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 English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national id ...

name

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Seco ...

. It is the name of the apostle Saint John in Albanian ( sq, Shën Gjon).Riska, Albert (2013)
"The Christian Saints in the (Micro)toponymy of Albania"
''Anglisticum Journal (IJLLIS)'' vol 2 issue 3. Pages 167-176. Pages 169,172-175 Most saint names in Albanian come from Latin; John is from the

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power ...

Iohannes, the Latin form of the

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

Ioannes (), derived from the

Hebrew Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...

name

Yohanan Yohanan, Yochanan and Johanan are various transliterations to the Latin alphabet of the Hebrew male given name ('), a shortened form of ('), meaning "YHWH is gracious". The name is ancient, recorded as the name of Johanan, high priest of the Sec ...

(), meaning "God is gracious". Both theologists and linguists are unsure about the relationship of the name ''Gjon'' to ''Gjin''—the Catholic clergy considers the two to be the same saint, but the Christians of the Central Albanian Shpati region (who are Orthodox) revere Gjin and Gjon as separate saints, while linguists are unsure about the etymology of Gjin and whether or not it shares its origin with Gjon. In the Middle Ages the name Gjon was very widespread in all Albanian regions. Until lately it was also prevalent among

Arvanites Arvanites (; Arvanitika: , or , ; Greek: , ) are a bilingual population group in Greece of Albanian origin. They traditionally speak Arvanitika, an Albanian language variety, along with Greek. Their ancestors were first recorded as settle ...

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders wit ...

The name Gjon is also mentioned in the afterword of

Gjon Buzuku Gjon Buzuku (15 March 1499 – 9 October 1577) was an Albanian Catholic priest who wrote the first known printed book in Albanian. Gjon Buzuku according to the elders wrote the Missal in the village of Brisk Posht in the Shestan - Krajë region, ...

's 1555 book, Meshari, where the author introduces himself to the reader as "''Unë, dom Gjoni, biri i Bdek Buzukut''" ("''I, don Gjoni, son of Bdek Buzuku''").

People with the given name Gjon

* Gjon Françesku Albani (1720–1803), Italian cardinal of Albanian descent *

(1499–1577), Albanian writer * Gjon Delhusa (born 1953), Hungarian singer * Gjon Gazulli (1400–1465), Albanian scholar and diplomat * Gjon Kastrioti II (1456–1502), Albanian nobleman *

Gjon Kastrioti Gjon Kastrioti (1375/80 – 4 May 1437), was a member of the Albanian nobility, from the House of Kastrioti, and the father of future Albanian leader Gjergj Kastrioti (better known as Skanderbeg). He governed the territory between the Cape o ...

(died 1437), Albanian nobleman *

Gjon Markagjoni Gjon Markagjoni (28 August 1888 – 28 April 1966) was an Albanian Catholic clan chieftain ( sq, Kapedan). Biography He was born in Orosh, Mirdita, the only son of Kapidan Marka Gjoni (1861–1925). His father was the leader or Kapidan of ...

(1888–1966), Albanian clan leader * Gjon Mili (1904–1984), Albanian photographer * Gjon Muharremaj (born 1998), Swiss-Albanian singer *

Gjon Muzaka Gjon Muzaka ( fl. 1510; it, Giovanni Musachi di Berat ) was an Albanian nobleman from the Muzaka family, that has historically ruled in the Myzeqe region, Albania. In 1510 he wrote a ''Breve memoria de li discendenti de nostra casa Musachi'' (Sho ...

, medieval Albanian noble of the

Muzaka family The Muzaka were an Albanian noble family that ruled over the region of Myzeqe (southern Albania) in the Late Middle Ages. The Muzaka are also referred to by some authors as a tribe or a clan. The earliest historical document that mention Muzak ...

and writer of his famous memoir * Gjon Ndoja (born 1991), Albanian basketball player *

Gjon Progoni Gjin Progoni ( la, Ginius) was an ''archon ''Archon'' ( gr, ἄρχων, árchōn, plural: ἄρχοντες, ''árchontes'') is a Greek word that means "ruler", frequently used as the title of a specific public office. It is the masculine pres ...

(died 1208), Albanian nobleman * Gjon Simoni (1936–1999), Albanian musician *

Gjon 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 spellin ...

(died 1418), Albanian nobleman

People with the surname Gjonaj

* Adriana Gjonaj, Albanian politician * Algert Gjonaj (born 1987), Albanian basketball player *

Etilda Gjonaj Etilda Gjonaj (born May 6, 1981) is an Albanian politician, lawyer, and professor. She served as Minister of Justice of Albania. Early life Etilda Gjonaj was born Etilda Saliu in Pukë, Albania on 6 May 1981. In 2003, Gjonaj graduated from ...

(born 1981), Albanian politician * Kujtim Gjonaj (born 1946), Albanian screenwriter * Mark Gjonaj, American politician * Salvador Gjonaj (born 1992), Albanian footballer

As surname

Gjoni or Gjonaj is a common Albanian last name, from the given name Gjon. The names ''Joni'' and ''Jonima'' also have the same source, and the latter (under the modern Albanian form ''Gjonima'') being the surname of members of the Jonima family. The

Serbian language Serbian (, ) is the standardized variety of the Serbo-Croatian language mainly used by Serbs. It is the official and national language of Serbia, one of the three official languages of Bosnia and Herzegovina and co-official in Montenegro and ...

family name Đonović is derived from the first name Gjon which means that it is of Albanian origin.

History

The clan of Gjoni was first recorded in 1306. Originally

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words '' Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρ ...

, it is shared between Albanian Christians and

Muslims Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abra ...

People with the surname Gjoni

* Simon Gjoni (1925-1991), Albanian composer * Dhimitër Gjoni, Nobleman * Xhelil Gjoni, Politician * Sadri Gjoni, Soccer player * Ilir Gjoni, Politician * Vladislav Gjoni, Nobleman * Ingrid Gjoni (born 1981), Albanian singer * Vilson Gjoni (born 1950), Croatian footballer * Sara Gjoni (born 1997), Miss Albania * Eron Gjoni, Programmer, 1st Amendment activist * Marka Gjoni Kapedan of the Mirdita clan * Renne Gjoni Actor

As toponym

''Gjon'', due to historic naming of places after the saint, became an element in Albanian toponyms, contributing to the formation of placenames such Shijon, Shinjan, Gjonm and Gjorm, the difference between the latter two demonstrating

Tosk Tosk ( sq-definite, toskërishtja) is the southern group of dialects of the Albanian language, spoken by the ethnographic group known as Tosks. The line of demarcation between Tosk and Gheg (the northern variety) is the Shkumbin River. Tosk i ...

rhoticism.Riska, Albert (2013)
"The Christian Saints in the (Micro)toponymy of Albania"
''Anglisticum Journal (IJLLIS)'' vol 2 issue 3. Pages 167-176. Pages 169, 172

References

Sources

* * * https://web.archive.org/web/20120211183414/http://www.albanianhistory.net/texts15/AH1470.html {{DEFAULTSORT:Gjon (Name) Albanian masculine given names Albanian-language surnames