Gerenian name
A Gerenian name consists of one or two ganamene (given names), and one or two zanamene (surnames). It is very common for Gerenians to have two given names, and one surname. Married people sometimes choose to carry both their maiden and their spouse's surnames.
Given names
A person has one or two names given at birth. Giving a child three or more names is not allowed. It is a widely extended custom for newborns to be given two names: one by their father, and one by their mother. (In many cases, both parets agree on which names they will give to the child.)
Ganamene mostly originate from two sources: some are derived from words with specific meanings in Gerenian language, while many others are not of Gerenian etymology, but are Latin or Romance, Greek, Christian or Biblical names, or others.
Common female first names
| Name | Origin | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| Adriane | Gerenian | feminine form of Adrian |
| Ariene | Gerenian | feminine form of Arien |
| Daniele | Gerenian | feminine form of Daniel |
| Elena | Greek | equivalent to Helen |
| Firense | Latin | meaning "flourishing, prosperous" |
| Iren, Irene | Greek | meaning "peace" |
| Jane, Žana, Žane | Greek | equivalent to Joan |
| Karole | French | French feminine form of Carolus |
| Korene | Gerenian | meaning "strong", female form of Koren |
| Laura | Latin | meaning "laurel" |
| Maria | Hebrew | |
| Mariane, Mariîne | French | French diminutive of Marie (Mary) |
| Turene | Gerenian | meaning "lady of fields" |
| Valentîne | Latin | |
| Viktoria | Latin | equivalent to Victoria |
Common male first names
| Name | Origin | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| Aleksander | Greek | equivalent to Alexander |
| Andres | Greek | equivalent to Andrew |
| Arien | Gerenian | meaning "fighter" |
| Daniel | Hebrew | |
| Frederik | Germanic | equivalent to Frederick |
| Ion, Jan | Hebrew | equivalent to John |
| Karl | Germanic | equivalent to Carl |
| Konstantîn | Latin | equivalent to Constantin |
| Leon | Greek | meaning "lion" |
| Marîn | Gerenian | meaning "leader" |
| Marsel, Marssel | Latin | Latin diminutive of Marcus |
| Martîn, Marțîn | Latin | equivalent to Martin |
| Peder | Greek | equivalent to Peter |
| Rikard | Germanic | equivalent to Richard |
| Valentîn | Latin |
Surnames
Derivation and meaning
Most Gerenian surnames are formed by a root, which can be any word, and a suffix. Suffixes can be categorized according to their meanings:
- suffixes meaning "belonging to" or "correspondant with" are:
- -at, a preposition usually translated as "to(wards)". It indicates location;
- -er, the definite article in Gerenian;
- -s, a particle that indicates possession;
- -ers, the combination of the two above suffixes;
- -es, a suffix used to form adjectives;
- -în, a preposition used to refer to places. Variations of -în that can be found in Gerenian surnames are -îne, and -an;
- -ŷ, the first letter of the word "ŷéer" (when). It connects a family with a time of the year, history, or the time of a major event;
- created ("artificial") suffixes:
- -are and -ere, believed to be variations of -er made to sound more "Gerenian", though this assertion is not universally accepted;
- -au has an uncertain origin, yet is present in many common surnames;
- -ea comes from Romanian language;
- -vița was borrowed from Slavic languages, derived from -vić, -ović, -ič, -vič, -ovič, etc, but not with the same meaning.
- common suffixes without a specific meaning:
- those ending in -y: -ly, -ny, -ry, and -sy. Formerly written with i, they were replaced with the current y so they did not seem already existent Gerenian words.
The earliest surnames in Gerenian (especially those of the first category) were created as a manner to link families, clans or groups of people with determined places, objects, or activities. For example Mirnat conveys "towards Mirne (a Meeredrian river)", Hedrîn conveys "in/at Hedr", Diriŷ conveys "when [the] journey", etc.
Most common surnames
According to the 2014 census in the Republic of Gerenia, the most common surnames in the country are:
1. Väls
2. Korau
3. Antare
4. Kalat
5. Selîn
6. Turzan
7. Mirnat
8. Merínes
9. Lävers
10. Lines
See also
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