What do Chechen names mean: interpretation and history of origin. Traditional Chechen names

Chechens are a heroic, proud people who value their foundations and history. Chechen male names reflect the strength and spirit of the people, personifying male power and honor. Among the names and nicknames of this people you will not find diminutive formulations and translations; each name reflects the meaning of masculinity and stature.

For example, Chechen male names often mean representatives of the animal world with pronounced strong-willed characteristics.

Animal world

Bula, or Bull, is translated from Chechen as “bison.”
Borz, or Buorz, is a wolf respected by all the Chechen people.
Lom, Lomma - lion and some derivatives of this word.
Tskhogal is a cunning fox, this name personifies a person inclined to dodge responsibility.
Kuyra is a hawk, a name for proud and sharp-eyed men.
Makkhal is a kite, a warlike and accurate warrior.
Lecha is a falcon, a proud, arrogant bird.
Arzu is an eagle, a high-flying man.

Often, Chechen male names translated mean a guide to action, as if parting words from parents and wishes for good. This is especially true for examples of the birth of weakened babies whose lives are at risk. They are given names with wishes for a long or healthy life.

Wishes

Vaha - translated - “live”.
Dukhavaha - "live long"!
Vahiyata - “let this baby live.”
Visiyta - "let him stay."

There were also cases when the newborn was given some characteristic in the name.

Character Assessment

Masa - means "fast, frisky."
Dick - "this is a good guy."
Mairsalt - "brave boy (man)".

It is a pity that many Chechen names are forgotten today. Although they carry such valuable and interesting figures of speech from the native language of the people.

Also, many Chechen male names carry a symbolic Muslim meaning. They are borrowed from the Arabs and history. These are the names that belonged to the companions and contemporaries of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him).

Names from the Sunnah of Muslims

Muhammad (Mohmad, Mahmud, Muhammad, Magomed, Magamat) - the name of the Prophet Muhammad, translated means “glorified” or “glorious”.
Abbas was the name of the prophet's uncle. Meaning: stern, gloomy, gloomy.
Abdulrahman - this name means "servant of the Merciful Lord." Favorite name of Muslims, an attribute of any believer.
Ali is the name of the friend and son-in-law of the Prophet Muhammad, the fourth of the Islamic world. And its meanings are “exalted”, “leading”, “supreme”.

Chechen male names, borrowed from the Arabs before the emergence of the history of Islam

According to customs, Chechen boys' names are given with a certain attitude and parting words. It is believed that the name reflects the character, will, and spirit of its bearer. Therefore, most of all, with a strong-willed and courageous orientation.

Chechen names include various variants that came to this region along with cultural influences from different quarters. Below we will briefly discuss this process and provide a list of the most typical names for this region.

Chechen names and surnames: composition

The entire variety of Chechen names consists mainly of original Chechen variants, preserved from pre-Islamic times, abundantly diluted with Arabic and Persian borrowings, introduced along with the Arabization of culture and the spread of Islam. In addition, the republic also contains, although in noticeably smaller numbers, names from other traditions, introduced mainly through the influence of the Russian neighborhood.

Origin of names

A large number of names in Chechnya come from the names of animals and birds. Chechen men's names are often traced back to predators. For example, Borz means "wolf". Kuira is the name of a hawk, but the name Lecha correlates with a falcon. In addition, verbs in various moods can be used to form a name. These can be both female names and male names.

Chechen traditions of naming a child are generally quite flexible - they use adjectives, participles and other parts of speech, as well as various verbal constructions. But most of the names that Chechens use today are still not their original heritage, but introduced along with the new religion. Thus, being Muslims, they more often resort to Arabic and Persian variants than to their native, original ones.

Particularly popular among Chechens, as well as, probably, among all Muslims, are such options as Ali, Ahmed, Magomed, Umar and others. Male Chechen names thus have their support in the Koran and Islamic history. Naming a child by non-Muslim options is not accepted in this traditional conservative society. Chechen men's names can also be compound, which reflects the local, mountain flavor. For example, the elements “bek”, “soltan” and some others are added to many names.

As for the Russian language, it enriched the Chechen lexicon with such naming options as Raisa, Louise, Rosa and some other, mainly female names. Russian variants are especially common in official documents, and in diminutive and abbreviated versions. For example, you can often find the name Zhenya or Sasha on the pages of business papers. But usually behind them there are still Chechen names and surnames. The male and female versions of the Chechens always have the stress on the first syllable. This, as well as the peculiarities of local pronunciation, sometimes modify foreign names, so to speak, nationalizing them. For example, Chechen male names are often pronounced by replacing “u” with “a” and “d” with “t”.

