Names of Soviet origin

Given names of Soviet origin appeared in the early history of the Soviet Union,[3] coinciding with the period of intensive word formation, both being part of the so-called "revolutionary transformation of the society" with the corresponding fashion of neologisms and acronyms,[4] which Richard Stites characterized as a utopian vision of creating a new reality by means of verbal imagery.[3] They constituted a notable part of the new Soviet phraseology.

Vilen "Willi" Tokarev was "octobered" with the name Vilen after V.I. Lenin[1][2]

Many such names may be found in Russian,[5] Belarusian, and Ukrainian[6] persons, as well as in other ethnicities of the former Soviet Union (e.g. Tatar.[7])

History

The proliferation of the new names was enhanced by the propagation of a short-lived "new Soviet rite" of Octobering, in replacement of the religious tradition of child baptism in the state with the official dogma of Marxist–Leninist atheism.[3][8]

In defiance of the old tradition of taking names from menology, according to the feast days,[3] many names were taken from nature having patriotic, revolutionary, or progressive connotation: Beryoza (Берёза, "birch tree", a proverbial Russian tree), Gvozdika (Гвоздика, "carnation", a revolutionary flower), Granit (Гранит, "granite"), Radiy (Радий, "radium", a symbol of scientific progress).[4] A peculiarity of the new naming was neologisms based on the revolutionary phraseology of the day, such as Oktyabrin/Oktyabrina, to commemorate the October Revolution, Vladlen for Vladimir Lenin.[3]

Richard Stites classifies the Soviet "revolutionary" names into the following categories:[3]

  • Revolutionary heroes and heroines (their first names, their last names used as first names and various acronyms thereof)
  • Revolutionary concepts (exact terms and various acronyms)
  • Industrial, scientific and technical imagery
  • Culture, myth, nature, place names

Most of these names were short-lived linguistic curiosities, but some of them fit well into the framework of the language, proliferated and survived for a long time.[5]

Common new names

The following names were quite common and may be found in various antroponymic dictionaries.

Name (Cyrillic)TransliterationOriginComments
Вил, Вилен, Владлен, ВладленаVil, Vilen, Vladlen (m) / Vladlene (f)Владимир Ильич Ленин (Vladimir Ilyich Lenin)[4][5]-
МэлMelМаркс, Энгельс и Ленин (Marx, Engels and Lenin)[4][5]-
МэлсMelsМаркс, Энгельс и Ленин и Сталин (Marx, Engels, Lenin and Stalin)-
Баррикад, БаррикадаBarrikad (m) / Barrikada (f)Barricade[4][5]Refers to the revolutionary activity
Ревмир, РевмираRevmir (m) / Revmira (f)Революция мира (Revolyutsiya mira)Means "The revolution of the World"[4][5]
ГертрудаGertrudaGertrude reinterpreted as Герой труда (Geroy truda)Means "The Hero of Labour"[4][5]
МарленMarlen (m)Marlene reinterpreted as Маркс и Ленин (Marx and Lenin)[4][5]-
СтэнSten, StanStan reinterpreted as Сталин и Энгельс (Stalin and Engels)[4][5]-
КимKimKim reinterpreted as Коммунистический интернационал молодёжи (Kommunistichesky Internatsional Molodyozhi)[4][5]Young Communist International

