Mongolian names
Encyclopedia
Mongolian names have gone through certain revolutions in the history of Mongolia
. In the first, traditional Mongolian names were replaced by Tibetan name
s, while in the second, Tibetan names were replaced by new Mongolian names rather different from those before the first naming revolution. In modern day, Inner Mongolia
n customs are similar to Mongolia
, but do display some differences.
names traditionally have an important symbolic character — a name with auspicious connotations being thought to bring good fortune to its bearer. The naming of children was usually done by the parents or a respected elder of the family or religious figures. For example, it is said that the prominent Shaman, Teb-tengeri, saw in the stars a great future for the child and bestowed on Tolui's eldest son the name Möngke
(meaning "eternal" in the Mongolian language).
Nowadays most parents give Mongolian
names to their children, often consisting of two noun
s or adjective
s (in Mongolian grammar, it is considered a single word), representing qualities such as solidity and strength for boys or beauty in the case of girls.
Generally, the Mongols, unlike their southern neighbours: the Chinese, have only one personal name, which remains the same throughout their lives. While clan organization remained important among the Mongols into the 17th century, clan names were not linked with the personal name in a family name system. Clan name is still important among the Buryats and to a lesser extent among Kalmyks today. While the personal name of the living ruler was not originally tabooed, as in China, the names of deceased rulers were tabooed for several generations. In the past this prohibition was even stronger. In Mongolia and Inner Mongolia, the Mongols also use clan names.
), eternity (möngke), surplus (Hülegü), blue (köke), white (chagha’an), good health (esen), uncle (abagha), firmness (batu
), stability (toqto’a), bulls (buqa, for men), iron (temür), steel (bolad), black (qara), hardness (berke
) or nine (yisü).
Such names were often combined with suffixes used only for personal names, such as -dai, -ge/gei, and -der for boys and -jin, -tani, and -lun for girls. However, Temjin's -jin is a form of the occupational derivational
suffix -cin but not femine suffix.
Other names were based on either conquests or clan names. For example, Sartaq (merchants of western Asian or western Central Asian origin), Hasi (Mongolian form of Tangut Xia Dynasty
), Orus (Rus
), Asudai (Alani) and so on. Clan-based personal names did not relate to the person’s own clan or tribe. For example, Eljigidey
was not from Iljigin (Eljigin) tribe and the Mongol general Mangghudai was a Tatar (not to be confused with the modern Turkic people of the Tatars
in Europe), but not a Manghud.
One finds a number of degrading or inauspicious names during the 13-14th centuries such as Sorqaqtani, “Pox girl,” or Nohai
(~Nokai) "dog", obviously in an attempt to fool bad spirits or disease into thinking it had already afflicted them. This tradition is still preserved in Mongolia
in modern times. Symbolic names that express fustration can be found such as the not uncommon girls’ name Oghul-qaimish
(Middle Turkic
"next time a boy"), while the name Jochi
“Guest” indicated doubts about the child’s paternity.
Turkic names were common among Mongols (such as Oghul-qaimish, Abishqa, Qutlugh and so on). However, names of other foreign origin were introduced when the Mongol Empire expanded all over Eurasia, increasing international trade and cultural connections and also partly due to religious dignity. Ghazan, Kharbanda, or Toghus (peacock) are not Mongol words. Christian names also existed among the Turkic and Mongol peoples (especially Onguts and Keraits) on the Mongolian Plateau
. The Ilkhan Öljeitü's name at birth was Nicholas.
Some Mongols had Chinese name
s. For example, the Buddhist monk, Haiyun, gave the name Zhenjin
(True-gold) to Khubilai and Chabi's eldest son. In the late 13th century, many new-born children in Italy
were named after Mongol rulers, including Hülegü.
From the mid-13th century Sanskrit
, Uyghur, and Tibetan
Buddhist
names (Ananda
(the Yuan prince), Dorji
(Khubilai's son) or Wachir (a Yuan official), Gammala (Khubilai's son), Irinchin (the Ilkhanid general), etc.) granted by Tibetan teachers became common in the royal family and the aristocratic clans. In the west some Mongols took Islamic names such as Bū Sa'īd (misspelled as Abu Sa'id
) or Khwaja after they converted, although many kept their Mongolian names.
After the expulsion of the Mongol regime from China, the Sanskrit names in the imperial family soon disappeared. Christian names appeared occasionally before disappearing (Markörgis Khan
). Turkish, Muslim and Turkic names also declined (Akbarjin, Ismayil or Arghun
), leaving primarily the auspicious Mongolian names similar to those in the early empire. For example, some of the later Mongolian Emperors' names include Batumöngke
, Buyan, Esen, Toγtoγa Buqa and Manduul. However, the Mongols affected the nations under them. The Jurchens
(ancestors of Manchus) in Ming China often used Mongolian names. Sayyid Ajjal Shams al-Din Omar
's great-grandson was given the name Bayan "rich".
(Engke, Amur), happiness (Jirgal), long life (Nasu), and blessing (Öljei, Kesig).
