Gjin is an

Albanian Albanian may refer to: *Pertaining to Albania in Southeast Europe; in particular: **Albanians, an ethnic group native to the Balkans **Albanian language **Albanian culture **Demographics of Albania, includes other ethnic groups within the country ...

male

given name A given name (also known as a forename or first name) is the part of a personal name quoted in that identifies a person, potentially with a middle name as well, and differentiates that person from the other members of a group (typically a fa ...

clan A clan is a group of people united by actual or perceived kinship and descent. Even if lineage details are unknown, clans may claim descent from founding member or apical ancestor. Clans, in indigenous societies, tend to be endogamous, meaning ...

surname In some cultures, a surname, family name, or last name is the portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family, tribe or community. Practices vary by culture. The family name may be placed at either the start of a person's full name ...

and onomastic element. As a name, it is usually held by

Albanian Christians Christianity in Albania was established throughout the country in 325 AD. From 1100 AD, the Byzantine Empire carried out Church missions in the area. In relation to the increasing influence of Venice, the Franciscans started to settle down in the ...

, as it is derived from the name of a saint, although the identity of this saint is unclear, as both theologists and linguists disagree on the relation of Saint Gjin to Saint

Gjon Gjon (definite form: ''Gjoni'') is an Albanian male given name, clan, surname and onomastic element. As given name Etymology and history ''Gjon'' as a given name is a form of the English name John. It is the name of the apostle Saint John in Al ...

(the latter of which is considered to be Saint John).Riska, Albert (2013)
"The Christian Saints in the (Micro)toponymy of Albania"
''Anglisticum Journal (IJLLIS)'' vol 2 issue 3. Pages 167-176. Page 174

Origin

The origin of the name "Gjin" is unclear, except for the fact that he is considered a Christian saint by

Albanians The Albanians (; sq, Shqiptarët ) are an ethnic group and nation native to the Balkan Peninsula who share a common Albanian ancestry, culture, history and language. They primarily live in Albania, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Se ...

. The Catholic clergy consider Shën Gjin (Saint Gjin) to be the same

saint In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of Q-D-Š, holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and Christian denomination, denominat ...

as Shën Gjon (Saint John) but the Christians of the Central Albanian Shpati region (who are Orthodox)) revere the two as separate saintsRiska, Albert (2013)
"The Christian Saints in the (Micro)toponymy of Albania"
''Anglisticum Journal (IJLLIS)'' vol 2 issue 3. Pages 167-176. with two different saint days—21 May for Shën Gjon, but 24 June for Shën Gjin. Linguists also are unsure etymologically about the derivation of Gjin, especially, once again, whether it has the same source as Gjon. If Gjin does not have the same source as Gjon, it is difficult to find any Christian source of the name despite Gjin being considered a Christian saint among Albanians. Krahe and Lambertz have theorized that Gjin is in fact a Christianization of a pre-Christian Albanian figure, arguing in particular that the original name of the figure in ancient times was ''

Gentius Gentius ( grc, Γένθιος, "Génthios"; 181168 BC) was an Illyrian king who belonged to the Labeatan dynasty. He ruled in 181–168 BC, being the last attested Illyrian king. He was the son of Pleuratus III, a king who kept positive relati ...

'' before it was mutated over time. If so, Gjin could be not the only Albanian Christian saint with a non-Christian origin, as another saint is also thought to be of pre-Christian origin: Shën Premti which shares the origin of ''Premte'', the Albanian word for Friday, and is thought to share the origin of the ancient goddess

Prende Prende (also ''Prenne'', ''Premte'' or ''Petka'') is the dawn goddess, goddess of love, beauty, fertility, and protector of women, in the Albanian pagan mythology. She is thought to have been worshiped by the Illyrians in antiquity. In Albanian f ...

, the Albanian equivalent of Roman

Venus Venus is the second planet from the Sun. It is sometimes called Earth's "sister" or "twin" planet as it is almost as large and has a similar composition. As an interior planet to Earth, Venus (like Mercury) appears in Earth's sky never fa ...

, Norse

Freyja In Norse paganism, Freyja (Old Norse "(the) Lady") is a goddess associated with love, beauty, fertility, sex, war, gold, and seiðr (magic for seeing and influencing the future). Freyja is the owner of the necklace Brísingamen, rides a chario ...

and Greek

Aphrodite Aphrodite ( ; grc-gre, Ἀφροδίτη, Aphrodítē; , , ) is an ancient Greek goddess associated with love, lust, beauty, pleasure, passion, and procreation. She was syncretized with the Roman goddess . Aphrodite's major symbols include ...

but was identified by the Catholic Church with the

martyr A martyr (, ''mártys'', "witness", or , ''marturia'', stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an externa ...

