Representation of Calendar Month Names in Personal Names (Based on Arkhangelsk Dialects)

In different eras, the repertoire of names changes quite a lot. There often is a fashion for “old-fashioned” names, then for new, unusual ones. The article provides examples of names recorded in the Russian North, namely in the villages of the Arkhangelsk region, which are based on the name of calendar months: Октябрина (Oktyabrina), Ноябрина (Noyabrina), Сентябрина (Sentyabrina), Декабрина (Dekabrina), Январина (Yanvarina), Юния (Yuniya), and the male variants – Октябрин (Oktyabrin), Декабрин (Dekabrin), Май (Mai). Such names were innovative for the rural culture. The article shows historical relationship between the names of people (Julius, Augustus) and the names of calendar months, as well as, the connection between personal names and significant events that occurred in a certain month (Oktyabrina), which was characteristic of the 20th century.

The emergence of fashion for such names could have several reasons: the desire to break the old tradition of naming in honor of a saint or “fathers and grandfathers” in Soviet times; the emergence of new holidays (oktyabr'skie), focusing on the widespread model of nominating animals depending on the time of their birth.

The research is based on the materials of the Arkhangelsk Regional Dictionary, its card file, and the authors' own field notes.