GIVEN NAMES IN TIRANA VIEWED FROM AN HISTORIC PERSPECTIVE (1907-2017)
GIVEN NAMES IN TIRANA VIEWED FROM AN HISTORIC PERSPECTIVE (1907-2017)

Summary/Abstract: Given names reflect social interactions and significant social structures at different historic periods. They are also reflections of the socio-cultural context of people relevant to their specific experience. Given names are influenced by various factors, occupations and the preservation of cultural heritage. This research paper will provide an overview of given names in Tirana vis à vis the trend on a national-wide scale, focusing largely on the five most popular names for over a century time period (1907-2017). The presentation and comparison of these data may shed light on the impact of historic changes and developments of given names. This paper will also analyse the trends related to these names in Tirana at different time periods, as a byproduct of political and historical changes in Albania. This analysis is based on the socio-onomastic theory, which deals with names in relation to the social context in which they are found. In the socioonomastic researches on first names, statistical data are also frequently used. This research is also based on data published by the Institute of Statistics in Albania (www.instat.gov.al) for the five most popular given names in every year: http://www.instat.gov.al/al/k%C3% ABrko-emrin/top-5-emrat-sipasviteve. While analysing given names in Tirana during different time periods, this socio-onomastic research shows that these names in Tirana serve a social identity function. The changes in the trends in the given names emanate from the country’s socio-political shifts.

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