A Lithuanian
personal name
A personal name, or full name, in onomastic terminology also known as prosoponym (from Ancient Greek πρόσωπον / ''prósōpon'' - person, and ὄνομα / ''onoma'' - name), is the set of names by which an individual person is known ...
, as in most European cultures, consists of two main elements: the
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 ...
() followed by the
family name
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 ...
(). The usage of personal names in
Lithuania
Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...
is generally governed (in addition to personal taste and family custom) by three major factors:
civil law,
canon law
Canon law (from grc, κανών, , a 'straight measuring rod, ruler') is a set of ordinances and regulations made by ecclesiastical authority (church leadership) for the government of a Christian organization or church and its members. It is th ...
, and tradition. Lithuanian names always follow the rules of the
Lithuanian language
Lithuanian ( ) is an Eastern Baltic language belonging to the Baltic branch of the Indo-European language family. It is the official language of Lithuania and one of the official languages of the European Union. There are about 2.8 millio ...
. Lithuanian male names have preserved the
Indo-European
The Indo-European languages are a language family native to the overwhelming majority of Europe, the Iranian plateau, and the northern Indian subcontinent. Some European languages of this family, English, French, Portuguese, Russian, Dutch ...
masculine endings (; ; ). These gendered endings are preserved even for foreign names.
''Vardas'' (given name)
A child in Lithuania is usually given one or two given names. Nowadays the second given name is rarely used in everyday situations. As well as modern names, parents can choose a name or names for their child from a long list of traditional names; these include:
*
Lithuanian names of pre-Christian origin.
These are the most ancient layer of Lithuanian personal names; a majority of them are dual-
stemmed personal names, of
Indo-European
The Indo-European languages are a language family native to the overwhelming majority of Europe, the Iranian plateau, and the northern Indian subcontinent. Some European languages of this family, English, French, Portuguese, Russian, Dutch ...
origin. These ancient Lithuanian names are constructed from two interconnected
stem
Stem or STEM may refer to:
Plant structures
* Plant stem, a plant's aboveground axis, made of vascular tissue, off which leaves and flowers hang
* Stipe (botany), a stalk to support some other structure
* Stipe (mycology), the stem of a mushro ...
s, the combination of which has been used to denote certain beneficial personal qualities, for example ''Jo-gaila'' means "a strong rider". Although virtually extinct following the
Christianization of Lithuania
The Christianization of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos krikštas) occurred in 1387, initiated by King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania Władysław II Jagiełło and his cousin Vytautas the Great. It signified the official adoption of Christianity ...
, they continued to exist as
surnames
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 as
Goštautas,
Kęsgaila,
Radvila or in their Slavicised versions, as well as in
toponym
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 ...
s.
[Notably, ]Gelgaudiškis
Gelgaudiškis () is a city in the Šakiai district municipality, Lithuania. It is located north of Šakiai. The city is just south of Neman River.
Name
Gelgaudiškis is the Lithuanian name of the city. Versions of the name in other language ...
from ''Gedgaudas'', Radviliškis
Radviliškis () (german: Radwilischken; pl, Radziwiliszki; yi, ראדווילישאָק, ''Radvilishok'') is a town in the Radviliškis district municipality, Šiauliai County, Lithuania. Radviliškis has been the administrative center of th ...
from ''Radvila'', Buivydiškės
Buivydiškės is a village in Vilnius district municipality, Lithuania. According to the 2011 census, it had 1,314 residents. Buivydiškės Manor was first mentioned in 1593. The village has a technical school for agronomy and zootechnics, establis ...
from ''Butvydas'', etc. The existing surnames and written sources have allowed linguists such as
Kazimieras Būga
Kazimieras Būga (; November 6, 1879 – December 2, 1924) was a Lithuanian linguist and philologist. He was a professor of linguistics, who mainly worked on the Lithuanian language.
He was born at Pažiegė, near Dusetos, then part of the Russi ...
to reconstruct these names. In the period between World War I and World War II these names returned to popular use after a long period of neglect. Children are often named in honor of the most revered historical Lithuanian rulers; these are some of the most popular names. They include
Vytautas
Vytautas (c. 135027 October 1430), also known as Vytautas the Great ( Lithuanian: ', be, Вітаўт, ''Vitaŭt'', pl, Witold Kiejstutowicz, ''Witold Aleksander'' or ''Witold Wielki'' Ruthenian: ''Vitovt'', Latin: ''Alexander Vitoldus'', O ...
