Kyrgyzstan’s Toponymic Turn and the 2027 Question

In mid-April 2026, Kyrgyzstan found itself in a familiar post-Soviet toponymic controversy. Several media outlets reported that President Sadyr Japarov had said the republic would finish renaming villages with Russian-language names by the end of 2027. Yet the claim quickly became unstable: the official presidential report on his 13 April 2026 meeting with residents of Alay district did not publicly foreground such a plan, and presidential press secretary Askat Alagozov then said that renaming Russian-named villages “is not on the agenda,” insisting that the discussion had instead concerned a possible ban on giving settlements the names of individuals. In other words, the headline-grabbing promise of a total renaming by 2027 is not currently backed by a published official state program that I could verify online. What is verifiable is something subtler but more important: Kyrgyzstan has indeed been renaming settlements for years, and under Japarov the process has become more active, more ideologically explicit, and more visible.

That distinction matters. If one asks, “Has Kyrgyzstan officially adopted a final, binding plan to eliminate all remaining Russian-language village names by 2027?”, the careful answer is: I could not verify such a formal program from official legal or presidential sources. But if one asks, “Is Kyrgyzstan steadily moving toward a more Kyrgyz-centered rural toponymy, including the replacement of some Russian and Soviet names?”, the answer is clearly yes. The existing law, the presidentially signed renaming acts of 2022–2025, and the language-and-identity politics of the republic all point in that direction.

The legal framework: place names as national property

Kyrgyzstan’s toponymic policy is not ad hoc. The Law “On Place Names in the Kyrgyz Republic” defines place names as part of the national patrimony: they are described as “national property of the people of Kyrgyzstan” and an “integral part of history and culture.” The same law places naming and renaming within a formal state procedure rather than spontaneous symbolic politics alone. This matters because it frames toponymy not merely as signage but as a matter of sovereignty, heritage, and administrative control.

At the constitutional level, the state is officially bilingual in a very specific sense: Kyrgyz is the state language, while Russian is used as the official language. That constitutional formula is important because it shows why renaming debates in Kyrgyzstan are never simply “anti-Russian” or “pro-Russian.” The state is institutionally committed both to strengthening Kyrgyz and to retaining Russian in public life. Any interpretation of the current renaming process has to begin with this duality.

The 2022 amendments to the law on geographical names expanded the recognized grounds for naming and renaming. They explicitly allowed naming administrative-territorial units and villages after prominent state and public figures, historical figures, or in order to restore lost but widely known geographical names. Ironically, this is the very permissive framework that Japarov was reported in April 2026 to be reconsidering, at least in part, when he said villages should no longer be named after people.

What has actually been renamed?

The strongest evidence that the process is real lies not in the disputed 2026 quote, but in the laws and signed acts of the previous years.

In November 2022, Japarov signed a law renaming three rural areas and ten villages in Batken region. The official rationale was telling: the changes were said to be needed to return historical names “within the framework of protecting national interests,” and the background statement added that the law aimed at “strengthening the national ideology” and patriotic education on the basis of national and historical traditions and values. This is not neutral technocratic language. It is classic nation-building language.

In January 2024, another law renamed settlements and rural municipalities in Batken, Jalal-Abad, and Issyk-Kul. Again, the rationale was explicit: to “strengthen the national ideology” and restore geographical names “widely known in the past and present.” Among the changes were Semenovsky aiyl aimak → Kozhoyar aiyl aimak and Semenovka village → Kozhoyar-Ata in Issyk-Kul region, as well as Komsomolskoye → Kytai. These are exactly the kinds of changes that feed the current debate: some names are Soviet-ideological, some are Russian-language, some are hybrid administrative formations, and the replacement names move in a more Kyrgyz symbolic direction.

In October 2024, a further draft law proposed renaming settlements in Batken, Naryn, Talas, and Chüy. The list included highly legible Soviet/Russian examples such as Karl Marx → Birimdik, Communism → Ak-Aryk, Lenin → Iskhak Razzakov, Iskra → Sumbula, and Sadovoe → Masymkan. The explanatory note again used the same two-part formula: strengthening national ideology and restoring names known in the past and present, with local meetings and local councils cited as the procedural basis.

Then, in January 2025, Japarov signed another law renaming villages in Jalal-Abad, Naryn, Talas, Chüy, and Issyk-Kul. This list included Novodonetskoye → Aitmatov and Teploklyuchenka → Ak-Suu, among others. Even without counting all previous post-1991 renamings, these 2022–2025 acts alone show a steady and ongoing renaming campaign affecting well over fifteen settlements.

One should also add the symbolically charged 2022 renaming of Isfana to Razzakov. That was not a “Russian-to-Kyrgyz” case in the narrow linguistic sense, but it is part of the same broader politics of memorial landscape, state symbolism, and titular-national narration under Japarov.

So is this a thirty-year process? Yes.

The 2026 controversy makes sense only in the context of a much longer post-Soviet trajectory. The core logic of language and symbolic policy in Kyrgyzstan has been debated since the late Soviet period. Eugene Huskey’s classic article on “The Politics of Language in Kyrgyzstan” analyzed the late-Soviet and early-independence struggle over the status of Kyrgyz vis-à-vis Russian, while Britta Korth’s monograph on language attitudes in post-Soviet Kyrgyzstan and the work of Orusbaev, Mustajoki, and Protassova showed how deeply asymmetrical Kyrgyz–Russian bilingualism remained in the republic after independence. Russian retained prestige in urban life, education, and mobility, even as Kyrgyz became central to the symbolic project of sovereignty.

That asymmetry helps explain why toponymy becomes so politically potent. When a titular language is constitutionally elevated but a former imperial language remains highly functional in administration, education, and daily communication, symbolic domains become especially important. Names are among the most visible domains in which a state can “Kyrgyzize” public space even while maintaining Russian as an official language. In that sense, the renaming of settlements is not an isolated policy; it is one branch of a broader post-Soviet balancing act.

Why are northern regions central to the story?

Much of the remaining Russian or Soviet village nomenclature has been concentrated in the north and northeast of the country, especially in Chüy, Issyk-Kul, and to some extent Talas. That geography is not accidental. It reflects the history of Russian imperial peasant settlement and later Soviet demographic layering in northern Kyrgyzstan. Historians of Russian colonization in Central Asia have long shown that peasant colonization was especially marked in Kazakhstan and northern Kyrgyzstan, and that Chüy and Issyk-Kul became major settlement zones. This historical settlement geography left not only churches, street plans, and cemeteries, but also village names.

This is why the current renaming wave often appears geographically uneven. In the south, many rural names were already more thoroughly Kyrgyzized earlier or were never deeply Russified in the same way. In the north, however, Russian-language village names remained more visible as fossilized traces of settlement history and Soviet administration. The place-name landscape thus preserves an older ethnohistorical map that no longer corresponds to present demography.

The demographic backdrop

The demographic shift since independence is fundamental. According to the National Statistical Committee’s open data, the number of Russians in Kyrgyzstan fell from 348,935 in 2019 to 335,237 in 2022, while the total population rose from 6.39 million to 6.75 million in the same period. By 2022, Russians represented roughly 5% or slightly below, depending on the dataset and timing used. This does not by itself justify renaming, but it helps explain why the political cost of replacing Russian-language rural names is lower today than it would have been in the 1990s.

