Modern parents choose different names for their children. Some prefer simple and ordinary names, one can also note the growing popularity of foreign names, some are closer to Old Russian ones. There are even exotic cases today, but they are a separate conversation.
But here is an interesting historical fact: before, representatives of aristocratic families approached the choice of a name for their child in a special way.
The Russian aristocracy has always been a rather closed class, which was very problematic to get into. The isolation of princes, nobles and its other representatives from the rest of the population was expressed, among other things, in the way they preferred to call their children.
Many names used by the common people could be completely unacceptable for the elite class.
No pagan names
With the spread of Orthodoxy in Rus', the practice appeared to give the child two names - secular and Christian. As a rule, the first was a familiar, pagan name, and was used in everyday life. The second was a kind of "official" name, which was also used in the church. The Christian name of the child was called according to the saint on the day of which the birth of a person fell.
The development of Russian statehood, the departure from military democracy and the tribal system led to the fact that gradually pagan names began to become a thing of the past. The emerging and growing Russian aristocracy preferred Christian names - Vladimir, Alexei, Vasily and others, rather than Old Slavonic pagan ones - Borislav, Igor, Lubomir, Rostislav, Svetlana and others.
Among the nobility and service people, pagan names became a sign of a commoner, and the possession of one, Christian name meant belonging to the upper class. Pagan names quickly became a thing of the past, and the new generation of Russian nobility, born and raised already in Christian Rus', completely abandoned the Borislavs, Lyubomirovs and similar names.
As the ethnographer, folklorist, onomatologist V.O. Maksimov, judging by the birch bark letters found in Novgorod, the Christian element in the names of the townspeople by the 15th century exceeded 90%.
The imprint of the Mongol-Tatar yoke
The most severe disaster for the country was the Mongol-Tatar invasion. Despite the fact that since then a lot of Eastern blood has appeared in the Russian gene pool, it was taboo for the aristocracy to call their children Turkic names.
Princes and nobles never gave boys such names as Chingiz, Azamat others, and girls - Orazgul, Sheker and others. As Doctor of Philology Yuri Karpenko noted in the collection of scientific works “Russian Onomastics”, Turkic names were perceived as the names of enslavers, which was even purely psychologically unacceptable for aristocrats who received more and more privileges from the state.
Signs and superstitions
Despite the fact that since the 18th century the Russian aristocracy has striven to copy the Western lifestyle in everything, its representatives remain very superstitious. Philosopher Pavel Florensky in his work "Names" noted that:
✔ Nobles, princes and other aristocrats did not give their children a name that was already worn by someone living in the house. It was believed that then the guardian angel would not be able to protect the two.
✔ They tried not to give names in honor of recently deceased relatives, especially those who died a violent death. The assassination of Emperor Ivan VI Antonovich in 1740 is indicative in this regard. After that, the name Ivan among the aristocrats became extremely unpopular.
Elites and Commoners
If until the time of Peter the Great, aristocrats and the rest of the population used approximately the same names for their children, then with the beginning of the great transformations, the names began to be divided into “elite” and “common people”.
Philologists Alexandra Superanskaya and Anna Suslova in their work “On Russian Names” emphasized that the Europeanized nobility actually tabooed such traditional Russian names as Antip, Gleb, Ermolai, Elisey, Lukyan, Timofey, Kuzma, Leonty, Arkhip. Women were not called Agafya, Aksinya, Vasilisa, Praskovya, Efrosinya, Anfisa.
The name characterized the estate, carried a certain social baggage, was an indicator of status. The case described by Nadezhda Durova in her story "The Corner" is noteworthy. The merchant's daughter Fetinya Fedulova, having married a nobleman, became Fanny. With the transition of petty bourgeoises and merchants to a higher stratum, they immediately got rid of the old, “non-prestigious” name: Praskovyas became Polinas, today's Aleksandrs were yesterday's Akulins.
Europeanized Dolgorukovs
In terms of “nominal” preferences, the example of one of the most ancient Russian families, the Dolgorukovs, is very indicative. Petr Petrov, in his History of the Clans of the Russian Nobility, notes that before the Peter's reforms, traditional names slipped among the representatives of this noble family, for example, Praskovya. However, since the 18th century, they have completely disappeared from use.
From that moment on, the Europeanized Dolgorukovs preferred to call the boys Mikhail, Alexander, Nikolai, Sergey. Such names as Yuri, Vladimir, Peter are quite rare, and Gleb, Mitrofan and other "simple" names of the Dolgorukovs were not given to anyone.