,
Gediminas
Gediminas ( la, Gedeminne, ; – December 1341) was the king or Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1315 or 1316 until his death. He is credited with founding this political entity and expanding its territory which later spanned the area ranging from t ...
,
Algirdas
Algirdas ( be, Альгерд, Alhierd, uk, Ольгерд, Ольґерд, Olherd, Olgerd, pl, Olgierd; – May 1377) was the Grand Duke of Lithuania. He ruled the Lithuanians and Ruthenians from 1345 to 1377. With the help of his bro ...
, and
Žygimantas. In line with the double-stemmed names, shorter variants containing only one stem were also used, such as
Vytenis
Vytenis ( be, Віцень, Vicień; pl, Witenes) was the Grand Duke of Lithuania from c. 1295 to c. 1316. He became the first of the Gediminids, Gediminid dynasty to rule for a considerable amount of time. In the early 14th century his reputa ...
and
Kęstutis
Kęstutis ( la, Kinstut, ; – 3 or 15 August 1382) was the Grand Duke of Lithuania. He was the Duke of Trakai and governed the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, 1342–1382, together with his brother Algirdas (until 1377), and with his nephew Jogaila ...
. Since there are few pre-Christian female names attested in written sources, they are often reconstructed from male variants, in addition to the historical
Birutė
Birutė (died 1382) was the second wife of Kęstutis, Grand Duke of Lithuania, and mother of Vytautas the Great. There is very little known about Birutė's life, but after her death a strong cult developed among Lithuanians, especially in Samogi ...
,
Aldona
Aldona is a village in the Taluka of Bardez in the Indian state of Goa. It is known for producing several prominent Goans.
Geography
Aldona is located at at an average elevation of .
Aldona, as a comunidade-village, comprises around 16 wards ...
,
Rimgailė Rimgailė (also ''Rymgajla, Rimgaila, Ringaila'', pl, Ryngałła, ro, Ringala) was daughter of Birutė and Kęstutis, Grand Duke of Lithuania, and thus sister of Vytautas the Great. ''Rimgailė'' (feminine) or ''Rimgailas'' (masculine) is a typic ...
etc.
*
Christian name
A Christian name, sometimes referred to as a baptismal name, is a religious personal name given on the occasion of a Christian baptism, though now most often assigned by parents at birth. In English-speaking cultures, a person's Christian name ...
s, i.e.
Biblical names
Names play a variety of roles in the Bible. They sometimes relate to the nominee's role in a biblical narrative, as in the case of Nabal, a foolish man whose name means "fool". Names in the Bible can represent human hopes, divine revelations, o ...
or
saint's name
A saint's name, which is usually also a biblical name, is the name of a saint given to individuals at their baptism or confirmation within the Catholic Church, as well as in certain parts of the Eastern Orthodox Churches, Oriental Orthodox Churches ...
s.
The use of Christian names in the Lithuanian language long predates the adoption of Christianity by Lithuanians. The linguistic data attest that first Biblical names started to be used in
Aukštaitija
Aukštaitija (; literally in Lithuanian: ''Upper lands'') is the name of one of five ethnographic regions of Lithuania. The name comes from lands being in upper basin of Nemunas River or being relative to Lowlands up to Šiauliai.
Geography
Au ...
as early as the 11th century. The earliest stratum of such names originates from
Old Church Slavonic
Old Church Slavonic or Old Slavonic () was the first Slavic languages, Slavic literary language.
Historians credit the 9th-century Byzantine Empire, Byzantine missionaries Saints Cyril and Methodius with Standard language, standardizing the lan ...
; they were borrowed by
Eastern Orthodoxy
Eastern Orthodoxy, also known as Eastern Orthodox Christianity, is one of the three main Branches of Christianity, branches of Chalcedonian Christianity, alongside Catholic Church, Catholicism and Protestantism.
