LAIMUTIS BILKIS

Institute of the Lithuanian Language

ORCID i̇d: orcid.org/0000-0002-2902-4722

Research areas: toponymy, anthroponymy.

DOI: doi.org/10.35321/all90-05

ON THE ORIGINS OF THE OIKONYM GINŪČIAI

On the Origin of the Oikonym Ginūčiai

ABSTRACT

The article discusses the development and origin of the name of the village of Ginūčiai, located in Ignalina District Municipality. This settlement developed beside a hillfort, on which Linkmenys Castle most likely stood; the castle is first mentioned in historical sources in 1373. Therefore, in some earlier studies, the formation of the oikonym was associated with the castle’s defense, and the place name was derived from Lithuanian ginti(s) ‘to defend something after an attack; to repel an assault’.

Based on an analysis of historical-source records of the settlement’s name from the sixteenth to the twentieth century, its earlier form *Ginutėnai is reconstructed; it is first mentioned in 1554 and was used until the beginning of the twentieth century. It is established that the only variant recorded from spoken language is the present-day form Ginūčiai, which has been recorded in historical documents since the first half of the seventeenth century. From that time onward, both forms were used interchangeably, until the oikonym without the suffix -ėnai became established in the first half of the twentieth century.

The original form *Ginutėnai is derived from the patronymic personal name *Ginutėnas, whose plausibility is confirmed by the surname Ginutis, which has survived to the present day, as well as by the historical anthroponyms Piotr Ginutis, Iasiul Ginuaytis, Ginnute, Ginnuttis, Ginutatis. Emphasizing that these personal names have not been recorded in the village of Ginūčiai or its nearby environs since at least the middle of the sixteenth century, it is assumed that they may have been present there earlier. The emergence of the later form of the oikonym, Ginūčiai, is associated with the alternating use, observed in seventeenth- and eighteenth-century sources—mostly church registers—of settlement names with the suffix -ėnai and without it.

KEYWORDS: development of oikonyms, origin of oikonyms, formation of place names with the suffix -ėnai, village name Ginūčiai, personal names with the stem Ginut-.

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ANNOTATION

The article explores the evolution and origin of the name of Ginučiai village nestled within Ignalina district municipality. Positioned close to the hillfort presumed to have housed the Linkmenys castle, initially documented in historical records dating back to 1373, the settlement’s history intertwines with this fortress. Consequently, some earlier studies have linked the oikonym’s formation to the castle’s defensive nature, suggesting its origins stems from Lith. gìnti(s) ‘to save someone or something from an attack; to repel an attack’.

Based on the analysis of historical sources spanning from the 16ᵗʰ to the 20ᵗʰ century, the earlier form of the oikonym can be reconstructed as *Ginutėnai, initially documented in 1554 and remaining in use until the early 20ᵗʰ century. It is deduced that the variant Ginučiai, present in historical documents from the first half of the 17ᵗʰ century, was prevailing form in common usage. Subsequently, both forms were used interchangeably until the version without the suffix -ėnai gained prominence in the first half of the 20ᵗʰ century.

The primary form *Ginutėnai is derived from the patronymic personal name *Ginutėnas the likelihood of which is confirmed by the extant surname Ginùtis and historical anthroponyms Piotr Ginutis, Iasiul Ginutaytis, Ginnute, Ginnuttis, and Ginutatis. These names were documented in Ginučiai village or its vicinity from at least the mid-16ᵗʰ century, suggesting a probable earlier presence in this area. The emergence of the later oikonym form Ginučiai is associated with the interchangeable usage of oikonyms with or without the suffix -ėnai, evident in the 17ᵗʰ and 18ᵗʰ century sources, particularly within church records.

KEYWORDS: development of oikonyms, origin of oikonyms, formation of toponyms with the suffix -ėnai, village name Ginučiai, personal names with the stem Ginut-.

1. INTRODUCTION

The village of Ginučiai in eastern Lithuania, located in the center of Aukštaitija National Park, and its name have attracted the interest of more than one historian, linguist, or regional researcher. What fascinated them most was the settlement’s distinctive geographical location. Ginučiai lies only 1 km from the famous Ginučiai hillfort¹, on which Linkmenys Castle most probably stood, first mentioned in 1373 in Hermann Wartberg’s (Hermano Vartberges) Livonian Chronicle (SRP II 103; see also Buga I 262; Batura 1966: 34; Tyla 1966:

¹ In the living language of local inhabitants, Ginučiai hillfort is called Pìliakalnis. This oronym was recorded from local residents of the village of Pàpiliakalnė in 1935 (see LVvGDB); it was also recorded from the living language in the works of other researchers (see Erm antytė, Eigminas 1966: 234; Rimantienė 1966: 17; Vaitkevičius 2006: 335).