Chechen male names and their meanings

Ruslan. This is an ancient Turkic name that means lion.
Shamil. This option can be translated into Russian with the word “all-encompassing.”
Abu. A very popular name in Islam, belonging to one of the companions of Muhammad.
Rashid. This name speaks of the consciousness and prudence of its bearer. At least in theory.
Said. Arabic name meaning "happy".
Hassan. A very popular name among followers of Muhammad. It means “kind”, “good”.
Ibrahim. This is an Arabized form of the Hebrew name of the prophet Abraham. Translated into Russian as “father of many nations.”
Hamid. This is what they call a person worthy of praise. Another meaning is praising (in the sense of God).
Murat. Translated as “desired goal” or “cherished dream.” Comes from Arabic.
Isa. The same as Jesus. From ancient Hebrew it is most often translated as “help from Yahweh.”
Denis. A strangely preserved name among the Chechens belonged to the god of wine Dionysus in ancient Greece.
Mustafa. From Arabic this name is translated as “chosen one.”
Moussa. Same as Moses. Literally from Hebrew it means “taken from the water.”
Rahman. A beautiful Arabic name. Its meaning is close to the Russian word “mercy”. That is, it will mean a merciful person.
Mansur. From Arabic, this name is translated as “the one who is protected” or simply “protected.”
Umar. Tatar name. Means "vital".
Suleiman. A name that seems to say that in front of you is a person who lives in health and prosperity, who is thriving.
Ramadan. A name given in honor of the holy month of the Arabic calendar.

Conclusion

There are many other names common in Chechnya. But the options presented here are the most common among modern residents of the republic.

A name is not just a combination of sounds to which a person responds. Since ancient times, people have noticed that a name determines the fate of its owner, gives him strengths and abilities, and also endows him with weaknesses and shortcomings. Each nationality has its own popular and favorite names for boys and girls, which have a secret meaning. Chechen names are amazing in their sound, beautiful, but unusual for European ears.

Depending on their origin, Chechen names can be divided into three groups:

Folk, native options. The most ancient, which are the true pride of the Chechen people. Their distinctive feature is brevity; they consist of one, maximum two syllables. They owe their appearance to mother nature: animals, plants, minerals. Examples are numerous: Borz (from the word “wolf”), Lecha (“eagle”), Lu (“roe deer”), Zhovkhan (“pearl”).
Borrowed. They came to Chechen from Persian, Turkic and Arabic languages and make up the main layer of names. Among them there are a lot of Muslim options with a religious connotation: Osman, Suleiman and, of course, Muhammad, Magomed. Such names as Khasbulat, Mansur, Albek came from Turkic. Numerous female names were adopted by Chechens from Arabic sources: Yasmin, Zukhra, as well as from the Koran (Madina, Zeinab, Aisha).
Modern. Most of the representatives of the nationality use traditional names to this day, but the influence of the modern West is still felt, which is why the following options appear: Louise, Tamara, Rosa, Sasha. Often the source of such borrowing is the Russian language.

These are the main groups of Chechen names, many of them sound very unusual for a modern person, poetic and soulful, and their secret meaning adds special interest to them.

Variety of male names

One of the main sources from which Chechen names appeared was borrowings from the Arabic language, which gave a huge number of options with religious overtones. Among the male names popular among Chechens are the following options:

These are Chechen male names and their meaning. Of course, this is not a complete list, but only the most frequently used options that came to the Chechen people from Arab primary sources. These names are still popular today, although they often face competition from more modern options.

Coming from the natural world

Among the Chechen names there are those that endow their owner with the qualities of the most worthy representatives of the world of wildlife. Examples are numerous:

Nowadays, it is rare for a Chechen boy to receive such an ancient, beautiful name with a rich history, but this fact does not negate their value. Sometimes a family that adheres to traditional views gives its son just such a noble name that will influence his subsequent fate.

Popular female names

Chechen names for girls are very numerous, but researchers note that more than 70% of them are borrowings from Arabic sources. However, there are also native Chechen variants, for example, Birlant, this name means “diamond”, Children - with the meaning “silver”, Deshi - “gold”, Zhovkhar - “pearl”. More examples: Zaza means “blooming”, Zezag translates as “flower”, Polla means “butterfly” in Chechen. The poetic name Seda translates as “star”.