Like the Pentarchy of the first m ...
in their
Byzantine
The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...
versions. Examples of such names are ''Antanas'' (
St. Anthony), ''Povilas'' or ''Paulius'' (
St. Paul
Paul; grc, Παῦλος, translit=Paulos; cop, ⲡⲁⲩⲗⲟⲥ; hbo, פאולוס השליח (previously called Saul of Tarsus;; ar, بولس الطرسوسي; grc, Σαῦλος Ταρσεύς, Saũlos Tarseús; tr, Tarsuslu Pavlus; ...
), ''Andrius'' (
St. Andrew
Andrew the Apostle ( grc-koi, Ἀνδρέᾱς, Andréās ; la, Andrēās ; , syc, ܐܰܢܕ݁ܪܶܐܘܳܣ, ʾAnd’reʾwās), also called Saint Andrew, was an apostle of Jesus according to the New Testament. He is the brother of Simon Peter ...
) and ''Jurgis'' (
St. George
Saint George (Greek: Γεώργιος (Geórgios), Latin: Georgius, Arabic: القديس جرجس; died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was a Christian who is venerated as a saint in Christianity. According to tradition he was a soldier ...
), while female names include ''Jekaterina'' (
St. Catherine) and ''Marija'' (
St. Mary
Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother of ...
). The later influx of Christian names came after the adoption of Christianity in 1387. They are mostly borrowed in their
Polish
Polish may refer to:
* Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe
* Polish language
* Poles, people from Poland or of Polish descent
* Polish chicken
*Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin screenwr ...
versions: ''Jonas'' (
St. John), ''Vladislovas''/''Vladas'' (
St. Ladislaus), ''Kazimieras''/''Kazys'' (
St. Casimir), ''Ona'' (
St. Anne
According to Christianity, Christian apocryphal and Islamic tradition, Saint Anne was the mother of Mary, mother of Jesus, Mary and the maternal grandmother of Jesus. Mary's mother is not named in the Gospel#Canonical gospels, canonical gospels. ...
), etc.
* Lithuanian
common noun
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, ...
s or
hydronym
A hydronym (from el, ὕδρω, , "water" and , , "name") is a type of toponym that designates a proper name of a body of water. Hydronyms include the proper names of rivers and streams, lakes and ponds, swamps and marshes, seas and oceans. As a ...
s used as names.
There are popular names constructed from the words for celestial bodies (''Saulė'' for the
Sun
The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is a nearly perfect ball of hot plasma, heated to incandescence by nuclear fusion reactions in its core. The Sun radiates this energy mainly as light, ultraviolet, and infrared radi ...
, ''Aušrinė'' for
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 ...
), events of nature (''Audra'' for storm, ''Aušra'' for
dawn
Dawn is the time that marks the beginning of twilight before sunrise. It is recognized by the appearance of indirect sunlight being scattered in Earth's atmosphere, when the centre of the Sun's disc has reached 18° below the observer's horizo ...
, ''Rasa'' for
dew
Dew is water in the form of droplets that appears on thin, exposed objects in the morning or evening due to condensation.
As the exposed surface cools by radiating its heat, atmospheric moisture condenses at a rate greater than that at wh ...
, ''Vėjas'' for wind, ''Aidas'' for
echo
In audio signal processing and acoustics, an echo is a reflection of sound that arrives at the listener with a delay after the direct sound. The delay is directly proportional to the distance of the reflecting surface from the source and the list ...
), plants (''
Linas Linas is a Lithuanian male given name. It is the Lithuanian form of the name Linus, which derives from the Greek for "flax". The female equivalent is Lina. Linas may refer to:
People
*Linas Adomaitis (born 1976), Lithuanian musician
*Linas Alsenas ...
''/''Lina'' for
flax
Flax, also known as common flax or linseed, is a flowering plant, ''Linum usitatissimum'', in the family Linaceae. It is cultivated as a food and fiber crop in regions of the world with temperate climates. Textiles made from flax are known in ...
, ''Eglė'' for
spruce
A spruce is a tree of the genus ''Picea'' (), a genus of about 35 species of coniferous evergreen trees in the family Pinaceae, found in the northern temperate and boreal (taiga) regions of the Earth. ''Picea'' is the sole genus in the subfami ...
), and river names (''Ūla'', ''Vilija'' for
River Neris).
