral qualities in a person. Jews and Arabs preferred to emphasize in their names detachment from earthly goods and an appeal to God.

Many names that sound different have the same meaning. For example:

Nikita, Nikon (Greek), Victor, Victoria (Latin) – winner.

Feodor, Dorotheus (Greek) – gift of God.

George, Yuri, Egor (Greek) – farmer.

Oleg, Olga (scand.) – saint.

Cyril (Greek) – master, Maria (Aram.) – mistress.

Albina, Clara (lat.) – white.

Ivan, Zhanna, Yanina (Old Hebrew), Eliza (Old German) - the grace of God.

Marina (Latin), Pelageya (Greek) - sea.

Zoya (Greek), Vitalia, Eva, Vitaly (Latin) - life.

Felix, Beatrice, Beata (lat.) – happy.

However, the opposite situation is also observed: a large number of names in the Russian name book have a similar sound, but completely different meanings. Such names should not be confused, since they carry different information.

For example:

Erasmus (Greek) – beloved; Erast (Greek) – loving; Philip (Greek) – lover of horses.

Valentin (lat.) – strong; Valery (lat.) – cheerful, strong.

Vit (lat.) – defeated; Vitaly (lat.) – vital; Witold (Old German) – forest ruler.

Veronica (Greek) – bringing victory, (Latin) – true, authentic image; Nike (Greek) – victory.

Naming traditions

The ordering of Slavic names began with the compilation of church lists - Saints and Menaions. By decision of Pope Gregory, names were allowed only by names legalized by religion, or canonical, recorded in these books. All other names were called pagan. Canonical names were included in civil and church calendars. The same names appeared in the calendars on the same dates, associated with the veneration of one or another saint. Christian names were the names of ascetics and martyrs who died for the establishment of this religion. In addition, these same names also belonged to representatives of those peoples from whose language they were borrowed. Therefore, now these names are not perceived by us as church names. The child was named after the saint whose name was listed in the Saints on the day of the child’s christening. Often these were very dissonant names, but the parents could not go against the will of the church. True, the parents of a baby from wealthy families or belonging to the upper class had some privilege - they could choose a name without coordinating it with the church calendar, but, nevertheless, this name had to be contained in the Saints.

There have been other naming systems in the history of the name. For example, the names given to Papuans at birth were usually changed to others when the child grew up and turned into a girl or boy. Representatives of the northern peoples believed that the child must be named in the first three days after his birth, since three days later the name will be suggested to him by evil spirits, which, of course, cannot bring him happiness. Among other peoples of the North, it was allowed to name a child only after a cradle had been made for him. Doing it before birth was considered a bad omen - the child could be born dead or not live long, but without a name the child was not allowed into his first home. African tribes have an even more interesting naming system. It was believed that the soul of a deceased relative moved into a newborn, so it was important to determine whose soul wished to be born a second time in order to give its name to the child. This is what shamans did.

It is impossible not to notice that all this is inherent in Slavic names. The same change of name - from a diminutive to a patronymic name, the same custom of naming a child in honor of departed relatives and a warning against naming the names of living parents.

The most unusual people when it comes to choosing a name are the Indians. They were allowed to have many names and change them throughout their lives. The Indians assigned names in reference to a person's virtues or distinctive characteristics. For example, Gvivizensish is a bad boy, Gizhiyash is a fast swimmer.

Armenians name children after kings, gods, generals, planets, precious stones and holidays. Popular names are Narek (offering, gift) and Milena (darling). In Kazakhstan they prefer sonorous names. Akbota: Ak is white, Botha is a small camel. Common names are Damela (hopeful) and Rahat (delight). The French give a child at least two names. The choice is simplified by the fact that children are named after relatives. Thus, the emphasis is on the family tree. On the day of baptism, the name of the saint is added. In Greece, children are named after their grandparents. The Japanese write their surname in capital letters to avoid confusion with their given name. The name of the child often depends on the order of birth of the child in the family.

If the 1st child is a boy, then the suffix - kazu is added to the name, if the 2nd son is ji, the third is dzo. Female names ending in -mi denote beauty. For example, Akemi is dazzlingly beautiful.