Among female names, they preferred Maria, Olga, Ekaterina, Elena. Barbara is almost never used, and common names - Avdotya and the like are not found at all.
Charles de Gaulle was born in Lille on November 22, 1890 into an aristocratic family. As a child, he learned from his father, who loved to tell his children about their famous ancestors, the history of the de Gaulle family, which for centuries "helped the kings create France." Family traditions said that the first mention of the de Gaulle family dates back to 1210, when King Philip Augustus granted Richard de Gaulle a fief in Elbezh. The most famous ancestor was the Chevalier Messire Jean de Gaulle - a participant in the Hundred Years War, the ruler of Orleans. In 1406, he stormed Charenton with a detachment of crossbowmen. In 1413, by order of the king, he defended the gates of Saint-Denis, which were besieged by the Duke of Burgundy. Two years later, he fought bravely at Agincourt, but the battle ended in the defeat of the French. The British, who captured Normandy, offered Jean de Gaulle to go to the service of the English king, but he refused, although he lost all his possessions in Burgundy. For valiant service, the king of France rewarded the faithful knight with possessions in Chiuseri. Jean de Gaulle was one of the six knights who accompanied Joan of Arc during her visit to the Dauphin, the future King of France, Charles VII.
The Battle of Stalingrad was one of the biggest defeats in the Second World War for the command of the Wehrmacht. During the battle, the 6th German Army of Field Marshal Paulus was surrounded and surrendered on February 2, 1943. 91 thousand German soldiers and officers were taken prisoner, including 24 generals. One of them was Walther von Seidlitz-Kurzbach.
Walter von Seydlitz-Kurzbach was a representative of the German aristocracy, whose family had served the monarchs of Prussia (Germany) for centuries. Walter's most famous ancestor was Lieutenant General Wilhelm Friedrich von Seydlitz-Kurzbach, an associate of Frederick the Great.
Another member of this family, Major General Florian von Seidlitz-Kurzbach, took it upon himself to conduct unauthorized negotiations with Russia during the Napoleonic Wars. This led to the conclusion of peace between Russia and Prussia, which actually meant dissociating Prussia from the alliance with France.
Franz Halder was one of the most staunch opponents of the Nazi regime. He always joined a group of conspirators and tried to organize actions against Hitler. In his position, he prepared the military operations of the Wehrmacht, secretly hoping for their failure, in order to later blame the failures on the main enemy of the German nation - Hitler. But thanks to the professionalism of Halder himself, the military operations he developed led to the success of the German army, and it was no longer possible to judge the winner.
Franz Julius Halder belonged to the oldest officer family in Bavaria. His great-grandfather, Anton Ritter von Halder received the personal nobility of the Kingdom of Bavaria as a reward for military merit. His son, Karl Anton Halder, rose to the rank of captain in the royal Bavarian army. His successful military career was interrupted by an early death - he died at the age of 45 in 1856, leaving behind his son Maximilian, who by that time was only three years old. Maximilian Halder continued the family tradition and chose a military career. He ended his military career with the rank of major general as commandant of the Germersheim fortress. He was married to Mathilde Steinheil, whose father was a US citizen, and she herself was born in Lyon and spoke German with a French accent until the end of her life.
Von Kleist were from Pomerania. The clan was quite numerous and by the beginning of the 17th century it was divided into several branches, which laid the foundation for new lines of nobles in Poland, Russia and Prussia.
One of the four Prussian von Kleist lines was later elevated to the dignity of a count. Representatives of the male line of the family often chose a military career for themselves, and more than 30 of them were awarded the military order "Pour le Merite" ("For Merit"). The highest military rank - field marshal - was reached by three of the von Kleistov. The first on this list was Friedrich-Heinrich-Ferdinand-Emil, Count Nollendorf. He was born in 1762 and at the age of 12 became a page to Prince Henry. From the age of 15, he took part in hostilities, and after graduating from a military school, he began to serve at the headquarters of the commander-in-chief, Prince Hohenlohe. By 1803, Friedrich von Kleist had reached the rank of adjutant general and was in good standing with the emperor. After a heavy defeat for Prussia at Auerstadt in 1806, von Kleist was sent to Napoleon to negotiate peace, and then, after Tilsit, he retired.
"An American one hundred percent, our "American Caesar"" - this is what one of his friends called Douglas MacArthur. In the United States, people who succeed in business are very often called Caesars, kings, rulers, even if they, by their origin, have nothing to do with the highest nobility. But this cannot be said about Douglas MacArthur, since the MacArthurs were representatives of an ancient family and were proud that their ancestors were part of King Arthur's entourage and belonged to the Knights of the Round Table. The family tartan (fabric) of the MacArthurs consisted of three colors - green, black and gold, which symbolized the colors of the area where their family property was located earlier. The green was for the pines, the black for the austerity of the narrow valley, and the gold for the reflection of the gorse that grew in those parts of the bush. The motto of the family was the words "faith and work."
