THE STRUCTURE AND SEMANTICS OF PERSONAL NAMES IN SAMTSKHE ACCORDING TO THE "GREAT DEFTER OF GURJISTAN VILAYET"

Lamzira Kobaidze

Lamzira Kobaidze Doctor of Philology, Associate Professor at Samtskhe-Javakheti State University, 13 Rustaveli St. Akhaltsikhe, Georgia, http://orcid.org/0009-0007-7752-9905

Abstract

Two centuries of Ottoman rule left a profound mark on Samtskhe, altering not only the landscape of the region but also its demographic composition. This study explores the structure and semantics of the personal names of the region population, based on the records preserved in the "Great Defter of Gurjistan Vilayet."

Historically, Samtskhe encompassed a vast territory; therefore, this research focuses only on the personal names of residents from several villages within the Aspindza municipality (Idumala, Khertvisi, Sakudabeli, Orgora, and Rustavi) as recorded by Ottoman officials at the end of the 16th century. These villages were selected because of the presence of the resettled Mtiulian population. In 1944, many Mtiulians from the eastern highlands were resettled in these villages, where they met the local population. The aim of this study is to analyze the proper names of the people living there at that time in terms of their morphological structure and origin, as these names provide valuable historical and linguistic information.

Keywords: Personal name, Surname, Eponymous personal name, Sobriquet (Tikuni), Traditional kinship-based nickname (Sakhinjari), Nickname Anthroponymy, Metonymy.