Yet demography cuts both ways. The shrinking Slavic share may make renaming easier politically, but it also means that the names now under pressure often outlast the communities that gave them social depth. That is precisely why the debate is so charged: are these names merely colonial leftovers, or are they part of Kyrgyzstan’s own layered history? The law itself says place names are part of history and culture, which means renaming is never only replacement; it is also historical selection.

Nation-building, decolonization, and symbolic repair

From a scholarly point of view, the Kyrgyz case fits broader patterns in critical toponymy. Maoz Azaryahu’s work on commemorative naming and subsequent research in critical toponymy have shown that place names are not innocent labels: they are instruments of memory, power, and political pedagogy. Regime changes and nation-building moments often produce waves of renaming precisely because names naturalize an “authorized” past in everyday space. Jaroslav David has similarly emphasized the special political role of commemorative place names.

Applied to Kyrgyzstan, this means the current renamings are best understood not as random cultural nationalism, but as an attempt to rebalance the symbolic landscape after empire and socialism. The official phrases used in Kyrgyz legal and administrative texts - “strengthening national ideology,” “returning historical names,” “protecting national interests” - are textbook examples of state-sponsored mnemonic restructuring. The map is being edited so that sovereignty appears more visibly Kyrgyz.

There is also a decolonial reading. Recent work on Kyrgyzstan’s decolonization discourse notes that post-Soviet language and identity debates increasingly frame Russian cultural dominance as a colonial legacy rather than simply a neutral bilingual inheritance. That does not mean all renaming is decolonial in a scholarly sense, nor that all new names are historically superior. But it does mean that many supporters of renaming see the issue as one of symbolic repair: replacing a namescape shaped by imperial settlement, Soviet ideology, or Russian-language administration with one anchored in Kyrgyz historical and linguistic legitimacy.

But there are limits — and they are real

Still, the story is not one of straightforward de-Russification. Kyrgyzstan remains structurally bilingual. Russian is constitutionally protected as the official language. It remains strong in urban communication, education, and cross-border mobility. Research on language attitudes and education in Kyrgyzstan has repeatedly shown that Russian retains high instrumental value, especially in employment and higher education. Even where the state renames a settlement, everyday speech may lag behind. Studies of post-socialist toponymy elsewhere have shown that old names often persist in lived practice through habit, memory, and routine, even after official replacement.

That is why the April 2026 denial is so revealing. It suggests that the Kyrgyz state still wants room to maneuver. A steady, piecemeal renaming policy is one thing; a loudly announced plan to eliminate all Russian-language village names by 2027 is another. The former can be presented as legal normalization and historical restoration. The latter sounds like a frontal symbolic break with a sensitive bilingual order. The rapid retreat from the stronger formulation therefore makes political sense even if the underlying trend remains intact.

Is the policy justified?

That depends on the criterion one applies.

If the criterion is post-colonial nation-building, then the renamings are easy to defend. Independent states routinely revise inherited namescapes, especially where imperial or ideological labels remain out of sync with the language, memory, and self-description of the titular nation. Kyrgyzstan is hardly unique in this respect.

If the criterion is historical pluralism, the picture is murkier. Some Russian-language place names are indeed Soviet commemorations or ideological labels with little local rootedness; others are part of the social history of colonization, migration, and multiethnic settlement. A blanket campaign against “Russian names” risks flattening those differences. From a toponymic standpoint, there is a meaningful difference between removing Komsomolskoye or Karl Marx and erasing names that testify to older settlement histories, however uncomfortable those histories may be.

If the criterion is public utility, practical objections remain. Renaming costs money. It requires changes in signs, seals, databases, cadastral records, educational materials, and routine administration. And official renaming does not guarantee popular uptake. One reason post-socialist name changes often produce friction is that maps can be changed faster than habits.

Conclusion

So how far has de-Russification of place names gone in Kyrgyzstan?

Far enough that it is clearly a real and continuing state project, but not so far that one can honestly describe the 2027 deadline as an officially settled fact. What is documented is a long-running, legally regulated, and ideologically framed renaming process that accelerated under Japarov and that has already transformed dozens of rural toponyms, especially through laws signed in 2022, 2024, and 2025. What remains undocumented, at least in official sources I could verify, is a formal decision mandating the complete elimination of all remaining Russian-language village names by 2027.

The most accurate conclusion, then, is this: Kyrgyzstan is not suddenly beginning a de-Russification of rural toponymy; it is continuing one. The April 2026 episode matters not because it launched the process, but because it briefly exposed the endpoint some nationalists would like to see - and the political caution with which the authorities still prefer to approach it.

Dr. Eugen Schochenmaier

Selected academic references

For readers who want to pursue the broader scholarship behind this debate, the following works are especially useful:

Eugene Huskey, “The Politics of Language in Kyrgyzstan,” Nationalities Papers 23(3), 1995.

Britta Korth, Language Attitudes towards Kyrgyz and Russian: Discourse, Education and Policy in Post-Soviet Kyrgyzstan (Peter Lang, 2005).

Abdykadyr Orusbaev, Arto Mustajoki, and Ekaterina Protassova, “Multilingualism, Russian Language and Education in Kyrgyzstan,” International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism 11(3–4), 2008.

Asel Murzakulova and John Schoeberlein, “The Invention of Legitimacy: Struggles in Kyrgyzstan to Craft an Effective Nation-State Ideology,” Europe-Asia Studies 61(7), 2009.

Erica Marat, National Ideology and State-Building in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan (Silk Road Paper, 2008).

Marlène Laruelle, “The Paradigm of Nationalism in Kyrgyzstan,” Communist and Post-Communist Studies 45(1–2), 2012.

Maoz Azaryahu, “The Critical Turn and Beyond: The Case of Commemorative Street Naming,” ACME 10(1), 2011.

Jaroslav David, “Commemorative Place Names — Their Specificity and Problems,” Names 59(4), 2011.

Duncan Light, “Habit, Memory, and the Persistence of Socialist-Era Street Names,” Annals of the Association of American Geographers 104(3), 2014.

Call for papers: "Names in Fiction"

 

📢 Call for papers: Onoma Thematic Edition

🎯 Theme: Names in Fiction

💢 Deadline for abstracts: 30 September 2026 (🔺 English + 🔺 300 words

🔺 lasse.j.hamalainen@helsinki.fi & milla.juhonen@helsinki.fi

💢 Deadline for full-length articles: 31 January 2027

🔺 English / French / German

🔺 5,000 - 8,000 words

💢 Publication: December 2027

24th Slovak Onomastic Conference: Deadline Extended

 The organizers of the 24th Slovak Onomastic Conference have extended the registration deadline to 30 April 2026. The conference, titled “Continuity, Variability and Innovations in Onomastics”, will take place on 17–19 August 2026 at the SAV Academia Congress Centre in Stará Lesná, in the High Tatras.

The event is organized by the Slovak Onomastic Commission and the Slovak Linguistic Society at the Ľudovít Štúr Institute of Linguistics of the Slovak Academy of Sciences. According to the conference webpage, both active and passive participants are required to register via the online form. The conference languages include Slavic participants’ native languages, and for non-Slavic speakers also English and German.

The updated deadline extension was posted in the society’s news section on 17 April 2026. Conference fees are listed as €100 (€60 for doctoral students), with higher late-payment rates after the deadline.

More information and the registration form are available on the event page. The organizers note that they look forward to welcoming colleagues to the High Tatras in August.