The MacArthurs arrived on the American continent in 1825. Arthur MacArthur Sr. became a successful lawyer, a member of the Supreme Court of the Metropolitan District of Columbia.
The Wrangel family, leading its genealogy from the 13th century, was of Danish origin. Many of its representatives served under the banners of Denmark, Sweden, Germany, Austria, Holland and Spain, and when Livonia and Estonia finally gained a foothold in Russia, Wrangels began to faithfully serve the Russian crown. There were 7 field marshals, 18 generals and 2 admirals in the Wrangel family (the islands in the Arctic and Pacific oceans are named after one of them, F. Wrangel).
Many representatives of the Wrangel family in Russia devoted their lives to a military career. But there were also those who refused it. One of them was Nikolai Georgievich Wrangel. Having abandoned his military career, he became the director of the Equitebl insurance company, located in Rostov-on-Don. Nikolai Georgievich had the title of baron, but had neither estates nor fortune. He inherited the title to his son, Pyotr Nikolaevich Wrangel, who became one of the most famous military figures of the early 20th century.
History knows many examples of sons choosing the profession of their fathers. From generation to generation, hereditary dynasties of doctors, jewelers, actors were created, and many representatives of the nobility were hereditary military men. Rod Kolchakov and belonged to the dynasty of "service people".
According to family tradition, the Kolchak clan appeared in Russia in the 18th century. According to one version, the Kolchaks built their clan to Khan Konchak, probably by the consonance of the surname. But the Turkic words "konchak" and "kolchak" are completely different in meaning: "konchak" is translated as "trousers", and "kolchak" as a combat gauntlet. Although everything can be...
It is absolutely certain that Kolchak's ancestors had Serbian or Croatian roots. The first representative of this genus, about which there is documentary information, was a Serb who professed the Christian religion. Having fallen under Turkish rule, he went to the service of the Sultan and converted to Islam, which, however, was a common thing for representatives of the Serbian nobility. He became called Ilias Pasha Kolchak. Among the Turks, he became a bolubash, which is equal to the rank of colonel. He distinguished himself in 1711 in a battle with the troops of Peter I during the Prut campaign of the Russian Tsar. For courage, the Sultan elevated Ilias Pasha to the three-bunch pashas. After peace with Russia, he remained in Moldavia, in the fortress of Khotyn, and was appointed head of the left wing of the Bessarabian army. By 1717, Ilias Pasha reached the position of Khotyn Governor-General. Staying in Khotyn for more than 20 years, he not only showed himself to be a good military commander and administrator, but also an excellent diplomat, becoming the conductor of Istanbul's policy in relations with Poland.
This man was a "long-liver" in the English and world political arena. He was a descendant of the famous English families of Churchills and Marlborough, the grandson of a Duke, was a permanent member of the House of Commons, Prime Minister, an honorary citizen of the United States of America and was distantly related to US President F.D. Roosevelt. In appearance, he resembled his ancestors from the Marlborough family. His father, Lord Randolph Churchill, was the third son of the seventh Duke of Marlborough, John Winston Spencer Churchill, and Duchess Francis, née Marchioness of Londonderry.
The most famous ancestor of Winston Churchill was John Churchill, who reached the rank of Feldzeugmeister General in his military career. He confidently moved from rank to rank, and at the age of 22 he became a captain of the cavalry, at 24 - a colonel of a dragoon regiment. By the age of 35, John Churchill received the title of baron. For successful actions and loyalty to the crown, John Churchill was promoted to the rank of major general and after some time received the title of earl. It was he who laid the foundation for the Marlborough dynasty and brought her considerable material income. Not without the help of his wife, he was elevated to ducal dignity, and the German emperor granted the Duke of Marlborough the title of Prince of the Roman Empire, which to this day belongs to his descendants. John Churchill died in 1722 from apoplexy and left no descendants in the male line. Therefore, by special decree, the title and possessions were transferred to his daughter Henrietta, and from her passed to her nephew Charles Spencer. And from that time on, the family name of the Dukes of Marlborough becomes the name Spencer Churchill.