Buddhist names were granted according to several different principles. The most common for laymen are
based on the Tibetan or Sanskrit names of powerful deities: Damdin/Damrin (Hayagriva
), Dulma/Dari (Tara), Gombo (Mahākāla
), Cagdur/Shagdur (Vajrapani
), Jamsrang (Beg-tshe), Jamyang (Manjusri
), etc. Another type of Buddhist name derives from the Tibetan days of the week, themselves named after the Sun, Moon, and five
visible planets (Nima, Dawa, Migmar, Lhagba, Pürbü, Basang, Bimba). Another astrological scheme divides the days of the month into five classes, each under an element: Dorji (power bolt), Badma (lotus), and Sangjai (Buddha
). The suffixes -jab (Tibetan skyabs “protecting”) and -sürüng (Tibetan -srung “guarding”) were commonly added to these Buddhist names. Finally, some names, particularly for monks, were based on Tibetan words for desired qualities or aspects of the religion: Lubsang “good intellect”, Agwang “powerful in speech”, Danzin “instruction keeper”, Dashi/Rashi, “blessed.” A number of Buddhist terms exist in multiple forms transmitted from Old Uyghur, Tibetan, and Sanskrit: thus, Wachir/Ochir, Dorji, and Bazar all mean “power bolt,” while Erdeni, Rinchin, and Radna all mean “jewel”.
A distinctive type of Mongolian name that flourished in this period and is still common in the countryside is the avoidance name, designed to avert misfortune from the child: Nergüi “No Name”, Enebish “Not This”, Terbish "Not That".
were sometimes given Russian
names like Alexander or Sasha, or mixed ones like Ivaanjav consisting of the Russian Ivan and the Tibetan -jav. Politically correct parents may have chosen Oktyabr (October), Seseer (USSR), Mart (March) and even Molotov as names for their offspring. A stranger example is Melschoi, composed of the first letters of Marx, Engels
, Lenin, Stalin and Choibalsan.
Today male names still include the names of old Mongolian elements such as 'iron' or 'steel', or other words denoting strength, such as 'hero', 'strong', or 'axe': some examples are Gansükh 'steel-axe', Batsaikhan 'strong-nice', or Tömörbaatar 'iron-hero', Chuluunbold 'stone-steel'. Temujin, Borte, Yisu and other old names are commonly given to new born children after 1990.
Women's names commonly refer to fine colours or flowers, the sun and moon, or may be made up of any other word with positive connotations using the feminine suffix
-maa (Tib. 'mother'): some common examples are Altantsetseg 'golden-flower', Narantuyaa 'sun-beam', Uranchimeg 'artistic-decoration', Sarangerel 'moon-light', Erdenetungalag 'jewel-clear', and Tsetsegmaa 'flower'.
Many gender-neutral name components refer to auspicious qualities such as eternity or happiness: some examples are Mönkh 'eternal', Erdene 'jewel', Oyuun 'mind', Altan 'golden', Saikhan 'fine' and Enkh 'peace'. Many names include the names of places, including mountains, rivers etc., e.g. Altai or Tuul
.
Mongolians do not use surname
s in the way that most Westerners, Chinese or Japanese do. Since the socialist period, patronymic
s — at that time called ovog, now known as etsgiin ner — are used instead of a surname. If the father's name is not legally established (i.e. by marriage) or altogether unknown, a matronymic
is used. The patro- or matronymic is written before the given name.
Therefore, if a man with given name Tsakhia has a son, and gives the son the name Elbegdorj, the son's full name, as it appears in passports and the like, is Tsakhia Elbegdorj. Very frequently, as in texts and speech, the patronymic is given in genitive case, i.e. Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj, with (in this case) -giin being the genitive suffix. However, the patronymic is rather insignificant in everyday use and usually just abbreviated to an initial - Ts. Elbegdorj. People are normally just referred to and addressed by their given name (Elbegdorj guai - 'Mr. Elbegdorj'), and the patronymic is only used to keep two people with a common given name apart. Even then, they are usually just kept apart by their initials, not by the full patronymic. There are cases in which a matronymic has been legally bestowed for one or the other reason, while a patronymic is known. If the patronymic is to be conveyed anyway, this can take a form like Altan Choi ovogt Dumaagiin Sodnom with the patronymic preceding the word ovog that takes the suffix -t 'having'.
The basic differences between Mongolian and Anglo-Saxon names, in connection with trying to fit Mongolian names into foreign schemata, frequently lead to confusion. For example, O. Gündegmaa
, a Mongolian shooter, is often incorrectly referred to as Otryad, i.e. by the (given) name of her father.
Since 2000, Mongolians have been officially using clan name
s — ovog, the same word that was used for the patronymics during the socialist period — on their ID cards. Many people chose the names of the ancient clans and tribes such Borjigin
, Besud, Jalair, etc. Others chose the names of the native places of their ancestors, or the names of their most ancient known ancestor. Some just decided to pass their own given names (or modifications of their given names) to their descendants as clan names. A few chose other attributes of their lives as surnames; Mongolia's first cosmonaut Gürragchaa chose 'Sansar' (Outer space). Clan names precede the patronymics and given names, as in Besud Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj.