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24–25; Steponavičienė 31^²; LK 198–199; Baranauskas 2003: 83; Garli auskas 2004: 47–48^³. Probably because of the kinship between the village and the hillfort, the idea has repeatedly been raised that the origin of the village name may be associated with the defense of Linkmenys Castle; therefore, the oikonym Ginūčiai may derive from the Lithuanian appellative ginti ‘to rescue someone by attacking; to repel an attack’ (Matkevičius 2019: 357; Žilėnas 2019: 595). This possibility of origin is supported by the village’s geographical location—it is situated on an isthmus between lakes, beside a stream across which a road from the north to Linkmenys Castle ran; thus, at this place there may have been a barricade of felled trees protecting the castle’s surroundings from a surprise enemy attack^⁴ (Batūra 1966: 39). A connection with the Lithuanian ginti is apparently also discernible when this village name is regarded as a derivative with the suffix –ut–, although the appellative mentioned directly is not identified as the base word (Ermanytė, Eigminas 1966: 231). On the other hand, there are works in which the oikonym Ginūčiai is considered to have originated from the personal name Ginūtis (LVŽ III 188; LVvGDB). Thus, there are reasons to continue and expand research into the origin of the place name.

The aim of this article is to establish and present, on the basis of comprehensive linguistic and historical data, the most reliable possible version of the village name’s origin. To achieve this, the study seeks to register and analyze the historical records of this oikonym and its forms recorded from the living language, as well as to discuss the derivational and etymological possibilities of the historical and present-day variants of the name, taking into account the broader context of Lithuanian, or Baltic, toponymy. In addition, an attempt is made to determine whether the place name had direct connections with historical personal names of the same root. In evaluating both origin hypotheses, attention is also paid to the tendencies of place-name origin and formation throughout Lithuania and in the specific territory, as well as to tendencies in the formation of common words.

Studies of the origin of oikonyms are closely related to their developmental characteristics and to the development of the settlements they designate. Therefore, works of this kind often seek to provide as comprehensive as possible data on the history of settlement names as recorded in historical sources; such data may be crucial for determining their true origin, since older, historical forms of place names may not coincide with their present-day forms. For this reason, studies of the origin of oikonymy in various languages are based on historical forms of place names presented chronologically (cf. Przybytek 1993; Vanagas 1996; Blažienė 2000, 2005; Bijak 2001: 16–250; Wójcik 2001: 17–192; Casemir

^² The work has not been published; the exact time of its completion is unknown.

^³ Although locating Lithuanian castles mentioned in early historical sources is often difficult and gives rise to considerable debate (cf. Jurgaitis 2005: 63–80), apparently no alternative views have been expressed regarding the established location of Linkmenys Castle.

^⁴ Attention is also drawn to the fact that a folk tale likewise connects the village name with defense in ancient times: Earlier, when there were wars, when people fought with weapons and arrows, this was a place of defense. And that is how “Ginūčiai”—the name of the village—came about.

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2003: 37–369; Bilkis 2012; Wenzel 2017: 25–202; Zschieschang 2017: 60–145). In addition, oikonym analysis is often conducted by taking into account not only linguistic but also historical research data, which can provide additional valuable information about the origin and localization of place names (cf. Ivoška 2016: 208–225). Therefore, in elucidating the origin of the oikonym Ginučiai, an effort is also made to establish the period of the locality’s first mention in historical sources, to reveal the historical context of its later attestations, and to review the designations of the village’s inhabitants recorded in the sources. The Lithuanian forms of the settlement’s name are reconstructed by comparing the historical forms found with the features of the records of other Lithuanian oikonyms in documents of a similar period and nature. In determining which Lithuanian equivalent is represented by one or another non-Lithuanian record, numerous analogous renderings of that equivalent attested in the historical Lithuanian oikonymy are used as a basis.

