Anthroponymy (also anthroponymics or anthroponomastics, from
Ancient Greek ἄνθρωπος ''anthrōpos'' / 'human', and ὄνομα ''onoma'' / 'name') is the study of ''anthroponyms'', the
proper names
A proper noun is a noun that identifies a single entity and is used to refer to that entity (''Africa'', ''Jupiter'', ''Sarah'', ''Microsoft)'' as distinguished from a common noun, which is a noun that refers to a class of entities (''continent, ...
of
human beings
Humans (''Homo sapiens'') are the most abundant and widespread species of primate, characterized by bipedalism and exceptional cognitive skills due to a large and complex brain. This has enabled the development of advanced tools, culture, an ...
, both individual and collective. Anthroponymy is a branch of
onomastics.
Researchers in the field of anthroponymy are called ''anthroponymists''. Since the study of anthroponyms is relevant for several other disciplines within
social sciences and
humanities, experts from those disciplines engage in anthroponymic studies, including researchers from the fields of
anthropology
Anthropology is the scientific study of humanity, concerned with human behavior, human biology, cultures, societies, and linguistics, in both the present and past, including past human species. Social anthropology studies patterns of behavi ...
,
history,
human geography
Human geography or anthropogeography is the branch of geography that studies spatial relationships between human communities, cultures, economies, and their interactions with the environment. It analyzes spatial interdependencies between social i ...
,
sociology,
prosopography, and
genealogy
Genealogy () is the study of families, family history, and the tracing of their lineages. Genealogists use oral interviews, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family and to demonstrate kinsh ...
.
Anthroponymists are required to follow certain principles, rules and criteria when researching anthroponyms. The methods used for research are divided into two major categories: the collecting of anthroponymic information and the analysis and interpretation of anthroponyms. The collection of anthroponymic information includes: inscriptions, documents,
onomastics-tax records, dictionaries, phone books,
monographs, and websites, which are used afterward for mapping purposes. The analysis and interpretation of anthroponyms take into account the processing of the collection of the information gathered, which consists of
linguistic analysis
In the study of language, description or descriptive linguistics is the work of objectively analyzing and describing how language is actually used (or how it was used in the past) by a speech community. François & Ponsonnet (2013).
All acad ...
, comparative-historical method,
geographical method, and
statistical method.
Anthroponymy of individual and family names
Anthroponymy of individual and family names, and their mutual correlations, includes the study of:
Anthroponyms of individuals can also be classified according to
gender. Names of human males are called ''andronyms'' (from
Ancient Greek ἀνήρ / man, and ὄνομα / name), while names of human females are called ''gynonyms'' (from
Ancient Greek γυνή / woman, and ὄνομα / name).
Anthroponymy of group and population names
Anthroponymy of group and population names includes the study of
demonym
A demonym (; ) or gentilic () is a word that identifies a group of people (inhabitants, residents, natives) in relation to a particular place. Demonyms are usually derived from the name of the place (hamlet, village, town, city, region, province, ...
s (names of localized populations),
ethnonyms (names of ethnic groups), as well as
tribal names and
clan names.
Anthroponymy and culture
Anthroponymy is a socio-cultural tool that can be used to find out about an individual’s
culture. Through the name of a person, their
nationality, as well as their
history, can be traced. Anthroponyms have both a national and cultural significance as they guarantee the preservation of
linguistics,
cultural, and
historical
History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the History of writing#Inventions of writing, invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbr ...
information.
Related terms and processes
There are several specific terms and processes related to anthroponymy, like:
* ''anthroponymization'', a process when an anthroponym is formed from an
apellative
A noun () is a word that generally functions as the name of a specific object or set of objects, such as living creatures, places, actions, qualities, states of existence, or ideas.Example nouns for:
* Living creatures (including people, alive, ...
, like when a surname is created from the name of ones occupation, thus forming an
occupational 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, ...