In practice, these clan names seem to have had no significant effect — nor are they included in Mongolian passports.
s are quite common, as are Mongolian names. Tibetan names are usually restricted to people in their 50s and older. The People's Republic of China
does not recognize Mongolian clan names. As a result, many Mongols from within China who have acquired their passports since 2001 have "XXX" printed in place of their surnames, while before that either a syllable from an individual's given name or the first syllable of the patronymic was used in place of the Chinese surname. Also, for some individuals, "XXX" is printed in the slot for the given name, while the given name is printed in the slot for the surname.
Some Mongolians in China do have surnames because their parents are Han
, Hui, Manchu etc. Some others use an abbreviation (like Wang, Yun etc.) of their clan name.
Officially, Mongolian name in China is transcribed with the SASM/GNC/SRC transcriptions (e.g. Ulanhu), but this system is rarely performed. Generally, the names in Chinese passports are given as the Pinyin
form of the Chinese character transcription of the original Mongolian. For example Mengkebateer (from 孟克巴特尔) would be used instead of Möngkebaghatur (Mongolian script
), Mөnghebagatur (Mongolian pinyin) or Munkhbaatar (approximate English pronunciation).
Sometimes in such Chinese
transcriptions of Mongolian names, the first syllable is sometimes wrongly given as the surname, i.e. Ulanhu
becomes Wu Lanfu. Onset (if available) and nucleus of the first syllable
of the father's name can be used for disambiguation, but have no official status, e.g. Na. Gereltü. Rarely, the onset is used on its own, e.g. L. Toγtambayar.
s, like Gan-Ochir, Gantömör etc., or names related to the same theme, like Naran ('Sun'), Saran ('Moon'), Tsolmon ('Morning star').
Couples whose previous boys have died, would give female names to their son to mislead the evil spirits. Synchronically, taboo meaning may be stronger or obliterated: Nergüi, for example, is very common and does not immediately raise any association, while Khünbish might semantically be perceived as khün bish (cf. the same phenomenon in German with the unremarkable Burkhart (lit. 'castle-strong') versus the unusual Fürchtegott ('fear-God')).
History of Mongolia
The area of what is now Mongolia has been ruled by various nomadic empires, including the Xiongnu, the Xianbei, the Nirun, the Gökturks, and others. The Mongol Empire was founded by Genghis Khan in 1206. After the collapse of the Yuan Dynasty in 1368, the Mongols returned to their earlier patterns...
. In the first, traditional Mongolian names were replaced by Tibetan name
Tibetan name
Ethnic Tibetan personal names typically consist of two juxtaposed elements.Family names are rare except among those of aristocratic ancestry...
s, while in the second, Tibetan names were replaced by new Mongolian names rather different from those before the first naming revolution. In modern day, Inner Mongolia
Inner Mongolia
Inner Mongolia is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China, located in the northern region of the country. Inner Mongolia shares an international border with the countries of Mongolia and the Russian Federation...
n customs are similar to Mongolia
Mongolia
Mongolia is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It is bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south, east and west. Although Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, its western-most point is only from Kazakhstan's eastern tip. Ulan Bator, the capital and largest...
, but do display some differences.
Historical evolution
MongolianMongols
Mongols ) are a Central-East Asian ethnic group that lives mainly in the countries of Mongolia, China, and Russia. In China, ethnic Mongols can be found mainly in the central north region of China such as Inner Mongolia...
names traditionally have an important symbolic character — a name with auspicious connotations being thought to bring good fortune to its bearer. The naming of children was usually done by the parents or a respected elder of the family or religious figures. For example, it is said that the prominent Shaman, Teb-tengeri, saw in the stars a great future for the child and bestowed on Tolui's eldest son the name Möngke
Möngke Khan
Möngke Khan , born Möngke, , was the fourth Great Khan of the Mongol Empire from July 1, 1251 – August 11, 1259. He was the first Great Khan from the Toluid line, and made significant reforms to improve the administration of the Empire during his reign...
(meaning "eternal" in the Mongolian language).
Nowadays most parents give Mongolian
Mongolian language
The Mongolian language is the official language of Mongolia and the best-known member of the Mongolic language family. The number of speakers across all its dialects may be 5.2 million, including the vast majority of the residents of Mongolia and many of the Mongolian residents of the Inner...
names to their children, often consisting of two noun
Noun
In linguistics, a noun is a member of a large, open lexical category whose members can occur as the main word in the subject of a clause, the object of a verb, or the object of a preposition .Lexical categories are defined in terms of how their members combine with other kinds of...
s or adjective
Adjective
In grammar, an adjective is a 'describing' word; the main syntactic role of which is to qualify a noun or noun phrase, giving more information about the object signified....
s (in Mongolian grammar, it is considered a single word), representing qualities such as solidity and strength for boys or beauty in the case of girls.
Generally, the Mongols, unlike their southern neighbours: the Chinese, have only one personal name, which remains the same throughout their lives. While clan organization remained important among the Mongols into the 17th century, clan names were not linked with the personal name in a family name system. Clan name is still important among the Buryats and to a lesser extent among Kalmyks today. While the personal name of the living ruler was not originally tabooed, as in China, the names of deceased rulers were tabooed for several generations. In the past this prohibition was even stronger. In Mongolia and Inner Mongolia, the Mongols also use clan names.