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Basova Elena, Mitina Tatyana

Who should name the child? What a question, of course, parents. It’s good if the parents agree on the choice of name, but what if they don’t? And it happens that grandparents also join the dispute and offer their own options. This is how a whole family drama can play out, and the child remains unnamed for some time. There is an opinion that a name cannot be invented before birth, or it is kept secret even from close relatives. Are there any traditions of naming? We often hear congratulations on name days and happy birthdays. Are there differences in the concepts of “birthday” and “name day”?

Thus, it turns out that not everything is so simple, so this topic fascinated us, and we decided to carry out this research.

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MKOU "Khoroshkovskaya Secondary School"

Pavlograd municipal district of Omsk region

Traditions of naming in folk culture

The work was completed:

Elena Basova, Tatyana Mitina,

4th grade students

Supervisor:

E.B. Shumik,

primary school teacher

2012

Introduction………………………………………………………………………………………...3

Names, name days, birthday...………………………………………………………4

Naming traditions among different peoples……………………………………..5

From the history of Russian names………………………………………………………7

We are called Tatyana and Elena ……………………………………………………9

Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………………11

Sources of information………………………………………………………..12

Introduction

Choosing a name for a newborn is a serious and responsible matter.
Who should name the child? What a question, of course, parents. It’s good if the parents agree on the choice of name, but what if they don’t? And it happens that grandparents also join the dispute and offer their own options. This is how a whole family drama can play out, and the child remains unnamed for some time. There is an opinion that a name cannot be invented before birth, or it is kept secret even from close relatives. Are there any traditions of naming? We often hear congratulations on name days and happy birthdays. Are there differences in the concepts of “birthday” and “name day”?

Thus, it turns out that not everything is so simple, so this topic fascinated us, and we decided to carry out this research.

Target : Show the traditions of naming in folk culture.

Tasks :

1. select literature on this issue;
2. compare the meaning of the words “name”, “name day”, “birthday”;
3. determine the traditions of choosing a name among the Russian people from antiquity to the present day;
4. find out how our names were chosen;

Hypothesis : Modern names are long-forgotten old names.

Research methods: literature search, description, comparison, conversation.

Names, name days, birthdays...

Meaning of the concept birthday we understand - this is the day on which a person was born.In order to find out the meaning of an unclear word or confirm your guesses, you can consult a dictionary. An encyclopedia is also an excellent help. This is how we found the meaning of the words name and name day. In the electronic encyclopedia it is said that "A name is a part of speech that gives a name to a person (in this case it would be personal name ), usually used to distinguish it from others."

"Name - the personal name of a person given at birth, often in general the personal name of a living being.”This definition is from the dictionary of S.I. Ozhegov.

"Name (name, denomination) – the word by which a name is given means an individual, a person. Name of the item, title; animal name, nickname; person's name. in fact, the name, according to the saint, is angelic, godfather, which in old times was not announced; nickname, family name, surname; a nickname given in the family.” This is how V.I. Dal describes this word.

Name day - a calendar day associated with one or more names. It has religious origin, name day is the day of remembrance of some saint , a holiday for a person who baptism named after this saint.

Name day – among Orthodox and Catholics: a personal holiday on the day when the church celebrates the memory of the saint or angel of the same name.

By comparing the definitions, we found a common meaning. Name – the name of the person. Name day is the day of remembrance of a saint; name day coincides with the birthday of the person named after the saint.

Naming traditions among different peoples

Have all nations always followed the tradition of choosing a name in accordance with name days? Having studied the literature, we learned that since ancient times, different naming traditions have existed in the cultures of different peoples. We offer the most interesting ones in our opinion.

For example, the names of the Papuans, given to them at birth, it was customary to change them to others when the child grew up and turned into a girl or boy.

Representatives northern peoplesThey believed that the child must be named within the first three days after birth, otherwise the name cannot bring happiness. Other peoples were allowed to name a child only after a cradle had been made for him. Without a name, a child was not allowed into his first home.

