Glossary of pre-Christian Lithuanian names

A number of Lithuanian surnames evolved from the ancient pre-Christian Lithuanian personal names, such as Budrys, Girdenis, Tylenis, Vilkas, Amantas, Bukantas, Rimgaila, Vizgirda, Tarvydas.Juozas Kudirka, The Lithuanians: An Ethnic Portrait, section Lithuanian surnames (translation of the book: Juozas Kudirka, Lietuviai: etniniai bruožai, 1991) Many of them are of compound type, typically consisting of two stems (dithematic names), and many are of single stem.K. A. GIRVILAS, PRE-CHRISTIAN NAME GIVING IN LITHUANIA, Lituanus, Volume 24, No.3 - Fall 1978Antanas Pakerys, Dvikamienių lietuvių vyrų vardų kirčiavimas: pirmųjų dėmenų tvirtapradė priegaidė [ACCENTUATION OF LITHUANIAN COMPOUND MALE NAMES: THE ACUTE OF THE FIRST COMPONENT], (somewhat different version)Antanas Pakerys, Dvikamienių lietuvių moterų vardų kirčiavimas [Dvikamienių lietuvių moterų vardų kirčiavimas] Sometimes the order of these stems may reverse, e.g., Norvaišas vs. Vaišnoras, Tautvydas vs. Vytautas.

Some two-stemmed names have a clear etymology, arising from nicknames, such as Baltakis = Balt-akys = "White eyes". Alfred Senn suggests that such transparent names are less ancient development, while those with non-evident etymology originate from the Indo-European pra-language.Alfred Senn, Lithuanian Surnames,

A two-stemmed name may be further compounded into a patronymic cognomen/surname: Algirdas—Algirdaitis (son of Algirdas; see Lithuanian names of Vladimir Olgerdovich, Andrei of Polotsk, Dmitry of Bryansk), Žygimantas—Žygimantaitis.

Much of this glossary of stems common in ancient Lithuanian names is based on Dictionary of Lithuanian Surnames, searchable online in the Lithuanian Surname Database (LSD).Surname database; entries based on Lietuvių pavardžių žodynas, (ats. red. A. Vanagas, autoriai A. Vanagas, V. Maciejauskienė, M. Razmukaitė). Vilnius: Mokslas, 1985, T. 1; 1989, T. 2.

A Al-, Alg-; several suggested etymologies Algimantas, Algirdas, Almantas, Alminas, Alvydas Ar- Arminas, Arvydas Aš- :lt:Ašmantas, Ašvydas

B bu, but (may be first or second stem), associated with the verb "to be" (search for "Butautas" in the LSD) Butautas, Bukantas, Bukontas, Butigeidis, Butkintas/Butkus, Butnorius, Butrimas, Butvilas, Butvydas Darbutas, Gembutas, Gimbutas, Gimbutis, Kaributas, Kintibutas, Mažbutas, Narbutas, Norbutas, Seibutis, Vembutas, Vilbutas ,

D Dár-: from daryti, "to do", "to make" Darbutas, Dargis, Darvydas -dau-, most probably from daug, "much" (search for "Daubaras" in the LSD) Daumantas, Daukantas, Dautartas, Mindaugas

G -gail-; from gaileti/gailus, "sorry", or gailas, "strong" (search for "Bargaila" in the LSD) Kęsgaila, Jogaila, Rimgailė, Skirgaila, Švitrigaila, Songaila -ged-: the root from gedḗti “to regret; to be sad”, gedēuti “to ask, to search, to inquire, when missing something; to long for; to want, to desire”.GEDGAUDAS Gediminas Gedgaudas Gedvilas.... Sirgėdas -gird-, -gerd-; from girdeti, išgirsti, "hear" (search for "Girdvainis" in the LSD) Girdenis, Girdvainis, Vizgirda

K Kal- Kalmantas, Kalminas Kant- Kantautas, Kantalgas, Norkantas Kęs, Kens-, connected with kễsti (keñčia) "endure", "suffer"KĘSMINAS Kęsgaila, Kęsminas/Kesminas, Kęsminavičius, Kęstaras, Kęstartas, Kęstautas, Kęstutis, Kęsvilas, Kęsvinas