2. HISTORICAL RECORDS OF THE OIKONYM AND FORMS OF THE LIVING LANGUAGE

The village of Ginučiai was first mentioned in the 1554 inventory of the Liñkmenys district (LI 97–98; see also Tyla 1966: 25, 32; Matkevičius 2019: 357). The settlement mentioned in the document written in Polish, Siolo Giniutańcie, was located one and a half miles from the Liñkmenys estate; a form probably in the genitive case was also recorded: za siołem Giniutańcow. On one occasion, a slightly different graphic variant was recorded: za tą wsią wyżej mianowaną Giniutancze. That this is indeed the present-day village of Ginučiai is also shown by the fact that the location of the lands belonging to the settlement coincides with the territory of present-day Ginučiai: the lands bordered the lakes of Strovinaitis (od jeziora Strawińcia), Al̄majas (od jeziora Olnia), Ašėkas (miedzy jeziorem Osakiem), Ukōjas (ku jezioru Ukaju), Liñkmenas (od jeziora Lyngmianskiego), the Srovė River (od rzeczki Strawiny, rzecz̨ką Strawiną), and a hillfort (ku horodziszcz̨u). It is also stated that at that time three families lived in the village: Stas Pietraszkiewicz z Maciulem Jakubowicz(em), Matel Piktewicz przysiężny^⁵ z Piotrem bratem, Staniel Maciejewicz z Hryczem bratem (LI 98). The settlement is also mentioned twice in the 1636 inventory of the Liñkmenys estate, then belonging to the Vilnius tiūnija: in describing the residential localities belonging to the estate, Siolo Giniutany and the inhabitants Waluk Rozmian, Piotr Staszen, Sciepan Woyszkun, Paweł Szerzan, Pawel Minat, Piotr Szerzan, Stanisław Minat, Ian karwel, Vrban Szauhozda^⁶, Petruc Gą̌żac, Vrban Kisiel, Jurko Stakun, Adam Stasun (VTL 23) are recorded (see also Figure 1).

^⁵ That is, the sworn official.

^⁶ The personal name is difficult to read, so other variants of it are possible.

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¹ FIG. The fragment of the 1636 inventory of the Vilnius tiūnija in which the village of Ginutėnai is recorded (Siolo Ginutany) and its inhabitants. VUBRS, F1–F14

In the same source, when listing the hamlets of Ginučiai village, a somewhat different genitive form of the oikonym is given: od Siola Ginutow (VTI_₁ 24). The village (Wies Ginutany) is also mentioned in the similar 1732 description of the Liñkmenys estate, which states that it contained four farms (Dymy), whose heads were identified as krzysztof Gayzuc, Iozef Narkun, Piotr Giągis, Mikal Rukas (VTI_₂ 5) (see also Figure 2).

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FIG. 2. The fragment of the 1732 inventory of the Vilnius tiūnija in which the village of Ginučėnai (Wies Ginutany) and its farms and inhabitants are recorded. VUBRS, F1–F92

The village is mentioned particularly frequently in the 18th-century parish registers of the Liñkmenys church: de Ginutany 1708 (LkmKr₁ 3), 1713 (LkmKr₁ 13), 1714 (LkmKr₁ 20), 1716 (LkmKr₁ 27), 1719 (LkmKr₁ 35), de villa Ginutany 1725 (LkmKr₁ 61), de villa Ginutani 1726 (LkmKr₁ 61), ex villa ginuťzen 1729 (LkmKr₁ 72), de Villa Ginteny 1731 (LkmKr₁ 79), de Vila ginuty 1734 (LkmKr₁ 86), de Ginutany 1740 (LkmKr₂ 3), de Ginutany 1741 (LkmKr₂ 5), de Ginuciey 1741 (LkmKr₂ 8), 1742 (LkmJₙ₂ 4; LkmKr₂ 10), 1743 (LkmKr₂ 14), de Villa Ginutény 1743 (LkmKr₂ 16), de Villa Gintieny 1743 (LkmJₙ₂ 7), de Villa Ginutany, de Villa Ginutény 1744 (LkmKr₂ 18), de Villa Ginutany 1745 (LkmJₙ₂ 7; LkmKr₂ 20), de Ginučie 1746 (LkmKr₂ 22), de Villa Ginutany 1746 (LkmKr₂ 23), de Ginutany 1747 (LkmJₙ₂ 8; LkmKr₂ 26), de Ginučie 1747 (LkmKr₂ 27), de Ginutny 1748 (LkmKr₂ 27), de Ginutany 1748 (LkmJₙ₂ 11; LkmKr₂ 28), de Ginucie 1749 (LkmKr₂ 32), de Ginutany 1749 (LkmKr₂ 32), 1750 (LkmKr₂ 33), 1753 (LkmJₙ₂ 13), de Ginucie 1753 (LkmKr₂ 45), 1756 (LkmKr₂ 52), de villa kinucie 1757 (LkmKr₂ 55), de Ginutany 1757 (LkmJₙ₂ 18; LkmKr₂ 54), 1758 (LkmKr₂ 62), de Ginuci 1758 (LkmKr₂ 62), de Ginutany 1759 (LkmKr₂ 66), 1760 (LkmKr₂ 71), de Kinutany 1760 (LkmKr₂ 71), de Ginutny 1761 (LkmKr₃ 5), de Kinutany 1763 (LkmKr₃ 21), 1764 (LkmKr₃ 26), de Ginutany 1764 (LkmKr₃ 26), de Ginuci 1765 (LkmKr₃ 41), de Ginucie 1765 (LkmKr₃ 41), de Ginutany 1766 (LkmKr₃ 43), 1768 (LkmKr₃ 57), de Ginucie 1771 (LkmKr₃ 85), Gინuti 1772 (LkmKr₃ 88), de Ginutany 1773 (LkmKr₃ 92), Ginutany 1774 (LkmKr₃ 103), 1777 (LkmKr₃ 118), 1779 (LkmKr₃ 122), Ginuta 1784 (LkmKr₃ 150), Ginutany 1785 (LkmKr₃ 157), 1788 (LkmKr₃ 166), de Ginutany 1789 (LkmKr₃ 168), Ginutany 1790 (LkmKr₃ 171), and elsewhere (see also Figure 3). The settlement is also indicated in the 1783 visitation documents of the Liñkmenys parish as a village belonging to the Liñkmenys estate, Gienutany (BrsIDV 139).