In African The tribal naming system is even more interesting. It was believed that the soul of a deceased relative moved into a newborn, so it was important to determine whose soul wished to be born a second time in order to give its name to the child. This is what shamans did. In some tribes, the entire village chose the name of the child.

Tribes inhabiting Australia, They gave the child the name he sneezed on. Here's how it happened: first, the father lists the qualities that he wants to see in his child, then he accompanies his words with a song in which he names names, one of which the newborn must choose for himself. The child receives the name, when pronounced, he sneezes. Interestingly, sometimes they waited for about a day for this sneezing. But what if this is the custom?

An unusual tradition is followed Indians – if a representative of their tribe borrows money from someone, then he must leave his name as collateral. Until he repays the debt, he has no right to bear his name. They do not address him in any way or use gestures and sounds as an address.

In Spain every rich person had the right to 6 names, some could have 12 names, and the highest-ranking persons had an unlimited number of names. Each name was the name of a heavenly protector; the more names a person had, the more protectors he had. But for each name the church that gave these names had to be paid. Therefore, the poor could not afford such luxury and used only one or two names.

In many cultures, a person has several names. One of them accompanies the child in childhood, the other during adolescence, and the third is the final, adult name given to a person upon the onset of adulthood. This was the custom among the Indian tribes, as well as in China, where there is a milk name, a school name, a marriage name and even a work name. In the Russian tradition, we also observe that in childhood a child’s, diminutive name is used, then a full name, then a person is called by his first name and patronymic.

Now there is no question of who will name the child. This is usually done by parents. They choose a name according to their taste, sometimes giving a name in honor of a grandmother, grandfather or some other respected and beloved relative. But in the history of the name one can find evidence of who chose the name from different peoples, and it was not always the parents. People often believed that only a stranger, a stranger, could give the best name to a child. The stranger who named the child was treated with honor, treated very generously, and rewarded with gifts. He played the role of godfather, who every year on his birthday had to give gifts to the child, and on his wedding day he had to give a gun or a horse, which were considered very valuable gifts.

From the history of Russian names

There are three periods in the history of Russian personal names:

1. Pre-Christian , when Old Russian names were used.
2. Period after Baptism of Rus'when did religious names appear in honor of saints;
3. Modern the period began after the October Revolution, abolished restrictions on giving religious names. At this time, foreign names appeared in Russia.

Old Russian namesrich in composition. Among the Old Russian names, the following groups stand out:

1. Numeric names. First and First, Secondary, Tretiak, Chetvertak, Fifth And Pyatak, Shestak, Semoy and Semak, Osmoy and Osmak, Nine, Tenth. They reflect the order of birth of children in the family.
2. Names based on external features, hair and skin color. The names were very commonChernysh, Chernyai, Chernyava, Bel, Belyai, Belyak, Belukha. There were also names associated with body features:Small, Malyuta, Small, Long, Sukhoi, Tolstoy, Golovach, Loban.
3. Names associated with character traits, habits and behavior. There were namesFun, Scream, Silent, Unsmiling, Smeyana and Nesmeyana.
4. Names that reflected the parents' attitude towards the child: Bogdan and Bogdana, Golub, Lyubava, Zhdan and Nezhdan.
5. Names associated with the seasons, in which the child was born:Veshnjak, Winter, Frost.

The adoption of Christianity by Russia (in 988) led to the appearance of completely new names on Russian soil,associated with the baptismal rite: According to Christian tradition, baptism is accompanied by the naming of a person with a Christian name. The child was named after the saint whose name was listed in the Saints on the day of the child’s christening. Saints, or months - this is church calendar indicating holidays and days of remembrance of saints.If these names were not liked, the parents could not go against the will of the church.

1. The majority of these names are Greek:Alexander, Gerasim, Anastasia, Varvara, Elena, Tatyana.

1. A group of names of Latin origin stands out:Valery, Roman, Valentina.

Third, modern periodin the history of the development of Russian names began afterOctober revolution. Appeared and exchange of Soviet origin.Every citizen had the right to choose any name for himself or his child. Also, any word could become a name. Women most often refused namesMatryona, Evdokia; men - from the names Kuzma, Foma. Names were chosen insteadGalina, Valentina, Nina, and Vladimir, Nikolai, Alexander.Among the new names appeared names derived from the names of plants: Lily, or from geographical names: Irtysh.

