Ossetian names: examples, origin, history of Ossetian names

Ossetian names are distinguished by a long and complicated process of formation. Sources that testify to it are very limited. The origin of Ossetian names has long been of interest to prominent scientists of the world. To study the peculiarities of the formation of the names of Ossetians, the study of ethnographic, folklore and linguistic materials is of great importance.

The famous Ossetian historians, ethnographers, linguists, folklorists devote their time to studying the history of Ossetian names.

Distortions

There are reports that during the tragic events in South Ossetia in the early 1990s, Ossetians remaining in Georgia were forced to change their surnames. As a result, many Ossetian names today are so distorted in the Georgian nomenclature that their authentic appearance is difficult to restore.

Origins of deformation of Ossetian names

Many historical documents, as well as inscriptions on gravestones indicate that due to the circumstances in South Ossetia before the revolution, Ossetian surnames were written with Georgian endings. Often they deformed beyond recognition. It was in the order of things for the employees of the Georgian diocese.

Testimonies of Historians

According to historians, one of the reasons for justifying the Ossetians on the flatland of Georgia was the Christian faith. The written monuments emphasize that the residence of such an Ossetian-Christian among the Georgian population is natural and desirable, because, since he is a Christian, he is no longer an Ossetian, he should be considered a Georgian.

Assimilation

Ossetian surnames turned into Georgian as a result of the desire of the clerical officials of Georgia to speed up the assimilation of the Ossetian population. An important reason for changing the names was the desire of some Ossetians to be recorded under Georgian. Probably, they believed that this would provide them with certain privileges.

About Russian spelling of Ossetian names

Our article contains popular Ossetian names. The list of alphabets will give a complete picture of their wealth and diversity.

Traditionally, the issue of their transfer by Russian letters is topical. Users ask: how are Ossetian surnames accurately transmitted in Russian records? A list of them with Russian correspondences to all Ossetians wishing to write their name in Russian, in the light of modern access to extensive information from many sources will not be difficult.

Specialists note that during the transfer of names from one language to another, phonetic changes are inevitable. Ossetian surnames are most like original ones, copied in Russian with endings - you / ti. The most famous example is the name of the president of South Ossetia - Kokoity. There is an old tradition: in the texts Ossetian names are given Russian family endings-s / s.

Ossetian names: list

The index of Russian correspondences of Ossetian families demonstrates the advantages of this tradition:

• Variability by case (forms in -ti / you are not inclined, which is inconvenient in the Russian language, which has six cases);
• The characteristic ending makes recognizable Ossetian names.

Their short list is listed alphabetically below. It contains some of the most common surnames :

• The Alborovs.
• Bedevs.
• The Bekuzarovs.
• The Bekurovs.
• Butaev.
• The Gagievs.
• The Dzutsevs.
• The Dudarovs.
• The Kantemirovs.
• Mamievs.
• Pliev.
• The Tedeevs.
• Fidarovs.
• The Khugaevs.

So look in the Russian record Ossetian surnames. The list is not entirely alphabetical, but fragmentary, as a sample.

Self-identification

Recently, South Ossetia has been increasing its influence on its northern neighbor in the matter of self-identification. It is unlikely that the northern Ossetians themselves would have decided to take such a step as writing their own names in their native language. They thought about it under pressure from the south.

"The names of Ossetians are distorted beyond recognition! Their endings are not peculiar to either language or culture of the people! "- Ossetian politician Mira Tskhovrebova, the author of draft laws on issues of self-identification, was already in alarm in 2010. "We want to get on our feet! We care about our prosperity! "- she called.

Source for the reconstruction of history

The main source for reconstructing historical events is folk legends, with which separate Ossetian names and surnames are associated. As you know, family legends have been passed down through the ages from generation to generation. With their help you can learn a lot about: the migration of the people, the features of the formation of ethnic groups, resettlement, to discover new in the ethnic and cultural ties of Ossetians with other Caucasian peoples. They are also able to help in restoring a picture of family ties of Ossetian names. With the help of legends, it is possible to restore the pedigree to the sixth, and even to the tenth, tribe.

What are the legends about?

According to legend, during the Ovian kingdom in the territory of present-day Ossetia there were names of the most ancient Ossetian clans. The most famous of them were: Sidamon, Tsarazn, Kusagon, Aguzon and Tsakhilon. It is known that the representatives of these genera stressed the great importance of their origin. This is reflected in many written monuments.

The name of the ancestor of the Sidamonovs' name is taken from the ancient Iranian name of Spitaman. The family name Kusagon comes from the word "cup". If you believe the legend, the father of the ancestor of this family name was left in the inheritance of the precious cup, hence the name - Kusag.

