Names of Soviet origin
Given names of Soviet origin appeared in the early history of the Soviet Union,[2] coinciding with the period of intensive word formation, both being part of the so-called "revolutionary transformation of the society" with the corresponding fashion of neologisms and acronyms,[3] which Richard Stites characterized as a utopian vision of creating a new reality by means of verbal imagery.[2] They constituted a notable part of the new Soviet phraseology.
Such names may be primarily found in Russian persons,[4] and sometimes in Belarusians and Ukrainians,[5] as well as in other minorities of the former USSR (e.g. Tatar[6]).
History
[edit]The proliferation of the new names was enhanced by the propagation of a short-lived "new Soviet rite" of Octobering, in replacement of the religious tradition of child baptism in the state with the official dogma of Marxist–Leninist atheism.[2][7]
In defiance of the old tradition of taking names from menology, according to the feast days,[2] many names were taken from nature having patriotic, revolutionary, or progressive connotation: Beryoza (Берёза, "birch tree", a proverbial Russian tree), Gvozdika (Гвоздика, "carnation", a revolutionary flower), Granit (Гранит, "granite", a symbol of power), Radiy (Радий, "radium", a symbol of scientific progress).[3] A peculiarity of the new naming was neologisms based on the revolutionary phraseology of the day, such as Oktyabrin/Oktyabrina, to commemorate the October Revolution, or Vladlen for Vladimir Lenin.[2]
Richard Stites classifies the Soviet "revolutionary" names into the following categories:[2][8]
- Revolutionary heroes (their first names, their last names used as first names and various acronyms thereof)
- Revolutionary concepts (exact terms and various acronyms)
- Industrial, scientific, and technical imagery
- Culture, myth, nature, place names
Most of these names were short-lived linguistic curiosities, but some of them fit well into the framework of the language, proliferated and survived for a long time.[4]
Common new names
[edit]The following names were quite common and may be found in various antroponymic dictionaries.
| Name (Cyrillic) | Transliteration | Origin | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Вил, Вилен, Владлен, Владлена | Vil, Vilen, Vladlen (m) / Vladlena (f), Vladilen | Владимир Ильич Ленин (Vladimir Ilyich Lenin)[3][4] | "Vilen" or "Vilén" is also a traditional Finnish and Swedish surname. |
| Мэл | Mel | Маркс, Энгельс и Ленин (Marx, Engels and Lenin)[3][4] | |
| Мэлс | Mels | Маркс, Энгельс, Ленин и Сталин (Marx, Engels, Lenin and Stalin) | |
| Баррикад, Баррикада | Barrikad (m) / Barrikada (f) | Barricade[3][4] | Refers to the revolutionary activity |
| Ревмир, Ревмира | Revmir (m) / Revmira (f) | Революция мира (Revolyutsiya mira) | Means "The revolution of the World"[3][4] |
| Гертруда | Gertruda | Gertrude reinterpreted as Герой труда (Geroy truda) | Means "The Hero of Labour"[3][4] |
| Марлен | Marlen (m) | Marlene reinterpreted as Маркс и Ленин (Marx and Lenin)[3][4] | |
| Стэн | Sten, Stan | Stan reinterpreted as Сталин и Энгельс (Stalin and Engels)[3][4] | |
| Те́льман | Telman | Telman is a tribute to German Communist Ernst Thälmann | |
| Ким | Kim | Kim reinterpreted as Коммунистический интернационал молодёжи (Kommunistichesky Internatsional Molodyozhi)[3][4] | Young Communist International |
People with Soviet names
[edit]- Avangard:
- Avangard Leontiev (born 1947), Soviet and Russian theater and film actor, teacher, professor
- Avangard Fyodorov, Soviet and Russian clarinetist and music educator
- Barrikad Zamyshlyaev: Баррикад, from "barricade"
- Demokrat Leonov: after Democracy
- Dzhonrid Svanidze (after John Reed)
- Elmira (name): Эльмира, backronym for "электрификация мира", elektrifikatsiya mira (electrification of the world)
