Lithuanian names have a rich cultural background that reflects the language heritage and ingrained customs of the country. These names provide an intriguing window into the history and customs of the country and are firmly ingrained in its linguistic and cultural legacy.
These names have meanings that represent virtues, natural elements or familial relationships. They are frequently descended from old Baltic roots or Christian influences.
Many historical details about Lithuania, such as ancestors’ vocations and places of origin, can be learned from given names and surnames.
Investigating Lithuanian names reveals the rich fabric of the nation’s identity, highlighting the enduring legacy and distinctive qualities that set its people apart.
Let’s now look at the popular Lithuanian names we have.
POPULAR LITHUANIAN NAMES AND MEANINGS
Here we talk about popular names in Lithuania. And in this case, we would start from the male gender
Males names
Here’s a list of the most popular Lithuanian male names:
- Nojus: Nojus is a common yet elegant name in Lithuanian that would be ideal for a boy child. The Lithuanian translation of Noah is Nojus. Named after a Hebrew person, Noah is regarded in the Bible as the second ancestor of the human race. Therefore, it does make a boy’s family name highly Roman.
- Filip: Philip is also known as Filip in Lithuanian. In the Slavic region, it’s trendy and most Polish and Irish infant boys are named Filip. It’s a brief, straightforward form that would appeal to everyone else.
- Ramunas: In Lithuanian, the expression “boys will be boys” is ramunas. Being the true game-winning hero and naming your son Ramunas could not be more hilarious. The name Ramunas might suit someone who is composed. Ramus, the name’s abbreviated form, also sounds great. Nearly three out of every five boys in every region have the Lithuanian term Ramus.
- Moze: The phrase “saved from the water” has a deep significance despite its seeming casualness. It’s an intriguing name, albeit a little ambiguous and the simplest Lithuanian word to pronounce.
- Dominictas: This is an elegant and lovely name to give your baby boy in Lithuania Dominictas is the ideal option. Given that it is the name of one of Lithuania’s most accomplished and well-known basketball players, Domantas Sabonis, it is the most amazing name for your son. There is nothing more nerve-wracking than naming your son after a basketball player, if you are a fan.
Other Lithuanian names for the males includes:
- Algirdas is derived from the Old Lithuanian words “girdas” (hear) and “alga” (reward).
- Andrius, which means “manly” or “brave” in Lithuanian, is a variant of Andrew.
- Arūnas: The word meaning “morning” or “dawn”.
- Audrius: “storm” in the sense of “audra.”
- Dainius: From the verb “dainuoti,” which means “to sing.”
- Darius: a Persian word meaning “rich” or “possessor.”
- Dominic, which is pronounced by the Lithuanians as “Dominykas,” means “belonging to the Lord.”.
- Edvinas, which translates to “rich friend” in Lithuanian, is Edwin.
- Giedrius: “Clear” or “serene” in meaning.
- Gintaras: “Amber” is the word.
- Henrikas: “Home ruler” is the meaning of the Lithuanian form . This name is popularly known in our present time as Henry.
- Ignas: From the word Ignatius, which means “fiery” or “ardent.”
- Jonas: “God is gracious” is the meaning of the Lithuanian variant of John.
- Juozas: A Lithuanian variant of Joseph that means “God will increase” .
- Karolis: which means “free man” in Lithuanian, is the form of Charles.
- Kazimieras: is translated to “proclaimer of peace” and is the Lithuanian version of Casimir
- Laurynas: This means “from Laurentum” or “crowned with laurel.” It is the Lithuanian variant of Laurence.
- Lukas: which means “from Lucania” in Lithuanian, is the form of Luke.
- Mantas: “Thoughtful” or “wise” is the abbreviated form of Mantvydas.
- Mindaugas: From components that signify “much glory”
- Paulius: Which means “small” or “humble” in Lithuanian, is the form of Paul.
- Rimas: is the abbreviation for Rimvydas, which means “calm knowledge”.
