Неканонические имена белого духовенства в истории русского языка

Русская речь. 2026. Т. 4. С. 57–78.

Budennaya E.

This study analyzes non-calendar and hypocoristic Christian names
within the Russian white clergy. It identifi es two active periods of name for-
mation using Slavic hypocoristic suffi xes: the 11th — 14th centuries (peaking
in the 12th) and the 16th — 17th centuries.
The fi rst period is tied to the general adoption of Christian names, where
diminutive forms acted as an intermediate stage. While the clergy’s naming
practices showed some similarity to secular ones, key differences existed:
usage among priests was less frequent and more irregular. Furthermore,
these hypocoristics (e. g., Petrilo, Ivanko) correlated with a priest’s low
socio-legal status and carried a pejorative connotation.
The second period is linked to the development of offi cial document styles.
In the 16th — 17th centuries, the regular use of diminutives with the suf-
fi x -ishche (e. g., Ivanishche, Petrishche) became established in petitions
(as a sign of self-deprecation) and in formal records where priests witnessed
transactions, highlighting their auxiliary role. Nicknames also began to
serve a similar pragmatic function.
The study refines the history of Russian anthroponymy, tracing the deve-
lopment of pejorative meanings in diminutive suffi xes and clearly defi ning
the specifi c social and stylistic contexts of their use for the white clergy.

Keywords: древнерусский язык, diachrony, corpus analysis, корпусный анализ, Old Russian, личное имя, personal name, hypocorism, гипокористика, pejorative meaning