The time of the appearance of this type of genealogy - before the start of the Tatar-Mongol invasion. In the North Caucasus at that time, the Alanian association was the greatest political force. Traditions ascribe to the names of noble Ossetians ancestry from Roman and Byzantine emperors.

Class Privilege

The fixation of Ossetian names refers to the 10th-12th centuries. In the second half of the 17th century, the general use of surnames by the feudal lords of Tagauria and Digoria began. For a long time they were a privilege of the upper classes. The ruling circles opposed their spread among the lower classes. In the beginning, the surnames were rooted among the baldates and the Aldars (the second half of the 17th century and the beginning of the 18th century). Later, they settled down among the Uhlajir and Kurtat uazdanlag. The peasants received the same name from the Caucasian administration in the first half of the 19th century.

What is the Ossetian name?

Many eastern peoples still do not inherit the surname today. It varies depending on the name of the father.

Ossetian surnames have the following structure: "moggag" (Ossetian surname) is a related group consisting of patronyms (one or several) - "fydy-fyrt", originating from a common ancestor. The Russian surname corresponds to the Ossetian "moggag".

The history of the Ossetian family: fydy-fyrt

In the remote past, Ossetians lived inextricably in large families. In one family lived brothers with wives and children and parents. The name was given to each family by the name of its head. In rare cases, the family was called by the name of the hostess. This was possible with the early loss of her husband and with the great authority of the hostess.

Over time, large families grew. Some of their members sought to allocate and independently manage the economy, which led to the disintegration of families. Usually separated families settled near each other. But they also shared with time.

Fydy-fyrt ("the children of one father") - the so-called group of blood relatives, which was formed from the division of the original family. Its members were given the name of their father - the head of a large family, from whom she stood out.

Myggg

Myggg (surname) is a larger blood group, which includes fidy-fyrt.

If the number of fidy-fyrt included in the hoggah was small, they settled close to each other, for all its members the name of the given hugger was kept. But it happened that a certain part received a new name. Such cases include blood feud.

According to the custom, the krovnik did not have the right to live in the same place. Hiding from persecution, he moved somewhere, changing the name. His family received his name, his offspring eventually inherited it.

Each family remembered its former name and passed on the memory of it from generation to generation. Related surnames did not forget about their common origin, marriages between them were banned.

On the origin of the name Dzakhoev

Information on the origin of this or that Ossetian name is drawn from different sources by researchers. It can be memories of old-timers, archival data, etc. For example, Ossetian surnames with the letter "d" are quite numerous. One of the most famous is Dzakhoev. What is the origin of the surname?

The name of Dzakhoevs was born on behalf of the ancestor - Dzaho, who was born and lived in the village of Dalagkau (Kurtatinsky Gorge).

He was in the fifth generation a descendant of Kurt. As old-timers recall, Dzaho had a large family. His sons hunted, were engaged in cattle breeding, their daughters were in the household.

Due to lack of land, the elder sons of Dzaho settled in the territory of present-day South Ossetia. They called their new settlement "Ksagdzhynkom", because the fish in the nearest mountain river was well-developed. The sons of Dzaho built a house, uprooted the forest, mastered the land.

Suddenly, one brother died. The second took his wife as a local girl and created a big family. His descendants eventually formed the village of Dzakhoev.

All Dzakhoevs, residents of South Ossetia, come from this village. They are all descendants of the son of Dzaho. In the village of Dzakhoev, none of them live at this time. Some went to North Ossetia, others went to Tskhinval.

The eldest of the clan is Gisha. He lives in the village of Tarskoe (North Ossetia).

Dzaho with one of the sons lived in the village of Dalagkau (Kurtatinskoe gorge). The remaining sons and families settled in the village of Kartsa.

The old-timers remembered that all the sons of Dzaho were distinguished for their courage, honesty, diligence, and were good hunters. They dared to get bears straight from the den, they beat both wounded and enraged animals. Thanks to diligence, the descendants of Dzaho always lived prosperously, without knowing the needs. The surname grew and muzhala. But the trouble did not pass them. At the beginning of the 10th century, the raging plague claimed almost the entire family name. According to the archives, only three families of Dzhakhoevs survived in the epidemic.

In the 21st century the family name of Dzakhoev includes 78 families. They live in different cities: Vladikavkaz, Beslan, Alagir, Tskhinval, Moscow, St. Petersburg, Volgograd, etc.

On the origin of the Gabaraev family name

Thanks to access to extensive information, it's easy to find out what kind of history Ossetian names have on the letter "a", "b", "d" or any other. Scientists have studied information about them contained in archives, systematized evidence of old-timers. Ossetian surnames for "g" are also studied. The Gabaraevs, Gagloyevs, Gatsievs, and Galavanivs are far from complete. Ossetian surnames with the letter "g" are quite numerous. What is the origin of the name, for example, Gabaraevs?