- Saulius: From the word “saulė,” which means “sun.”
- Thaddeus: Tadas is the “heart” or “courageous” Lithuanian translation of.
- Vaidotas: Derived from the words “knowledge” and “seeing.”
Female names
Here’s a list of the most popular female name in Lithuanian
- Lina: The name Lina comes from the Lithuanian word “flax.” It is the feminine form of the term Linas; however, it does not have an English equivalent. It’s adorable, brief and appropriate for a gorgeous newborn girl. It’s also one of the most well-liked names for Lithuanian infant girls.
- Egle: Another short and intriguing name for a newborn girl is Egle. This historical name is associated with an old fairy tale in which a heroine marries a sea serpent king. Eagle is a Lithuanian name that means “spruce.” The reason for this is that the lady eventually transforms into a spruce tree after the king betrays her.
- Roze: Is there a word with a more majestic ring than Roze? One of the Lithuanian baby names that has long been regarded as traditional, elegant, and hospitable is Roze. It means simply “rose,” as you may probably guess, and Roze can never go wrong for someone whose cheeks are as red as a rose. On the other hand, Roze is the Lithuanian equivalent of the Russian term Roza.
- Stanislava: Do you enjoy stargazing at night and counting stars until it’s time to go to sleep? Would you mind giving your newborn daughter the same ardor and affectionate name? Stanislava, which translates to “star” in Lithuanian, is the ideal name for your newborn daughter, who has starry eyes. Simply address her as Stanislava to sense her value.
- Motina is a feminine baby name that means “mother” in its literal sense. Nothing compares to the authenticity and significance of this Lithuanian word. Given that it is a valuable word in Lithuanian, your daughter will be overjoyed to acquire this name.
Other Lithuanian female names include:
- Aistė: Pronounced “aistis,” which means “ocean” or “sea.
- Aušra: This name means “dawn”.
- Birutė: From the word “birus,” which means “nimble” or “quick.”
- Daiva: Denotes “fate” or “destiny”.
- Dovas: The word “dove” or “peace” comes from the Greek word
- Eglė: A very popular female name which means “spruce tree.”
- Giedrė: means the word “clear” or “serene.”
- Ingrida: “Beautiful” or “beloved” is how the Lithuanian word” translates from Ingrid.
- Irena is the name Irene, spelled “peace.”
- Jūratė :Obtained from “jūra”, which signifies “sea”.
- Kristina is Christina, spelled as “follower of Christ” in Lithuanian.
- Meaning “luck” or “fate” is Laima.
- Laura: “Victory” or “laurel” are implied.
- Milda: Means “tender” or “flax”. This name is derived from the name of the love goddess from Lithuania.
- Monika: is the Lithuanian name for Monica; it means “advisor” or “truth.”
- Nijolė: This is an ambiguous word that may refer to “snow” or “white.”
- Rasa is the Lithuanian word for “dew.”
- Rūta is the Lithuanian word for “rue” (a kind of herb).
- Sigita: is the Lithuanian word for “protection” or “guardian.”
- Simona: is the Lithuanian name for Simone; it means “heard” or “God has heard.”
- Sonata: is derived from the musical term “sonata.”
- Vaida: This is the Lithuanian word for “priestess.”
- Victorija: This is the Lithuanian name for Victoria,f it means “victory.”
- Živilė: This is the Lithuanian word for “alive” or “living.”
STRUCTURE OF LITHUANIAN NAMES
Like in most European cultures, a Lithuanian personal name is composed of two primary components: the family name (pavardė) and the given name (vardas).
In Lithuania, civil law, canon law, and tradition are the three main governing bodies when it comes to the use of personal names, aside from individual preferences and family traditions. Lithuanian names adhere to the laws of the language at all times, even to this present day.
Male names in Lithuania still end in one of the Indo-European masculine suffixes (-as, -is, or -us). Even with foreign names, these gendered ends are maintained.