* invented names from literature.
Some names were created by the authors of literary works and spread in public use through them. Such names followed the rules of the Lithuanian language; therefore it is sometimes difficult to tell whether the name is fictitious and had never existed before. Notably, ''Gražina'', ''Živilė'' by
Adam Mickiewicz
Adam Bernard Mickiewicz (; 24 December 179826 November 1855) was a Polish poet, dramatist, essayist, publicist, translator and political activist. He is regarded as national poet in Poland, Lithuania and Belarus. A principal figure in Polish Ro ...
, ''Daiva'' by
Vydūnas
Wilhelm Storost, artistic name Vilius Storostas-Vydūnas (22 March 1868 – 20 February 1953), mostly known as Vydūnas, was a Prussian-Lithuanian teacher, poet, humanist, philosopher and Lithuanian
writer, a leader of the Prussian Lithuani ...
, ''Šarūnas'' by
Vincas Krėvė and others.
* names of Lithuanian pagan deities and mythological figures.
There are some popular names of gods and goddesses from
Lithuanian mythology
Lithuanian mythology ( lt, Lietuvių mitologija) is the mythology of Lithuanian polytheism, the religion of pre-Christian Lithuanians. Like other Indo-Europeans, ancient Lithuanians maintained a polytheistic mythology and religious structure. ...
that are used as personal names, such as ''
Laima
Laima is a Baltic goddess of fate. She was associated with childbirth, marriage, and death; she was also the patron of pregnant women. Laima and her functions are similar to the Hindu goddess Lakshmi.
In Latvia
In Latvian mythology, Laima and ...
'', goddess of luck, ''
Žemyna
Žemyna (also Žemynėlė or Žemelė) (from lt, žemė – ''earth'') is the goddess of the earth in Lithuanian religion. She is usually regarded as mother goddess and one of the chief Lithuanian gods similar to Latvian Zemes māte. Žemyna ...
'', goddess of earth, ''
Gabija
Gabija (also known as Gabieta, Gabeta) is the spirit of the fire in Lithuanian mythology. She is the protector of home and family. Her name is derived from ''gaubti'' (to cover, to protect) or from St. Agatha (russian: Гафия, Gafiya). Gabija ...
'', goddess of fire; ''Žilvinas'', a serpent prince from the fairy tale ''
Eglė the Queen of Serpents
Eglė the Queen of Serpents, alternatively Eglė the Queen of Grass Snakes ( lt, Eglė žalčių karalienė), is a Lithuanian folk tale, first published by M. Jasewicz in 1837.
''Eglė the Queen of Serpents'' is one of the best-known Lithuania ...
'', ''Jūratė'', goddess of the sea, and ''Kastytis'', from the legend about ''
Jūratė and Kastytis
Jūratė and Kastytis ( Lithuanian: ''Jūratė ir Kastytis'') is one of the most famous and popular Lithuanian legends and tales. The first time it was recorded was in 1842, in the writings of . Since then it has been adapted many times for moder ...
''.
A distinctive practice dominated in the
ethnic region of
Lithuania Minor
Lithuania Minor ( lt, Mažoji Lietuva; german: Kleinlitauen; pl, Litwa Mniejsza; russian: Ма́лая Литва́), or Prussian Lithuania ( lt, Prūsų Lietuva; german: Preußisch-Litauen, pl, Litwa Pruska), is a historical ethnographic re ...
, then part of
East Prussia
East Prussia ; german: Ostpreißen, label=Low Prussian; pl, Prusy Wschodnie; lt, Rytų Prūsija was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia from 1773 to 1829 and again from 1878 (with the Kingdom itself being part of the German Empire from 187 ...
, where Lithuanized
German personal names were common, such as ''Ansas'' (
Hans), ''Grėtė'' (
Gretchen
Gretchen (, ; literal translation: "Little Grete" or "Little Greta") is a female given name of German origin that is mainly prevalent in the United States.
Its popularity increased because a major character in Goethe's ''Faust'' (1808) has th ...
), ''Vilius'' (
Wilhelm
Wilhelm may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* William Charles John Pitcher, costume designer known professionally as "Wilhelm"
* Wilhelm (name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name or surname
Other uses
* Mount ...