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24. slovenská onomastická konferencia: Predĺžený termín prihlasovania

Organizátori 24. slovenskej onomastickej konferencie predĺžili termín prihlasovania do 30. apríla 2026. Konferencia s názvom „Kontinuita, variabilita a inovácie v onomastike“ sa uskutoční v dňoch 17. – 19. augusta 2026 v Kongresovom centre SAV Academia v Starej Lesnej vo Vysokých Tatrách.

Podujatie organizuje Slovenská onomastická komisia a Slovenská jazykovedná spoločnosť pri Jazykovednom ústave Ľ. Štúra SAV, v. v. i. Na konferenčnej stránke sa uvádza, že prihlášku musia vyplniť aktívni aj pasívni účastníci. Rokovacími jazykmi budú materinské jazyky slovanských účastníkov, a pre neslovanských referujúcich aj angličtina a nemčina.

Informácia o predĺžení prihlasovania bola zverejnená v sekcii noviniek 17. apríla 2026. Konferenčný poplatok je 100 €, resp. 60 € pre doktorandov, pričom po termíne sa zvyšuje.

Viac informácií vrátane prihlasovacieho formulára nájdete na stránke podujatia. Organizátori sa tešia na augustové stretnutie v Tatrách.

Presentation "What's in a name" on renaming, memory, and public space in South Africa

On 23 April 2026, Stellenbosch University will host an online edition of Imbizo 365 under the thought-provoking title “What’s in a Name?” The event will explore one of the most debated questions in contemporary South Africa: the renaming of streets, towns, and public institutions, and the wider issues of history, identity, memory, and power that these changes bring into focus.

Since 1994, renaming practices in South Africa have been both symbolically and politically significant, while also generating intense national discussion. This event asks a series of timely questions: whose names belong on the map of a democratic nation, and what is gained or lost when history is rewritten in signage, budgets, and public space?

The presenter will be Romantha Botha, a South African documentary filmmaker, journalist, and cultural commentator whose work examines the intersections of history, identity, and power. Known for using film and digital storytelling to illuminate the enduring legacies of colonialism and apartheid, she brings to this topic a compelling combination of research, public engagement, and narrative insight.

The event will take place online via MS Teams from 13:00 to 14:30. Participants are invited not only to attend but also to join the conversation, with an added incentive: attendees will have the opportunity to engage in the discussion and stand a chance to win a R500 Takealot voucher.

This promises to be a stimulating event for everyone interested in onomastics, public history, cultural memory, and the politics of naming in contemporary society.

Conférence : Le légendaire de J.R.R. Tolkien : genèse, onomastique et applicabilité

Les Musées d’Angers proposeront le mardi 28 avril 2026 à 18h30 une conférence qui ne manquera pas d’intéresser à la fois les passionnés de Tolkien, les amateurs de littérature et les chercheurs en onomastique : « Le légendaire de J.R.R. Tolkien : genèse, onomastique et applicabilité ». L’entrée est libre et gratuite.

La conférence sera donnée par Annie Birks, docteure de Sorbonne Université, maîtresse de conférences en langue et littérature anglaises et actuellement chargée de cours à l’Université Catholique de l’Ouest. Spécialiste reconnue de J.R.R. Tolkien, elle est l’auteure de nombreux travaux sur son œuvre et a également contribué au Dictionnaire Tolkien dirigé par Vincent Ferré.

Cette rencontre se propose d’offrir un accès à la richesse exceptionnelle du légendaire tolkienien, c’est-à-dire à l’univers de la Terre du Milieu, en s’intéressant à sa genèse, à ses langues, à ses noms propres et à son pouvoir d’évocation esthétique. L’approche onomastique promet d’être particulièrement stimulante, tant les noms chez Tolkien participent pleinement à la construction de son monde, de ses peuples, de ses langues et de son imaginaire.

La conférence aura lieu à l’Auditorium du Musée des beaux-arts d’Angers. Elle constitue une belle occasion de redécouvrir Tolkien sous un angle à la fois littéraire, linguistique et onomastique, et de réfléchir à l’actualité intellectuelle d’une œuvre dont la portée dépasse largement le seul domaine de la fantasy.

Un rendez-vous à ne pas manquer pour toutes celles et tous ceux qui s’intéressent aux noms, aux langues inventées et aux mondes imaginaires. 

Лекция филолога Сергея Валюгина «И такъ она звалась Татьяной»

 

На лекции поговорим о героине романа «Евгений Онегин» Татьяне Лариной. Вы узнаете:

— почему главная героиня звалась Татьяной, а почти все остальные известные героини у Пушкина — Марии;

— зачем героиня проходит испытание любовью;

— что вкладывает автор в её образ;

— что значило имя Татьяна в истории;

— как всё это связано с Днём студента 25 января.

Мы вспомним и других героинь с именем Татьяна, попробуем сравнить их характеры и судьбы, понять, сложно ли выбрать имя для своей героини и как нам в этом может помочь ономастика.

Лектор — Сергей Валюгин, учитель литературы Школы «Ника», преподаватель кафедры мировой литературы Гос. ИРЯ им. А.С. Пушкина, победитель конкурса «Педагоги года Москвы — 2023», лауреат конкурса «Учитель года России — 2023», автор телеграм-канала «Уроки литературы с Сергеем Валюгиным».

Встреча пройдёт в рамках курса лекций о школьной литературе «Лит-ра».

Webinar reassessing the Adoption of Jewish Family Names in Galicia

When Jokele Berkowicz Became Jakob Funkelstein

Reassessing the Adoption of Jewish Family Names in Galicia – Live on Zoom

The Ackman & Ziff Family Genealogy Institute at the Center for Jewish History invites audiences to a fascinating online lecture, “When Jokele Berkowicz Became Jakob Funkelstein: Reassessing the Adoption of Jewish Family Names in Galicia,” to be held live on Zoom.

Focusing on the 1780s, when thousands of Jews in Habsburg Galicia adopted new hereditary family names, this presentation offers a fresh historical reassessment of a subject long shaped by anecdote and stereotype. Drawing on newly discovered archival materials and the analysis of thousands of surnames, the lecture will revisit the political circumstances of surname adoption and examine the actual processes through which these names were created.

The talk promises to shed light on the many sources of Galician Jewish surnames - from imaginative coinages and occupational designations to references to personal traits and literary influences. It will also offer valuable guidance for genealogists and family historians working with Galician records such as metrical books, census lists, and gravestones, showing how a better understanding of naming practices can help reconstruct biographies even from the period before hereditary surnames were fully established.

The speaker, Johannes Czakai, PhD, is a historian and postdoctoral fellow at the Martin Buber Society of Fellows at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. His research focuses on early modern Jewish history, names, genealogy, conversions, and espionage. He is also the author of the award-winning 2021 monograph Nochems neue Namen, an important contribution to the study of Jewish naming practices in Galicia and Bukovina.

This promises to be an engaging and highly relevant event for scholars of onomastics, Jewish history, genealogy, and Central and Eastern European history alike.

Ticket information: Pay what you wish.

Journées d’étude sur la contre-cartographie, la contre-archive et la toponymie

 « Tracer, dessiner et nommer l’Île de la Tortue »

Journées d’étude sur la contre-cartographie, la contre-archive et la toponymie

Les 19 et 20 mai 2026 se tiendront à l’Université du Québec à Montréal les journées d’étude intitulées « Tracer, dessiner et nommer l’Île de la Tortue », consacrées à la contre-cartographie, à la contre-archive et à la toponymie.