Middle Ages
The most common category of Mongol names were those of auspicious or (for boys) manly things, such as gold (altanAltan
Altan are an Irish folk music group. They were formed in County Donegal in 1987 by lead vocalist Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh and her late husband Frankie Kennedy. They brought Donegal's rich collection of Irish language songs and instrumental styles to audiences around the world, and they remain as the...
), eternity (möngke), surplus (Hülegü), blue (köke), white (chagha’an), good health (esen), uncle (abagha), firmness (batu
Batu (given name)
Batu is a common masculine Central Asian name. In Mongolian, "Batu" means firm/stable like Batu Khan or Batumongke. In Turkish, "Batu" means "Prevailing", and/or "Preponderant". It also connotes "The West" since "Batu" resembles "Batı" which means "west" in Turkish...
), stability (toqto’a), bulls (buqa, for men), iron (temür), steel (bolad), black (qara), hardness (berke
Berke
Berke Khan was the ruler of the Golden Horde who effectively consolidated the power of the Blue Horde and White Hordes from 1257 to 1266. He succeeded his brother Batu Khan of the Blue Horde and was responsible for the first official establishment of Islam in a khanate of the Mongol Empire...
) or nine (yisü).
Such names were often combined with suffixes used only for personal names, such as -dai, -ge/gei, and -der for boys and -jin, -tani, and -lun for girls. However, Temjin's -jin is a form of the occupational derivational
Derivation (linguistics)
In linguistics, derivation is the process of forming a new word on the basis of an existing word, e.g. happi-ness and un-happy from happy, or determination from determine...
suffix -cin but not femine suffix.
Other names were based on either conquests or clan names. For example, Sartaq (merchants of western Asian or western Central Asian origin), Hasi (Mongolian form of Tangut Xia Dynasty
Xia Dynasty
The Xia Dynasty is the first dynasty in China to be described in ancient historical chronicles such as Bamboo Annals, Classic of History and Records of the Grand Historian. The Xia Dynasty was established by the legendary Yu the Great after Shun, the last of the Five Emperors gave his throne to him...
), Orus (Rus
Rus
Ruś may refer to the following places:*Ruś, Podlaskie Voivodeship, a village in Łomża County, north-eastern Poland*Ruś, Olsztyn County, a village in Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, northern Poland...
), Asudai (Alani) and so on. Clan-based personal names did not relate to the person’s own clan or tribe. For example, Eljigidey
Eljigidey
Eljigidey was khan of the Chagatai Khanate, a division of the Mongol Empire in 1326-1329. He was the son of Duwa. After the death of his brother Kebek, Eljigidey took control of the Chagatai Khanate. He was involved in the succession struggles of Yuan court from 1327 to 1328. His friend Kusala was...
was not from Iljigin (Eljigin) tribe and the Mongol general Mangghudai was a Tatar (not to be confused with the modern Turkic people of the Tatars
Tatars
Tatars are a Turkic speaking ethnic group , numbering roughly 7 million.The majority of Tatars live in the Russian Federation, with a population of around 5.5 million, about 2 million of which in the republic of Tatarstan.Significant minority populations are found in Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan,...
in Europe), but not a Manghud.
One finds a number of degrading or inauspicious names during the 13-14th centuries such as Sorqaqtani, “Pox girl,” or Nohai
Nohai
The Nohai means dog in Mongolian language. People with this name:*Nogai Khan, Mongol general of the Golden Horde and descendant of Chinggis Khan.*Qara-nogai, the Ilkhanid commander in the 13th century....
(~Nokai) "dog", obviously in an attempt to fool bad spirits or disease into thinking it had already afflicted them. This tradition is still preserved in Mongolia
Mongolia
Mongolia is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It is bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south, east and west. Although Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, its western-most point is only from Kazakhstan's eastern tip. Ulan Bator, the capital and largest...
in modern times. Symbolic names that express fustration can be found such as the not uncommon girls’ name Oghul-qaimish
Oghul Qaimish
Oghul Qaimish was the principal wife of Güyük Khan and ruled as regent over the Mongol empire after the death of her husband in 1248. She was a descendant from the Mergid tribe. However, H.H.Howorth believed that she was an Oirat.- Life :...
(Middle Turkic
Old Turkic language
Old Turkic is the earliest attested form of Turkic, found in Göktürk and Uyghur inscriptions dating from about the 7th century to the 13th century....
"next time a boy"), while the name Jochi
Jochi
Jochi was the eldest of the Mongol chieftain Genghis Khan's four sons by his principal wife Börte. An accomplished military leader, he participated in his father's conquest of Central Asia, along with his brothers and uncles.-Early life:...
“Guest” indicated doubts about the child’s paternity.
Turkic names were common among Mongols (such as Oghul-qaimish, Abishqa, Qutlugh and so on). However, names of other foreign origin were introduced when the Mongol Empire expanded all over Eurasia, increasing international trade and cultural connections and also partly due to religious dignity. Ghazan, Kharbanda, or Toghus (peacock) are not Mongol words. Christian names also existed among the Turkic and Mongol peoples (especially Onguts and Keraits) on the Mongolian Plateau
Mongolian Plateau
The Mongolian Plateau is part of the larger Central Asian Plateau and has an area of approximately 2,600,000 square kilometres. It is occupied by Mongolia in the north and Inner Mongolia in the south. The plateau includes the Gobi Desert as well as dry steppe regions...