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³ FIG. Fragment of LkmKr₁ (p. 3), in which the oikonym Ginutėnai (de Ginutany) was recorded in 1708 (for the first time in these registers)

The oikonym was also quite often recorded in nineteenth-century ecclesiastical and administrative sources, cf. de villa Ginutany 1800 (PlšKr₁ 3), 1802 (PlšKr₁ 11), 1804 (PlšJₙ₁ 6), деревни Гинутань 1852 (PlšJₙ₁₁ 19), въ деревни] Гинутаны 1856 (PlšKr₁₁ 28), въ дер[евни] Гинучахъ 1858 (PlšKr₁₁ 68), въ дер[евни] Гинутанахъ 1886 (PlšKr₁₁₁ 19), въ дер[евни] Гинутянахъ 1889 (PlšKr₁₁₁ 83), Ginutany 1888 (SG II 573⁷). This settlement was also included in administrative compendia from the first half of the twentieth century. The 1905 population list of Vilnius Governorate records the village as Фуhутань, belonging to the Linkmenys district of Švenčionys County (VGGS 288⁸), while during the period of the Republic of Lithuania, the publication compiled from the 1923 census records Ginučių km., situated in the Linkmenys district of Utena County (LAV 434⁹).

The earliest recordings of the oikonym from living speech date to the first half of the twentieth century: Ginučiai (BgK), (VB VII 64), Ginučių kaimas¹⁰ 1935 (LŽVA). It was recorded repeatedly thereafter as well, cf. Ginučių kaimas 1974, Ginučiai 1977 (VK). In addition, the settlement’s name is reflected in compound place names derived from it: Ginučių giria 1962, Ginučių piliakalnis 1977, Ginučių upelis 1964, 1977 (VK).

⁷ It is described as a village with 23 homesteads, 150 Catholic residents, and 10 Jewish residents. ⁸ According to the source, 204 residents lived in the village: 108 men and 96 women. ⁹ According to the source, in 1923 there were 42 farms and 225 residents. ¹⁰ Recorded by teacher Teklė Šemelienė from the village resident Antanas Rukas.

