Yakut names: a brief history

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:45

The Yakut language comes from the Turkic. But it became widespread among Russians, Evenks and Evens living in the territory of Yakutia and adjacent republics. There is a peculiar dialect in the territory of the Krasnoyarsk Territory. Yakut culture is a mixture of shamanism and Orthodoxy.

A bit of history

An interesting fact is that many Yakut names were still borrowed from the Russian language. But this is easily explained. The Yakuts have long since adopted Orthodoxy. Therefore, most of their names are Russian. In the old days they were given at baptism. Ancient names have changed a lot and now sound in a modern way. Although among themselves the Yakuts call each other in their own language, when communicating with Russians, they prefer officially accepted options that are more familiar to outsiders.

Yakut name model

In modern times, the Yakut model of names is trinomial. It consists of a first name, patronymic and last name. And most often it sounds in Russian (Egor Zakharovich Sokolov). But often surnames of Yakut origin (for example, Mogusov). Sometimes there is also a personal name in the Yakut language. Among the surnames, the most common are Ivanov, Vasiliev, Petrov. There is also a "church"origin (for example, Dyachkovsky).

In the Yakut language, simple folk forms of names are mainly fixed. There are diminutive forms or those that have undergone transformations. Previously, affectionate affixes (“kaan”, “chik”, “ka”, etc.) were widely used.

They are still in use today. But the affixes "chaan" and "laan" are more popular. Moreover, they are used for people of any age category. Diminutive Yakut names can be found not only in conversations, but also in fiction.

Meaning of names

The meaning of Yakut names can be quite interesting. For example, before the adoption of Orthodoxy, some names were given to children immediately at birth, while others were acquired by them somewhat later. The original ones were formed from the Yakut appellatives. And the choice had various motives: physical disabilities, circumstances at birth, "preventive" from illness and adversity.

For example, to deceive "evil spirits", the name given at birth was considered forbidden. Instead, the child was given a nickname. It was used as a name. For nicknames, animals, names of objects, character traits or appearance, etc. were chosen. In modern times, such “underground” names have lost their etymological meaning. But many Yakut names have been preserved. And most often belong to the elderly.

The semantics of nicknames is very clear even now. It goes back to common nouns (Kuobakh - "hare", Atyrdyakh - "forks", etc.). The mosta large group of nicknames consists of emphasizing or bad character traits of a person, his appearance, manners or physical defects. For example, Boltorkhoy (chubby), Sergekh (sensitive), etc. Often the nickname was given by the name of the area or its characteristic features.

Nicknames are sometimes given even in modern times. You can meet a Yakut who has a nickname, a second and a Russian name. But still, in modern times, newborns receive a Yakut name, which is selected from the folk epic, popular works, and large rivers. But quite often completely new Yakut names are created. For example, after the revolution, Kommunar, Karl, Klara appeared.

National names-nicknames among the Yakuts did not previously have a clear division into male and female. In modern times, everything has changed somewhat. Some nicknames have come to be considered given names, divided into masculine and feminine, or refer to both genders.

Female and male names

Yakut names of girls, like boys, came from the names of strong animals and birds. They seemed to "share" their qualities with newborns (for example, Hotoy - "eagle"). Over time, as the aunts grew older, the original names or nicknames did not quite match the bearers. In this case, the child was assigned an additional name, already “adult” (for example, Taragai “bald”).

Girls were often called by the names of rivers (for example, Lena, Yana), and boys - Vilyui, Aldan. Legendary Yakut ancestors Elley, Manchaary enjoyed great popularity among male names. Orfavorite heroes of legends: Tuyaaryma, Nyurgun. Among female names, the names of famous Yakut writers or their heroines are still popular. Poetic neoplasms were and remain very relevant. Of these, new male and female names of the Yakuts often appear.