Kolenda in Names and Surnames
Kolenda in Names and Surnames

Summary/Abstract: The concept of kolenda in the Dubrovnik area stems largely from congratulatory, often jocular, and singing during the feast days of the Old and New Year. Less is known of the meaning of Kolenda as a personal name that was engendered by the Dubrovnik Middle Ages. The first form of the name, noted among the Dubrovnik patrician class in the 12th century, was Calenda, after which it was refashioned with greater or lesser frequency into Cholenda or Colenda up until the 15th century. In later centuries, it appeared in the broader Dubrovnik area, particularly on the island of Lastovo, where it was maintained right up to the first half of the 20th century. That name was also given to foundlings, abandoned children born on the first day of the New Year, this being called –– kolenda –– in the traditional terming of the Dubrovnik area (especially that of Konavle). The identical surname originated from the personal name Kolenda as well as the patronymic form Kolendić which, unlike the original name, still exists today in the Dubrovnik area. This paper presents the results of research into the existence of the name Kolenda in literature and in the archival material of the city, kept at the State Archive in Dubrovnik. It can be concluded that Kolenda is a male name exclusively, at least as far as Dubrovnik heritage is concerned, and that there is no female gender variant.

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