L '-leng-' , "easy", "light"LENGVYS Lengvenis, :lt:Lengvinas

M -mant- is thought to be associated with the word manyti, "to think", " to know", as in mantus, "clever", "cunning" Daumantas, :lt:Mangirdas, Mantautas, Mantvila/Montvila/Mantvilas/Montvilas, Rimantas, Sudmantas, Vidmantas, Žygimantas (search for "Manginas" in the LSD) -min- Alminas, Arminas, Lukminas, Mindaugas, Mingaila, MinvydasMINGAILA

N -nor-: from norėti, "to want" Daunoras, Noreika, Norvaišas, Vainoras, Vaišnoras, Norkantas / Norkus, Norvilas / Norvila

R Ra- Ramantas, Ratautas Rad- Radvilas, Radvila, Radvanas, Radvinas -rim- from rimti, "calm down", ramus, "calm" (search for "Rimgaila" in the LSD) Butrimas, Tautrimas, Rimantas, Rimgaila, Rimvydas

S skir-, from skirti: SKIRBUTAS Skirgaila / Skirgailė, Skirmantas sūd-: Sudmantas (Sudemunt, Sudimont, Sudymont; see :lt:Sudimantai), Sudmantis, Sudgintas, SudvinasANTANAS SALYS, JOTVINGIŲ KALBOS ASPEKTAI / BALTŲ KALBOS, Terra Jatwezenorum, 2010, 2, p. 7-22, also this link -sur-, probably from Old Prussian sur-gi, "about"SURGAILIS, Citing , "Mūsų lietuviškieji vardai", Gimtoji kalba 1933 (6–7), 86–96 Survila

T Tar- Tarvydas, Tarvilas -tau-/-taut-; "-tautas" is a very common second part. The Lithuanian word wikt:tautà is a cognate of Latvian tautà and Old Prussian tauto, all meaning "land, country, region", etc. Some examples: Butautas/Butautis, Mantautas, Vytautas, Tautginas, Tautkantas, Tautkus, Tautrimas, Tautvydas/Tautvidas

V Vaid-: Several hypotheses of Baltic roots: (1) to see, to know;Paskiausiai ieškota: Vaidila, Lietuvių kalbos etimologinio žodyno duomenų bazė, referring to Wojciech Smoczyński, "Indoeuropejskie podstawy słownictwa bałtyckiego", p. 233 In: Acta Baltico-Slavica, Vol. 14, pp. 211–240. (2) associated with the verb vaidyti ("to visit, to appear", (3) "to act" (as actor))[] or (4) vaidytis (to quarrel). Vaidila/Vaidyla/Vaidilas/Vaidilė/Vaidilutis/Vaidilutė, Vaida, Vaidas, Vaidotas/Vaidatas, Vaidutis, Vaidginas, Vaidmanas, Vaidelys/Vaidelis, Vaidulas -vel-, -vil- is associated with the word viltis, "hope" (search for "Vilbutas" in the LSD) Erdvilas, Butvilas/Butvila, Mantvila/Montvila/Mantvilas/Montvilas, Norvilas/Norvila, Radvila, Survilla, Vìlbutas, Vilmantas -vid/vyd- "to see" (a common Indo-Eropean stem; cf. išvysti, видеть, "vision") Buivydas, Buitvydas, Manvydas, Rimvydas, Tautvydas/Tautvidas, Vidmantas -vin: Kazimieras Būga reports several names with this stem:Kazimieras Būga, Apie lietuvių asmens vardus, 1911 (in archive.org, epaveldas.lt ) Buivinas, Daugvinas, Gedvinas, Kąsvinas, Kęsvinas, :lt:Lengvinas, Lingvinas, Liutvinas, Mantvinas, Mulvinas, Skirvinas, Sudvinas

Z Žei- :lt:Žeimantas, Žeimintas

Glossary of pre-Christian Lithuanian names

Bron en licentie