Co-organisé par Andréanne Martel (doctorante, UQAM–UNIGE), Justine Gagnon (professeure agrégée, Université Laval) et Caroline (Élise) Nepton Hotte (professeure, UQAM), cet événement promet d’ouvrir un espace de réflexion particulièrement stimulant sur les relations entre territoire, mémoire, dénomination et savoirs critiques.

À travers le prisme de l’Île de la Tortue, ces journées d’étude invitent à repenser les pratiques de nomination, de représentation et d’archivage des espaces, en accordant une place centrale aux perspectives autochtones, décoloniales et critiques. En croisant cartographie, toponymie et relecture des archives, la rencontre s’annonce comme un moment important de dialogue interdisciplinaire.

L’événement se déroulera en présentiel, à la salle A-1280 (1er étage) de la Bibliothèque centrale de l’UQAM (pavillon Hubert-Aquin), tout en étant également accessible en ligne via Zoom.

Une rencontre à suivre de près pour toutes celles et tous ceux qui s’intéressent à la toponymie, aux études autochtones, aux humanités critiques, à la géographie culturelle et aux politiques du nom.

Boesman-invloed op Afrikaanse plekname shortlisted for the 2026 Hiemstra Non-Fiction Prize

 We are delighted to share the news that Boesman-invloed op Afrikaanse plekname by Peter E. Raper has been short-listed for the 2026 Hiemstra Non-Fiction Prize.

This recognition by the Suid-Afrikaanse Akademie vir Wetenskap en Kuns is a significant honour and a fitting tribute to the scholarly value and cultural importance of this remarkable publication. The nomination highlights not only the quality of the book itself, but also the wider importance of research on place names, language contact, and South Africa’s rich linguistic heritage.

Warm congratulations to Peter E. Raper on this well-deserved distinction.

The book explores the influence of Bushman languages on Afrikaans place names and stands as an important contribution to onomastic scholarship and to the study of cultural and linguistic interaction in southern Africa.

Get your copy here:
https://lnkd.in/dZZAehyS

A double anniversary in Leipzig onomastics

A remarkable double anniversary is being celebrated in Leipzig onomastics this April: the 35th anniversary of teaching and student training in onomastics at Leipzig University and the 65th birthday of Dr. phil. Dietlind Kremer, one of the central figures in the field’s development in Leipzig. The occasion was marked in a tribute by emeritus professor Karlheinz Hengst, published by the Leipzig University Names Advisory Service on 9 April 2026.

The tribute recalls Leipzig’s long-standing importance in name studies. Since 1954, Leipzig onomastics has earned national and international recognition through the project “Deutsch-Slawische Forschungen,” and in 1984 the city hosted the 10th International Congress of Onomastic Sciences, drawing hundreds of scholars from around the world.

After the political changes of 1989–1990, onomastics in Leipzig entered a new phase. In 1991, Leipzig established Germany’s first minor degree programme in onomastics, and in 1993 the country’s first and only professorship in the subject was filled. Dr. Dietlind Kremer was present from the very beginning of this new chapter and played a decisive role in shaping the curriculum and in building up student training.

Particular emphasis in the tribute is placed on Dr. Kremer’s work since 2008, when the professorship was no longer renewed. Through exceptional commitment and creativity, she secured the continuation of name studies as an elective subject at the Faculty of Philology, while also leading the Namenkundliches Zentrum and helping organize regular scholarly conferences on themes such as “The City and Its Names,” “Foreign Names,” “Names and Translation,” and “Names and Professions.” She has also contributed to the publication of the series Onomastica Lipsiensia and to the journal Namenkundliche Informationen / Journal of Onomastics.

The tribute also highlights the practical and public-facing side of Leipzig onomastics. Name counselling and name information services were developed in response to growing public and administrative demand, and Dr. Kremer, together with colleagues and collaborators, has helped make onomastic expertise accessible far beyond the university. Her work online and in social networks has further extended the reach of onomastic knowledge.

This double anniversary is therefore more than a personal celebration. It is also an occasion to recognise the resilience, continuity, and public relevance of Leipzig onomastics - and to honour Dr. Dietlind Kremer’s outstanding role in sustaining and advancing it over decades.

Ein doppeltes Jubiläum in der Leipziger Onomastik

In der Leipziger Onomastik wird in diesem April ein besonderer doppelter Geburtstag gefeiert: zum einen das 35-jährige Jubiläum von Lehre und studentischer Ausbildung im Bereich Namenforschung an der Universität Leipzig, zum anderen der 65. Geburtstag von Dr. phil. Dietlind Kremer, die die Entwicklung des Faches in Leipzig über Jahrzehnte entscheidend mitgeprägt hat. Auf diesen Anlass machte ein Würdigungsbeitrag des emeritierten Professors Karlheinz Hengst aufmerksam, der am 9. April 2026 auf der Seite der Leipziger Namenberatungsstelle veröffentlicht wurde.

Der Beitrag erinnert zunächst an die lange Tradition der Leipziger Namenforschung. Seit 1954 hat sich die Leipziger Onomastik mit dem Projekt „Deutsch-Slawische Forschungen“ national und international einen Namen gemacht. Ein sichtbarer Höhepunkt dieser Entwicklung war die Ausrichtung des X. Internationalen Kongresses für Namenforschung im Jahr 1984, an dem mehrere hundert Wissenschaftlerinnen und Wissenschaftler aus aller Welt teilnahmen.

Nach den politischen Umbrüchen von 1989/90 erfuhr die historisch orientierte Onomastik in Leipzig eine neue Wertschätzung. 1991 wurde hier erstmals in Deutschland ein Nebenfachstudiengang Onomastik eingerichtet, und 1993 wurde die erste und bis heute einzige Professur für dieses Fach in Deutschland besetzt. Dietlind Kremer stand von Anfang an an der Wiege dieses neuen Studienfaches und trug maßgeblich zur Ausbildung im Grundstudium bei.

Besonders hervorgehoben werden in dem Text ihre Leistungen seit 2008, nachdem die Professur nicht wiederbesetzt wurde. Mit großem Engagement und bemerkenswerter Kreativität sicherte sie den Fortbestand der Namenkunde als Wahlfach an der Philologischen Fakultät. Zugleich leitete sie das Namenkundliche Zentrum und bereitete regelmäßig wissenschaftliche Tagungen zu Themen wie „Die Stadt und ihre Namen“, „Fremde Namen“, „Namen und Übersetzung“ oder „Namen und Berufe“ vor. Darüber hinaus war sie an der Herausgabe der Reihe Onomastica Lipsiensia sowie der Zeitschrift Namenkundliche Informationen / Journal of Onomastics beteiligt.

Der Würdigungsbeitrag unterstreicht zudem die praktische und öffentliche Bedeutung der Leipziger Onomastik. Die Einrichtung von Namenberatung und Namenauskunft reagierte auf den anhaltend großen Bedarf seitens der Bevölkerung, der Standesämter und der Medien. Auch hier hat Dietlind Kremer über viele Jahre hinweg entscheidend mitgewirkt und onomastisches Wissen weit über den universitären Rahmen hinaus vermittelt.

Dieses doppelte Jubiläum ist somit weit mehr als ein persönlicher Anlass zum Feiern. Es ist zugleich eine Würdigung der Kontinuität, der wissenschaftlichen Ausstrahlung und der öffentlichen Relevanz der Leipziger Onomastik - und ein schöner Moment, um Dr. Dietlind Kremer für ihr außerordentliches Wirken herzlich zu gratulieren.