. The Ilkhan Öljeitü's name at birth was Nicholas.
Some Mongols had Chinese name
Chinese name
Personal names in Chinese culture follow a number of conventions different from those of personal names in Western cultures. Most noticeably, a Chinese name is written with the family name first and the given name next, therefore "John-Paul Smith" as a Chinese name would be "Smith John-Paul"...
s. For example, the Buddhist monk, Haiyun, gave the name Zhenjin
Zhenjin
Zhenjin was the second son of Kublai Khan, founder of the Yuan Dynasty. He was designated as the Crown Prince by Kublai Khan in 1273, and became the head of Zhongshusheng .The North Chinese Buddhist monk Haiyun gave him the name, Zhenjin , when he was born in 1243...
(True-gold) to Khubilai and Chabi's eldest son. In the late 13th century, many new-born children in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
were named after Mongol rulers, including Hülegü.
From the mid-13th century Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
, Uyghur, and Tibetan
Tibetan language
The Tibetan languages are a cluster of mutually-unintelligible Tibeto-Burman languages spoken primarily by Tibetan peoples who live across a wide area of eastern Central Asia bordering the Indian subcontinent, including the Tibetan Plateau and the northern Indian subcontinent in Baltistan, Ladakh,...
Buddhist
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
names (Ananda
Ananda
Ānanda was one of the principal disciples and a devout attendant of the Buddha. Amongst the Buddha's many disciples, Ānanda had the most retentive memory and most of the suttas in the Sutta Pitaka are attributed to his recollection of the Buddha's teachings during the First Buddhist Council...
(the Yuan prince), Dorji
Vajra
Vajra is a Sanskrit word meaning both thunderbolt and diamond...
(Khubilai's son) or Wachir (a Yuan official), Gammala (Khubilai's son), Irinchin (the Ilkhanid general), etc.) granted by Tibetan teachers became common in the royal family and the aristocratic clans. In the west some Mongols took Islamic names such as Bū Sa'īd (misspelled as Abu Sa'id
Abu Sa'id (Ilkhanid dynasty)
Abu Sa'id also Abusaid Bahador Khan, Abu Sayed Behauder , was the ninth ruler of the Ilkhanate state in Iran ....
) or Khwaja after they converted, although many kept their Mongolian names.
After the expulsion of the Mongol regime from China, the Sanskrit names in the imperial family soon disappeared. Christian names appeared occasionally before disappearing (Markörgis Khan
Markörgis Khan
Markörgis was a Mongol Khan of the Northern Yuan Dynasty in Mongolia. Some scholars believe his name is Christian name....
). Turkish, Muslim and Turkic names also declined (Akbarjin, Ismayil or Arghun
Arghun
Arghun Khan aka Argon was the fourth ruler of the Mongol empire's Ilkhanate, from 1284 to 1291. He was the son of Abaqa Khan, and like his father, was a devout Buddhist...
), leaving primarily the auspicious Mongolian names similar to those in the early empire. For example, some of the later Mongolian Emperors' names include Batumöngke
Batumöngke
The name Batumöngke refers to more than one person:*Dayan Khan, a powerful Mongol khan who united the Mongols after the fall of the Mongol Empire. Batumöngke is his given name.*Jambyn Batmönkh, Mongolian former prime minister...
, Buyan, Esen, Toγtoγa Buqa and Manduul. However, the Mongols affected the nations under them. The Jurchens
Jurchens
The Jurchens were a Tungusic people who inhabited the region of Manchuria until the 17th century, when they adopted the name Manchu...
(ancestors of Manchus) in Ming China often used Mongolian names. Sayyid Ajjal Shams al-Din Omar
Sayyid Ajjal Shams al-Din Omar
Sayyid Ajjal Shams al-Din Omar al-Bukhari was Yunnan's first provincial governor in history, appointed by the Mongol Yuan Dynasty....
's great-grandson was given the name Bayan "rich".
Late Middle ages and Early modern period
With the beginning of the new wave of Buddhism in 1575, however, Buddhist and Tibetan names reintroduced into Mongolia. By 1700 the vast majority of Mongols had Buddhist names, usually Tibetan, but also sometimes Sanskrit or from Mongolian Buddhist terminology. A number of Mongolian-language names survived, particularly with more pacific elements designating peace(Engke, Amur), happiness (Jirgal), long life (Nasu), and blessing (Öljei, Kesig).
Buddhist names were granted according to several different principles. The most common for laymen are
based on the Tibetan or Sanskrit names of powerful deities: Damdin/Damrin (Hayagriva
Hayagriva
Hayagriva is a horse-headed deity that appears in both Hinduism and Buddhism.-Hinduism:...
), Dulma/Dari (Tara), Gombo (Mahākāla
Mahakala
Mahākāla is a Dharmapala in Vajrayana Buddhism, and a deity in Chinese and Japanese Buddhism, particularly in the Vajrayana school. He is known as Daheitian in Chinese and Daikokuten in Japanese...
