The testimony of family names in linguistics and in cultural history

Abstract

The testimony of family names in linguistics and in cultural history  

The paper presents the results of historical onomastic research surveying names related to the pupils who attended the grammar school in Szatmárnémeti (Romania) between 1807 and 1852. The observed lists of the relevant personal and place-names are considered here to be important sources for both linguistics and social sciences. Based on the birth places of the pupils, the school district of the educational institutions in Szatmár County can easily be identified. A comparison among surnames of Hungarian, Slavic, German and Romanian origin reveals the similarities in motivation and practice of giving family names among different nations. The surnames give the opportunity of observing folk migration across regions, sometimes even across the borders of Hungary. In connection with the origins of the surveyed family names, the author also discusses in detail such questions as the relation between language origin and identity; the consciousness of being Hungarian determined by the conceptions of “medieval statehood” and “noble nation”; and the process of folk assimilation.