ВОПРОСЫ ОНОМАСТИКИ | PROBLEMS OF ONOMASTICS

Ekaterina Stanislavovna Evdokimova
National Research University Higher School of Economics; Russian State Archive of Ancient Documents, Moscow, Russia

Anna Feliksovna Litvina
National Research University Higher School of Economics, Moscow, Russia

Fjodor Borisovich Uspenskij
V. V. Vinogradov Institute of Russian Language of the RAS, Moscow, Russia

NAMES AND NAME DAYS IN THE ACCOUNTING BOOKS OF THE PATRIARCH’S COURT OF THE 17TH CENTURY

For citation
Evdokimova, E. S., Litvina, A. F., & Uspenskij, F. B. (2025). Names and Name Days in the Accounting Books of the Patriarch’s Court of the 17th Century. Voprosy onomastiki, 22(3), 39–83. https://doi.org/10.15826/vopr_onom.2025.22.3.029

Received on 5 February 2025
Accepted on 22 June 2025

Abstract: This article examines the records of name days in a little-studied and largely unpublished source — the accounting books of the Patriarchal Court. These archival registers, which resemble financial ledgers, list daily expenditures from the Patriarchal treasury, including a recurring item — the bestowal of icons as blessings. Such blessings were routinely given to individuals visiting the Patriarch on the occasion of their name day, an event that was typically marked by the presentation of a pie from the guest and the receipt of an icon in return. Since these occasions were carefully recorded, the accounting books provide a rare empirical window into the social practice of name-day observance in Muscovite Russia. A comparative analysis with the Eastern Christian calendar shows that most visits correspond precisely with the commemorations of baptismal name saints. This alignment makes it possible to identify the patron saints associated with individuals named in the sources. The article also explores anomalous or “untimely” name-day celebrations, offering hypotheses for such deviations, one of which may relate to the practice of dual Christian names. Further attention is given to the liturgical calendar, particularly the intersection between name-day observances and periods of fasting, as well as the ceremonial strategies adopted by members of the royal family. These findings shed new light on the uniquely Russian tradition of name-day celebration, its calendar logic, and its integration into both lay and elite devotional life. The appendix provides a ranked list of saints whose names were most frequently recorded in the Patriarchal Court supplies books, offering a quantitative insight into name-day patterns and the popularity of particular saintly patrons.

Keywords: anthroponymy; Russia of the 17th century; name days; naming; baptismal name; church calendar; cult of saints; veneration of personal heavenly patrons; dual Christian naming; name-day pie

Acknowledgements
The publication was prepared using the results of the project Language, Literature, Culture in the Historical and Social Dimension, implemented within the framework of the HSE Fundamental Research Program in 2025.

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