Names help to understand the culture of the Chechen people. If men were compared with representatives of the animal world, noble animals and proud birds of prey, then girls were associated primarily with jewelry and flowers.

Most beautiful

The list of Chechen names for girls, beautiful and modern, is quite extensive, and each of them gives its owner certain character traits, strengths and weaknesses, mystical abilities, talismans and lucky numbers.

Aziza is a beautiful, sonorous name for a brown-haired beauty, which endowed its owner with endless creative potential. This girl is talented in everything, plays musical instruments very well, draws, writes poetry or prose. Azizs often become fashion designers or tattoo artists. Their appearance is bright and memorable, their character is strong-willed and strong, so such girls are doomed to success.

Aina - thanks to the combination of sounds, this name for girls sounds gentle and poetic. It endowed its owner with a vulnerable nature, as well as independence and courage. Aina girls have the makings of a leader since childhood, but they try so subtly to influence their environment that they almost never encounter negativity or resistance. The meaning of the name is “mirror”; indeed, these girls see right through their interlocutor.

The name Asiya sounds tender, the meaning of which is “who knows how to heal.”

Bayanat is a very sonorous Chechen female name, its owner has a strong character, formed under the influence of Mercury and Uranus, she looks forward with confidence and is not afraid of life's challenges. Despite the fact that Bayanat is not a very popular name, it does not lose its beauty.

Jamila is a mysterious name, it contains a riddle, its bearer certainly has a talent that will be revealed literally from the first years of her life. At the same time, Jamila is a very good wife, a wonderful mother, and an exemplary housewife. The meaning of the name is “beautiful”.

The name Kurbika is very beautiful, which in Arabic means “proud”, “reliable”, this is a very ancient name that is used by the Chechen people to this day.

Layla, meaning “night,” and Lina, “modesty,” sound tender and touching.

Modern variations

Chechen women's names and their meanings are very diverse, some of them have a long history, a beautiful poetic sound, but there are also those that are quite modern and can be used to name a girl, not necessarily even an oriental one:

Aliya is one of these names; it came to the Chechen people from Arab sources and endowed its owner with piercing beauty and talent. Girls with such an unusual name are distinguished by their strength of spirit; they look at their offenders with pride, but hate it when anyone tries to penetrate their inner world. They are sincere, but often their deep nature is misunderstood by ordinary people. Only in the company of “their own”, close in spirit, do the owners of the rare name Aliya fully open up.

Amira is another beautiful Chechen name, it means “mistress”. These are very active, lively girls, purposeful and persistent, smart and efficient. Can be used by parents who dream of giving their daughter an unusual name.

Despite some unusualness to European ears, Zeinab is a very modern female name, endowing its bearer with talent, beauty and wisdom. It is Zeinab's girls who become ideal oriental wives - quiet and submissive at first glance, they masterfully know how to subjugate the will of their husband so that he does not even realize his dependent position.

The name Kamila sounds beautiful and modern, and it is in this version, with one “l”, that is found among Chechen women. Translated from Arabic it means “perfection”. The name Madina, sonorous and unusual, is also often used.

Maryam is a name that will become a real adornment for a girl of our time, despite the fact that it has a very long history. Its owners are distinguished by their lively disposition, cheerful, good-natured character, they are proactive and sociable.

Chechen names are not just beautiful and non-trivial options for naming a child. This is a whole culture and history, each of them has a special meaning and gives its bearer some important personality traits.

Attention, TODAY only!

All Chechen names, according to them origin stories, can be divided into three main groups.

Chechen folk names.
The most ancient of them are native Chechen names that arose from the beliefs, traditions and ideas of the Chechen people. They are easy to pronounce and are distinguished by the fact that they usually consist of one or two syllables. Meaning these Chechen names reflects the connection of the Chechen people with nature, a subtle perception of the surrounding world. Most of them are derived from the names of animals, birds and plants. Male names most often emphasize masculinity, speed of reaction, and strength - Borz (wolf), Bula (bison), Cha (bear), Nal (boar), Lecha (eagle), Makkhal (kite). Women's names are associated with the names of beautiful plants and animals, precious metals - Lu (roe deer), Zezag (flower), Kemsa (grape), Birlant (diamond), Zhovkhar (pearl).

