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Romanian Onomastics Deseret Language and Linguistic Society Symposium Volume 23 Issue 1 Article 15 4-1-1997 Romanian Onomastics Sydney Minnette Parent Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/dlls BYU ScholarsArchive Citation Parent, Sydney Minnette (1997) "Romanian Onomastics," Deseret Language and Linguistic Society Symposium: Vol. 23 : Iss. 1 , Article 15. Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/dlls/vol23/iss1/15 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Journals at BYU ScholarsArchive. It has been accepted for inclusion in Deseret Language and Linguistic Society Symposium by an authorized editor of BYU ScholarsArchive. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. Romanian Onomastics Sydney Minnette Parent Brigham Young University "What's the use of their having names," the Gnat said, So, what if you are one of the thousands of Marys "if they won 'I answer 10 them'?" or Johns'? Are these names really distinctive and indi­ "No usc to them," said Alice; "but it's useful to the vidulaized? Maybe you feel a little cheated out of people that name them, I suppose, If not, why do things have an identity, or maybe you love your history-laden names at all?" moniker. Do we take names for granted? Just how -Lewis Carroll important are they? Once again we tum to Wehster's Through the Looking-Glass (1871) Dictionary for help. The meaning of "name-less" is as follows: What's in a name? Or maybe we should ask,what is a name? Most people in Western civilization think I: undistinguished; obscure ... , 2: not known by of a name as being a word or a phrase, spelled with a name; anonymous. 3: having no legal right to capital letter, that denotes a "special individual repre­ a name; illegitimate. 4: not having been given a sentative of a larger group or sub-group" (Room, name. unnamed. 5: not marked with a name 1993, p, iii), This is fairly accurate when we consider <a nameless grave>. (Wehster's, 1965, p. 561) the dictionary detinition: The images evoked by these descriptions are any­ I: a word constituting the distinctive designation thing but positive. Imagine being a nameless person, of a person or thing. 2: a designating expression. being a nameless grave, maybe being forgotten over ... 4: family, clan .... 6: spiritual nature or the centuries. A haunting feeling, isn't it? Adrian essence <praise his holy name>. (Wehster's, 1965, Room (1993) states that "the function of declaring an p. 561) object's intrinsic individuality is thus the most impor­ tant function that a name has, even when the same Sometimes the named object is singular in the name is borne by others" (p. iii). world, for example, Mount Everest. This is the only Names are rudimentary to every scholarly en­ mountain that has this name. Yet ofttimes the named deavor or life situation, What would modern linguistics object, animate or inanimate, shares the same name be if the word Chomsky meant nothing? What if we with many others. For instance, there are hundreds of could not refer to our favorite poet by name'? Language men named "John" and even more women named would become much more tedious if we had to de­ "Mary," but each of them is an individual and has been tail every referent in a round-about way. Therefore. given a "label" to denote his or her individuality, onomastics-the science or study of the origins and 92 SYDNEY MrNNETIE PARENT forms of proper names of persons or places-was three names, for example, Marcus Tullis Cicero. founded. The seldom-expected origins of names The first was the "praenomen," which was a per­ only adds to their special status and enhances sonal name, or what we would call a given name. people's interest in them (Room, 1993, p. iv). Who The second name was the "nomen," which was really knows what history lies behind words like the name of person's "gens" or "clan." This Jared, Jemima, or Geraldine: or is it even signifi­ was not necessarily a family name, but rather a cant? Some believe that a person's name can have group of families that had descended through the a great impact on his or her life (Rosenkrantz & male line from a single ancestor. "Nomina" can Satran, 1994, p. xvi). Certain names can evoke often be recognized by the ending -ius. Roman strong images within a person. We may attach cer­ women tended to abandon the "praenomen" and tain attitudes and values to the names of influential instead used the "nomen" alone with a feminine people in our lives (be it a playground bully or a ending, for example, Antonia instead of Antonius. dear, lifelong friend). It is also natural for us to The final name was the "cognomen" or nickname. name the things in our lives. "A small child will In fact, this