Ossetian names: origin and meaning. List of modern Ossetian names

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:46

The names that the peoples of the North Caucasus bear are considered homogeneous. They are formed on the basis of the same principles for all mountain peoples and have much in common. At the same time, each Caucasian nation has its own naming traditions. In our article, we will consider what origin and meaning Ossetian names have: female and male. Here we will tell you which of them are the most popular and modern for boys and girls in Ossetia.

Origin of Ossetian names

All the names of the Ossetian people can be divided into three large groups. Their formation was influenced by various factors, such as religion or capture by other peoples.

The first group includes primordial or national names associated with the heroes and characters of the Nart epic. In the tales of the adventures of the Narts, the heroes-bogatyrs possess unprecedented strength and courage. Famous Narts from the legends were called: Atsamaz, Soslan, Akhsar, Akhsartag, Warhag and others. Therefore, it is no coincidence that parents give their children just such Ossetian names: male or female.

The second group includes names, the appearance of which is associated with the development of Christianity. Moreover, whentheir formation formed two forms at once: Russian and Georgian. These are the names: Michal, Dimitar, Vano, Vaso, Ilia and others. Most of them remain popular today.

The third group includes names that were formed under the influence of the Muslim religion. Most of them were of Arabic origin (Murat, Alikhan, Amina, Muslim) and Turkic (Dengiz, Uzbek, Abai). Many Ossetian names came from Iranian peoples who are considered the ancestors of the Ossetians (Alan, Alana, Roksolan, Roksolana, Sarmat).

List of Ossetian names of the Nart epic

All the names of the Nart epic are associated with interesting legends and tales. These are names like:

Allar.
Atsamaz.
Agunda.
Arshaemyg.
Dzante.
Kuydzi.
Akhsar.
Akhsartag.
Akhsarbek.
Warhag.
Wari.
Exiled.
Sainagon.
Fyron.
and others.

In total, there are over 50 original Ossetian names. Almost every one of them was worn by some outstanding hero of the Nart epic. So, for example, Akhsartag (Akhsar) is a name very popular among Ossetians. Akhsartag was a valiant warrior and the ancestor of one of the famous Ossetian families. The next hero of the epic - Warhag - wore a sledge, the father of the twin brothers Akhsar and Akhsartag. Translated from Old Ossetian, the name means "wolf".

Many Ossetian names are associated with the totemic beliefs of the people: Arshaemog came from the word "arsha" -"bear", Huari means "falcon", Fyron - "ram", Kuydzi - "dog" and others. Women's names mainly come from the names of precious stones and metals: Zarina (Zalina) means "gold", Ferdyg is translated from the Ossetian language as "bead" and others.

Christian names and their meanings

Russian and Georgian missionaries, who spread Christianity among the Ossetian peoples, brought to this territory Christian and biblical naming traditions of ancient Greek, Hebrew and Latin origin. Even today they are one of the most common among the population of North and South Ossetia.

Male Ossetian names include: Aleg (bright, sacred), Athanas (immortal), Bogdan (given by God), Ivan (God's grace), Kiril (master), Sergi (high, venerable), Raman (Roman) and others.

Ossetian female names are formed by changing Russian endings: Aza (strong, strong), Annae (mercy, grace), Katya (pure, immaculate), Irae (peace, tranquility), Marine (sea), etc. They are just as popular in Ossetia as the original or national ones.

Names of Turkic-Arab origin

Names of Turkic-Arabic origin are deeply embedded in the Ossetian language and are already considered traditional for this people. The male names of this group include Aidar, Aslan, Babai, Basa, Bebe, Gurgen, Dashka, Dzagur, Kermen, Murat, Muslim, Khan, Chingiz, Batyr, Dengiz, Elbay, Tambi, Tamerlane, Uzbek, Iman, Hasan andothers.

Female Ossetian names are also transferred to the Ossetian language by Islam. These include: Bibi, Alimat, Amina, Jamila, Zeida, Leila, Mecca, Muslimat, Nissa, Shahidat, Taira, Fatima and others.

Popular Ossetian male names

The names that Ossetian newborns are most often called today have different origins. The choice of parents is more influenced by family traditions, religion and personal preferences.

Today such Ossetian names for boys are popular:

Aslan is a lion.
Alan is the most significant.
Exiled - hero, hero of the Nart epic.
Azamat is great.
Atsamaz - character of the Nart epic, singer and musician.
Rustam is a giant, a giant, a hero of the Persian folk epic.
Murat is desired.
Timar is iron.
Tamerlane is an iron lion.
Zaur - master, chief.
Islam is okay, he althy, correct.
Kazbek is a judge, fair.

The list contains exactly those names that, according to statistics, are most often called newborn children in Ossetia. But recently, parents began to pay attention to the original and national ones worn by ancient sledges.

Modern Ossetian female names

Many female names among the Ossetian peoples are associated with the names of precious stones or emphasize certain character traits of its owner.

Popular Ossetian names (female):

Zarina is gold.
Sati is real, sensual.
Alana - divine, noble. This is the feminine form of the masculine Alan, formed by adding the ending -a.
Zarema is rich.
Madina - translated from Arabic "big city". Derived from the name of the city of Medina.
Zemfira is rebellious.
Tamara - " came from the male Tamar and means "date palm".

Beautiful names of the Ossetian people are called not only those children who were born on the territory of these republics. Throughout Russia, you can increasingly meet children whose names are Timur, Tamerlane, Rustam, Sati, Alana, Zarina, etc.