The Pilsudski family belongs to the ancient Polonized Lithuanian gentry, whose roots go back centuries. The clan originated from the legendary grand ducal dynasty, the founder of which was Dovsprung, who ruled Lithuania even before Gediminas. The documents of the 15th century mention Ginet - a Lithuanian boyar who received the Polish coat of arms. This ancestor of Pilsudski was a supporter of the pro-German party of the boyars who opposed the Polish king. In the future, Ginet and his supporters were forced to move to Prussia, where they were greeted "with joy and showered with gifts."
The princely origin of Piłsudski was the subject of heated disputes that arose during the period of his high posts in Poland. The same document allowed Piłsudski's supporters to justify his right to receive the Polish crown, and twice (in 1919 and 1926) he was asked to accept the title of King of Poland. But Pilsudski's opponents argued that Ginet, mentioned in the document, was not a descendant of a grand ducal family, since he was called Ginet Kontsevich, that is, the son of Konci, and was not Ginviltovich, that is, a descendant of Prince Ginvilt, who was descended from Dovsprung.
The ancestor of the Mannerheim family was the merchant Henrik Marheim, who moved from Holland to Sweden in the 16th century. He was engaged in mining, became a member of the city council of the city of Gavle, and even served in the burgher guard as a company commander. Then he moved to Stockholm, where he got a position as an accountant in the first bank in Sweden. His youngest son Augustin got a job as a manager in Estonia, on the estate of Count Uksensherna, and during the sequestration of lands in order to return them to the crown, he became a member of the executive committee, composed of people of non-noble origin. This allowed him to lease the lands of his former employers, the counts of Uksenshern, and in 1693 to receive a noble title. He began to be called differently, changing the surname Marheim to a longer and more sonorous one - Mannerheim. All four of his sons began serving as artillery officers. The eldest of them, Karl Eric, served in Finland in the city of Turku in the provincial infantry regiment. At 23, he was already in the rank of major, perhaps having bought the rank, which was accepted at that time. His brother, who received a law degree, joined the royal opposition and in 1809 was appointed Commissioner of Justice.
Modern names, entrenched as aristocratic, originate from past centuries and even millennia. Now under them we perceive, first of all, the names of European monarchs and persons close to power. Really, in past eras, not everyone got the right to bear aristocratic names. Only royal or royal dynasties, as well as aristocratic, for example, count families, had such an opportunity.
This was due to the belief that certain names carry a strong energy of power, making its bearer a born ruler and forcing subjects to obey him unquestioningly.
However, in the modern world with an ever-accelerating pace of life, aristocratic names have left the category of sacred ones and have become available to everyone without exception. However, both their complex and unusual sound and strong energy still warrant careful handling. Not all aristocratic names can suit a child at a given time and in a given place, in the future reflecting on the boy with ridicule for the “strange” and “artsy” “nickname”. How to find a compromise between the wishes of the parents and the future psychological comfort of the child?
First of all, you need to consider in which country the child was born. For example, in Russia, the names that the rulers of the country had since the 9th century will look organically and naturally - Oleg, Ivan, Fedor, etc. These names in our time seem completely ordinary, but, nevertheless, they have strong energy, therefore they were so loved by the aristocratic families of Russia.
But foreign royal names, for example, Albrecht, Stefan, Sebastian, Louis, may not be combined with the usual Russian surnames and patronymics. And a child named like that is more likely to stand out among peers and can serve as an object of ridicule. In this case, parents can be advised to change the form to a more familiar Russian ear. For example, Albrecht can become Albert, and Stefan can become Stepan.
A foreign aristocratic name may suit a child if he already has an unusual surname and patronymic. And even more so if his parents are really descendants of a noble family.
Influence on the fate and character of the child
Any name largely determines the fate and character of a person. including the aristocrats. As already mentioned, certain names were popular in royal dynasties due to their strong power energy.
Therefore, a boy named like that will be a born leader. He will strive to take leadership: in childhood - in the company of friends or in the classroom, and in the future - in any groups. Perhaps such a boy will not have enough perseverance to complete some painstaking work, but he will be able to perfectly coordinate the work of other guys.
At the same time, royal names cause different temperaments and characters for their bearers. A born leader can be both calm and unhurried, and active, in perpetual motion. For example, the name Vaclav gives its bearer a complaisant and good-natured character, but Albert can be active and successful, but a little selfish.
In addition, the ruling persons often had a difficult fate, on their shoulders lay a great responsibility for the decisions made and for other people. Therefore, one should be prepared that the boy who received the royal name will make his way in life “through thorns to the stars”, however, the accompanying strong energy will help them overcome difficulties.
Pros and cons, if you call the boy in a royal way
It cannot be said that aristocratic names for a boy in the modern world are only good or only bad. This phenomenon has both pluses and minuses. Of the positive points, the following can be distinguished:
- Unusual and sophisticated sound.
