Estonia is a country located in northeastern Europe, on the coast of the Baltic Sea. Neighboring countries are Russia, Latvia, Finland, Sweden. The country's population is multinational: in addition to Estonians, Russians and Ukrainians, Belarusians and Finns live there. It was multinationality as a factor that influenced the current Estonian female names. Therefore, it is not surprising that some names have a sound that is not traditional for Estonia itself, although some of them in the course of history have been redone in the Estonian way.
A bit of history
Like all other names, Estonian female names changed at different historical stages. After the spread of the Christian faith in Estonia, many began to call children according to the Catholic calendar. Hence, in everyday life, many names appeared that in their root had religious meanings. By the way, they are still used. Some names are artificial in their origin, and the second ones are generally taken from the epic (Aino's name came from Kalevala). Now the process of naming is largely influenced by the Russians living in Estonia - their percentage, compared with the indigenous population, is still large.
Beautiful Estonian female names are by no means uncommon, and they can include both simple, easy-to-remember names, and rarely encountered with the original sound.
Names specific in Estonia
The variability of names in history only grows over time. This is affected by differences in the spelling of some names. Recent fashion is double names. Since the country gravitates toward the West rather than the east, the names “international” are introduced into circulation, which could be easily understood by Europeans. However, it cannot be said that residents are cheating on themselves: old female Estonian names are still beloved by ear (for example, Maria, Laura). Some old names have inevitably sunk into the past, although they were once very popular - for example, the name Christina. At the beginning of the twentieth century. The female names Linda, Hilda, Salme and Olga were popular, but they have now also exhausted themselves and are rare.
What is always a priority?
What beautiful Estonian names for girls exist:
- Annika - translated as "grace"
- Laura - initially interpreted as "crowned with a laurel"
- Sofia - adopted the meaning of "wisdom" from the ancient Greek language. This name leads in the frequency of references, besides it is "old-timer"
- Alice - a name that is one of the forms of the name Alice, is translated as "noble." Second place in popularity! In 2014, girls were named 74 "Alice" 74 times. The name is truly aristocratic
- Brigitte - interpreted as “virtue”
- Kirke is a word that some say is included in the section “Estonian female names” from religion: “kirche” means a temple. Now it is translated into Russian as "Sunday"
- Lisette - a diminutive form from "Elizabeth"
- The name Emma has an entertaining multivariate history of origin. According to one judgment, it is German, and means “whole”, “universal”. Others believe that it is of Jewish origin, meaning "God is with us." The next version is the original Latin name and is translated only as “precious”, “sincere”. There are violent supporters that the name Emma has Arabic roots and translates as “true”, “reliable”. It is also believed that this name characterizes a very proud girl. It occupies the 8th-9th place in popularity in Estonia. So, for example, in 2014, the name Emma was used to name newborn girls 55 times. For Estonia - an impressive indicator!
- Helena is a rare name for Estonia (means "Bright"). We can say that it is traditional. The name Janik (“River”) should also be included in these. The first name is often credited with the traits of idealization of the surrounding world, a craving for perfection; and the second, it is believed, forms a real leader from the girl. However, these names were not included in the top number of adverbs (according to data for 2014).
To be in a trend or not to be in a trend?
Now a wave of popularity has washed ashore the names of Maria, Sofia and Laura. You might think that the name Maria is given to their daughters only by Russian-speaking parents living in Estonia, but this is not so. Indigenous Estonians also love him. Equally popular, regardless of the nationality of the country's inhabitants, is the name Anna.
What about Europe?
Openness to Europe is forcing Estonians to use English names. If a foreigner travels abroad, it is in his interests that his name be clear, recognizable, so that he can be reprimanded. For example, a woman bearing the Estonian name Kryyt is unlikely to feel comfortable communicating with foreigners.
Where to look?
Data on the frequency of assigned names, if desired, can be found out on the website of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Estonia. This is absolutely legal, since since 2000 it has been publishing press releases on its website, where information on the names was submitted every month. Initially, only the rarest names given to newborns could be found on the site. Later, data on the names that were given most often began to be published. The resource is available in three languages: Estonian, Russian and English.