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3. INTERPRETATION OF HISTORICAL DATA

Analysis of historical records allows us to state that several variants of this oikonym were formerly used. The certainty of its root Gin raises no greater doubts. Here, only the form Gienutany, recorded in Polish documents of the 1783 visitation, can be distinguished. Usually, in Polonized Lithuanian place names, ie reflects the Lithuanian [e] or [ė] following a soft consonant; cf. the historical records de Miediny 1767 (LkmKrIII 51), 1769 (LkmKrIII 63), 1771 (LkmKrIII 80) (= Mėdinos), de Pieleni 1757 (LkmKrII 58), 1758 (LkmKrII 61) (= Pelėniai), de Wie­zyszki 1765 (LkmKrIII 37), 1767 (LkmKrIII 53), 1769 (LkmKrIII 69) (= Vežiškės), de Untolamiestie 1741 (LkmKrIII 6), de Untalamiestie 1742 (LkmKrII 10) (= Antãlamėstė); cf. also the entries de Antopuncie 1688 (= Antãpuntė) (Garliauskas 2004: 156), Antobolcie 1744 (= Antãbaltė), Wies Antylgie 1699, de Vntylie 1711, Antylie 1744, de Untylie 1760, 1770 (= Ãntilgė) (Garliauskas 2005: 1046), Płosawipie 1705 (= Plašãupė) (Palionis 2008: 199), Paudruwie, Pawdruwie, Podruwie, Poudruwie, Powdruwie 1803–1808 (= Paudruvė) (Mickienė, Venislovaitė 2011: 159). On the other hand, historical oikonymy also includes cases in which ie is written in place of Lithuanian [i]; cf. the records de Villa Kienuny 1777 (DglšKr 28) (= Kiniūnai), de Villa Strokienie 1748 (LkmKrII 30), de Strakienie 1751 (LkmKrII 45), 1756 (LkmKrII 50) (= Strōkiniai), de Szieszkieniey 1741 (LkmKrII 9) (= Šiškiniai); cf. also Widgiery 1679, 1683–1684, 1691–1692, Widgierÿ 1679, 1681–1682, 1684–1692 (= Vidgiriai) (Maciejauskienė 2009: 183). That the record with Gie is not a matter of living speech is also shown by all the other records of the oikonym, including the first Siolo Giniutańcie, which have the root Gin-

It is also necessary to mention historical eighteenth-century forms of the place name with k, K at the beginning of the word: de villa kinucie 1757, de Kinutany 1760, 1763, 1764. These records in no way alter the authenticity of the Lithuanian form with initial G, since they reflect the g ↔ k alternation, rare in the Linkmenys registers, which arose when the scribe misheard or carelessly recorded the name, cf. the records de Gim­baryszki 1765 (LkmKrIII 39) (= Kim­bōriškė), de Giawniszki 1770 (LkmKrIII 71) (= *Kiauniškis, *Kiauniškė or the like).

A few more uncertainties arise regarding the forms with the stem Giniut- found in sixteenth- and seventeenth-century historical sources: Siolo Giniutańcie, za siołem Giniutańcow, za tą wsią wyżej mianowaną Giniutancze, Siolo Giniutany. Such a spelling is repeated once in the first half of the eighteenth century, cf. ex villa giniu­tfzen 1729. Usually, in historical records, the consonant preceding the Lithuanian suffix -ut- (-uč-) is not softened, cf. de Girucie 1751 (ŠvnčKrI 11), de Girucie 1755 (ŠvnčKrII 23) (= Gīručiai), de Kukucie 1755 (TvrKr 3), de Kukuci 1762 (TvrKr 59) (= Kukučiai), de Szikutiszki 1742 (LkmKrII 13), de Szykutyłszki 1747 (LkmKrII 27), de Szykutie 1755 (LkmKrII 49), de Szykutiszki 1757 (LkmKrII

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58), 1759 (LkmKrₙ 66), 1760 (Lkm)ₙ 22), 1764 (LkmKrₙ 27), 1767 (LkmKrₙ 53), 1769 (LkmKrₙ 64), 1771 (LkmKrₙ 86), Szykutiški 1776 (LkmKrₙ 115), 1786 (LkmKrₙ 160), 1790 (LkmKrₙ 171) (= *Šikutìškė or similar, *Šikučiai), cf. also de Mikutiszki in the 17th c. (= Mikùtiškiai), ex v. Tribucie in the 17th c. (= Tribūčiai) (Palionis 2003: 165, 173), de Minduciu 1687, de Minduci 1691 (= Mindučiai), de Rymuciu 1683, 1692, de Rymucziu 1691, de Rymucie 1691 (= Rimūčiai), de Taluciu 1692 (= Tolūčiai) (Gar­liauskas 2004: 163, 165, 168). However, cases have also been recorded in which -ut is rendered as –iut-, cf. Mazucie 1617, Мазуцзие 1617–1618 and Mapиuczie 1621, Maziucie 1633, Mažiucie 1633, Maziucie 1643 (= Mažučiai) (Maciejauskienė 2009: 175¹¹). In seeking analogies, attention should also be drawn to the historical recording of the oikonym of the Pavóverė parish, Janiukaniszki 1784 (IVK), most likely presupposing Lith. *Janukoniškės or similar. This place-name, which has not survived to the present day, is derived from the personal name Janukonis, recorded in the former Pabradė district, to which the settlements of the aforementioned Pavóverė parish also belonged. Thus, in this case, the rendering –iuk– (–niuk–) of the suffix –uk- following n (the fragment –nuk–) may be suspected. Therefore, the recordings Sioło Gniutancie, za siołem Gniutancow, za tą wsią wyżej mianowaną Gniutancze, Sioło Gniutany, ex villa giniułzen may be isolated examples reflecting such a spelling of the suffix –ut–, arising through the palatalization of [n]¹², occurring alongside the much more frequent historical variants with Ginut–.