) among
Prussian Lithuanians
The Prussian Lithuanians, or Lietuvininkai (singular: ''Lietuvininkas'', plural: ''Lietuvininkai''), are Lithuanians, originally Lithuanian language speakers, who formerly inhabited a territory in northeastern East Prussia called Prussian Lithuan ...
. Some of them are still in use among Lithuanians.
The choice of a given name is influenced by fashion. Many parents may name their child after a
national hero
The title of Hero is presented by various governments in recognition of acts of self-sacrifice to the state, and great achievements in combat or labor. It is originally a Soviet-type honor, and is continued by several nations including Belarus, Ru ...
or heroine, some otherwise famous person, or a character from a book, film, or
TV show
A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed betw ...
. However, many names used in today's Lithuania have been in use since the ancient times.
Sex differentiation
Lithuanian male and female names are distinguished grammatically. Almost all Lithuanian female names end in the vowels ''-a'' or ''-
ė'', while male names almost always end in ''-s'', and rarely in a vowel ''-a'' or ''-ė'', e.g. ''Mozė'' (
Moses
Moses hbo, מֹשֶׁה, Mōše; also known as Moshe or Moshe Rabbeinu (Mishnaic Hebrew: מֹשֶׁה רַבֵּינוּ, ); syr, ܡܘܫܐ, Mūše; ar, موسى, Mūsā; grc, Mωϋσῆς, Mōÿsēs () is considered the most important pro ...
). If a masculine name ending in ''-a'' has a feminine counterpart, it ends in ''-ė'', e.g. ''
Jogaila'' and ''Jogailė''. Female double-stemmed Lithuanian names always end in ''-ė''.
Diminutives
Diminutive
A diminutive is a root word that has been modified to convey a slighter degree of its root meaning, either to convey the smallness of the object or quality named, or to convey a sense of intimacy or endearment. A (abbreviated ) is a word-formati ...
s are very popular in everyday usage, and are by no means reserved for children. The
Lithuanian language
Lithuanian ( ) is an Eastern Baltic language belonging to the Baltic branch of the Indo-European language family. It is the official language of Lithuania and one of the official languages of the European Union. There are about 2.8 millio ...
allows for a great deal of creativity in this field. Most diminutives are formed by adding a
suffix
In linguistics, a suffix is an affix which is placed after the stem of a word. Common examples are case endings, which indicate the grammatical case of nouns, adjectives, and verb endings, which form the conjugation of verbs. Suffixes can carry ...
. For female names this may be ''-elė'', ''-utė'', ''-ytė'', or ''-užė''; certain suffixes are more common to specific names over the rest.
Also, as in many other cultures, a person may informally use a
nickname
A nickname is a substitute for the proper name of a familiar person, place or thing. Commonly used to express affection, a form of endearment, and sometimes amusement, it can also be used to express defamation of character. As a concept, it is ...
(''pravardė'') in addition to or instead of a given name.
''Pavardė'' (surname)
![BDF Summit 2010](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3f/BDF_Summit_2010.06.01_587_%284709180104%29_%28cropped%29.jpg)
Lithuanian surnames, like those in most of Europe, are hereditary and generally
patrilineal
Patrilineality, also known as the male line, the spear side or agnatic kinship, is a common kinship system in which an individual's family membership derives from and is recorded through their father's lineage. It generally involves the inheritanc ...
, i.e., passed from the father to his children. Formally, Lithuanian surnames are divided into two groups—Lithuanian and non-Lithuanian ones.
Non-Lithuanian surnames are typically of
Slavic origin that currently possess the partially
Lithuanized endings ''-auskas'', ''-iauskas'', -''inskas'', ''-ickas'', ''-eckis'', ''-avičius'', -''evičius'', or ''-iškis'' for males and their corresponding forms for married and unmarried females.
