THE CULT OF SAINTS AS A MOTIVATION FOR CHOOSING A NAME IN THE DALESZYCE PARISH IN THE 17TH – 19TH CENTURIES (ON THE EXAMPLE OF CALENDAR NAMES)

Abstract

The aim of the article is to present the share of calendar names in the name system of the parish of Daleszyce (Świętokrzyskie Province) in the years 1602–1617, 1702–1717, 1802–1817 and to compare the degree of popularity of names introduced among boys and girls. The article also attempts to create the most objective tool possible to answer the question to what extent the motivation for naming was determined by the cult of saints. The research material was excerpted from Latin record books (births and baptisms). I analyzed the names of boys and girls from the town of Daleszyce and a dozen nearby villages belonging to the parish. The conducted research allowed to conclude that brought names constitute as much as 74% of all baptismal names subjected to the study (they are definitely dominant among boys – 82% compared to 61%). Giving baptized children names according to the names in the calendar was the basic motive for choosing a godfather name for the child in all analyzed ages.