Mongolian name
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article refers to personal naming customs in Mongolia, known prior to 1992 as the Mongolian People's Republic. Any customs in Mongolia must be distinguished from the Inner Mongolia, also known as Southern Mongolia, which is a province in China.
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[edit] Sources
Mongolian names traditionally have an important symbolic character - a name with auspicious connotations being thought to bring good fortune to its bearer. The naming of children is usually done by the parents or a respected elder of the family, or by a lama.
[edit] Common names
Nowadays most parents give Mongolian names to their children, often consisting of two nouns or adjectives, representing qualities such as solidity and strength for boys or beauty in the case of girls. Male names often include the names of elements such as "iron" or "steel", or other words denoting strength, such as "hero", "strong", or "axe": some examples are Gansükh (steel-axe), Batsaikhan (strong-nice), or Tömörbaatar (iron-hero). Women's names commonly refer to fine colours or flowers, the sun and moon, or may be made up of any other word with positive connotations using the feminine suffix "-maa" (Tib. "mother"): some common examples are Altantsetseg (golden-flower), Narantuyaa (sun-beam), Uranchimeg (artistic-decoration), Sarangerel (moon-light), Erdenetungalag (jewel-clear), and Tsetsegmaa (flower). It is possible to name a child with a name more commonly used for the opposite sex.
[edit] Names of foreign origin
Some personal names are of Tibetan origin or have come from Sanskrit via Lamaism, like Dorjpalam, 'diamond', and Ochir and Bazar (both meaning vajra or 'thunderbolt'), while Lianhua, 'lotus', is Chinese.
[edit] Surnames
Mongolians have no inherited surname. Like Icelanders, they attach their father's name to their given name. For example: Chuluuny Bat, 'Chuluun’s Bat'. When thus given, the name will usually be written as "Ch. Bat". In this instance, of course, "Bat" is the given name.
[edit] Nicknames
Sometimes names are shortened, most commonly by choosing one of the parts of the name and adding a vowel, melting it into one or adding the suffix -kaa. E.g., a woman named Delgerzayaa might be called Delger, Zayaa or Deegii, a man named Arslandorj might become Askaa or his sister Idertuyaa could become Idree, and so might her boyfried Iderbayar.
[edit] Significance
Many gender-neutral name components refer to auspicious qualities such as eternity or happiness: some examples are Mönkh (eternal), Erdene (jewel), Oyuun (mind), Altan (golden), Saikhan (fine), Jargal or Bayar (happiness), and Enkh (peace). Tibetan and Sanskrit names of planets (such as Angarag -- meaning "Mars") are also commonly used in giving names, as are the names of Buddhist saints or sacred symbols. There is also a tradition of giving names with unpleasant qualities to children born to a couple whose previous children have died, in the belief that the unpleasant name will mislead evil spirits seeking to steal the child. Muunokhoi, "Vicious Dog", may seem a strange name, but Mongolians have traditionally been given such taboo names to avoid misfortune and confuse evil spirits. Other examples include Nekhii, "Sheepskin"; Nergüi, "No Name"; Medekhgüi, "I Don't Know"; Hünbish, "Not A Human Being"; Henbish, "Nobody"; Ogtbish, "Not At All"; Enebish, "Not This One"; Terbish, "Not That One."
[edit] History
[edit] Customs under communism
In the 20th century, when Mongolia effectively functioned as a Soviet satellite, Mongols have sometimes been given Russian names like Alexander or Sasha, or mixed ones like Ivaanjav; also from Russian, Yolk, 'little fir tree', seems a bit strange. Politically correct parents once chose Oktyabr (October), Sekhsekhr (USSR), and even Molotov as names for their offspring, although the strangest of all is perhaps Melscho, composed of the first letters of Marx, Engels, Lenin, Stalin and Chojbalsan.
[edit] Modern names
Modern Mongolian names for men often denote masculine qualities; such as Bat, 'strong', Bold, 'steel', Chuluun, 'stone' or Sükh, 'axe'. Women may be named after flowers, like Narantsetseg, 'sunflower' or Hongorzul, 'thistle', or qualities like Oyuun, 'wisdom'. It seems that traditional (Buddhist) names may now be fashionable, as well as the names of great Mongolian rulers of old like "Khubilai" or "Chingis".
