| Abstract [eng] |
The master's thesis analyses tendencies and fashions in the selection of children's given names in Lithuania during the 3rd decade of the 21st century. In the thesis, a given name is defined as a proper noun, a non-inherited official element of personal naming, the first member of naming, given at birth and used alongside the surname, whose main function is the identification and denotation of a specific person. A given name is also described at the level of functions; the most important of these are: distinctive (identificational), legal identity, social identity, cultural identity, denotative, and symbolic (determining). The object of the research is the given names assigned to children of citizens of the Republic of Lithuania in the 3rd decade of the 21st century and the tendencies and attitudes of parents in the selection of given names, while the aim of the research is to investigate and determine the tendencies, motives, and attitudes in the selection of given names assigned to children of citizens of the Republic of Lithuania in 2020–2024, and to reveal the prevailing fashions in children's given names. The master's thesis includes 233 children's given names collected through an anonymous questionnaire survey and two datasets obtained from the State Enterprise Centre of Registers of the Republic of Lithuania, comprising a total of 18,142 children's given names. After conducting the research of the Centre of Registers data, it was determined that in 2020–2024 a consistent recurrence of the most popular given names is visible in the Lithuanian children's anthroponymicon, while the overall decrease in the number of different given names is associated with declining demographic indicators. In the layer of rare and unique given names, forms of given names from other languages were recorded, indicating the influence of globalisation, migration, and mixed families on the Lithuanian anthroponymicon. In the anthroponymicon of children of citizens of the Republic of Lithuania born abroad, greater variation in given name forms and the combination of different linguistic traditions were observed. Part of the most popular given names of children born in Lithuania and abroad are also characterised by longer continuity of usage and are associated with the naming tradition. Therefore, the thesis draws the conclusion that tradition and fashion are closely related in the process of selecting given names. The data of the anonymous survey of naming attitudes revealed that the most important criteria for parents / guardians in the selection of given names are the sound and meaning of the given name. More precisely, the form and content of the given name. Other significant criteria are the rarity of the given name, the convenience of pronunciation and spelling abroad, and the fostering of Lithuanianness (nationality). Calendar circumstances and fashionability are considered the least significant criteria. Although the respondents did not tend to name fashionability as an important factor in the selection of a given name, the recurring children's given names recorded in the survey data often reflected more general tendencies in the assignment of popular given names, which coincided with the data of the Centre of Registers. This shows general tendencies in the assignment of given names characteristic of a certain period. The study revealed that respondents evaluated a rare / unusual child's name more favourably than a very popular child's name of that generation and more often attributed social rather than symbolic significance to the name itself. An important insight is also formulated regarding the evaluation of a given name by language users. The responses obtained in the questionnaire survey revealed that, from the perspective of language users, a given name is not completely detached from the tradition of the anthroponymicon, although it is closely related to personal identity. |
