Proto Indo - European Personal Names

[arvistro]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proto-Indo-European_society#Names
The use of two-word compound words for personal names, typically but not always ascribing some noble or heroic feat to their bearer, is so common in Indo-European languages that it seems certainly inherited. These names are often of the class of compound words that in Sanskrit are called bahuvrihi compounds.
They are found in the Celtic region (Dumnorix: "king of the world"), in Indo-Aryan (Asvaghosa: "tamer of horses"); in Iranian (Vishtaspa: "possessing horses untied (for racing)"); in Hellenic (Socrates: "good ruler"); in Slavic (Vladimir: "ruler of the world"); in Germanic (Godgifu: "gift of God"), and in Anatolian (Piyama-Radu: "gift of the devotee?").

I wanted to test this idea. So, I know for sure that early Germanic and Norse names are two-word compounds dominantly. Earliest mentioned Baltic names were also two-word compounds (Mindaugas, Gediminas, Dausprungas and what not). Earliest Slavic names were also dominantly two-word compounds (Boleslav, Gostomisl, etc), Old Greek seems to follow the same logic for at least some part or most part (Socrates, Aristotelis, Aleksandros - but Plato)? Persian (Darius, Xerxes, Cyrus) too.

Seems like all branches, except I am not sure if that was popular at all among Latins/ Romans.

And also I am not sure if other ethnic groups did not have same structure. After all we know Native American names were also mostly two-word. Except Native Americans had less abstract names?

 

[Rethel]

I wanted to test this idea.

Mostly, names were two-partly but not always. Among Indoeuropeans, I think:

Myabe children had one-part name? And slaves, bastards...? Who knows...

Examples: Bolko, Mieszko, Derwan, Popiel, Piast, Chościsko, itd...
Maybe first part was given to child whan was born, and second, when he was older.
For exaple, Bolko - when was small, but Bolesław - when was older?

In slavic countries was a lot of nicknames, and some people semms
to not have any other name, or maybe they was not using their name.
Wilk, Kościoł (sic!), Piast, Kij, Rus, Miłoch, Kwasek, Godzina, aso.

So, I know for sure that early Germanic and Norse names are two-word compounds dominantly.

But: Ask, Embla, Aud, Snorri, Thorn, Thor, Frey, Horst, aso

Earliest mentioned Baltic names were also two-word compounds (Mindaugas, Gediminas, Dausprungas and what not).

But Kęstutis, Skłodo, Skypelon, Lutyno aso

Earliest Slavic names were also dominantly two-word compounds (Boleslav, Gostomisl, etc),

As above.

Old Greek seems to follow the same logic for at least some part or most part (Socrates, Aristotelis, Aleksandros - but Plato)? Persian (Darius, Xerxes, Cyrus) too.

Yes. But Gregorius, Georgius aso and Cyrus.

Seems like all branches, except I am not sure if that was popular at all among Latins/ Romans.

They do not have names...
Only 12 names, which half of them it was numerals

But Nomens, cognomens and late roman names seems to be one-part names...

Rufus, Julius, Caesar, Florianus, Marcus aso

And also I am not sure if other ethnic groups did not have same structure. After all we know Native American names were also mostly two-word. Except Native Americans had less abstract names?

Semites had two-part names, as: YedidYahu, YirmeYahu, DaniEl, Jesus, and one part as: Moses, David, Solomon, Gad, Dan, Aszer.

Indians had two words name - this is not the same as two-parts names.

Dancing Cloud, Strange Winter or Ugly Bear - this are some different kind of names.

 

[Rethel]

By the way Arvistro, do you know some large
source of baltic names in human language?

 

[RobertColumbia]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proto-Indo-European_society#Names
The use of two-word compound words for personal names, typically but not always ascribing some noble or heroic feat to their bearer, is so common in Indo-European languages that it seems certainly inherited. These names are often of the class of compound words that in Sanskrit are called bahuvrihi compounds.
They are found in the Celtic region (Dumnorix: "king of the world")...
Seems like all branches, except I am not sure if that was popular at all among Latins/ Romans....

For Latin itself, what about Boniface? (Bonifatius: "Good Fate")?

The practice was certainly present among later Romance language speakers:

French: (Raymond: "King of the World") (correlating to the Latin phrase "Rex Mundi")

 

[arvistro]

Yeah, but was it common or exception?

 

[RobertColumbia]

Yeah, but was it common or exception?

I'm getting the impression that it was more the exception than the rule in Italic languages. There are actually a fairly large number of compound names that are common today in Romance languages, but most of them appear to be of Germanic origin, e.g. French Guillerme (Eng. William, Ger. Wilhelm, "Desired [i.e. Willed] Helmet"), Italian Alfredo, Roberto, etc., and Spanish Eduardo.

 

[A. Papadimitriou]

In Greek it was common, for example: Agathokles, Agesilaos, Athenagoras, Athenodoros, Alexandros, Alkiviades, Anaxagoras, Anaximenis, Anaximandros, Aristogenis, Aristotelis, Aristobulos, Aristomenis, Archilochos, Archimedes, Demosthenis, Diogenes, Diomedes, Epameinondas, Eteokles, Euagoras, Euribiades, Euristhenes, Klearchos, Kleobulos, Leandros, Menelaos, Philippos, Sophokles, Telemachos, Themistokles, Thucydides, Thrasybulos etc

It is said that Plato's name was Aristokles, but even if it's true the name Plato seems to have been common in Athens.

Not all the known names are compound words. But certainly it was quite common. But I wouldn't make any conclusions.

 

[MOESAN]

For Latin itself, what about Boniface? (Bonifatius: "Good Fate")?

The practice was certainly present among later Romance language speakers:

French: (Raymond: "King of the World") (correlating to the Latin phrase "Rex Mundi")

Here we deal with germanic names adopted by romance languages speakers: Raymond << Ragi-Mund - Albert << Adal-Behrt - Roger << Hrod-Gari..by instance. Raymond, Raimundo: it's all the same Ragi-Mund. And ragi-mund does not mean "rex-mundi" but "advice-protection": let's be careful concerning the popular etymologies (I already wrote about this in Linguistic threads to give some examples).
I think these two-parts names have been a mode in some times, so then very common, but not at the complete exclusion of other formations (one-part, not too rare).
It seems that very often the two elements sticked one together create a non-sense or no-clear-meaning names! I appears that some lignages were found of an element which was present in almost all names of the ligneage (by instance, Gund among the germanic Burgundians. In Brittany the same existed at least between the 5° and the 10° cnetury.
The ligneage of some Brittons noble families having colonized Brittany countained often the element 'ri(g)': "king" or rather "chief" Ri-UUal, Ri-UUorae, Ri-Uuoe, Ri-UUan...
some examples of Breton names:Ri-UUal (Rivoal, Riwal): "king-worth" - Tan-Ki (Tanguy, Tangi) "fire-hound" - Hael-Comarc (Helgouarch, Hêlgouarc'h) "generous-salutation" ... (these names are common today in Brittany, under the form underlined by my) and still: Maen-Ki (Menguy, Mainguy), Cat-UUoret (Cadoret), Cat-Nemet (Canévet), Iudic-Hael (Jézéquel, Gicquel(lo)) and hundreds of these names. As you can see, the signification is not too clear for the most.
But other names were based upon 1 element only like in other cultures: Rioc, Alan, Catoc, UUen, Haeloc, Maeloc - oc: suffixe (modern welsh -og, modern breton -eg

 

[MOESAN]

Oups! RobertColombia, I had not red your subsequent post.