This is mainly due to historical reasons such as
Grand Duchy of Lithuania
The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a European state that existed from the 13th century to 1795, when the territory was partitioned among the Russian Empire, the Kingdom of Prussia, and the Habsburg Empire of Austria. The state was founded by Li ...
using
Ruthenian as its official written language instead of
Lithuanian since the first written records of the
Baltic language
The Baltic languages are a branch of the Indo-European language family spoken natively by a population of about 4.5 million people mainly in areas extending east and southeast of the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. Together with the Slavic lang ...
date back only to the
16th century
The 16th century begins with the Julian year 1501 ( MDI) and ends with either the Julian or the Gregorian year 1600 ( MDC) (depending on the reckoning used; the Gregorian calendar introduced a lapse of 10 days in October 1582).
The 16th cent ...
. This led to Lithuanian personal and family names to be written by applying Slavic
phonetics
Phonetics is a branch of linguistics that studies how humans produce and perceive sounds, or in the case of sign languages, the equivalent aspects of sign. Linguists who specialize in studying the physical properties of speech are phoneticians. ...
and
morphology
Morphology, from the Greek and meaning "study of shape", may refer to:
Disciplines
* Morphology (archaeology), study of the shapes or forms of artifacts
* Morphology (astronomy), study of the shape of astronomical objects such as nebulae, galaxies ...
.
The influence of Slavic naming only grew when Lithuania formed a
bi-federation with the
Crown of the Kingdom of Poland
The Crown of the Kingdom of Poland ( pl, Korona Królestwa Polskiego; Latin: ''Corona Regni Poloniae''), known also as the Polish Crown, is the common name for the historic Late Middle Ages territorial possessions of the King of Poland, includ ...
later on. However, in the 1930s, politicians considered passing legal acts, which would allow Lithuanians to adopt alternative family names of Lithuanian origin, but this suggestion faced many legal barriers and was criticized by some linguists who believed such family names to be of historical importance.
[Skučaitė, Virginija (October 2, 2009)]
''Ar_turėtume_lietuvinti_slaviškas_pavardes?_[Should_We_Lithuanize_Slavic_Surnames?
/nowiki>''.html" ;"title="hould We Lithuanize Slavic Surnames?">''Ar turėtume lietuvinti slaviškas pavardes? [Should We Lithuanize Slavic Surnames?
/nowiki>''">hould We Lithuanize Slavic Surnames?">''Ar turėtume lietuvinti slaviškas pavardes? [Should We Lithuanize Slavic Surnames?
/nowiki>''in Lithuanian). Klaipėda. Although some did manage to change their last names during the interwar period,
Lithuanians, unlike countries such as Finland where Fennoman movement, Fennomans urged their compatriots to
change their family names of
Swedish origin into Finnish ones, never underwent such a process on a mass scale. In 2009, the question of Lithuanians being allowed to fully Lithuanize their family names was raised again, but it received little support.
A married woman usually adopts her husband's name. However, other combinations are legally possible. The wife may keep her
maiden name
When a person (traditionally the wife in many cultures) assumes the family name of their spouse, in some countries that name replaces the person's previous surname, which in the case of the wife is called the maiden name ("birth name" is also used ...
(''mergautinė pavardė'') or add her husband's surname to hers, thus creating a
double-barrelled name
A double-barrelled name is a type of compound surname, typically featuring two words (occasionally more), often joined by a hyphen. Examples of some notable people with double-barrelled names include Winnie Madikizela-Mandela and Sacha Baron C ...
. It is also possible, though rare, for the husband to adopt his wife's surname or to add his wife's surname to his family name.
History
Family names first appeared in Lithuania around 1500,
but were reserved for the
Lithuanian nobility
The Lithuanian nobility or szlachta ( Lithuanian: ''bajorija, šlėkta'') was historically a legally privileged hereditary elite class in the Kingdom of Lithuania and Grand Duchy of Lithuania (including during period of foreign rule 1795–1918 ...
. They usually derived from
patronymic
A patronymic, or patronym, is a component of a personal name based on the given name of one's father, grandfather (avonymic), or an earlier male ancestor.
Patronymics are still in use, including mandatory use, in many countries worldwide, alt ...
s.
The use of family names gradually spread to other social groups: the
townsfolk by the end of the 17th century, then the
peasantry
A peasant is a pre-industrial agricultural laborer or a farmer with limited land-ownership, especially one living in the Middle Ages under feudalism and paying rent, tax, fees, or services to a landlord. In Europe, three classes of peasants ...
