PERSONAL NAMES DYNAMICS: CASE STUDY OF RADEKHIV DISTRICT OF LVIV REGION

Abstract

The article considers the issue of male and female names dynamics on the anthroponymic material of the Radekhiv district, Lviv region, within the period of 1970–2020. The study has revealed the specific weight of each of these statistic groups in the highlighted periods. The research findings have provided grounds to determine the most commonly used names in the studied fifty-year period, the core of stable names, changes in the set of commonly used names, the preservation of classic and the emergence of new names, the frequency of onyms use in six sections. The article substantiates the reasons that influenced the update and expansion of the commonly used names range. The analysis of the changes that occurred in the period from 1970 to 2020 in the male and female anthroponymicon of Radekhiv district of Lviv region shows that there existed noticeable conservatism in the choice of names for boys and girls and predisposition to some names. A constant and compact set of names is characteristic of this period. In addition, the study has revealed a significant concentration of names – a small number of them were given to most newborns. Such phenomenon as standardization has become widespread. But, since the beginning of the 21st century, we have recorded the renewal and expansion of the range of both male and female names. The traditional names were in their majority in the anthroponymic system of Radekhiv district of Lviv region until 2000. But family traditions are organically connected with the individual preferences and fashion for names. This factor has become the main motivator of choosing a name and stimulated the formation of a narrowed group of trendy male and female names and caused the withdrawal from circulation of many anthroponyms that occupied positions in the peripheral part of the noun. The situation with choosing names has significantly changed in the 21st century. The most striking innovations in the anthroponymy of this time are, without any doubt, numerous borrowings, multi-component tokens that have gained documentary power.