), Cagdur/Shagdur (Vajrapani
Vajrapani
' is one of the earliest bodhisattvas of Mahayana Buddhism. He is the protector and guide of the Buddha, and rose to symbolize the Buddha's power. Vajrapani was used extensively in Buddhist iconography as one of the three protective deities surrounding the Buddha...
), Jamsrang (Beg-tshe), Jamyang (Manjusri
Manjusri
Mañjuśrī is a bodhisattva associated with transcendent wisdom in Mahāyāna Buddhism. In Esoteric Buddhism he is also taken as a meditational deity. The Sanskrit name Mañjuśrī can be translated as "Gentle Glory"...
), etc. Another type of Buddhist name derives from the Tibetan days of the week, themselves named after the Sun, Moon, and five
visible planets (Nima, Dawa, Migmar, Lhagba, Pürbü, Basang, Bimba). Another astrological scheme divides the days of the month into five classes, each under an element: Dorji (power bolt), Badma (lotus), and Sangjai (Buddha
Buddha
In Buddhism, buddhahood is the state of perfect enlightenment attained by a buddha .In Buddhism, the term buddha usually refers to one who has become enlightened...
). The suffixes -jab (Tibetan skyabs “protecting”) and -sürüng (Tibetan -srung “guarding”) were commonly added to these Buddhist names. Finally, some names, particularly for monks, were based on Tibetan words for desired qualities or aspects of the religion: Lubsang “good intellect”, Agwang “powerful in speech”, Danzin “instruction keeper”, Dashi/Rashi, “blessed.” A number of Buddhist terms exist in multiple forms transmitted from Old Uyghur, Tibetan, and Sanskrit: thus, Wachir/Ochir, Dorji, and Bazar all mean “power bolt,” while Erdeni, Rinchin, and Radna all mean “jewel”.
A distinctive type of Mongolian name that flourished in this period and is still common in the countryside is the avoidance name, designed to avert misfortune from the child: Nergüi “No Name”, Enebish “Not This”, Terbish "Not That".
Mongolia
In the 20th century, when Mongolia effectively functioned as a Soviet satellite, MongolsMongols
Mongols ) are a Central-East Asian ethnic group that lives mainly in the countries of Mongolia, China, and Russia. In China, ethnic Mongols can be found mainly in the central north region of China such as Inner Mongolia...
were sometimes given Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
names like Alexander or Sasha, or mixed ones like Ivaanjav consisting of the Russian Ivan and the Tibetan -jav. Politically correct parents may have chosen Oktyabr (October), Seseer (USSR), Mart (March) and even Molotov as names for their offspring. A stranger example is Melschoi, composed of the first letters of Marx, Engels
Friedrich Engels
Friedrich Engels was a German industrialist, social scientist, author, political theorist, philosopher, and father of Marxist theory, alongside Karl Marx. In 1845 he published The Condition of the Working Class in England, based on personal observations and research...
, Lenin, Stalin and Choibalsan.
Today male names still include the names of old Mongolian elements such as 'iron' or 'steel', or other words denoting strength, such as 'hero', 'strong', or 'axe': some examples are Gansükh 'steel-axe', Batsaikhan 'strong-nice', or Tömörbaatar 'iron-hero', Chuluunbold 'stone-steel'. Temujin, Borte, Yisu and other old names are commonly given to new born children after 1990.
Women's names commonly refer to fine colours or flowers, the sun and moon, or may be made up of any other word with positive connotations using the feminine suffix
Suffix
In linguistics, a suffix is an affix which is placed after the stem of a word. Common examples are case endings, which indicate the grammatical case of nouns or adjectives, and verb endings, which form the conjugation of verbs...
-maa (Tib. 'mother'): some common examples are Altantsetseg 'golden-flower', Narantuyaa 'sun-beam', Uranchimeg 'artistic-decoration', Sarangerel 'moon-light', Erdenetungalag 'jewel-clear', and Tsetsegmaa 'flower'.
Many gender-neutral name components refer to auspicious qualities such as eternity or happiness: some examples are Mönkh 'eternal', Erdene 'jewel', Oyuun 'mind', Altan 'golden', Saikhan 'fine' and Enkh 'peace'. Many names include the names of places, including mountains, rivers etc., e.g. Altai or Tuul
Tuul River
Tuul River is a river in central and northern Mongolia considered sacred by the Mongols. It is 704 km long and drains an area 49,840 square km. The river is called the "Duluo river" in the Suishu, a Chinese historical work completed in 636 AD...
.
Mongolians do not use surname
Surname
A surname is a name added to a given name and is part of a personal name. In many cases, a surname is a family name. Many dictionaries define "surname" as a synonym of "family name"...
s in the way that most Westerners, Chinese or Japanese do. Since the socialist period, patronymic
Patronymic
A patronym, or patronymic, is a component of a personal name based on the name of one's father, grandfather or an even earlier male ancestor. A component of a name based on the name of one's mother or a female ancestor is a matronymic. Each is a means of conveying lineage.In many areas patronyms...
s — at that time called ovog, now known as etsgiin ner — are used instead of a surname. If the father's name is not legally established (i.e. by marriage) or altogether unknown, a matronymic
Matronymic
A matronymic is a personal name based on the name of one's mother, grandmother, or any female ancestor. It is the female equivalent of a patronymic. In patriarchal societies, matronymic surnames are far less common than patronyms. In the past, matronymic last names were often given to children of...
is used. The patro- or matronymic is written before the given name.