. People from the villages did not have last names until the end of the 18th century. In such cases their village of origin was usually noted in documents. The process ended only in the mid-19th century, and due to the partial
Polonization
Polonization (or Polonisation; pl, polonizacja)In Polish historiography, particularly pre-WWII (e.g., L. Wasilewski. As noted in Смалянчук А. Ф. (Smalyanchuk 2001) Паміж краёвасцю і нацыянальнай ідэя ...
of society at the time many names were influenced by Polish form of the name.
Classification
Based on origin, several groups of Lithuanian family names may be recognized.
Ancient given names
A number of surnames evolved from the ancient Lithuanian personal names, such as
Budrys,
Girdenis,
Tylenis,
Vilkas,
Amantas,
Bukantas,
Rimgaila, ,
Tarvydas.
Cognominal
A
cognominal surname derives from a person's nickname, usually based a physical or character trait.
Examples:
* Naujokas, Naujokaitis – from ''naujas'' ("new one")
* Kairys, Kairelis, – "
leftie", from ''kairė'' ("left side")
Occupational
Examples of
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, ...
s:
* Kalvis, Kalvelis, Kalvaitis – from ''kalvis'' ("
blacksmith
A blacksmith is a metalsmith who creates objects primarily from wrought iron or steel, but sometimes from #Other metals, other metals, by forging the metal, using tools to hammer, bend, and cut (cf. tinsmith). Blacksmiths produce objects such ...
")
Toponymic
A
toponymic surname
A toponymic surname or topographic surname is a surname derived from a place name. usually derives from the name of a village or town, or the name of a topographic feature.
Examples:
* Užugiris – from across the forest (''už girios'');
* Kalnietis – from the mountains (''kalnai'').
Patronymic
A
patronymic surname
A patronymic surname is a surname originated from the given name of the father or a patrilineal ancestor. Different cultures have different ways of producing patronymic surnames.
For example, early patronymic Welsh surnames were the result of th ...
derives from a given name of a person and usually ends in a suffix suggesting a family relation.
Examples:
* Jonaitis, Janavičius, Januitis – derived from ''Jonas'' (
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
* Secon ...
);
* Adomaitis, Adamonis – derived from ''Adomas'' (
Adam
Adam; el, Ἀδάμ, Adám; la, Adam is the name given in Genesis 1-5 to the first human. Beyond its use as the name of the first man, ''adam'' is also used in the Bible as a pronoun, individually as "a human" and in a collective sense as " ...
);
* Lukauskis, Lukša, Lukošius, Lukoševičius – derived from ''Lukas'' (
Luke
People
*Luke (given name), a masculine given name (including a list of people and characters with the name)
*Luke (surname) (including a list of people and characters with the name)
*Luke the Evangelist, author of the Gospel of Luke. Also known as ...
).
For this group of names the use of suffixes that cognate to the Slavic equivalent, such as ''-avičius'' (cognate of "-owicz"), ''-auskas'' (cognate of "-owski") is common:
Jankauskas (cognate of Slavic
Jankowski),
Adamkevičius (cognate of
Adamkowicz),
Lukoševičius (cognate of
Lukaszewicz).
Diminutives
A number of surnames are
diminutive
A diminutive is a root word that has been modified to convey a slighter degree of its root meaning, either to convey the smallness of the object or quality named, or to convey a sense of intimacy or endearment. A (abbreviated ) is a word-formati ...
s of popular first names.
*
Butkus from Butkintas
*
Minkus from Minkantas
*
Norkus from Norkantas
*
Rimkus from Rimkantas
Feminine forms
Lithuanian surnames have specific
masculine and feminine forms. While a masculine surname usually ends in ''-as'', ''-ys'' or ''-is'', its feminine equivalent ends in ''-ienė'' or rarely ''-uvienė'' for married women and ''-aitė'', ''-utė'', ''-iūtė'' or ''-ytė'' for unmarried ones.
Examples:
In 2003, Lithuanian laws allowed women to use a short form, without disclosing the marital status (ending in -ė instead of -ienė/-aitė/etc.: Adamkus → Adamkė). These names are used, although traditional forms are still predominant.