The historical forms of the oikonym recorded with the endings –áncie (–áncow) (Giniutáncie, gen. Giniutáncow), –any (Giniutany, Ginutany), –ani (Ginutani), –аньі (–ань, –анахь, –янахь) (Гинутаны, gen. Гинутань, loc. Гинутанахь, Гинутянахь) may reflect Lith. –ėnai or –(i)onys, –(i)oniai; cf. the entries de Czepukance 1749 (ŠvnČKr₁ 4) (= Čepukėnai), de Alzutany 1756 (LkmKrₙ 52) (= Alžutėnai), in Stagulany 1754 (LkmKrₙ 45) (= Stagalėnai), de Rukszany 1740 (LkmKrₙ 1), de Rukszany 1746 (LkmKrₙ 22) (= Rukšėnai), въ деревну Рашкутанахь 1854 (PlšKrₙ 6) (= Reškutėnuose), de Czulany 1688 (= Čiulėnai) (Gar­liauskas 2004: 157), de Luksz­tany 1741 (= Lukštėnai) (Palionis 2008: 264), and z Juskan­cow 1674 (LpKr 2) (= from Juš­konių), de Beciance 1800 (Plš]ₙ 7) (= Bėčionys), de Kulany 1690 (= Kulionys) (Gar­liauskas 2004: 161), de Jawoyszany 1742 (= Jovaišónys) (Palionis 2008: 263). However, the historical variants of the oikonym de Villa Ginuteny and de Villa Ginteny, de Villa Gintieny, which the scribe shortened from Ginuteny, Ginutieny, quite clearly presuppose Lith. *Ginutėnai (not *Ginutonys). Reconstructing precisely this form is also permitted by the representation, in the same Linkmenys

¹¹ The author of the article herself also draws attention to such nonstandard spelling.

¹² In Polish, before vowels (except [i̯]), a soft [n] is written with the palatalization marker i.

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metric contexts, cf. the entries de Alżutieny 1753 (LkmKrᵢᵢ 43) and de Alzutany 1756 (LkmKrᵢᵢ 52) (= Alżutėnai), de Ruk̇zany 1742 (LkmKrᵢᵢ 12), de Ruk̇szany 1744 (LkmKrᵢᵢ 18), de Villa Rukszany 1745 (LkmKrᵢᵢ 20) and de Rukszeny 1744 (LkmKrᵢᵢ 19), 1747 (LkmKrᵢᵢ 27) (= Ruk̇šėnai), de Stagulany 1741 (LkmKrᵢᵢ 8), de Stegulany 1758 (LkmKrᵢᵢ 61) and de Villa Stebuleny 1744 (LkmKrᵢᵢ 18) (= Stagalėnai).

Another group of historical recordings of the oikonym reflects a form without the suffix -ėnai: od Siola Ginutow, de Vila ginuty, de Ginučiev, de Ginučie, de Ginutу, de Ginucie, de Ginuci, de Ginutу, de Ginuci, de Ginucie, Ginuti, Ginuta 1636–1784, въ дер[евни] Гинуцяхъ 1858. In determining the most likely Lithuanian variant of the place-name, the pivotal entry is de Ginuciey (recorded three times), in which c most likely reflects dialectal dzūkavimas ([č] = dial. [c])¹³, while the ending -iey directly presupposes Lith. -iai; cf. similar instances of rendering this ending de Dayniey, de Gayweniey, de Kol wiey, de Peleniey, de Pełeniey, de Waieliey 1740–1743. The remaining entries should be treated as various Slavic renderings of the Lithuanian ending -iai following č. The forms de Ginučie, de Ginucie, de villa kinucie, de Ginuci, de Szykucie, de Damucie, de Chamucie, de Kyrkūcie, de Kielpuci, de Kukuci, de Trabuci, de Trebuci indicate the rendering of Lith. -iai as -ie and -i, also frequent in many other historical oikonyms; cf. analogous cases деревни Клавсуцяхъ, деревни Клаусцяхъ, въ дер[евни] Мацоцяхъ. The entry въ дер[евни] Гинуцяхъ undoubtedly reflects the rendering in Russian of the locative case of the Lithuanian oikonym Ginučiai; cf. analogous cases.