Saint Anne According to Christian apocryphal and Islamic tradition, Saint Anne was the mother of Mary and the maternal grandmother of Jesus. Mary's mother is not named in the canonical gospels. In writing, Anne's name and that of her husband Joachim come o ...

As toponym

Albanians have historically coined place names using the names of saints, and Gjin is no exception. The following toponyms, among others, include ''Gjin'' as an

onomastic Onomastics (or, in older texts, onomatology) is the study of the etymology, history, and use of proper names. An ''orthonym'' is the proper name of the object in question, the object of onomastic study. Onomastics can be helpful in data mining, w ...

element and is noted in the regions of

Tirana Tirana ( , ; aln, Tirona) is the capital and largest city of Albania. It is located in the centre of the country, enclosed by mountains and hills with Dajti rising to the east and a slight valley to the northwest overlooking the Adriatic Sea ...

Elbasan Elbasan ( ; sq-definite, Elbasani ) is the fourth most populous city of Albania and seat of Elbasan County and Elbasan Municipality. It lies to the north of the river Shkumbin between the Skanderbeg Mountains and the Myzeqe Plain in central Al ...

and

Mirdita Mirdita is a region of northern Albania whose territory is synonymous with the historic Albanian tribe of the same name. Etymology The name Mirdita derives from a legendary ancestor named Mir Diti from whom the tribe claims descent. Other ...

. *

Shëngjin Shëngjin is a coastal town and a former municipality in Lezhë County, northwestern Albania. At the 2015 local government reform it became a subdivision of the municipality of Lezhë. The population at the 2011 census was 8,091.

with variants Shnjin and Shën GjiniRiska, Albert (2013)
"The Christian Saints in the (Micro)toponymy of Albania"
''Anglisticum Journal (IJLLIS)'' vol 2 issue 3. Pages 167-176. Page 167 *

Gjinar Gjinar is a village and a former municipality in the Elbasan County, central Albania. At the 2015 local government reform it became a subdivision of the municipality Elbasan. The population at the 2011 census was 3,478. The municipal unit consists ...

Gjinovec Gjinovec ( bg, Гиновец, mk, Ѓиновец) is a village in the former Trebisht in Dibër County in northeastern Albania. At the 2015 local government reform it became part of the municipality Bulqizë. It is situated within the Gollobord ...

The given name transferring into the toponym is also seen in the form of

Gjin Aleksi's Mosque Gjin Aleksi Mosque ( sq, Xhamia e Gjin Aleksit, tr, Kinaleksi Mescidi) is a 15th-century mosque in the village of Rusan, near Delvinë, Albania. It is a Cultural Monument of Albania. The mosque is distinguished for the high quality of acoustics ...

Persons with the name Gjin

Gjin is typically held as a given name by Albanian Christians, including these notable personalities: *

Gjin Bua Shpata Gjin Bua Shpata (sometimes anglicized as ''John Spata'') ( 1358 – 29 October 1399) was an Albanian ruler in Western Greece with the title of Despot. Together with Peter Losha, he led raids into Epirus, Acarnania and Aetolia in 1358. He was re ...

Gjin Progoni Gjin Progoni ( la, Ginius) was an ''archon'' (or lord) of Kruja, located in present-day Albania, from c. 1198 until his death in 1208.: "Even if it is hard to identify the outlook of Prince Gjin, the son of Progon, who died in 1208, it is clear th ...

Gjin Zenebishi John Zenevisi or Gjon Zenebishi ( sq, Gjon Zenebishi or ''Gjin Zenebishi''; died 1418) was an Albanian magnate that held the estates in Epirus, such as Argyrokastro (Gjirokastër) and Vagenetia. Name Zenevisi can be found with different spelli ...

Gjini family Gjini family (Croat: Ginni) ( Italian: Gini, Ghini) was an Albanian medieval family who lived in Venetian Albania in the 16th and 17th century who played a major role in social and military history in the eastern Adriatic coast. The noble Mark Gjini ...

Gjin Muzaka IGjin Muzaka II

References

{{Reflist Albanian masculine given names Albanian-language surnames

Origin

As toponym

Persons with the name Gjin

See also

References