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Двойной юбилей в лейпцигской ономастике

В апреле в лейпцигской ономастике отмечается особый двойной юбилей: 35-летие преподавания и подготовки студентов в области ономастики в Лейпцигском университете и одновременно 65-летие д-ра филол. наук Дитлинд Кремер, сыгравшей ключевую роль в развитии этого направления в Лейпциге на протяжении десятилетий. Этому событию посвящён поздравительный текст почётного профессора Карлхайнца Хенгста, опубликованный 9 апреля 2026 года на странице Лейпцигской консультационной службы по именам.

В публикации прежде всего напоминается о богатой традиции лейпцигских исследований имён. С 1954 года лейпцигская ономастика приобрела национальную и международную известность благодаря проекту «Deutsch-Slawische Forschungen». Одной из важнейших вех стало проведение в Лейпциге X Международного конгресса по ономастическим исследованиям в 1984 году, в котором приняли активное участие сотни учёных со всего мира.

После политических перемен 1989–1990 годов исторически ориентированная ономастика в Лейпциге получила новое признание. В 1991 году здесь впервые в Германии была создана дополнительная университетская программа по ономастике, а в 1993 году была занята первая и до сих пор единственная в Германии профессорская должность по этой специальности. Дитлинд Кремер с самого начала стояла у истоков этой новой программы и внесла существенный вклад в обучение студентов.

Особо в тексте подчёркиваются её заслуги после 2008 года, когда профессорская ставка больше не была замещена. Благодаря её исключительной преданности делу и творческому подходу ономастика сохранилась в качестве учебной дисциплины на филологическом факультете. Одновременно она возглавляла Центр ономастики и занималась подготовкой регулярных научных конференций на темы «Город и его названия», «Чужие имена», «Имена и перевод», «Имена и профессии» и другие. Кроме того, она участвовала в издании серии Onomastica Lipsiensia и журнала Namenkundliche Informationen / Journal of Onomastics.

В поздравительном тексте также подчёркивается практическая и общественная значимость лейпцигской ономастики. Создание служб консультирования по именам и справок по именам стало ответом на устойчивый интерес со стороны общества, органов ЗАГС и СМИ. И в этой сфере Дитлинд Кремер на протяжении многих лет играла важнейшую роль, распространяя ономастические знания далеко за пределами университета.

Таким образом, этот двойной юбилей - не только личный повод для поздравлений, но и признание преемственности, научного авторитета и общественной значимости лейпцигской ономастики. Это прекрасная возможность сердечно поздравить Дитлинд Кремер и выразить благодарность за её выдающийся вклад в развитие науки об именах.

Join the 2nd Online Meeting of the International Network for Personal Names Research

Following the success of its first meeting last year, the International Network for Personal Names Research warmly invites scholars, students, and all those interested in onomastics to participate in its 2nd Online Meeting, to be held on 12 June 2026, from 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM (UTC+2).

Conceived as a networking event and an international forum for exchange, the meeting offers participants an opportunity to share current research on personal names from around the world, present new projects, and develop ideas for future collaboration. The programme will include lectures, short research pitches, and small-group social sessions designed to encourage academic exchange across borders.

This year’s theme, “New Research on Personal Names in Different Countries,” has been deliberately chosen in a broad spirit in order to welcome contributions from a wide range of disciplinary and geographical perspectives. Topics may address first names and surnames in historical or contemporary contexts, cross-border developments, region-specific phenomena, the influence of politics, religion, migration, gender, and culture, as well as methodological issues in onomastic research.

Participants are invited either to give a 20-minute presentation or a 5-minute research pitch for a new or developing project. The conference language is English, and presenters will also have the opportunity to submit their work for publication in the Nordic Journal of Socio-Onomastics (NoSo). Abstracts should be sent by 16 May 2026 to Anna.Balbach@tu-dortmund.de, and registration is likewise open until 16 May 2026.

With members from 27 countries, the network continues to foster truly international dialogue in personal names research. All interested colleagues are warmly encouraged to take part.

A major new book on ancient Amazigh onomastics

A newly published volume deserves the attention of scholars in onomastics, historical linguistics, and Amazigh studies: AGDAL. “Per Africae gentes, deserta atque loca”. New perspectives on ancient Amazigh onomastics (toponymy, ethnonymy, anthroponymy) and Amazigh historical linguistics, edited by Carles Múrcia. The book has been published by Edicions de la Universitat de Barcelona in the series Barcino Monographica Orientalia / Series Libyca, and comprises 268 pages.

This collective volume brings together nine contributions by specialists involved in the AGDAL project, an interdisciplinary initiative devoted to the study of the Amazigh language in antiquity through toponymy, ethnonymy, anthroponymy, and other linguistic corpora. As such, it offers an important contribution to our understanding of the continuities and transformations of Amazigh linguistic heritage across time.

The significance of this book is twofold. On the one hand, it opens up fresh perspectives on ancient Amazigh onomastics; on the other, it places historical linguistics in dialogue with ancient sources and with broader questions of identity, space, and cultural memory. In that sense, AGDAL is poised to become an important reference work for anyone interested in ancient North Africa and the history of names.

This is, without doubt, a stimulating and timely publication that will inspire further research on Amazigh names, both ancient and modern.

Un nouvel ouvrage majeur sur l’onomastique amazighe ancienne

Une nouvelle publication mérite toute l’attention des chercheurs en onomastique, en linguistique historique et en études amazighes : AGDAL. « Per Africae gentes, deserta atque loca ». New perspectives on ancient Amazigh onomastics (toponymy, ethnonymy, anthroponymy) and Amazigh historical linguistics, dirigée par Carles Múrcia. L’ouvrage est paru chez Edicions de la Universitat de Barcelona, dans la collection Barcino Monographica Orientalia / Series Libyca, et compte 268 pages.

Ce volume collectif réunit neuf contributions de spécialistes autour d’un projet interdisciplinaire consacré à la langue amazighe dans l’Antiquité, à partir de l’étude de la toponymie, de l’ethnonymie, de l’anthroponymie et d’autres corpus linguistiques. Il constitue ainsi une contribution importante à la compréhension des continuités et des transformations du patrimoine linguistique amazigh dans la longue durée.

L’intérêt de cet ouvrage est double : d’une part, il renouvelle les approches de l’onomastique amazighe ancienne ; d’autre part, il met en dialogue les données de la linguistique historique avec les sources antiques et les questions d’identité, d’espace et de mémoire. À ce titre, AGDAL s’annonce déjà comme une référence précieuse pour tous ceux qui travaillent sur l’Afrique du Nord ancienne et sur l’histoire des noms.

À saluer, donc, comme une parution importante et stimulante, appelée à nourrir de futurs travaux sur les noms amazighs, anciens comme contemporains.