More unclear are the recordings od Siola Ginutow, de Vila ginuty, de Ginutу, Ginuti, Ginuta (the genitive of the form Ginutу or similar), because in historical sources of a similar nature the suffix -učiai is ordinarily not altered to the endings -ty, -ti, -ta, although isolated forms with -ti and -ta can be found; cf. De raduti, Дер. Радума, дер. Рамуты, de villa Trof̨zkuti 1699–1825 (AdKrᵢᵢ 51, IVK, TrkJn 89) (= Radūčiai, Radutai¹⁴, Ramučiai, Benekãiniai district) (=

¹³ Cf. púncei (pánčiai) of the Linkmenys dialect (Kardelytė 1960: 21).

¹⁴ A village in the Paštovys district, Belarus.

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Troškūčiai¹⁵. The spelling with t may have been influenced by the form *Ginutėnai, used alongside it, which scribes must have heard from local inhabitants and, when writing the variant without the suffix –ėnai, perhaps confused the letters c, č, and t. (Ginuci → Ginuti, Ginutÿ). Incidentally, such confusion of letters is probably also suggested by the entry ex villa giniutfzen. The form without a preposition, recorded once, Ginuta may also have arisen under the influence of Latin¹⁶: the ending –a may perhaps reflect the nominative singular of the feminine first declension (nom. sg. –a). On the other hand, it cannot be entirely ruled out that the historical forms with –ty, –ti, –ta reflect a former masculine plural nominative form in living speech, *Ginutai, or even the feminine singular nominative and genitive *Ginutė, (iš) *Ginutės; for such possibilities of rendering this oikonym’s suffix, cf. similar spellings Abejutÿ 1744, Abejutÿ 1784 (IVK), Абéюты 1892 (KGGS 187) (= Abejūtai) and Gražutÿ 1772–1793 (IVK) (= Gražutė), Явнута 1902 (= Jaunutė¹⁷.

Thus, analysis of the historical oikonyms allows us to claim that two forms of the village name were probably used in living speech – *Ginutėnai and Ginučiai, although the possibility of a third, *Ginutai or *Ginutė, cannot be entirely excluded. The identity of the settlements named by these forms is also confirmed by the persons, probably the same ones, listed alongside the oikonyms; cf. the godfather Andreas Geyzutis de Ginutany 1740, witness Andreas Gayzuti̇s de Ginutany 1748, and godfather Andreas Geyzetis de Ginuciey 1741, godfather Andreas Gayzuti̇s de Ginucie 1746, godfather Andreas Gayzuti̇s de Ginucie 1749, parents Andrea Gayzuti̇s, Marianna Czapalowna Gayzuciowa de Ginucie 1753; father Petri Giegis de villa Ginutani 1726, godfather Petri Giegis de Ginutany 1742, witness Petrus Gigif de Ginutany 1742, godfather Petrq Giegif de Ginutany 1743, and godfather Petrus Giegis de Ginucie 1753. It is quite possible that the inhabitants Andrius Gaižutis and Petras Gėgys¹⁸ of settlements referred to several times as first Ginutėnai and then Ginučiai are the same persons. It is also certain that the variant with –ėnai is earlier, recorded in the mid-sixteenth century and used even until the beginning of the twentieth century. The form Ginučiai, which has survived to the present day, was apparently already known in the first half of the seventeenth century (1636), was frequently used in the eighteenth century, beginning in 1734, and from then until the first half of the twentieth century existed alongside the variant *Ginutėnai, later becoming the only oikonym used by local inhabitants.

¹⁵ Cf. also the Slavic rendering of the ending –niai as –ny: de Girminy 1761 (LkmKᵣᵢᵢᵢ 9) (= Girminiai), de Gaywony 1753 (LkmKᵣᵢᵢᵢ 43) (= Gaivėniai).

¹⁶ The registers were written in Latin, also using quite a few elements characteristic of Polish.