The Lithuanian names for every individual always go with the pattern of having a given name (Vardas) and a surname (Parvarde).
Given name (Vardas)
In Lithuania, a child often receives one or two given names. These days, it is uncommon to use the second given name in casual settings. Parents can select a name or names for their kid from a lengthy list of traditional names in addition to contemporary names.
Surname (Parvarde)
Like most of Europe, Lithuanian surnames are inherited and often patrilineal—that is, they are passed down from the father to his offspring. Lithuanian surnames are classified formally into two categories: Lithuanian and non-Lithuanian.
The partially Lithuanized ends -auskas, -iauskas, -inskas, -ickas, -eckis, -avičius, -evičius, or -iškis for males and their corresponding forms for married and unmarried females are currently present in non-Lithuanian surnames, which are mainly of Slavic origin. This is mostly because of historical factors, such as the Grand Duchy of Lithuania’s use of Ruthenian as its official written language rather than Lithuanian, given that the Baltic language was not written down until the sixteenth century.
DERIVATION OF LITHUANIAN SURNAMES (FAMILY NAMES)
We are going to see how different Lithuanian surnames are derived based on different origins; several groups of Lithuanian family names may be recognized.
Ancient Names: A number of surnames evolved from the ancient Lithuanian personal names, such as Budrys, Girdenis, Tylenis, Vilkas, Amantas, Bukantas, Rimgaila, Vizgirda, and Tarvydas.
Cognominal Names: A cognominal surname derives from a person’s nickname, usually based on a physical or character trait. Examples: Naujokas, Naujokaitis, from naujas (“new one”); Kairys, Kairelis, “leftie”, from kairė (“left side”).
Occupational Names: These names are derived from a certain occupation that may have been so common in a family bloodline. Examples of occupational surnames: Kalvis, Kalvelis, Kalvaitis—from kalvis (“blacksmith”)
Toponymic Name: A toponymic surname usually derives from the name of a village or town or the name of a topographic feature. Examples: Užugiris – from across the forest (už girios); Kalnietis – from the mountains (kalnai).
Patronymic Name: A patronymic surname derives from the given name of a person and usually ends in a suffix suggesting a family relationship. Examples: Jonaitis, Janavičius, Januitis – derived from Jonas (John); Adomaitis, Adamonis – derived from Adomas (Adam); Lukauskis, Lukša, Lukošius, Lukoševičius – derived from Lukas (Luke).
GENDER SPECIFIC ENDINGS IN LITHUANIAN SURNAMES AND GIVEN NAMES
One of the oddities that foreigners who come visiting normally pick up is the distinction between married and single women’s surnames and those of males.
Married women’s surnames are created by adding the suffix -iene to the male surname and removing the ending; some examples of such surnames are Zujus – Zujiene (or Zujuviene), Katilius – Katiliene, and Varnas – Varniene. A
s a result, the suffix -iene has the same meaning as the English Mrs. preceding the name of a married lady.
The endings -aite, -yte, -ute, and -te are added to the surnames of single women. For instance, Katilius becomes Katiliute, Zujus becomes Zujute, Varnas becomes Varnaite, and Banys becomes Banyte.
Below are some popular Lithuanian names divided into their masculine form, married (widowed) feminine form and unmarried (single feminine form).
Paulauskas (Masculine form), Paulauskienė ( Married or widow feminine form) Paulauskaitė (Single feminine form).
Bimbirysk (Masculine) Bimbirienė (Unmarried feminine) Bimbirytė (Single feminine form)
Adamkus (Masculine form), Adamkienė ( Married or widow feminine form), Adamkutė (Single feminine form).
Mielkuvienė (Masculine form), Mielkienė ( Married or widow feminine form), Mielkutė (Single feminine form).
Kulesius (masculine form), Kuliešienė (married or widow feminine form), Kulusššiūtė (single feminine form).
