Personal Names among the Dukhobors

Abstract

The article discusses the social, historical, and religious aspects of naming and namebook formation in the Doukhobor sect. Although the Dukhobor namebook was developing in line with the general trends in Russia, it had its own peculiarities related to the religious teaching and the long isolation of the Doukhobors from the Orthodox Russians. Having refused to use names given by priests, the Doukhobors transferred the function of naming to the midwife; instead of utilizing the Church calendar, they began using mainly the names of their ancestors and relatives. I examine the consequences of these practices, such as the narrowing of the repertoire of personal names and their higher concentration, and show the dynamics of names during the nineteenth–twentieth centuries and the structural features of the Doukhobor namebook. Attention is also drawn to the specificities of name forms characteristic of Doukhobors, which consist in the widespread use of abbreviated and affectionate names determined by the age or family and social status of each member of the community.