Comparative characteristics of proper names found in different European languages. Find your namesake: why are there such similar names in different countries?

MUNICIPAL AUTONOMOUS INSTITUTION

GYMNASIUM No. 6

Novorossiysk, Krasnodar Territory

Linguistics Section

Comparative characteristics

proper names,

found in different European languages

Performed

Mzhachikh Anna Sergeevna,

4th grade student "A"

AU Gymnasium No. 6

Novorossiysk

Scientific adviser:

Tsvetkova Galina Ivanovna,

primary school teacher

Novorossiysk - 2010

1. Introduction. Purpose and objectives of the study

2. Groups of names of different origins in the Russian language

3. Common origin of the group of names under consideration

4. Tables of consonant names

5. Slight differences in names due to language characteristics

6. Interesting examples of similar names

7. Names of fairy-tale heroes of different nations

8. Conclusion

1. INTRODUCTION. PURPOSE AND OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

Studying English, communicating with the teacher in lessons, where students often call themselves by their name in the English version, reading books by different writers and fairy tales of the peoples of the world, in which the main characters have names reminiscent of the names of heroes of works of Russian folklore and Russian writers, you can notice a consonance male and female names.

Hypothesis. We assume that most modern male and female Russian names have their brothers and sisters in other languages. Apparently, many Russian names have analogues in other languages. Since the number and origin of names are very large and varied, we will try to consider the most frequently used names in Russian and European languages: English, French, German, Italian.

Purpose of the study – find the kinship and common origin of frequently used names in Russian and European languages, prove this with historical information, grammar, examples from literature, examples from life.

Research objectives:

1. study the literature on this issue,
2. create a table of name correspondences,
3. give examples,
4. draw conclusions about the common origin of names.

2. GROUPS OF NAMES OF DIFFERENT ORIGIN IN THE RUSSIAN LANGUAGE

In ancient times in Rus', people were given names that were understandable to all Russians, such as Wolf, Bear, or Lyudmila - dear to people, Vladimir - who owns the world.

Russia is a huge country, surrounded on different sides by completely different peoples and cultures. Among the names we use, there are many eastern names that came from Asia (Timur, Ruslan, Zemfira).

From the north, from cold and cloudy Scandinavia, the names Olga (in Scandinavia - Helga), Igor (Ingvar) were borrowed.

But there is an even larger group of names whose meaning is not clear. They are very familiar to us and seem completely ours, but in fact they are of foreign origin and came to us for the most part along with the Christian religion, which defeated pagan beliefs.Let's consider this group.

This christian names,and they came to us in the 10th century from Byzantium along with Orthodoxy. The Byzantine Empire was located between Europe and Asia. Newborn children were named according to church calendars (saints), in which each day of each month corresponded to the names of saints revered by the Russian Orthodox Church.

3. COMMON ORIGIN OF NAMES

Almost all of our frequently encountered names, which we have long been accustomed to consider Russian, were brought by Christianity to Rus' through Byzantium. The mighty Byzantine Empire had a huge influence on the entire world culture and religion. For our case, we can briefly say that many names were legalized there when they were recognized as church names, names of saints.

At the end of the 10th century, the Kiev prince Vladimir was looking for a strong ally against the steppe nomads who were carrying out devastating raids on Rus'. He saw such an ally in the person of the Byzantine emperor. To get help and cement the alliance, Prince Vladimir agreed to the baptism of Rus'. During baptism, it was necessary to replace the pagan name with a Christian one. From this time on, Ivans and Marys, Peters and Annas appeared in Rus'.

Where did Christian saints come to us from? From Rome and Greece, and therefore the names have Greek, Latin, Hebrew origin. That is why there is a correspondence of names in different languages ​​of different peoples, to whom Christianity also came through the Byzantine Empire.(For example: Russian Ivan - Polish Jan - French Jean - English John, German Johann, Hans).This can be seen in detail in the table.

In the languages ​​of those peoples where these names first appeared (usually Greek, Latin, and Hebrew), almost all of them had an exact meaning. When names passed from one language to another, their original meaning was lost (each word-name used to mean something specifically,for example, Anna is God’s grace, Maria is beloved, desired, Andrey is a man, Alexey is a protector). And these names became only proper names, that is, the names of saints, the names of people.