Kinderbuchtipp: "Das große Buch der Namen"

 

Cycle de conférences de Corinne Bonnet "Qu’est-ce qu’une divinité ? Une approche par les noms"

 L’EPHE – PSL accueillera au printemps 2026 Corinne Bonnet, professeure à la Scuola normale superiore de Pise (Italie), en tant que directrice d’études invitée, à l’invitation de Gabriella Pironti et François Quantin, pour un cycle exceptionnel de quatre conférences intitulé :

Qu’est-ce qu’une divinité ? Une approche par les noms

Spécialiste reconnue de l’histoire des religions de l’Antiquité, Corinne Bonnet proposera, à travers cette série, une réflexion originale sur la manière dont les noms permettent d’approcher les dieux, leurs modes d’action, leurs espaces d’inscription et la complexité du polythéisme. En croisant perspectives onomastiques, religieuses et historiques, ce cycle promet d’ouvrir des pistes fécondes pour penser les divinités à partir de leurs désignations, de leurs épiclèses et de leurs usages.

Ces conférences s’adressent à toutes celles et tous ceux qui s’intéressent à l’Antiquité, à l’histoire des religions, à l’onomastique, aux langues anciennes et, plus largement, aux modalités par lesquelles les sociétés nomment, définissent et pensent le divin.

Programme

Jeudi 9 avril 2026, 13h00–15h00
INHA, salle Mariette
« Connaître les dieux : la voie onomastique »

Mardi 14 avril 2026, 16h00–18h00
Sorbonne, salle d’égyptologie
« Les dieux en action : onoma et dunamis »

Mardi 5 mai 2026, 16h00–18h00
Sorbonne, salle d’égyptologie
« Zeus des chênes jumeaux et notre Père qui est aux cieux : noms et espaces »

Jeudi 7 mai 2026, 13h00–15h00
INHA, salle Mariette
« Polyonymie et polythéisme »

Informations pratiques

L’inscription est obligatoire pour assister aux conférences.
Merci d’écrire à l’adresse suivante :

auditeurs@ephe.psl.eu

Ce cycle constitue une belle occasion d’entendre une voix majeure de la recherche internationale et de découvrir une approche particulièrement stimulante des mondes divins à travers les noms.

Nous vous invitons chaleureusement à diffuser cette annonce et à venir nombreux à ces rendez-vous.

Names, Norms and Identities in Swedish School Textbooks

Emilia Aldrin's groundbreaking study tracks a century of social change through the names in children's textbooks

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English

Names Tell Stories: How Swedish Textbooks Reveal Social Change (1920s-2010s)

What can the name "Kalle" or "Fatima" in a math problem tell us about Swedish society? According to Emilia Aldrin's new book Namn, normer och identiteter i skolans läromedel – Förändringsprocesser från 1920-tal till 2010-tal (Names, Norms and Identities in School Textbooks – Processes of Change from the 1920s to the 2010s), quite a lot.

Published by the Royal Gustavus Adolphus Academy for Swedish Folk Culture (Series: Acta Academiae Regiae Gustavi Adolphi, 172), this 392-page study examines how Swedish commercial textbooks have presented individuals through names, text, and images over nearly a century.

What the Study Reveals

Aldrin analyzed 18 textbooks in mathematics, social studies, and Swedish language for fourth-graders, spanning from the 1920s to the 2010s. Her findings trace fascinating shifts:

From anonymity to familiarity: Early textbooks used formal titles and anonymity; later books shifted toward first names and child-centered perspectives.

Women's visibility: Female characters moved from near-invisibility to prominence - though the 2010s show some regression.

Cultural diversity: Multicultural names appeared gradually, often in limited and stereotypical ways.

The invisible elderly: Older people remain largely absent across all periods.

Why Names Matter

The book demonstrates that naming practices are not neutral. How textbooks name characters - whether "Mr. Andersson," "Lisa," or "Ahmed" - creates social hierarchies, normalizes certain identities, and shapes how young readers understand their world.

Aldrin highlights both progressive strategies (inclusive naming, perspective shifts, playful norm deconstruction) and persistent limitations in even the most recent textbooks.

For Researchers and Educators

This study is essential reading for:

• Onomasticians interested in names as semiotic resources
• Educational researchers examining hidden curricula
• Teachers and curriculum developers seeking to create more inclusive materials
• Social historians tracking Swedish societal change

The book is Open Access (free PDF download) and also available in print (340 SEK).

Published: 2026
ISBN: 9789187403538
Pages: 392 (hardcover)
Language: Swedish

Order/Download: https://bokorder.se/sv/books-5605/namn-normer-och-identiteter-i-skolans-laromed

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Svenska

Namn berättar historier: Hur svenska läromedel avslöjar samhällsförändringar (1920–2010-tal)

Vad kan namnet "Kalle" eller "Fatima" i en matteuppgift berätta om det svenska samhället? Enligt Emilia Aldrins nya bok Namn, normer och identiteter i skolans läromedel – Förändringsprocesser från 1920-tal till 2010-tal kan det berätta mycket.

Utgiven av Kungl. Gustav Adolfs Akademien för svensk folkkultur (serien Acta Academiae Regiae Gustavi Adolphi, 172), undersöker denna 392-sidiga studie hur svenska förlagsproducerade läromedel har presenterat individer genom namn, text och bild under nästan ett sekel.

Vad studien visar

Aldrin analyserade 18 läromedel i matematik, samhällskunskap och svenska för årskurs fyra, från 1920-talet till 2010-talet. Hennes resultat spårar fascinerande förändringar:

Från anonymitet till förtrogenhet: Tidiga läromedel använde formella titlar och anonymitet; senare böcker gick mot förnamn och barnfokus.

Kvinnors synlighet: Kvinnliga karaktärer rörde sig från nästan total osynlighet till framträdande roller - även om 2010-talet visar vissa bakslag.

Kulturell mångfald: Mångkulturella namn dök upp gradvis, ofta på begränsande och stereotypa sätt.

De osynliga äldre: Äldre personer förblir i stort sett frånvarande genom alla perioder.

Varför namn spelar roll

Boken visar att namnbruk inte är neutralt. Hur läromedel namnger karaktärer - om det är "herr Andersson", "Lisa" eller "Ahmed" - skapar sociala hierarkier, normaliserar vissa identiteter och formar hur unga läsare förstår sin värld.

Aldrin lyfter fram både progressiva strategier (inkluderande namnbruk, perspektivförskjutningar, lekfull dekonstruktion av normer) och bestående begränsningar även i de senaste läromedlen.

För forskare och lärare

Denna studie är viktig läsning för:

• Onomastiker intresserade av namn som semiotiska resurser
• Pedagogiska forskare som undersöker dolda läroplanar
• Lärare och läromedelsförfattare som vill skapa mer inkluderande material
• Samhällshistoriker som spårar svenska samhällsförändringar

Boken är Open Access (gratis PDF-nedladdning) och finns även som tryckt bok (340 kr).

Publicerad: 2026
ISBN: 9789187403538
Sidor: 392 (inbunden)
Språk: Svenska

Beställ/Ladda ner: https://bokorder.se/sv/books-5605/namn-normer-och-identiteter-i-skolans-laromed

Easter Surnames Around the World

 How the celebration of Christ's resurrection gave rise to family names across Christian Europe and beyond

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When we think of Easter traditions, we might picture decorated eggs, chocolate bunnies, or festive meals. But Easter has left another lasting legacy: it gave birth to surnames across the Christian world. From the French Pascal to the Cornish Pascoe, from the Italian Pasquale to the Slavic Velikden, Easter-themed surnames reflect centuries of Christian tradition and the practice of naming children after feast days.

The Latin Root: Pascha

The story begins with the Latin word pascha, meaning "Easter," which itself derives from the Greek Πάσχα (Pascha), borrowed from Aramaic pasḥā, ultimately from Hebrew פֶּסַח (Pesach), meaning "Passover."¹ Because the Jewish Passover and Christian Easter coincided closely on the calendar, early Christians adopted the same word for their celebration of Christ's resurrection.

