Антропонимията в Северна Македония през XI–XIII век. Тенденции и фактори
Anthroponymy in Northern Macedonia from the Early Eleventh to the Late Thirteenth Centuries. Trends and Factors

Summary/Abstract: The present paper deals with the social and cultural aspects of choosing a proper name in the northern part of the historical region of Macedonia. The Byzantine reconquest of 1018 and the expansion of the Serbian Kingdom in the Late Middle ages build the chronological framework of this study. The research bases mainly on Byzantine praktika (especially the Greek one of the village Palaiokastron near Strumica dating back to 1320) and the Ponemata diaphora by Archbishop Demetrios Chomatenos. Their data are supplemented by information preserved in the Slavonic praktikon of Konče. The analysis of these sources reveals a dominance of names of Slavic origin as well as of anthroponyms related to the Christian tradition (Greek and Hebraic). While searching for a proper name for their offspring, parents usually chose those that had to provide for positive physical and psychical characteristics, and protect the children from evil. One of the easiest ways to do this was to name a child after a Christian saint. Furthermore, the paper investigates the role of kinship and family bonds for choosing a proper name.

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