. Such surnames are common in most languages, including English: ''
Smith
Smith may refer to:
People
* Metalsmith, or simply smith, a craftsman fashioning tools or works of art out of various metals
* Smith (given name)
* Smith (surname), a family name originating in England, Scotland and Ireland
** List of people wit ...
'' (from
smith
Smith may refer to:
People
* Metalsmith, or simply smith, a craftsman fashioning tools or works of art out of various metals
* Smith (given name)
* Smith (surname), a family name originating in England, Scotland and Ireland
** List of people wit ...
), ''
Miller'' (from
miller), ''
Thatcher'' (from
thatcher), ''
Shepherd'' (from
shepherd), or ''
Potter'' (from
potter).
* ''deanthroponymization'', a process when an anthroponym becomes an
apellative
A noun () is a word that generally functions as the name of a specific object or set of objects, such as living creatures, places, actions, qualities, states of existence, or ideas.Example nouns for:
* Living creatures (including people, alive, ...
, like when the surname of the inventor
Louis Braille
Louis Braille (; ; 4 January 1809 – 6 January 1852) was a French educator and the inventor of a reading and writing system, named braille after him, intended for use by visually impaired people. His system is used worldwide and remains virtu ...
was used to create a name for the writing system for the visually impaired persons (
braille
Braille (Pronounced: ) is a tactile writing system used by people who are visually impaired, including people who are blind, deafblind or who have low vision. It can be read either on embossed paper or by using refreshable braille display ...
).
* ''transonymization'' of anthroponyms into
toponyms
Toponymy, toponymics, or toponomastics is the study of '' toponyms'' (proper names of places, also known as place names and geographic names), including their origins, meanings, usage and types. Toponym is the general term for a proper name of ...
, a process when a human proper name is used to form a
toponym (proper name of a locality; place name), thus creating an ''
anthropotoponym'', like when the name of
Alexander the Great
Alexander III of Macedon ( grc, Ἀλέξανδρος, Alexandros; 20/21 July 356 BC – 10/11 June 323 BC), commonly known as Alexander the Great, was a king of the ancient Greek kingdom of Macedon. He succeeded his father Philip II to ...
was used to create several ''astionyms'' (city names), including name for the newly created city of
Alexandria
Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandri ...
in the ancient
Hellenistic Egypt, or when the surname of
Christopher Columbus was used to create several ''choronyms'' (region names), including names for Southamerican state of
Colombia, and Canadian province of
British Columbia.
* ''transonymization'' of toponyms into anthroponyms, a process when toponyms (place names) are used to form human names (anthroponyms), thus creating various ''topoanthroponyms''.
Gary Lefman (2013): Internationalisation of People Names
/ref> Many surnames are created in that way, and they are known as toponymic surnames
A toponymic surname or topographic surname is a surname derived from a place name. . Most demonym
A demonym (; ) or gentilic () is a word that identifies a group of people (inhabitants, residents, natives) in relation to a particular place. Demonyms are usually derived from the name of the place (hamlet, village, town, city, region, province, ...
s (names for localized populations) are ''topoanthroponyms'' by formation, since they are usually created from toponyms, and also some ethnonyms are ''topoanthroponyms'' too (those that are formed from toponyms, and thus referred to as ''topoethnonyms''). For example, geographic designations for the region of ''Black Mountain'' ( Montenegro) and frontier region of ''Ukraina'' ( Ukraine) were used to create not only demonyms for general populations for those regions, but also ethnonyms for modern ethnic Montenegrins
Montenegrins ( cnr, Црногорци, Crnogorci, or ; lit. "Black Mountain People") are a South Slavic ethnic group that share a common Montenegrin culture, history, and language, identified with the country of Montenegro.
Genetics
Accor ...
and ethnic Ukrainians
Ukrainians ( uk, Українці, Ukraintsi, ) are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Ukraine. They are the seventh-largest nation in Europe. The native language of the Ukrainians is Ukrainian. The majority of Ukrainians are Eastern Ort ...
.
See also
References
Sources
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Onomastics
Human names
Anthropology
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