What your name says about you: Is the noble woman or a peasant woman?

For centuries, ordinary people have been to know social demands and behavioral ways. Names are not an exception. Each belonged to a certain property. From the old Russian time and until the twentieth century, the names were left as noble and peasant.

Girls of Noble Births often took names: Barbara, Olga, Sofia, Elizabeth, Elena, Anna, Natalya, Alexander and others. The peasants could not say to their children, and there were reasons for this. We talk separately about each stage of the formation of names.

In ancient times

It was accepted as an unacceptable arrogance to give the child an inappropriate name in the status. Before the Russian baptism, the peasants were called in appearance, character, personal characteristics or the sequence of appearance in the family: Belyak, Silence, Powysh, Khudyash, Ryzhik, Zhdan, Tugou, Gloomy, Zaika.

The aristocrats were directed by the same rules, but they chose more compatible names: Fun, Krasav, Snezhan, Gorislava, Malusha, Lyubava.

After Russian baptization

After the Russian baptization, all classes should have called their children according to the church calendar. The baby was usually called on the honor of Aziz, whose memory was celebrated on his birthday. Thus, Anastasia was popular among aristocrats. In traders: Alexandra, Anna, Elizabeth, Evdokia, Natalya, Daria, Julia.

The truth is that the highest classes have carefully avoided incomprehensible and ugly. In addition, children were allowed to be called folk options for noble names: Marya (Maria), Nastasia (Anastasia), Katerina (Ekaterina), Alena (Elena), Lizaveta (Elizabeth), Arina (Irina).

Among the peasants, the names of a tiny form were common: Ogafyitsa, Maryitsa, Katerinkka, Olenkka, Ovotyitsa.

Peter I reforms

They influenced Petrus I’s names and reforms. During the reign of the emperor, Russian nobility tried to imitate Europe. The nobles hired French and German teachers for their children. As a result, names with foreign analogues have gained popularity: Natalie, Elsa, Elizabeth, Margot, Christina.

Peter, I introduced fashion on behalf of Elizabeth and called his daughter like this. Later, he called many generation children with the birth names of the rulers. Among them: Anna, Catherine, Maria, Sofia and Alexander.

The villagers can call their children only to the simplified analogs of noble names, including Lisaveta. Otherwise, nothing has changed to them. The only thing – now, like the highest classes, they could not follow the church calendar when choosing names.

So, the name of the Barbara was universal. He met both aristocrats and ordinary people.

After the removal of my serfom

A lot has changed for the peasants in the 19th century. Before that, families could build, but now everything has become easier. After the removal of Serfdom, ordinary people had the chance to intertwine with the highest classes. Of course, prejudices about social status remained, but if the girl was lucky, she could marry a rich man and get a noble name. Akulina Alexandra, Praskovya – Polina, Agafya – Agatha, Fekla – Zinaida.

As a result, Anna, Elena and Maria were previously evaluated by noble names, widespread in the villages. And Olga has become one of the most popular among the highest classes.

Names and Literature

Meanwhile, Tatyana managed to get out of the peasant circles. And thanks to Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin and Eugene Onegin. The poet Naret, who wants to bring his hero closer to people, with this name. As a result, the nobility of the 19th century, who read Pushkin’s works, began to call their daughters Tatyana.

After the October 1917 Revolution

After the October Revolution of 1917, the difficult limit between the properties was destroyed and the parents took freedom in the choice of names. However, then there was a list of names that were really proposed as a proletarian, but that’s another story.

And if you think it is impossible to determine which class you belong to according to your name, you can go to our test and find out who you are: young female or peasant woman.