In medieval Christian Europe, it became popular to name children born during Easter week with variations of Pascha. As Patrick Hanks notes in the Dictionary of American Family Names, the personal name was "popular throughout Christian Europe in the Middle Ages mainly in honor of the festival of Christ's crucifixion and resurrection, often signifying someone born at Easter, but also in honor of a 9th-century pope and saint who bore the name."²

These Easter-themed given names eventually became hereditary surnames across Europe.

Romance Language Variants: A Family of Names

French: Pascal

In France and Francophone regions, the surname Pascal became one of the most widespread Easter surnames. The name derives directly from Latin Paschalis ("relating to Easter"). Today, an estimated 296,000 people worldwide bear the Pascal surname, with significant concentrations in France (22,190), Belarus (29,611), and surprisingly, several African nations including Tanzania (13,957) and Rwanda (13,023)—reflecting historical migration and colonial influences.³

The French philosopher and mathematician Blaise Pascal (1623-1662) remains the most famous bearer of this surname.

Italian: Pasquale and Variants

Italian produced the richest variety of Easter surnames. Pasquale is the masculine form, with Pasqualina as the rare feminine variant. The surname spawned numerous derivatives:⁴

• Pasquali, Pasqualini (patronymics)
• Pasqualone (augmentative form)
• De Pasquale, Di Pasquale (patronymic with preposition)
• Pascale (southern Italian variant)
• Pascali, De Pascalis (further variations)

Italy shows the highest concentration of the Pascale surname with 9,510 instances.⁵

Spanish and Portuguese: Pascual and Pascoal

Spanish evolved Pascual (masculine) and Pascuala (feminine), while Portuguese developed Pascoal. The Spanish surname Pascua (directly meaning "Easter") also emerged, particularly common in Spain and later spreading to Spanish colonies including Mexico, the Philippines, and South America.⁶

Catalan: Pasqual

The Catalan form Pasqual represents the regional variation in northeastern Spain, derived from the same Latin Paschalis root.⁷

Celtic Traditions: The Cornish Connection

Pascoe: Cornwall's Easter Name

In Cornwall, southwestern England, the surname Pascoe holds special significance. It ranks as the 6th most common surname in Cornwall⁸ and is considered quintessentially Cornish.

Pascoe developed from the medieval given name Pask (a pet form of Pascal) plus the Cornish diminutive suffix -oe or -ow. Alternative spellings include Pasco, Pascow, and Pascho. The name was introduced to England by Norman knights after the 1066 conquest.⁹

The Cornish connection to mining gave Pascoe surnames a distinctive migration pattern. When Cornwall's tin and copper mining industry collapsed in the 19th century, an estimated 20% of the male working population emigrated, many taking the Pascoe name to Australia, South Africa, and the Americas.¹⁰

Historical records show early Pascoe families concentrated in the Wendron mining district of south Cornwall, with one family line beginning with John Pascoe born around 1533.¹¹

Germanic Variations: Easter Fields and Surnames

German: Pasch, Paasch, Ostern

German-speaking regions developed several Easter-related surnames:

Pasch has multiple origins:¹²

1. A topographic name for a field or meadow used at Easter as a playground (from Middle Low German pāsche(n) "Easter")
2. A short form of the personal name Paschalis
3. In some cases, a Germanized form of Slavic surnames

Paasch served as a nickname for someone with tax or service obligations due at Easter, since medieval administrative calendars (such as in the Archdiocese of Cologne) began officially at Easter.¹³

While researching Easter food traditions, the German onomastics portal Namenforschung.net highlighted Easter-related surnames including Lämmlein ("little lamb") and even Eieresser ("egg-eater"), though the latter is exceptionally rare with only about 15 bearers in Germany.¹⁴

Greek Variants: Paschalis and Patronymics

Greek developed Paschalis (Παχάλης) from the Late Roman personal name, which spawned patronymic surnames:¹⁵

• Paschalakis
• Paschalides
• Paschalidis
• Paschaloudis

These surnames remain common in Greece and Greek diaspora communities. 

In a wider Christian tradition, surnames built on Anastasios / Anastasio / Anastasiadis / Anastasiu go back to Greek anastasis, “resurrection.” Glosses Anastasie and Anastasiu as surnames from the personal name Anastasio, itself from Greek Anastasios, from anastasis “resurrection,” and notes that this was widely chosen among early Christians because of its religious symbolism.

Slavic Easter Names: The "Great Day"

Slavic languages took a different approach to naming Easter, focusing on concepts of "greatness" or "resurrection" rather than the Passover connection. :

South Slavic: Resurrection Names

• Croatian/Serbian: Uskrs/Vaskrs (from the root meaning "resurrection")
• These gave rise to surnames like Uskršić and Vaskrsić¹⁶

West and East Slavic: Great Day/Night Names

Several Slavic languages name Easter "Great Day" or "Great Night":

• Czech: Velikonoce ("Great Night")
• Slovak: Veľká noc ("Great Night")
• Bulgarian: Великден (Velikden) ("Great Day")
• Ukrainian: Великдень (Velykden) ("Great Day")
• Belarusian: Вялікдзень (Vialikdzien) ("Great Day")¹⁷

While direct surname evidence is limited, the Ukrainian surname Velykodny (Великодний) and related forms exist, meaning "related to Easter" or "born at Easter."

Russian onomastics offers a particularly interesting Easter cluster as well. Alongside surnames built directly on Пасха ‘Easter’, one encounters forms such as Пасхин, Пасхалов, and Пасхальный, all of which point in one way or another to the Paschal lexical field, even if the exact route of formation may differ from family to family. In some cases the association is strikingly transparent: the famous bearer Алексей Пасхин was reportedly given the surname precisely because he had been found on Easter night, showing how directly the feast itself could generate a surname. Even clearer is Воскресенский, a classic Russian seminary surname derived from Воскресение Христово ‘the Resurrection of Christ’, that is, Easter in its theological sense. In Russian naming history, especially in clerical and seminary contexts, feast-days and church dedications could become family names, so that Воскресенский belongs to the same broader Christian calendar tradition as German Ostertag or Romance surnames from Pascal / Pasquale / Pascual. The Russian/Ukrainian surname Паско (Pasko) represents an Eastern adaptation, later Romanized as Pascoe in 18th-19th century migrations, creating linguistic convergence with the Cornish surname.¹⁸

English Variants: Medieval Transformations

Beyond Pascoe, English developed several Easter surname variants:

• Paschal (direct borrowing from Latin/French)
• Paschall (variant spelling)
• Paskell (phonetic variant)
• Pasco (shortened form)¹⁹

These surnames appear in medieval records. Simon Pascoe appears in the 1372 Court Rolls of Colchester, Essex, making it one of the earliest recorded instances of the surname.²⁰

Why Easter Names? Cultural and Religious Context

Feast Day Naming Tradition

Medieval Europeans commonly named children after the feast day on which they were born or baptized. This practice honored the saint or religious celebration and provided an easy way to remember birth dates in largely illiterate societies.