Recently, some Old Russian names have returned. This is how names appeared in our villageMatthew, Daniel, Ephraim. It turns out that the new is the long-forgotten old.

We are called Tatyana and Elena

My name is Tatyana . That's what my dad called me. I was born on January 22, close to January 25 - Tatiana's Day, so they gave me that name. I have known about this story for a long time from the stories of my parents. But I didn’t know what the name Tatyana meant until I became interested in this topic. I found information about the name Tatyana in the encyclopedia and learned that Tatyana is one of the most common female names among Russians. According to one version, the name is of Roman origin, according to another, it is Greek. Saint Tatiana is revered in the Orthodox Church. The name became widespread in Russia, and from there it appeared in European countries. The name presumably means in Latin “belonging to Tatius,” the legendary king. There is another meaning - “organizer”.

The name Tatyana is very popular in our family. My grandmothers : Dynnik Tatyana Gavrilovna (born March 10), Mitina Tatyana Ivanovna (October 20), Mother Mitina Tatyana Grigorievna (June 14),my cousins: Chernysh Tatyana Yuryevna (June 5), Proskurnya Tatyana Aleksandrovna (September 15), Nestrelya Tatyana Nikolaevna (July 6). I really like the name Tatyana! And in our Khoroshkovo school there are six Tatyanas: three students and three teachers. It becomes clear that the name Tatyana is used at all times: 70, 30, and 10 years ago.

My name Elena is a name of Greek origin. I'm glad to wear it. In my early childhood I liked the name Anna. But I was Elena. I decided that I was named after my mother’s sister and my godmother – Elena Zhukova. I asked my mother the question “Why am I Elena?” It turned out that my dad chose this name for me. And there were several reasons. First of all, dad liked the name. Secondly, dad read the names close to the birthday in the name day book. My birthday on June 5 was close to Elena’s name day - June 3. That's how the little girl became Elena. I learned the meaning of the name in 1st grade during a lesson with Elena Borisovna Shumik. She told all the children the meaning of their names. I also liked that we both have such a beautiful name. There are only two Elenas in our school now. This name means “chosen one, bright one,” the name of a Greek mythical heroine famous for her beauty. There is a meaning of “torch”.

Among my close relatives there are two Elenas. These are my aunts. Elena Zhukova is my mother’s sister. Elena Dzyuba is dad's sister. I realized that the name Elena is in demand at different periods of history.

On the website “Goroskop.ru” I read about Elena’s character traits and found similarities with myself. “Little Elena loves fairy tales. He keeps himself a little withdrawn, keeps himself apart among children, lives in his own inner world. Very trusting, kind. She can pick up a stray puppy on the street and bring it home. Easily gets carried away by something. Tries to knit, sew, embroider. She likes beauty in things. He has a good memory and does well in all subjects."

We compared our stories and realized that there were a lot of similarities in what we were called. Our dads chose our names. Our birthdays are close to name days. We also found out that our names are popular at all times. And in our opinion, Elena and Tatyana are the most beautiful names!

Conclusion

It was very interesting for us to learn the traditions of naming in folk culture. We found out that different peoples showed ingenuity in their own way when choosing names for their children. Having studied dictionaries and the electronic encyclopedia, we found definitions of the concepts “name” and “name day”. The study allowed us to compare and understand the differences between these words. Now we know that birthdays do not always coincide with name days. But there are cases when the birthday is close to the name day, and this is the reason for choosing a name for the child. This is how we got our names.

It was fascinating during the conversation to ask relatives about the distribution of the names Elena and Tatyana in our families. It is also important to note that our hypothesis was confirmed; it turned out that the traditions of choosing a name are repeated. Nowadays, names appear that were popular many years ago. But some names have always been popular. These names include our names - Elena and Tatyana.