47 replies to this topic

[Anoushik]

What? You don't know what A-FREAK-IAN means???

Afrikyan, from Africa! Right? But how did it come to be an Armenian surname?

[Gor-Gor]

Maybe it might have something to do with the Ethiopian Armenians. An ancestor may have been an Ethiopian Armenian, or married one, etc.

[Eloren]

I guess Nahabedian is kind of obvious isn't it? I shouldn't ask

[kakachik77]

How about Arabian? Does this mean they are arabs or lived amongst arabs? Weird last name.

[Takoush]

Zournelian sounds strange to me.

Zafirian isn't an Armenian name.

Keropegian is another strange name.

[gamavor]

How about Arabian? Does this mean they are arabs or lived amongst arabs? Weird last name.

Arabian comes from "araba" which as far as I know means "cart" or "car".

[Arpa]

Arabian comes from "araba" which as far as I know means "cart" or "car".

Yes Gams, araba means cart. I don’t have a good Arabic dictionary to see why a cart is known such. My Persian dictionary corroborates it. I don’t know why the cart was called so. Could it be that the Turks saw wheeled vehicles first time when they arrive in the Middle East?
There are surnames as Arabian, in which case it refers to Arab, and there are surnames - Arabajian (That cursed turkifying “J” again!!)
Conduct a google and see how many (hundreds) hits you get for “arabajian”.
Below one of them. I corrupted some of the info.
It incidentally means “cart maker” or “cart driver”.
I have known a family whose surname was Araboglu-ian. Why were they called araboglu knowing that Turks disdain Arabs. Of course, yet another way to insult(?) us.
If they only were as noble as the Arabs!!

Levon Arabajian
Prof. Dr., Armenian State Pedagogical University
Personal Data Birthday: Mar 23, 1949
Address: Khandjian 5, 37010 Yerevan, Armenia
Tel: (+374 1) 5....
E-mail:
Fields of Interests - Theory of differential and integral equations,
- Mathematical physics,
- Transfer theory,
- Convolution type integral equations,
- Nonlinear functional analysis.
Memberships Armenian Mathematical Union (AMU)
Education Graduate: Leninakan (Gyumry) State Pedagogical Institute, 1967-1972
Post Graduate: Armenian State Pedagogical Institute, 1974-1978

[Zartonk]

Araba is surley Arabic, but I don't know to what extent Arabs use it. Persians still do.

By the way, the most strange and un-Armenian last name that I have ever come across is Bozabalian.

[Arpa]

Araba is surley Arabic, but I don't know to what extent Arabs use it. Persians still do.

By the way, the most strange and un-Armenian last name that I have ever come across is Bozabalian.

Don’t even go there!
You are torturing me with recurring nightmares when we came so close to enthrone him as Amenayn Hayots.
http://www15.dht.dk/..._1999_ii-e.html
"It may be assumed beyond doubt that the extra amount of time thus granted the delegates and the leadership of the Church prior to the election itself, was spent discussing the candidates and discuss opinions. The picture emerging over the last couple of days seems the same, the election most likely to take place tomorrow will be between two candidates, archbishop Karekin Nersessian (48 years old), a dynamic bishop for many years in the Ararat Diocese with Yerevan as its center and Nerses Bozabalian (62 years old), churchman and theologian and the chancellor of St. Etchmiadzin."
BTW. His late sister, Luisa was an operatic soprano that gave me shivers with her wagnerian voice and stature while at the same timecaused me to vomit with her surname.
They should consider to improving their surname to “bokhabalian”.
Who is forcing us to live (die) with such disgusting names!!!

[Zartonk]

I have met himm, and he recentley recieved the Mashtots medal if Im not mistaken.

His late sister, Luisa was an operatic soprano that gave me shivers with her wagnerian voice and staturewhile at the same timecaused me to vomit with her surname.

Mekhk e, mekhk..

Edited by Zartonk, 03 March 2006 - 10:53 AM.

[Arpa]

I have met himm, and he recentley recieved the Mashtots medal if Im not mistaken.
Mekhk e, mekhk..

