In Bulgaria, there are many names thatoften have a special meaning. This parents are trying to show the character traits of the child or give it some features. Often, Bulgarian names are a kind of wish for a person who was born to prosperity, success or health. Today we will try to consider not only their meanings, but also to understand which names in this state are the most popular, how they are formed, and what Bulgarian traditions are observed when naming children.
The most common and popular BulgarianNames are of Slavic origin. They became firmly established after the adoption of Christianity as the main faith. Greek, Latin, and Old Hebrew proper names won considerable popularity. Turkish rule in Bulgaria, oddly enough, had little impact on the diversity of names, since the indigenous people of the state rarely called their children Muslim. For a long time, parents called their sons in honor of the Slavic princes Alexander and Vladimir.
Since the mid-20th century, names have gained popularity.Western European and American origin. The Bulgarian names (male and female) during this period were enriched with new forms at the expense of popular movie characters, singers and actors.
Be that as it may, Bulgarian men are calledwomen in a special way, even if the names are formed from the words often used in other countries. Agree, rarely in any country in Europe, America or Asia can you hear the girl's name Milana or Luchezara, and men Tsvetan or Yasen.
Bulgarian names, masculine in particular,remained unchanged due to the naming of descendants in honor of their grandfathers or great-grandfathers. A special system that consists in the sequence of inheritance did not exist. The older child could be called as a grandmother or grandfather, no matter what sex the baby was. Bulgarian names are unique in this respect: boys and girls are often called the same. An example of this is the male name of Zhivko and the female Zhivka, Savior and Savior, Kalin and Kalina.
Помимо этого, болгарские имена девочек и boys are selected according to the church calendar. In this case, the children are named after the saints, on whose day they were born. Also in Bulgaria they still believe in the power of the word as such, therefore the names of plants or properties of a human character are often names for young Bulgarians.
So, we have already learned in general terms thatare Bulgarian names. Female and male, as mentioned above, are often consonant or have the same meaning. But there are those whose sound is unique not only for a specific country, but also for the whole world. These include such names as Gisela ("beauty"), Smaragda ("jewel"), Salvina (healthy), Babylia ("God's gate"), and so on.
Many female names in Bulgaria are given to girlsas a talisman. For example, Blessed, according to the Bulgarians, should give the girl happiness, and Iskra - with sincerity. She is called a radiant girl if they want to endow her with strength, Demyra — when she needs strength of spirit. Several names for small Bulgarians originate in myths and legends. So, Veda means “mermaid” or “forest fairy”, Xantha means “golden haired”, Luchezara means “heavenly star”.
Meaning of Bulgarian names for boys alsoas diverse as girls. There is a whole list. At the same time, some of the names are able to endow the boy with certain qualities: Blagomir ("bringing peace to the world"), Boyan ("strong-willed fighter"), Branimir ("protecting the world"), Nicola ("winning nations"), Peter or Penco (" as hard as stone, rock ").
Bulgarian names (male) are often associated withthe nature of the person or the main occupation in the family. For example, Georgie and Dimitar are the two most popular names among peasants working on the land. They are translated as "farmer". The name Philip ("loving horses") was more often given to children in families of grooms, riders or horse breeders.
Love for children, the desire to give them beauty inappearance and character are also reflected in the male names in Bulgaria. For example, Lubin (love), Lyudmil (dear to people) and Tsvetan (flower) are still often found in this country. Also in Bulgaria they believe that luck and respect in the future will be with those who were called Slavey ("bird"), Falcon, Zvezdelin ("star") or Jan ("worshiper of God").
Over the past decade the most popularThe names of the Bulgarian girls were Elijah, Rositsa, Rada (Radka) and Marika. They call about 20% of all newborn girls. Slightly less popular are Parking, Vasilka, Stefka and Yordanka. Bulgarian names for boys, which have gained popularity in recent years, are not very exotic sound. Most often the boys are called Petra, Rumen, Todor and Ivan. Nicola, Atanas, Marin and Angel deserved a little less popularity.
In addition to the official, in Bulgaria adopteduse the so-called "tiny" names, which is an abbreviated version of the name given at birth. In relation to women, this tradition is rarely used, but male names are often reduced to unrecognizability. An example of this is George: in Bulgaria, men with that name are often called Gosho, Gezha, Gogo or Zhoro. But Todor can be pronounced as Toshau, Toto or Toshko. In rare cases, a “tiny” name can become independent and official, after which it can be entered into documents.