was often a hereditary name, similar give names to even his tiniest toys or his well­ to a "nomen," but originating from a meaningful chewed blanket, and the difference between nickname given to an ancestor, for example, 'Blankie' and 'the blanket' is an entire personal­ Cicero, meaning "bean," or Flavius, meaning ity" (Wallace, 1992, p. xi). "yellow" (probably referring to hair color). The Naming systems vary in different parts of the "cognomen" would basically be the equivalent world and at different periods of history. so that of the modern surname (Constantinescu, 1963, the types or numbers of names that an individual p. xxii). Sometimes a Roman would have a fourth has today may well be different than his or her an­ name, or "agnomen," which identified with some cestestors '. Personal names are generally one of idiosyncratic accomplishment, for example, Pub­ two types: Christian (or first names) and surnames. lius Cornelius Scipio Aji-icanus, whose agnomen Each signifies a particular individual, although referred to his successful battles in Africa (Room, surnames by definition run in families so that 1993, p, vii). they indicate people who are known to be related. Later, this tidy system broke down, and people Many people, in many countries, also bear went back to having a single name. The triple­ "middle" or extra names. These are used mainly name system at least formed the basis for that on formal occasions, such as the identification of a found in many Western countries today. Most particular individual or the signature on an official Americans still have a first name, middle name, document (or as in some families they are used so and surname, and for Russians the three names are children will know that they are in big trouble). almost unwaveringly a personal name, patronymic, As a general rule, one name per person was origi­ and surname. People bearing only two names, a nally enough. Why have more? This was the com­ first name and surname, have likewise received mon practice for the ancient Greeks. A child the original Roman naming formula (Room, 1993, received a name at birth, and if or when a girl p. vii). married she kept this original name. The names Although Greek and Roman onomastics have were meaningful and were frequently theophoric; had a lasting effect on Western names, most of the that is, they incorporated the name of a god, for best-known names, male and female, are not so example, Diogenes, "born of Zeus." The first son much classical as biblical (Constantinescu, 1963. in a family was usually named after his grand­ p. xliv). The Bible has provided many popular father, and the first daughter after her grandmother names. Familiar names of Old Testament origin, (Room, 1993, p. vi). Though Greek names were with variations in different languages, include typically singular, it was possible to add a Abraham, Benjamin. Hannah, and Samuel. Some patronymic -ide suffix to the father's name. This is of the most common first names of all are among seen frequently in the Homeric poems, for ex­ those found in the New Testament: Andrew. Eliza­ ample, Odiseus LaC/·tide (Constantinescu, 1963, beth, James, John, Luke, Mark, Mary, Matthew, p. xxii). Paul, Peter, Stephen, Thomas, Timothy. Most Old The Romans also started out with just one Testament names are Hebrew in origin and can name, which is why "Romulus" and "Remus" had be interpreted literally. Their original sense usu­ no others names. Soon, however, under Etruscan ally expresses a religious sentiment and may in­ influence, the Romans developed a well-defined clude the word for, or name of, God, respectively system in which each person had first two, then el and yah. So Daniel means "God is my judge," ROMANIAN ONOMASTICS 93 Nathaniel means "gift of God," and Jeremiah words in his native language: Torna, torna,fratre. means "appointed by Yah," in others words, by This phrase, connected with an event during a Jehovah. New Testament names, on the other campaign in Thrace in A.D. 587, is believed to be hand. may be classical in origin. such as Andrew, the earliest written evidence of Balkan Romance" from the Greek for "man" or Mark from Roman (Deletant, 1983, p. I). Romanian grammar is al­ "Marcus," which is probably related to "Mars." most completely Latin; however, the isolation John and Marv, two of the most common names of resulted in a number of distinctions between it and all time, are both Hebrew in origin, respectively the other Romance languages. The vocabulary is meaning "God is gracious" and "fertile" (maybe), mainly of Latin origin, but it has also been the re­ while Barnahas is Aramaic in origin (Room, 1993, cipient of Greek. Slavic, and Turkish influences.
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