Names of Soviet origin
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Given names of Soviet origin appeared in the early history of the Soviet Union,[3] 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,[4] which Richard Stites characterized as a utopian vision of creating a new reality by means of verbal imagery.[3] They constituted a notable part of the new Soviet phraseology.
Such names may be primarily found in Russian persons,[5] and sometimes in Belarusians and Ukrainians,[6] as well as in other minorities of the former USSR (e.g. Tatar[7]).
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.[3][8]
In defiance of the old tradition of taking names from menology, according to the feast days,[3] 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).[4] 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, Vladlen for Vladimir Lenin.[3]
Richard Stites classifies the Soviet "revolutionary" names into the following categories:[3]
- 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.[5]
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) | Владимир Ильич Ленин (Vladimir Ilyich Lenin)[4][5] | "Vilen" or "Vilén" is also a traditional Finnish and Swedish surname. - |
| Мэл | Mel | Маркс, Энгельс и Ленин (Marx, Engels and Lenin)[4][5] | - |
| Мэлс | Mels | Маркс, Энгельс, Ленин и Сталин (Marx, Engels, Lenin and Stalin) | - |
| Баррикад, Баррикада | Barrikad (m) / Barrikada (f) | Barricade[4][5] | Refers to the revolutionary activity |
| Ревмир, Ревмира | Revmir (m) / Revmira (f) | Революция мира (Revolyutsiya mira) | Means "The revolution of the World"[4][5] |
| Гертруда | Gertruda | Gertrude reinterpreted as Герой труда (Geroy truda) | Means "The Hero of Labour"[4][5] |
| Марлен | Marlen (m) | Marlene reinterpreted as Маркс и Ленин (Marx and Lenin)[4][5] | - |
| Стэн | Sten, Stan | Stan reinterpreted as Сталин и Энгельс (Stalin and Engels)[4][5] | - |
| Ким | Kim | Kim reinterpreted as Коммунистический интернационал молодёжи (Kommunistichesky Internatsional Molodyozhi)[4][5] | Young Communist International |
People with Soviet names[edit]
- Barrikad Zamyshlyaev: Баррикад, from "barricade"
- Elem Klimov: Эле́м = Engels, LEnin, Marx
- Elmira (name): Эльмира, backronym for "электрификация мира", elektrifikatsiya mira (electrification of the world)
- Engelsina Markizova: Энгельси́на.
- Geliy Korzhev: Гелий = "helium"
- 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 Babich: И́скра, in reference to Iskra, the revolutionary newspaper, the name of which means "spark"
- Marlen Khutsiev: Марле́н = Marx + Lenin
- Melor Sturua: Мэлор = "Marx, Engels, Lenin: Organizers of the Revolution"
- Ninel Tkachenko: Нинель = "Lenin" read backwards
- 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 = October
- 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,[10] revolyutsiya, elektrifikatsiya, mirovoy Oktyabr (Revolution, Electrification, October of the World)
- Spartak Mishulin: Спартак = "Spartacus"
- Telman Ismailov: Те́льман, from Ernst Thälmann
- Vil Mirzayanov: Вил, from VIL = Vladimir Ilyich Lenin
- Vilen Zharikov: Вилен, VILen = Vladimir Ilyich Lenin
- Vilen Tolpezhnikov: VILen = Vladimir Ilyich Lenin
- Willi Tokarev: Вилли, born Vilen
- Villen Novak: Віллен (Ukrainian)
- Vil Lipatov: Виль
- Vladilen Letokhov: Владилен
- Vladilen Mashkovtsev
- Vladlen Biryukov: Владлен
- Vladlen Davydov
- Vladlen Tatarsky
- Vladlen Yurchenko
- Zhores Alferov: Жоре́с, after Jean Jaurès
- Zhores Medvedev: after Jean Jaurès
See also[edit]
- ru:Список имён советского происхождения – the list of such names
References[edit]
- ^ Dmitry Gordon (2006). Диалог длиною в жизнь: беседы с великими и знаменитыми. Izdatelʹskiĭ Dom "Skhili Dnipra".
Anne Nivat (2014). "Chapter 21. Wing A. Entryway 9, Third Floor: Willy and Julia Tokarev". The View from the Vysotka: A Portrait of Russia Today Through One of Moscow's Most Famous Addresses. St. Martin's Press. ISBN 9781466865815. - ^ Aleksandr Kazakevich (2009-09-27). "Вилли ТОКАРЕВ: "Когда тебя подгоняют, надо говорить "О'кей", и делать по-своему…"".
- ^ a b c d e f Richard Stites, Revolutionary Dreams: Utopian Vision and Experimental Life in the Russian Revolution, p. 111
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Valeri Mokiyenko, Tatyana Nikitina "Толковый словарь языка Совдепии" ("Explanatory Dictionary of Sovdepiya"), St.Petersburg, Фолио-Пресс, 1998, ISBN 5-7627-0103-4.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Петровский, Н. А. "Словарь русских личных имён", Moscow, АСТ, 2000, ISBN 5-17-002940-3.
- ^ Скрипник, Л.Г., Дзятківська, Н.П. Власні імена людей. — Kiev, 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
- ^ Мельников Виталий Вячеславович, Жизнь. Кино., 2011, ISBN 5977506694, p. 138
- ^ 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)