- Such a name is usually easy to remember.
- The wearer will stand out from other people.
- The name will give energy and strength, help to achieve success.
- The energy of the name will make other people listen to the opinion of its bearer and trust him.
However, there are also negative points:
- Sometimes such a name may be inappropriate, cause ridicule from peers.
- Many aristocratic names do not fit with typical Russian surnames and patronymics.
- A name can bring a difficult fate to a child, impose great responsibility on him, which will make his life more difficult.
- The imperious character acquired thanks to the name can lead to conflicts between its bearer and the people around him.
It can be concluded that if parents are sure that an exquisite aristocratic name will be combined with a surname and patronymic, and are also ready for the child to acquire a difficult fate and an imperious character, which can cause many conflicts in the future, then they can safely name child like a king.
What is the most common name for babies?
Russian royal
As already mentioned, the names of royal persons in Russia for the hearing of a modern person sound quite ordinary. An interesting fact is that, unlike Europe, they could be worn by both the owners of "blue blood" and ordinary residents of cities and villages. Among the royal Russian names are:
- Alexander (emperors Alexander I, II and III).
- Alexei (Prince Alexei, son of Peter I).
- Vasily (princes Vasily I, II, III).
- Vladimir (Prince Vladimir the Red Sun, Vladimir Monomakh).
- John (John V Alekseevich, John VI Antonovich).
- Michael (Tsar Mikhail Alekseevich Romanov).
- Nicholas (emperors Nicholas I, II).
- Oleg (Prince Oleg).
- Paul (Emperor Paul I).
- Peter (Emperor Peter I).
- Yaroslav (Prince Yaroslav the Wise).
foreign royal
Foreign royal names are often unusual for Russian hearing, so they look original and elegant. The main thing is to choose a suitable surname and patronymic. Foreign aristocratic names include:
As you can see, some of these names may well be combined with some Russian surnames and patronymics, for example, Jan, Edward or Joseph. Others look quite unusual - Ferdinand, Louis, Amadeus, so their choice should be approached carefully.
Thus, choosing an aristocratic name for a boy is always some risk for parents, because a person named this way will always be in the spotlight, and his character will be domineering. However, such names sound unusual and beautiful and will give their bearers the willpower inherent in kings.
When you are a king, your life becomes very difficult. You can't even name your children whatever you want. When the second son of the British Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Andrew, had a daughter, her parents wanted to name her Beata. But the queen stated that this name was not part of the royal dynastic names, and the girl was named Abigail.
In the Middle Ages, all children in a family were often given the same name. The Polish chronicler Jan Długosz had ten brothers with the same name. And at the aristocratic Christmas feast in the city of Bayo (Northern France) in 1171, 117 Williams gathered.
In Rus', back in the 12th century, noble women were named either after their father (“Yaroslavna”) or after their husband (“Glebovaya”).
The name Xenia was first introduced into the royal family by Boris Godunov.
Peter I tried to be a "pioneer" everywhere, including in naming his own children. He named one of his daughters Margarita - a name that at that time was found in Russia only among nuns. This name is still very much loved in those countries where there is a hereditary royal power: in England, Holland and Belgium.
Peter was the first to introduce the names of Paul and Alexander into the name of the reigning dynasty. Prior to that, the name Alexander was found in Rus' only in antiquity. After Peter and to this day, the name Alexander remains one of the most popular.
For a long time there was no name Andrei in the Russian royal dynasties. It is also not found in other august houses. Unless there were a couple of Andreevs on the throne of Venice and now - the already mentioned British Prince Andrew.
The name Tatyana, which, according to some, has always been common people (and supposedly Pushkin brought it into fashion), on the contrary, was often found in the names of the royal house. Tatyanas were already among the first Romanovs, in the families of Tsars Mikhail and Alexei.
The choice of names for the royal offspring is strictly followed everywhere. In Spain, only once, in 1886, Queen Christina, against the advice of the Court, named her son Alphonse, but this name turned out to be unfortunate, as the courtiers predicted. King Alphonse XIII did not rule long and abdicated.
In Denmark, there are only 2 male royal names: Frederik and Christian, which alternate. It is not customary to call the prince who will become king by other names.
In Japan, the name of the emperor is determined by a council of wise scribes. Moreover, this name has nothing to do with the name that the emperor received at birth. For example, the council named Emperor Hirohito the name Showa, which means "Enlightened World." Emperor Akihito after death will receive the name Heisei, which translates as "Peace and Tranquility."