Honoring Saint Paschal

The popularity of Easter names received a significant boost from Pope Paschal I (d. 824) and later from Saint Paschal Baylon (1540-1592), a Spanish Franciscan friar canonized in 1690. Interestingly, Baylon was born on Pentecost (not Easter itself), but received the name because Pentecost in Spain was called "the Pasch of the Holy Ghost."²¹

After Baylon's canonization, it became common to give the name Pascal to children born on his feast day (May 17) rather than strictly on Easter.

Religious Symbolism

Easter names carried deep religious meaning:

• Resurrection and renewal: The core Easter message
• Paschal Lamb: Christ as the sacrificial lamb (Latin Agnus Dei)
• Spring rebirth: Easter's connection to agricultural cycles and new life

Easter Food Surnames: A German Tradition

The German onomastics research center recently explored Easter-themed surnames related to traditional foods,²² revealing fascinating naming patterns:

Lämmlein (Little Lamb)

This surname (borne by about 273 people in Germany) is primarily a shortened form of the given name Lambert, but can also indicate:

• An occupational name for a shepherd specializing in lambs
• A metaphorical name for a gentle, meek person
• A connection to the Easter lamb tradition

In English there is Lamb; in Spanish Cordero means “young lamb”; in Italian Agnelli / Agnello goes back to agnello “lamb.” These are real surname families, although they are not always specifically “Easter surnames” in the narrow sense; they can also be nicknames, occupational names, or names motivated by Christian symbolism more broadly.

Eieresser (Egg-Eater)

An extremely rare surname (only ~15 bearers) that straightforwardly indicates someone known for their fondness for eggs—perhaps particularly relevant during Easter when eggs accumulated during Lent's prohibition on eating them.

Rübenkönig (Turnip King)

Not directly Easter-related, but connected through the Easter Bunny's association with carrots. This surname (about 135 bearers) was given to farmers particularly successful in growing root vegetables - perhaps supplying the abundant carrots needed for Easter celebrations.

Geographic Distribution: A Global Phenomenon

Easter surnames show fascinating geographic patterns reflecting both medieval Christendom and later migration:

Highest concentrations:

• Pascal: France, Belgium, francophone Africa (former colonies)
• Pasquale: Southern Italy, especially Campania and Sicily
• Pascual: Spain, Latin America (Mexico, Argentina, Philippines)
• Pascoe: Cornwall (UK), Australia, South Africa, United States
• Paschalis: Greece, Cyprus, Greek diaspora

Unexpected presences:

• Belarus leads in Pascal surname counts (29,611) despite Orthodox Christianity - likely due to Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth historical influence
• Rwanda and Tanzania show significant Pascal populations due to Belgian colonial ties
• Philippines has numerous Pascual surnames from Spanish colonial period²³

Modern Usage: Easter Names Today

While surnames remain fixed, Easter-related given names continue to be used:

Still popular:

• Pascal (France, Netherlands, Germany)
• Pasquale (Italy, particularly the south)
• Pascual (Spain, Latin America)

Declining:

• Pascoe as a given name (now primarily a surname)
• Most Easter-themed names face competition from modern naming trends

Variant traditions:

• Anastasia (Greek: "resurrection") has become popular globally, though not always with conscious Easter association
• Dominica/Dominic ("of the Lord/Sunday") maintains connections to Easter Sunday

Academic Resources and Further Reading

For those interested in deeper research into Easter surnames:

Essential References:

1. Hanks, Patrick, Richard Coates, and Peter McClure. The Oxford Dictionary of Family Names in Britain and Ireland. Oxford University Press, 2016.
   • Comprehensive coverage of Pascal, Pascoe, Paschal variants in British Isles
2. Hanks, Patrick (ed.). Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition. Oxford University Press, 2022.
   • Covers Americanized forms and migration patterns of Easter surnames
3. De Felice, Emidio. Dizionario dei cognomi italiani. Mondadori, 1978.
   • Standard reference for Italian Pasquale and variants
4. Morlet, Marie-Thérèse. Dictionnaire étymologique des noms de famille. Perrin, 1997.
   • French surname etymologies including Pascal

5. Hanks, Patrick and Flavia Hodges. A Dictionary of First Names, 2nd edition. Oxford University Press, 2006.
   • Etymology and usage of Pascal, Pasquale as given names
6. Reaney, P.H. and R.M. Wilson. A Dictionary of English Surnames, 3rd edition. Routledge, 1997.
   • Medieval English records of Paschal, Pascoe

Online Resources:

7. Namenforschung.net (German Center for Onomastics Research)
   • https://www.namenforschung.net/
   • Easter specials on German Easter-related surnames
8. Behind the Name
   • https://www.behindthename.com/
   • Etymologies and usage statistics for Pascal and variants
9. Geneanet Surname Database
   • https://en.geneanet.org/
   • Geographic distribution and family trees for Easter surnames

Conclusion: Easter's Onomastic Legacy

Easter surnames represent one of Christianity's most visible impacts on European naming traditions. From Cornwall to Calabria, from Paris to Poznań, millions of people today carry surnames that proclaim - knowingly or not - their ancestors' connection to Christianity's most important feast.

These names embody:

• Religious devotion: Medieval families' faith expressed through naming
• Temporal marking: Birth during Holy Week permanently recorded in family identity
• Cultural diffusion: How Christian traditions spread across Europe and beyond
• Migration patterns: Cornish Pascoes in Australia, Spanish Pascuals in the Philippines, French Pascals in Rwanda

Whether spelled Pascal, Pasquale, Pascoe, or Pascual, these surnames remain a testament to Easter's enduring cultural significance - a spring celebration of resurrection that gave birth to family names still flourishing today.

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References

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This article was researched and written for the onomastics community. For corrections or additions, please contact the author.

Footnotes

1. Campbell, Mike. "Pascal." Behind the Name. https://www.behindthename.com/name/pascal ↩

2. Hanks, Patrick (ed.). Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition. Oxford University Press, 2022. Entry: "Paschal." ↩

3. "Surname Pascal: Geographic Distribution." FamilyNames.org. https://familynames.org/surname/pascal ↩

4. "Pasquale." Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pasquale ↩

5. "Pascale Surname Meaning and Distribution." Surnam.es. https://surnam.es/pascale-surname ↩

6. "Pascua Surname Origins." MyHeritage. https://lastnames.myheritage.com/last-name/pascua ↩

7. Hanks, DAFN2, Entry: "Pasqual." ↩

8. "Pascoe Surname Meaning, History & Origin." Select Surnames. https://selectsurnames.com/pascoe/ ↩

9. "About the Pascoe Surname." Malpas Genealogy. https://malpas2dude.tripod.com/Pascoe_Name.html ↩

10. Ibid. ↩

11. Ibid. ↩

12. "Paschal (surname)." Geneanet. https://en.geneanet.org/surnames/PASCHAL ↩

13. Ibid. ↩

14. "Das Ostermahl – oder: kein Hase ohne Möhre." Namenforschung.net. https://www.namenforschung.net/specials/ostern-2026/ ↩

15. Hanks, DAFN2, Entry: "Paschal." ↩

16. "Names of Easter." Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Names_of_Easter ↩

17. Ibid. ↩

18. "Pascoe." Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pascoe ↩

19. "Pascoe Last Name Origin." SurnameDB. https://surnamedb.com/Surname/Pascoe ↩

20. Ibid. ↩

21. "Pascal (given name)." Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pascal_(given_name) ↩

22. "Das Ostermahl." Namenforschung.net. 2026. ↩

23. Geographic distribution data compiled from Geneanet, FamilyNames.org, and various national surname databases. ↩