BTW, I sang with Luisa when she was featured as Zerlina in Don Giovanni at Baalbek.
Am I dating myself?
So be it, Amen/Ամէն, "I trust/believe".
When some of us come here and assume there is nothing to our culture other than that we are the "first Christian/idiots"!!

Edited by Arpa, 03 March 2006 - 11:09 AM.

[Arpa]

As I was reading that thread about “HyeMer” in another topic I remembered this.
This also shows that those Turkish, so called Armenian surnames are not necessarily coined by the Turks, but by ottomanized and turkified Armenians. Yes! Ourselves.
Please note that the suffix “ji” to denote one’s profession or trade is NOT Armenian. Consider a (manufactured) surname like Khachkar-ji-ian. One can only wish that we had a shorter and more concise way to describe a khachkar maker besides “khach-kar-a-gorts-ian!!!
Coming back to Hayr Mer- When we were young there was a man in our neighborhood known as “hayrmerji Armen”. Yes his given name was Armen/Armenak.
He was known such just as his entire family. We could not understand why. We did not know his real surname, if even he had one. Until, one day it suddenly dawned on me. Armen was a devout Catholic Armenian, he was devout and a very good man. Finally, I observed that whenever he ran into a group of children he would gather them around and recite the HayrMer and proceed to teach them the words.
Hence, his “turko-Armenians labeled him as “hayrmerji Armen”.
Did he eventually succumb and amend his surname to coincide with the popular culture?
Has anyone seen a surname Hayr-mer-ji-ian?
I have!

[Boghos]

How about Otuzbirian? )
Kurdoglian?
Gozubuyukian?

[Aubépine]

How about Otuzbirian? )

You can't be serious can you?

[Arpa]

How about Otuzbirian? )
Kurdoglian?
Gozubuyukian?

For those who are not fluent in Turkish the first one above is a euphemism for that fruitless exercise of wasting one’s sperms. Was that name created to describe one of own former who comes here day after day spreading his fruitless excretions?
Boghos, you must have been reading my minds. I have known people with names like Kurdoglian, and a few day ago I did search the net to see how many there still are. I was floored! Try it!
How about Altibarmakian ( actual, please search. I can explain). Then again, as to Gozuboyukian… My take to it is even funnier, if more graphic… Gotuboyukian…?
WHY! WHY! WHY!
Must we live with such garbage? Where is that law? Who wrote it!
As to ozuboyukian, I have known a family by that name. They changed it to Aknerian. Then again. Why do we think that our sanitized surnames must be an exact tranlstaion from another era??
Please don't get any ideas that I view this subject with levity as some of my posts may suggest.
It hurts me, stabs me right in the heart, beyond description when I see our own walking/strutting around with names as the above and more.

Edited by Arpa, 26 April 2006 - 07:48 AM.

[Boghos]

Indeed dear Arpa.

Otuzbirian, btw, is a real last name.

Also Cherkezian, which is fairly common.

Edited by Boghos, 26 April 2006 - 12:39 PM.

[Vartan Mamigonian]

Sheshbeshian?

[Դրօ]

As to ozuboyukian, I have known a family by that name. They changed it to Aknerian. Then again. Why do we think that our sanitized surnames must be an exact tranlstaion from another era??
Please don't get any ideas that I view this subject with levity as some of my posts may suggest.
It hurts me, stabs me right in the heart, beyond description when I see our own walking/strutting around with names as the above and more.

My mother's maiden name used to be Gozuboyukian. For a long time that was my mother's family's name. But eventually, they changed it to Ակներեան. It actually sounds pretty, if you ask me.

I'm curious. Arpa, do you know my mother's family? Because as far as I know, my mother's family is the only family with the name A(g/k)nerian, since it's a customized Armenian name. If you type "Agnerian" in google, anyone who appears is directly related to me. Although, I still have my father's Turkish last name . I'm thinking about changing it to my mother's.

[Armenak]

I know of an Agnerian family.

[Դրօ]

Really? What are their names, if you don't mind my asking?