Therefore, if a man with given name Tsakhia has a son, and gives the son the name Elbegdorj, the son's full name, as it appears in passports and the like, is Tsakhia Elbegdorj. Very frequently, as in texts and speech, the patronymic is given in genitive case, i.e. Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj, with (in this case) -giin being the genitive suffix. However, the patronymic is rather insignificant in everyday use and usually just abbreviated to an initial - Ts. Elbegdorj. People are normally just referred to and addressed by their given name (Elbegdorj guai - 'Mr. Elbegdorj'), and the patronymic is only used to keep two people with a common given name apart. Even then, they are usually just kept apart by their initials, not by the full patronymic. There are cases in which a matronymic has been legally bestowed for one or the other reason, while a patronymic is known. If the patronymic is to be conveyed anyway, this can take a form like Altan Choi ovogt Dumaagiin Sodnom with the patronymic preceding the word ovog that takes the suffix -t 'having'.
The basic differences between Mongolian and Anglo-Saxon names, in connection with trying to fit Mongolian names into foreign schemata, frequently lead to confusion. For example, O. Gündegmaa
Otryadyn Gündegmaa
Otryadyn Gündegmaa , is an Olympic athlete who competes in sports shooting. She was born in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. Gündegmaa competed in the 1996, 2000, and 2004 Olympics, with her best finish being fifth place in the 1996 Games in 25m sporting pistol. In 2008 she won a silver medal for Mongolia...
, a Mongolian shooter, is often incorrectly referred to as Otryad, i.e. by the (given) name of her father.
Since 2000, Mongolians have been officially using clan name
Clan name
Clan name may refer to one of the following:*Chinese clan, large family and social groupings sharing clan names and temples.*Polish clan name, a traditional element of Polish social nomenclature, in addition to Christian names and surnames....
s — ovog, the same word that was used for the patronymics during the socialist period — on their ID cards. Many people chose the names of the ancient clans and tribes such Borjigin
Borjigin
Borjigin , also known as the Altan urug , were the imperial clan of Genghis Khan and his successors....
, Besud, Jalair, etc. Others chose the names of the native places of their ancestors, or the names of their most ancient known ancestor. Some just decided to pass their own given names (or modifications of their given names) to their descendants as clan names. A few chose other attributes of their lives as surnames; Mongolia's first cosmonaut Gürragchaa chose 'Sansar' (Outer space). Clan names precede the patronymics and given names, as in Besud Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj.
In practice, these clan names seem to have had no significant effect — nor are they included in Mongolian passports.
Inner Mongolia
In Inner Mongolia, Chinese nameChinese name
Personal names in Chinese culture follow a number of conventions different from those of personal names in Western cultures. Most noticeably, a Chinese name is written with the family name first and the given name next, therefore "John-Paul Smith" as a Chinese name would be "Smith John-Paul"...
s are quite common, as are Mongolian names. Tibetan names are usually restricted to people in their 50s and older. The People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
does not recognize Mongolian clan names. As a result, many Mongols from within China who have acquired their passports since 2001 have "XXX" printed in place of their surnames, while before that either a syllable from an individual's given name or the first syllable of the patronymic was used in place of the Chinese surname. Also, for some individuals, "XXX" is printed in the slot for the given name, while the given name is printed in the slot for the surname.
Some Mongolians in China do have surnames because their parents are Han
Han Chinese
Han Chinese are an ethnic group native to China and are the largest single ethnic group in the world.Han Chinese constitute about 92% of the population of the People's Republic of China , 98% of the population of the Republic of China , 78% of the population of Singapore, and about 20% of the...
, Hui, Manchu etc. Some others use an abbreviation (like Wang, Yun etc.) of their clan name.
Officially, Mongolian name in China is transcribed with the SASM/GNC/SRC transcriptions (e.g. Ulanhu), but this system is rarely performed. Generally, the names in Chinese passports are given as the Pinyin
Pinyin
Pinyin is the official system to transcribe Chinese characters into the Roman alphabet in China, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan. It is also often used to teach Mandarin Chinese and spell Chinese names in foreign publications and used as an input method to enter Chinese characters into...
form of the Chinese character transcription of the original Mongolian. For example Mengkebateer (from 孟克巴特尔) would be used instead of Möngkebaghatur (Mongolian script
Mongolian script
The classical Mongolian script , also known as Uyghurjin, was the first writing system created specifically for the Mongolian language, and was the most successful until the introduction of Cyrillic in 1946...
), Mөnghebagatur (Mongolian pinyin) or Munkhbaatar (approximate English pronunciation).