Borrowed names.
Names of Turkic, Arabic and Persian origin make up the largest group of Chechen names. In the XIV - XVIII centuries, names borrowed from Turkic languages were in use - Albek, Akhmatkhan, Mansur, Raslanbek, Khasbulat. Since the middle of the 19th century, the influence of Islam in Chechnya has become so strong that Muslim names with Arabic and Persian roots have taken a dominant position in the Chechen name book. These are mainly the names of prophets and caliphs - Ibrahim, Muhammad, Magomed, Ismail, Suleiman, Ali, Osman, Umar. Many parents began to willingly call boys Chechen names with religious meaning– Abdurrahman (slave of the Merciful), Abdumalik (slave of the Lord), Saifullah (sword of Allah), Shamsuddin (sun of faith).

Among female names, melodious Arabic names have firmly established themselves, emphasizing the beauty and virtues of Chechen women - Maliika (angel), Yasmin (jasmine), Azaza (respected), Zukhra (flower), Kamila (perfection). And, of course, names from the Koran, traditionally popular among all Muslim peoples - Maryam, Zuleikha, Aisha, Zeinab, Madina.

Names of modern Chechens.
Nowadays, the vast majority of Chechens try to adhere to established traditions when choosing a name for a child. 90% of modern Chechen names are of Arabic origin. At the same time, borrowed Russian and Western names, mostly female, sometimes “penetrate” the Chechen name book. Some of them are even a short form of names - Lisa, Sasha, Zhenya, Raisa, Tamara, Rosa, Louise, Zhanna.

Naming is the first, main event in the life of a newborn baby. Many people believed and still believe that a name plays an important role in a person’s fate. Therefore, the Chechens, like many representatives of other nationalities, treated this event with great seriousness and attention. But times pass and the heritage is lost, just like many traditions of the concept of Islam. Nowadays, a name is sometimes the only sign by which we can guess what religion and sometimes nationality this or that person is.
Names are the historical heritage of the people. Unfortunately, many original Chechen names are undeservedly forgotten and become a thing of the past. Names carry part of the history, culture, and faith of their people.

Classification of names by origin

Some traditional Chechen names, which arose on the basis of its original lexical fund, reflect the attitude towards the surrounding life. There are also specific names associated with the plant and animal worlds or which are attributive names. There are also names borrowed from other languages.

The next part of the names, which is by far the most common, are names of eastern origin. They took root in the territory inhabited by the Chechen people, for the most part during the spread of Islam. These are mainly the names of Prophets and Messengers, the Prophet Muhammad. His associates, students, followers. Also, based on many hadiths, we learn that the best names are those consisting of the prefix “Abd” - slave and one of the epithets of Allah. For example, Abdullah is a slave of Allah, Abdurrahman is a slave of the Merciful.

The most common names.

Modern Chechen names include both native Chechen anthroponyms and those borrowed from Persian, Arabic and Russian languages. Native names often designate birds and animals: Lecha (“falcon”), Kokha (“dove”), Kuira (“hawk”), Tshogal (“fox”), Cha (“bear”).

But more often they reflect a specific verbal form: Vaha - “live”, Yakhiyata - “let live”. Often there are beautiful Chechen names formed from participles and adjectives: Dika - “good”. These anthroponyms reflect people’s attitude to life, flora and fauna: Zelimzan (“healthy, real”), Lu (“roe deer”), Mayrsalt (“brave”), Nokhcho (“Chechen”), Suli (“Dagestan”). Such names today are not as popular as those borrowed from their neighbors.

Names borrowed from other cultures

Many Chechen names were borrowed from Arabic and Persian languages: Ali, Umar, Yakub, Magomed, Akhmat, Shamsuddin, Saifulla, Mukhsin, Ihsan, Zaman - common Chechen male names. And women's: Jamilya, Zuhra, Maimuna, Nazira, Savda, Leila, Amanat, Rebiat, Safiyya, Fazilya, Halima, Yasmin. Names can also be compound names, in which elements such as “bek” or “soltan” are added to the main part. This part can come at the beginning or at the end.

Many Chechen female names were borrowed from Russian: Lisa, Raisa, Rosa, Louise, Zinaida, Zhanna, Tamara, Dasha and others. Often the diminutive form of a name is written down as the official name. For example, Sasha or Zhenya, which is quite common among mountain peoples.

Depending on what dialect the residents of Chechnya speak, the pronunciation and even the spelling of the same name varies: Akhmad - Akhmat, Yunus - Yunas, Abuyazid - Abuyazit.

