What's in a Name?

May 12, 2008

A name is one life’s most valuable possessions. Our names are the foundation of our professional and personal reputations, and are an important part of our personal and professional identities. You might be Mr. Smith at work, but John with your friends, and your behavior subtly changes to fit the alias. Furthermore, names are often an important part of one’s cultural heritage, and thus Kazak names are very different from American ones in regards to the structure and the names themselves.

First, when introducing yourself in Kazakhstan, you give your last name first rather than the American custom of giving your first name first. Also, while in America people have at least two to three given names, in Kazakhstan there is only one- the first name. The “middle name” is just a patronymic. For example, had I been born in Kazakhstan, my name would not be McKenzie Lawrence Mullally Clark, rather it would be Clark McKenzie Daviduli, as “uli” means “son of”. Thus, it is probably much easier for parents to name their children here in Kazakhstan since two of the three are just “fill-in-the-blank.”

The structure is not the only thing that is different about Kazak names, however. American names like John, Sara, or Kimberly do not usually mean anything, even if they do have a long cultural or family history, but Kazak names can actually be translated. Some common names are Aigarum which means “splendid moon”, Temirzhon or “iron soul, Karakoz which means “black eyes” Tolganai or full moon, and Bakhyt, which means happiness. In class, when I am not struggling to say the name in the first place, I often like to think about what it means, and if they have actually live up to their name. Still, even if there are not “iron souls” in my class, I count myself lucky that none of my students deserve the name Akhmak, which means stupid.