Sources show that in the middle reaches of the Great Liakhva River (Dzauc Valley), a large civil community was located. Its central village was called Zau. Around the community, neighboring people who lived nearby were united. Dozens of settlements began to enter the large Dzau society: Zald, Goft, Orteu, Styrphaz, Goodys, Jer, Uanel, Sokhta, Tli, Tson, Kola. The most numerous and influential were the Zauk surnames of Bekoyevs, Bestayevs, Gabaraevs, Gagloevs, Dzhioevs, Kabisovs, Kochievs, Kulumbekovs, Margiyevs, Parastayevs, Kharebovs, Tchurbaevs, Chochievs. Among them, the name Gabaraev (born in the village of Zaldy) was one of the most influential.

Anthroponymy: a history of names

Beautiful Ossetian surnames conceal a history of ancient and very interesting. Scientists believe that the names of Ossetians are older than their names and are the basis for the creation of the latter. A lot of common Ossetian names have Greek, Latin, Persian, Byzantine, Arabic, Mongolian, Russian, Georgian, Turkic origin.

The abundance of Turkic names in the Ossetian anthroponymy is the result of the residing in the Middle Ages of such powerful Turkic peoples as the Polovtsians, Volga Bulgarians, Khazars in the neighborhood with Alanya.

In the North Caucasus, Ossetians were neighbors with Karachais, Balkars, Kumyks, and Nogais. Close cultural and economic ties were established between the peoples. They are evidenced by words borrowed from each other from each other, including their own names.

In studies, many examples of such borrowings are given: Sophia (Greek for "mind"), Ouardi (for "flower"), Peter (Greek "stone"), Chermen (in the "palace" , Etc.), Amyrkhan, Aslanbek (they contain Tatar titles: Khan, Bek), etc.

Origin of last names

The names of Ossetians are named after the ancestor. The names of the brothers of the ancestor also sometimes become the basis for new surnames.

It happens that the sons refuse the name of the father and the surnames make their names. So it was in the past, you can observe this even now, when sons are afraid of blood revenge and want to protect the lives of relatives bearing the surname of their father. It happens, "bloodsuckers" take the name of the one who protected them from blood feud.

In the past centuries the lowest class was given the family name of their ruler. More often the family name was transferred by the man, but it happened that the children received the surname of their mother.

Aslanbek and Budzi, the heroes of the famous "Song of Aslanbek", are called Tsalony fyrtte. This means that they are the sons of Tsalon, that is, their mother is a woman from Tsaloeva. By the name of his father, the name was always considered much more honorable than the name of his mother.

On the formation of family names

Here's how the researchers explain the basic formula of Ossetian naming: first comes the family name, after it - the father's name ("generic"), followed by the name of the person. For example: Dzagurty Dzaboy fyrt Guybidi (Dzagurov Dzabola son of Gubadi). In the formula of the female name, there is only one difference: in it, instead of the word "fyrt" (son), the word "kizga" (daughter) is inserted.

Since ancient times, the spelling of Ossetian names, names and patronymics is consistent: the surname should be put in the genitive plural, and then the patronymic (also in the genitive case), followed by the name in the nominative case. After writing the father's name, you must always indicate on the floor (the son or daughter has the bearer of the surname to his father).

Etymology

According to the researchers, among the Ossetian names there are those that indicate a connection with the animal world. Some Ossetian names are associated with the geography of residence, with ethnonyms, with a specialty or social status. Ossetians have surnames, formed from nicknames. Sometimes, Ossetian names indicate some character trait or an external sign of a person. Many are educated from borrowed names.

On the component "huy"

It is not always possible to explain the etymology of the name. It is known that at the beginning of the family names of Ossetians there is often a component of the "huy": Huy-gate, Huy-bate, Huy-biate, Huy-byte, etc. The "huy" component has many phonetic variants: hua, he, Hu, ho, which are found in various family names: Ho-zite, Ho-sante, Ho-sontet, and others.

What is the significance of this component in family names? Many researchers asked this question. It was not easy for them to believe that all these surnames are a component of the "huy" related to the Ossetian name of the pig. They agreed that the "huy" in Ossetian surnames comes from the Iranian "Khu" and means: "good", "good".

Conclusion

Historically, the ethnic environment of Ossetians is inextricably linked with Georgian, Balkarian, Kabardian, Vainakh and other elements. Specialists find Georgian, Ingush, Karachai Kabardian roots in the names of Ossetians. For centuries, generations of different Caucasian peoples have maintained kinships and friendships, experienced the consequences from time to time of outbreaks of hostility.

All this became material for ethnographers, folklorists, linguists. History reveals to them more and more secrets.