The main reason for the similarity of names of different peoples is their common source - the Christian religion. All of Europe (and America after it) also named their children according to church calendars. But the Orthodox world borrowed the names of Christian saints through the Greek language, and Catholics and Protestants through the Latin language. Therefore, the same name, which once belonged to one of the first Christian saints, sounds in Russian, slightly different from the English or French versions.

4. TABLES OF CONSONANT NAMES

The search for names and variants consonant with them is reflected in two tables. When we see these names next to each other, their similarity is clearly noticeable.

Table No. 1. Male names.

5. SMALL DIFFERENCES IN NAMES DUE TO LANGUAGE FEATURES

In French names, as in this language in general, the emphasis is on the last syllable. The German language is considered tough and firm - this is also noticeable in names. Italian names, in my opinion, are more joyful, musical, like their language, like the Italian people themselves. INIn many cases, names only seem different, but in fact they are one name pronounced in different languages, taking into account the linguistic peculiarities of these languages features.

MARFA MAR TH A (Martha)

AGAFYA – AGA TH A (Agatha)

But, studying the English language and the pronunciation of letter combinations, we can say that the combination of letters T.H. reads like something between the Russian sounds T and F. The result is Marfa and Agafya. It is interesting that the same name was borne by the English aristocrat - detective writer Agatha Christie and the Russian resident - hermit, descendant of the Old Believers, living in remote Siberia - Agafya Lykova.

6. INTERESTING EXAMPLES OF SIMILAR NAMES

To make it easier to imagine the common origin of names among very different people, consider interesting examples:

1.Very different people lived in different times - the Russian Tsar Ivan the Terrible, the German composer Johann Sebastian Bach, the Danish storyteller Hans Christian Andersen, the English rock musician from the Beatles John Lennon, the French actor Jean-Paul Belmondo - but all of them united by a common name - in the Russian version it is IVANY.

2. In Russia, before the New Year, we see Father Frost everywhere, and in the west it is Santa Claus. But if we literally translate these words into Russian, we get St. Nicholas, and we remember St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. This is confirmed by the legend about people who are identical in their actions and kindness - Santa Claus and St. Nicholas the Wonderworker.

Once upon a time, on Christmas Day, poor people found sweets, apples and children's toys at the doors of their houses. They didn't know who was leaving them. One Christmas Eve they managed to catch a man with a large bag full of apples. It was Saint Nicholas, or, in English, Santa Claus.

There is such a legend. Hearing that a bankrupt resident was planning to sell his daughters due to extreme poverty, Saint Nicholas helped the family. At night he secretly threw three bags of gold into the garden and saved everyone from hunger and death. Since then, a bag of gifts has become an attribute of Santa Claus.

And in our country, such a kind and miracle-working person is St. Nicholas the Wonderworker - Christiansaint. Nicholas the Wonderworker became known for his kindness, especially to children.

And the date of commemoration of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker is December 19, which is just before Christmas and the New Year.

3. In the Russian version of the lovers, the young man and girl from the tragedy of the English writer Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet, could be called Roman and Julia.

4. Let us remember from the fairy tale about Pinocchio the cunning and intelligent Cat Basilio. And in Rus' many cats were called Vaska.

5. If we consider the fantastic version of the birth of Michael Jackson in Russia, then his name would be Mikhail Yakovlev. And here you can see his last name Jackson.

In English, there are often surnames that are very similar to given names, for example, Jackson, Johnson, Nicholson. And the word SON is translated Son. I had an idea that the surname Jackson was like an old patronymic, from a time when there were no surnames. In Rus' it was - Ivan Petrovich, that is, Ivan, Petrov's son. And Jackson is Jack's son.

7. NAMES OF FAIRY-TALE HEROES OF DIFFERENT PEOPLES

For this study, we can recall well-known fairy tales with the main characters - girls named Marya (Russian folk tales about Marya the artist, Marya the beauty-long braid), Marie ( Hoffmann's fairy tale "The Nutcracker"), Mary Poppins ( fairy tale by the English writer Pamela Travers “Mary Poppins, goodbye!”). All three heroines have one name in common. But people and authors from different countries endowed them with beauty and similar character traits - intelligence, kindness, hard work, beautiful appearance.