- Geliy: Гелий = "helium", multiple persons
- Aleksandr Gelyevich Dugin: Patronym = Ге́льевич. Father's name: Geliy = "helium"
- Izil Zabludovsky: Изиль = исполнитель заветов Ильича, ispolnitel zavetov Il'icha (Performer of the Testaments of Il'ich (Lenin))
- Igor Talankin: birth name: Индустрий (Industriy)
- Iskra: И́скра, in reference to Iskra, the revolutionary newspaper, the name of which means "spark"
- Frunzik Mkrtchyan, Armenian actor, in honor of Mikhail Frunze
- Nonna Mordyukova: born Ноябри́на (Noyabrina), from Noyabr = "November"; October Revolution (which happened in November by the Gregorian calendar)
- Aleksei Oktyabrinovich Balabanov: Patronym = Oктябpинoвич. Father's name: Октябри́н from 'October'
- Pobisk Kuznetsov (поколение борцов и строителей коммунизма, 'generation of fighters and builders of Communism')
- Radiy Pogodin: Радий (Radiy) = "radium"
- Radner Muratov: Раднэ́р = радуйся новой эре, raduysya novoy ere ("Hail the new era") [9]
- Revolt Pimenov: Рево́льт
- Rem Viakhirev: Рем = революция мировая, revolyutsiya mirovaya (World revolution)
- Rem Petrov: Рэм = Революция, Энгельс, Маркс (Revolution, Engels, Marx)
- Rimma Kazakova, birth name Remo, Рэмо = Революция, электрификация, мировой Октябрь,[8] revolyutsiya, elektrifikatsiya, mirovoy Oktyabr (Revolution, Electrification, October of the World)
- Spartak (given name): Спартак = "Spartacus", multiple persons
- Telman (given name): multiple persons
- Torez Kulumbegov: after Maurice Thorez
- Zhores: Жоре́с, after Jean Jaurès
Marx/Engels/Lenin
[edit]- Arlen = ARmiya LENina (Lenin's army)
- Arlen Blyum (1933–2011), Soviet and Russian bibliographer, historian of Russian and Soviet censorship
- Arlen Ilyin (1932–2013), Soviet and Russian mathematician
- Arlen Kashkurevich (1929–2013), Soviet and Belarusian artist
- Arlen Meliksetov (1930–2006, Soviet and Russian sinologist
- Elem Klimov: Эле́м = Engels, LEnin, Marx
- Engelsina Markizova: Энгельси́на.
- Marlen#Soviet name: Марле́н = Marx + Lenin
- Melor Sturua: Мэлор = "Marx, Engels, Lenin, October Revolution"
- Mels (name), multiple persons
- Ninel Tkachenko: Нинель = "Lenin" read backwards
- Ninel Shakhova
- Vil Mirzayanov: Вил, from VIL = Vladimir Ilyich Lenin
- Vil Lipatov: Виль
- Vilen, multiple persons
- Villen Novak: Віллен (Ukrainian)
- Vladilen, multiple persons
- Vladlen, multiple persons
- Vladlena, multiple persons
- Willi Tokarev: Вилли, born Vilen
References
[edit]- ↑ Aleksandr Kazakevich (2 September 2009). "Вилли ТОКАРЕВ: "Когда тебя подгоняют, надо говорить "О'кей", и делать по-своему…"". Archived from the original on 4 July 2015. Retrieved 30 November 2014.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Richard Stites, Revolutionary Dreams: Utopian Vision and Experimental Life in the Russian Revolution, p. 111
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Valeri Mokiyenko, Tatyana Nikitina "Толковый словарь языка Совдепии" ("Explanatory Dictionary of Sovdepiya"), St.Petersburg, Фолио-Пресс, 1998, ISBN 5-7627-0103-4.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Петровский, Н. А. "Словарь русских личных имён", Moscow, АСТ, 2000, ISBN 5-17-002940-3.
- ↑ Скрипник, Л.Г., Дзятківська, Н.П. Власні імена людей. — Kyiv, Naukova Dumka, 2005, ISBN 9660005504
- ↑ Gumar Sattarov, "What Tatar Names Tell Us About?" (Гомђр Саттар-Мулилле. "Татар исемнђре ни сљйли?" - Kazan: "Rannur" Publishers, 1998, 488 pp.)
- ↑ Daniel Peris, Storming the Heavens: The Soviet League of the Militant Godless, p. 92
- 1 2 Елена Душечкина, "Мессианские тенденции в советской антропонимической практике 1920-х - 1930-х годов" ("Messianic Tendencies in Soviet Anthroponymic Practice of the 1920s-1930s"), Toronto Slavic Quarterly (retrieved August 8, 2015)
- ↑ Мельников Виталий Вячеславович, Жизнь. Кино., 2011, ISBN 5977506694, p. 138