Sometimes in such Chinese
Chinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
transcriptions of Mongolian names, the first syllable is sometimes wrongly given as the surname, i.e. Ulanhu
Ulanhu
Ulanhu was the founder of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region in China, Ulanhu had the nickname of "Mongolian Khan" during his political career.-Career:...
becomes Wu Lanfu. Onset (if available) and nucleus of the first syllable
Syllable
A syllable is a unit of organization for a sequence of speech sounds. For example, the word water is composed of two syllables: wa and ter. A syllable is typically made up of a syllable nucleus with optional initial and final margins .Syllables are often considered the phonological "building...
of the father's name can be used for disambiguation, but have no official status, e.g. Na. Gereltü. Rarely, the onset is used on its own, e.g. L. Toγtambayar.
Siblings
Siblings are sometimes given names containing similar morphemeMorpheme
In linguistics, a morpheme is the smallest semantically meaningful unit in a language. The field of study dedicated to morphemes is called morphology. A morpheme is not identical to a word, and the principal difference between the two is that a morpheme may or may not stand alone, whereas a word,...
s, like Gan-Ochir, Gantömör etc., or names related to the same theme, like Naran ('Sun'), Saran ('Moon'), Tsolmon ('Morning star').
Taboo names
There is also a tradition of giving names with unpleasant qualities to children born to a couple whose previous children have died, in the belief that the unpleasant name will mislead evil spirits seeking to steal the child. Muunokhoi 'Vicious Dog' may seem a strange name, but Mongolians have traditionally been given such taboo names to avoid misfortune and confuse evil spirits. Other examples include Nekhii 'Sheepskin', Nergüi 'No Name', Medekhgüi, 'I Don't Know', Khünbish 'Not A Human Being', Khenbish 'Nobody', Ogtbish 'Not At All', Enebish 'Not This One', Terbish 'Not That One'.Couples whose previous boys have died, would give female names to their son to mislead the evil spirits. Synchronically, taboo meaning may be stronger or obliterated: Nergüi, for example, is very common and does not immediately raise any association, while Khünbish might semantically be perceived as khün bish (cf. the same phenomenon in German with the unremarkable Burkhart (lit. 'castle-strong') versus the unusual Fürchtegott ('fear-God')).
Nicknames
When addressing a familiar person, names are shortened, most commonly by choosing one of the parts of the name and adding a vowel, melting it into one or adding the suffix -ka. E.g., a woman named Delgerzayaa might be called Delgree, Zayaa or Deegii, a man named Arslandorj might become Askaa, or his sister Idertuyaa could become Idree, and so might her boyfriend Iderbayar.Name structure
In the Middle ages, there were no patronymics, but clan names were sometimes used in a particular morphological form.List of common names
In Mongolia, the 20 most common names are:| Name | Transliteration | translation | male/female | occurrence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Бат-Эрдэнэ | Bat-Erdene | firm jewel | m | 13,473 |
| Отгонбаяр | Otgonbayar | happiness about youngest son | m | 11,083 |
| Алтанцэцэг | Altantsetseg | golden flower | f | 10,967 |
| Оюунчимэг | Oyuunchimeg | decoration [consisting of a notable] mind | f | 10,580 |
| Батбаяр | Batbayar | firm happiness | m | 10,570 |
| Болормаа | Bolormaa | crystal woman | f | 10,282 |
| Энхтуяа | Enkhtuyaa | ray of peace | f | 9,721 |
| Лхагвасүрэн | Lkhagvasüren | m~f | 9,334 | |
| Гантулга | Gantulga | steel hearth | m | 9,268 |
| Эрдэнэчимэг | Erdenechimeg | jewel decoration | f | 9,232 |
| Ганболд | Ganbold | steel-steel | m | 9,118 |
| Нэргүй | Nergüi | nameless | f/m | 8,874 |
| Энхжаргал | Enkhjargal | peaceful happiness | f/m | 8,843 |
| Ганзориг | Ganzorig | courage of steel | m | 8,760 |
| Наранцэцэг | Narantsetseg | sun flower | f | 8,754 |
| Пүрэвсүрэн | Pürevsüren | m/f | 8,691 | |
| Ганбаатар | Ganbaatar | steel hero | m | 8,651 |
| Мөнхцэцэг | Mönkhtsetseg | eternal flower | f | 8,613 |
| Мөнхбат | Mönkhbat | eternal firmity | m | 8,612 |
| Мөнх-Эрдэнэ | Mönkh-Erdene | eternal jewel | m/f | 8,467 |
Further reading
- Bürinbilig, Č. Sarana: („Observations on the development of Mongolian personal names“). In: 2003/4: 75-78.
- Manduqu: Monggγul kelen-ü obuγ ner-e-yin učir („On Mongolian names“). In: Öbür mongγul-un ündüsüten-ü yeke surγaγuli 2005/2: 2-14.
- Rybatzki, Volker (2006): Die Personennamen und Titel der mittelmongolischen Dokumente - Eine lexikalische Untersuchung. Helsinki: University of Helsinki.
- Taube, Manfred (1995): Mongolische Namen. In: Namenforschung: ein internationales Handbuch zur Onomastik, 1. Teilband. Berlin: de Gruyter: 916-918.
- List of strange, long, short, common and uncommon Mongolian names and of the names of the oldest people (in Mongolian, contains a few Kazakh names)