The name IVAN has become one of the favorite male names at all times and in all countries. There are so many fairy tales about him, where at first Ivanushka is not very lucky, he is not very lucky, not very rich. But his natural intelligence, kindness, ingenuity, and golden hands at the end of fairy tales help him become a real hero, defeat his enemies, help his friends and the poor, and find his love.

Hans Christian Andersen "Fool Hans"

English folk tale "The Peddler's Dream" (hero John)

French folk tale "The Devil's Castle" (hero Jean)

Brothers Grimm "Clever Hans"

Many Russian folk tales about Ivanushka

7. CONCLUSION

Why did the names that arose in different countries turn out to be so similar? Knowledge of history helps answer this question.

Historians have long noticed that different cultures follow a similar path in their development. Therefore, different nations have the same rituals, beliefs, and fairy tales. This also applies to names.

The commonality of names was facilitated by communication between people from different countries - foreign governesses have long been invited, children were and are sent to foreign schools. Often young people want to be like their idol and call themselves by his name, which is similar to the Russian version. It’s good when in any country you can introduce yourself with a name that is clear to foreigners and beautiful, but at the same time know for sure that this name is yours.

BIBLIOGRAPHICAL LIST

1. www.imena.ru
2. www.kurufin.narod.ru
3. en.wikipedia.org
4. www.nikola-ygodnik.narod.ru
5. Vladimir Tanich “The history of our names: the amazing adventures of foreigners in Russia” (Journal “9 months” No. 11-2001)
6. Vladimir Tanich “Does a name influence fate?”

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.

Islamic theologian Sheikh Muhammad Saleh al-Munajjid, after analyzing religious texts, compiled a detailed list of names that should not be given to Muslim children.

1. In particular, it is undesirable if a person’s name does not correspond to his nationality and the social environment in which he lives. This can create problems for the person himself.

2. Dissonant names often cause ridicule, which can negatively affect the worldview of their bearers.

3. Girls' names should not have an erotic meaning, otherwise they may develop false stereotypes in behavior. The undesirable ones include: Mignaj (playful, flirtatious), Faten (charming, seductive), Gada (attractive gait), Visal (sexy) and some others.

The name Asia (rebellious, wayward) is also not suitable, since it can affect the girl’s behavior: “Since my parents named me that, they want me to be like that.”

4. Muslim theologians also do not approve of the custom of giving children names in honor of famous actors, singers, and musicians. They consider it unworthy to worship someone like an idol. It is especially bad if the idol leads an “unrighteous” lifestyle, because the child can take an example from such a person.

5. You should not name children after political figures who have tarnished their reputation, as well as the pharaohs of Ancient Egypt and rulers of the past who were guilty of crimes against entire nations.

6. Names indicating any sin or crime are also undesirable. For example, Sarrak (thief) or Zalim (tyrant, despot).

7. If the name is common among representatives of peoples, the majority of whom do not profess Islam, then it is also not suitable. Like John, Ivan, Jean, Juan, Johan or Giovanni.

8. Some people may name their child after an animal or bird. This is acceptable if we are talking about emphasizing the positive qualities of certain representatives of the fauna: courage, strength, wisdom, nobility. But you should not use animal names that could be perceived as an insult. For example, Teis (goat) or Khimar (donkey), etc.

9. Male names that end in “al-Islam” or “ad-din” (religion) are considered by Muslim theologians to be too boastful and immodest. They do not recommend that people exalt their sons: after all, men themselves must show their best qualities, then others will respect them.

For example, the following names are undesirable: Ziyauddin (shine of religion), Nuruddin (light of religion), Zahabuddin (gold of religion), Nurulislam (light of Islam), Saifulislam (sword of Islam), Naseruddin (helper of religion), Masuddin (diamond of religion) Muhyiddin (revitalizing religion), etc.

10. Names with other endings can also be immodest. Thus, Barra (the pious), Abid (the worshiper) or Taqi (the God-fearing) sometimes do not correspond to their bearers, as do Hakim al-Hukkam (the ruler of rulers), Sittunnisa (the mistress of all women), Shahinshah (the Shah of all Shahs).

11. According to some theologians, children should not be named after angels: Jabrail, Israfil, Mikail and others. The Iranian name Fereshta (angel) is also undesirable, as is Malyak, which means “angel” in Arabic.

11. Naming children after famous surahs of the Koran (Yasin, Taha, Hamim) is also not correct, according to theologians.

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.