[Naujoviškos pavardės tradicinių neišstūmė. Veidas magazine, 2008/9](_blank)
According to the
Department of Statistics of Lithuania, the most popular feminine family names are:
# Kazlauskienė
# Jankauskienė
# Petrauskienė
# Stankevičienė
# Paulauskienė
Formal and informal use
Lithuanians pay great attention to the correct way of referring to or addressing other people depending on the level of social distance, familiarity and politeness. The differences between formal and informal language include:
* using surnames vs. given names;
* using vs. not using honorific titles such as ''Ponas'' / ''Ponia'';
* using the third person singular forms vs. second person singular;
* using second-person singular personal pronoun vs. second-person plural personal pronoun to address a single person.
Formal language
Ponas/Ponia/Tamsta
''Ponas'' and ''Ponia'' (
vocative case
In grammar, the vocative case (abbreviated ) is a grammatical case which is used for a noun that identifies a person (animal, object, etc.) being addressed, or occasionally for the noun modifiers ( determiners, adjectives, participles, and num ...
''Pone'', ''Ponia'') are the basic honorific styles used in Lithuanian to refer to a man or woman, respectively. In the past, these styles were reserved to members of the ''
szlachta
The ''szlachta'' (Polish: endonym, Lithuanian: šlėkta) were the noble estate of the realm in the Kingdom of Poland, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth who, as a class, had the dominating position in the ...
'' and played more or less the same roles as "Lord" or "Sir" and "Lady" or "Madam" in English. Since the 19th century, they have come to be used in all strata of society and may be considered equivalent to the English "Mr." and "Ms." There is a separate style, ''Panelė'' ("Miss"), applied to an unmarried woman, and ''Ponaitis'' ("Mister"), traditionally applied to an unmarried man but these days the latter style is rarely used in practice. Although widely used, the honorific styles ''Ponas'' and ''Ponia'' came into Lithuanian as direct loanwords from the
Polish language
Polish (Polish: ''język polski'', , ''polszczyzna'' or simply ''polski'', ) is a West Slavic language of the Lechitic group written in the Latin script. It is spoken primarily in Poland and serves as the native language of the Poles. In a ...
. The honorific style of Lithuanian origin is ''Tamsta'' (
vocative case
In grammar, the vocative case (abbreviated ) is a grammatical case which is used for a noun that identifies a person (animal, object, etc.) being addressed, or occasionally for the noun modifiers ( determiners, adjectives, participles, and num ...
''Tamsta''), which can be used either as a
gender-neutral
Gender neutrality (adjective form: gender-neutral), also known as gender-neutralism or the gender neutrality movement, is the idea that policies, language, and other social institutions (social structures or gender roles) should avoid distinguish ...
honorific style or a polite way to refer to someone whose name is unknown.
However, the latter is rarely practiced today in the standard Lithuanian language.
Given name/surname order
The given name(s) normally comes before the surname. However, in a list of people sorted alphabetically by surname, the surname usually comes first. In many formal situations the given name is omitted altogether.
Informal language
Informal forms of address are normally used only by relatives, close friends and colleagues. In such situations diminutives are often preferred to the standard forms of given names.
See also
*
Name of Lithuania
The first known record of the name of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuva) is in a 9 March 1009 story of Saint Bruno recorded in the Quedlinburg Chronicle ( la, Annales Quedlinburgenses). The Chronicle recorded a Latinized form of the Old Church Slavonic wo ...
*
Lithuanian nobility
The Lithuanian nobility or szlachta ( Lithuanian: ''bajorija, šlėkta'') was historically a legally privileged hereditary elite class in the Kingdom of Lithuania and Grand Duchy of Lithuania (including during period of foreign rule 1795–1918 ...
*
Onomastics
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 ...
Notes
References
Further reading
* Jūratė Čirūnaitė, "Lietuvos totorių pavardžių formavimasis XV–XVII a." (The Formation Of Tatar Naming Practices in Lithuania in the 15th–17th centuries), ''Baltistica,'' vol. 36, no. 2 (198) pp. 299–306.
* Alfred Senn, "Lithuanian Surnames," ''American Slavic and East European Review,'' vol. 4, no. 1/2 (Aug. 1945), pp. 127–137
in JSTOR
{{Names in world cultures
Names by culture
Lithuanian language