Recently, names of Arabic origin have become increasingly popular among mountaineers.

Factors in the formation of Chechen names

Original Nakh names reflect the attitude towards the surrounding life. The Chechen language contains a certain number of personal names that arose on the basis of its original lexical fund. These names are very specific and are associated with flora and fauna and attributive names. Native names represent the most ancient layer in Chechen anthroponymy; they are the property of the Chechen language and rarely penetrate into other languages.
The animal world is significantly reflected in personal Chechen names:

Bozh (buozh) - goat;

Bula (bul) - bison;

Borz (buorz) - wolf;

Ovlur - lamb of winter cattle;

Other names of predatory animals are used as nicknames that reflect one or another human trait:

Cha - bear;

Piil - elephant;

Nal - boar;

Boar - strength is emphasized;

Tskhogal - fox, cunning, flattery, servility are emphasized;

Dhaka is a mouse, the ability to go everywhere and avoid trouble is emphasized;

Tsitsig - cat;

Lu (lu) - roe deer;

Sai - deer, elegance, beauty, grace are emphasized;

Often in Chechen names there are names of domestic and wild birds:

Khokha - dove;

Moma (muom) - partridge;

Chovka - rook;

Kuira - hawk;

Durgali - white-bellied swift;

Makkhal - kite;

Olkhazar - bird;

Hyoza - sparrow;

Lecha - falcon;

Arzu - eagle;

The following names of birds are used as nicknames expressing evaluative characteristics:

kotam (kuotam) - chicken;

bad - duck;

kig - crow;

atyokh - hoopoe;

alkhanca—starling;

The names of insects and reptiles are used as nicknames:

Chu'rk - mosquito;

Mosa is a fly;

Zingat - ant;

Sesa - tadpole;

Tsalptsalg - grasshopper;

The formation of personal names from the names of the plant world is a common phenomenon in every language:

Zhola - small shrub;

Dushta (duushto) - ash;

Zezag - flowers;

Zaza - flowering;

Datta - rowan;

There are also names in the Chechen language derived from the names of precious metals and stones:

Deshi - gold;

Children - silver;

Birlant - diamond;

Jovhar - pearls;

Mokhaz - flint;

In the Chechen language there are also names that reflect natural phenomena and cosmic bodies:

Markha - cloud, cloud;

Seda (sieda) - star;

Batta - lunar;

Malkh - azni - sunny beauty;

Kameta - kameta;

Kilba - south;

In Chechen anthroponymy, spell names formed from verbs occupy a large place. Male names:

Vaha - live;

Dukhavaha - live long;

Vahiyta - let him live;

Visa - stay;

Visiyta - let him stay;

Female names:

Yaha - alive;

Yahiyata - let him live;

Yisa - stay;

Such names were given in families where children did not survive. The difficult economic situation, poverty and hunger led to high infant mortality. And then the desperate mountain family turned to spell names. When many girls were born in a family, they gave spell names:

Saciyta, Toita - enough, let him stop;

Chechens attached great importance to names. The name was treated with care. Chechens say that “The name is the glory of the strong, the name is the shame and misfortune of the weak.”

There are names in the Chechen language formed from adjectives:

Dika - good;

Masa - fast and frisky, Mayra, Mayrbek;

Myrsalt - brave (bek);

Sutarbi - greedy;
Haza - beautiful, (Khazabika);

Kurbika - proud (bika);

More about Nakh names

The semantics of many names based on the Nakh languages is incomprehensible today. Unfortunately, many original and traditional Nakh names are undeservedly forgotten and become a thing of the past. Yes, life changes and, reflecting these changes, names change, not just the words used as names, but what was meant by these names. There are many borrowed names in the Chechen language from other languages. It is generally accepted that among the peoples who converted to Islam, Arabic names are common. This is not entirely true. In fact, these peoples have preserved several dozen names that were borne by the Arabs in the first century after the adoption of Islam. Of the actual Arabic names, only those that were in one way or another associated with the name of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) remained in use. And the names of his associates and students.

Many of the names that Chechens bear are oriental names; there are names borrowed from the Russian language and through it from other languages. Let's look at the etymology of some names:

Laila (Laila) - the name means lily.

Malik - the meaning of the name is possessing, ruling.

Malika - the meaning of the name is queen.

Mansur - the meaning of the name is victorious.

Muhammad (Mokhmad, Mahmud, Mukhammad) - the meaning of the name is glorified, glorious.