16th and early 17th C. feminine names from Lithuanian records.

by Rebecca Lucas (ffride wlffsdotter)

© 2013; all rights reserved.
last updated 18th October 2020.

Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Personal Names
  3. Anthroponyms
  4. Bibliography

Anthroponyms: Occupational bynames (of related men).

According to Čirūnaitė, only 54 (5%) instances of female names included an occupational byname, in contrast to 33.1% of masculine names. However, these occupational bynames were associated with the roles her male relations played in society. These women were described as a daughter, daughter-in-law, or the wife of a “standard-bearer” 11 times, a judge 8 times, marshall 6 times, “Elder” (an administrative title) 6 times. “Keeper of the horse-stables” was recorded 3 times. There were two instances each for the following: Castellan, clergy and clerk. Only one mention each was made of the reeve, a trooper, a governor, “the royal kitchen supervisor”, the ruler, and a “tivunas” (a position in the government of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania).

Translations of the Ruthenian and Polish examples are taken from Čirūnaitė, any resulting errors from translating from Lithuanian to English are entirely my own.

Bynames: Occupational