Surname.
In fact azganun does not really mean surname. The latter can best be described as մականուն, nickname, eponym, “mak” meaning over/above, as in makeres (surface)/epi. Azganun is dynastic name or patrinym (from the father’s name).
Some Armenian surnames are patrinymic like Hakobian etc, but mist are nicknames, specially those based on occupation., like Darbinian etc.
The burning question is why most surnames end in -ian, and when did this start?
First off, it is neither -ian or -yan, it is -ean, since if we retro transliterate Hakobian it would be either Հագոբիան or Հագոբյան while we know the correct classical form is Հագոբեան, hence Hacobean. When did the -ian become so widespread? It first appeared during the 5th c, , with the likes of Mamikonean etc. Up until then, besides the fact that common people did not have dynastic surnames (similarly in other cultures as well), until then only nobility would have dynastic, I mean dynastic names such as Aamtuni, Adruni, Gnuni etc. , the -uni ending is a legacy of Urartian times. There is one other popular Armenian surname form which is more prevalent in the Siunik region, like onts, ents, ounts etc. which actualy means from (the house of).
Even though, as mentioned above the -ian appeared as far back as the 5th c. it did not really catch up until the 19th c. when people like Zmbajian changed their names to (Petros)Tourian and Chboukarian to (Daniel) Varouzhan, Demirjibash and Beshiktashli added the -ian etc., the custom did not proliferate until after the big G, mainly thanks to the missionaries who saw it fit that Armenians have -ian endings rather than be known as Topaloghlu etc.
Of course other European cultures use the -ian ending as in Italian, Hungarian etc. The reason why we are in the habit of looking towards the west for the source of the -ian ending.. What if we look a little closer to home? Actually, whether we realize or not a surname such as the -ian is a form of plural. Just like in the English we call people in the plural form like the Joneses and the Smiths in Armenian we do the same when we call families in the plural as Hokobenq or Hakobents tun, or if we choose to call them by the father’s trade we call them Darbinenq or Darbinents tun. This brings us closer to home as to our neighbors to the south.
See below. One of the plural forms of Arabic or Aramaic is -iin/ieen specially when it comes to people and ethnicities. When those neighbors referred to us as Armani in their language the nation would be Armani-een/Ermeni-in (plural). Say it out loud and hear what it sounds like. Is that how the -iin/ieen/ian began? The timing (5th c. ) seems to be coincidental too.
Is that why some Persians have the -ian ending as well, as in Ajami and Ajami-in/een?
http://mec.sas.upenn...aba/plurals.htm
Note; below (m) stands for masculine and (f) for feminine
Also, those adjectives that end with -ii, formed from the names of countries, take these regular plural endings when they are used to describe people:
Sacuudii/Sacuudiyyuun or -iin = Saudi/s (m)
Sacuudiyyah/Sacuudiyyaat = Saudi/s (f)
cIraqii/cIraqiyyuun or -iin = Iraqi/s (m)
cIraqiyyah/cIraqiyyaat = Iraqi/s (f)
Lubnaanii/Lubnaaniyyuun or -iin = Lebanese (m)
Lubnaaniyyah/Lubnaaniyyaat = Lebanese (f)
Mirii/Miriyyuun or -iin = Egyptian/s (m)
Miriyyah/Miriyyaat = Egyptian/s (f)
Suudaanii/Suudaaniyyuun or -iin = Sudanese (m)
Suudaaniyyah/Suudaaniyyaat = Sudanese (f)
Amriikii/Amriikiyyuun or -iin = American/s (m)
Amriikiyyah/Amriikiyyaat = American/s (f)
Edited by Arpa, 24 October 2005 - 02:07 PM.