People with Soviet names
  • Barrikad Zamyshlyaev: Баррикад, from "barricade"
  • Elem Klimov: Эле́м = Engels, LEnin, Marx
  • Elmira (name): Эльмира, backronym for "электрификация мира", elektrifikatsiya mira (electrification of the world)
  • Engelsina Markizova: Энгельси́на.
  • Geliy Korzhev: Гелий = "helium"
  • Aleksandr Gelyevich Dugin: Patronym = Ге́льевич. Father's name: Geliy = "helium"
  • Izil Zabludovsky: Изиль = исполнитель заветов Ильича, ispolnitel zavetov Il'icha (Performer of the Testaments of Il'ich (Lenin))
  • Igor Talankin: birth name: Индустрий (Industriy)
  • Iskra Babich: И́скра, in reference to Iskra, the revolutionary newspaper, the name of which means "spark"
  • Marlen Khutsiev: Марле́н = Marx + Lenin
  • Melor Sturua: Мэлор = "Marx, Engels, Lenin: Organizers of the Revolution"
  • Ninel Tkachenko: Нинель = "Lenin" read backwards
  • Nonna Mordyukova: born Ноябри́на (Noyabrina), from Noyabr = "November"; October Revolution (which happened in November by Julian calendar)
  • Aleksei Oktyabrinovich Balabanov: Patronym = Oктябpинoвич. Father's name: Октябри́н = October
  • Radiy Pogodin: Радий (Radiy) = "radium"
  • Radner Muratov: Раднэ́р = радуйся новой эре, raduysya novoy ere ("Hail the new era") [9]
  • Revolt Pimenov: Рево́льт
  • Rem Viakhirev: Рем = революция мировая, revolyutsiya mirovaya (World revolution)
  • Rem Petrov: Рэм = Революция, Энгельс, Маркс (Revolution, Engels, Marx)
  • Rimma Kazakova, birth name Remo, Рэмо = Революция, электрификация, мировой Октябрь,[10] revolyutsiya, elektrifikatsiya, mirovoy Oktyabr (Revolution, Electrification, World's October)
  • Spartak Mishulin: Спартак = "Spartacus"
  • Telman Ismailov: Те́льман, from Ernst Thälmann
  • Vil Mirzayanov: Вил, from VIL = Vladimir Ilyich Lenin
  • Vilen Zharikov: Вилен, VILen = Vladimir Ilyich Lenin
  • Vilen Tolpezhnikov: VILen = Vladimir Ilyich Lenin
  • Willi Tokarev: Вилли, born Vilen
  • Villen Novak: Віллен (Ukrainian)
  • Vil Lipatov: Виль
  • Vladilen Letokhov: Владилен
  • Vladilen Mashkovtsev
  • Vladlen Biryukov: Владлен
  • Vladlen Davydov
  • Vladlen Yurchenko
  • Zhores Alferov: Жоре́с, after Jean Jaurès
  • Zhores Medvedev: after Jean Jaurès
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See also

References
  1. Dmitry Gordon (2006). Диалог длиною в жизнь: беседы с великими и знаменитыми. Izdatelʹskiĭ Dom "Skhili Dnipra".
    Anne Nivat (2014). "Chapter 21. Wing A. Entryway 9, Third Floor: Willy and Julia Tokarev". The View from the Vysotka: A Portrait of Russia Today Through One of Moscow's Most Famous Addresses. St. Martin's Press. ISBN 9781466865815.
  2. Aleksandr Kazakevich (2009-09-27). "Вилли ТОКАРЕВ: "Когда тебя подгоняют, надо говорить "О'кей", и делать по-своему…"".
  3. Richard Stites, Revolutionary Dreams: Utopian Vision and Experimental Life in the Russian Revolution, p. 111
  4. Valeri Mokiyenko, Tatyana Nikitina "Толковый словарь языка Совдепии" ("Explanatory Dictionary of Sovdepiya"), St.Petersburg, Фолио-Пресс, 1998, ISBN 5-7627-0103-4.
  5. Петровский, Н. А. "Словарь русских личных имён", Moscow, АСТ, 2000, ISBN 5-17-002940-3.
  6. Скрипник, Л.Г., Дзятківська, Н.П. Власні імена людей. — Kiev, Naukova Dumka, 2005, ISBN 9660005504
  7. Gumar Sattarov, "What Tatar Names Tell Us About?" (Гомђр Саттар-Мулилле. "Татар исемнђре ни сљйли?" - Kazan: "Rannur" Publishers, 1998, 488 pp.).
  8. Daniel Peris, Storming the Heavens: The Soviet League of the Militant Godless, p. 92
  9. Мельников Виталий Вячеславович, Жизнь. Кино., 2011, ISBN 5977506694, p. 138
  10. Елена Душечкина, "Мессианские тенденции в советской антропонимической практике 1920-х - 1930-х годов" ("Messianic Tendencies in Soviet Anthroponymic Practice of the 1920s-1930s"), Toronto Slavic Quarterly (retrieved August 8, 2015)
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