¹⁷ Jaunutė – a part of Kazliškiai village in Kazlų Rūda Municipality, Kazlų Rūda Eldership.

¹⁸ Cf. the present-day surname Gėgys, also widespread in the former Linkmenys district (LPDB).

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4. HYPOTHESIS OF ORIGIN

These facts are highly important for clarifying the origins of the village name, since first of all it is necessary to analyze the possibility that the form with the suffix -ėnai arose. The oikonym *Ginutėnai belongs to a large group of names of settlements with a collective meaning containing this suffix, most of which (about 320) originated (and acquired the suffix) from patronymic personal names of the same root (see Razmukaitė 1993: 162–163). It is also important that such oikonyms of personal-name origin are most widespread in eastern Lithuania—in the territories of the municipal districts of Molėtai (30 oikonyms), Ignalina (21), Vilnius (16), and Anykščiai and Utena (15 each). Thus, in view of these data, *Ginutėnai would be a typical oikonym of anthroponymic origin, derived from the plural of the personal name *Ginutėnas. This personal name (surname) does not exist today, but other facts indicate that it may once have existed. The reconstructed anthroponym would have derived from the personal name Ginutis, which has survived to the present as a surname (see LPŽ I 672¹⁹; Sinkevičiūtė 2006: 53; Zinkevičius 2008: 282²⁰). Moreover, it was recorded in Kražiai district in the seventeenth century, cf. Piotr Ginutis 1648²¹, and cf. the derivatives used there Iasiul Ginutaytis, Piotr Ginutaytis 1644 (IAK). This personal name (Ginutis) was also known in Lithuania Minor: it was recorded in the nineteenth century by Vilius Kalvaitis (Kalwaitis 1910: 10), and is documented in eighteenth- and nineteenth-century parish registers belonging to the districts of Ragainė and Tilžė, cf. Ginnutė, Ginnuttis, Ginutatis (Žemienė 2017: 54). The historical oikonym Ginučiai, formerly used for the present-day village of Vaitkaičiai in the Šilutė region, is derived from it (Pėteraitis 1997: 134²²). Admittedly, the personal name *Ginutėnas and the underlying anthroponym Ginutis could not be found in the vicinity of Ginučiai²³. As can be seen from the anthroponymic data presented, inhabitants with this personal name were recorded neither in the 1557 inventory of Linkmenys district, nor in descriptions of the Linkmenys estate from 1636 and 1732, nor in the eighteenth-century registers of Linkmenys Church; however, given the assumption that Ginučiai village must have been established before the sixteenth century (cf. Tyla 1965: 32), these two personal names may have disappeared earlier, once there were no people bearing them.

19 The Lithuanian form of the surname was established on the basis of the official German forms Ginuttis, Ginuth, Ginnutt; it is associated with Lithuanian ginti.

20 Daiva Sinkevičiūtė and Zigmas Zinkevičius regard it as deriving from a shortened form of a two-stem personal name.

21 In Kražiai district in the seventeenth century there was also an oikonym *Ginučiai derived from this personal name; cf. the record Ginuccie 1648 (IVK) for a village belonging to Gardai Manor.

22 For comparison in explaining the origin, the name of the Ignalina district village Ginučiai is also cited here.

23 The surname Ginutis is known from the vicinity of Klaipėda, Pagėgiai, and Šilutė (LPŽ I 672).

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The anthroponymic-origin hypothesis also makes it easier to explain the emergence in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries of its variant without the suffix –ėnai. It is noteworthy that, at the same time, variants without the suffix –ėnai also existed for the names of several other villages belonging to Linkmenys Parish, derived from the plural of personal names with this patronymic suffix; cf. de Kuprany 1761 (LkmKrIII 9), 1762 (LkmKrIII 13), de Kupreny 1764 (LkmKrIII 28), de Kupry 1766 (LkmKrIII 49), 1768 (LkmKrIII 62), Kuprany 1781 (LkmKrIII 135), Kupry 1783 (LkmKrIII 143), 1783 (BrslDV 140), 1784 (LkmKrIII 149), 1790 (LkmKrIII 172) (= *Kuprėnai ← personal name Kuprėnas ⇔ Kūpriai ← *Kupris, *Kuprys24; present-day Kūpriai), de mineyszanẏ 1722 (LkmKrI 48), de Mineyszany 1724 (LkmKrI 57), de Mineyszany 1725 (LkmKrI 60), de Villa mineyszany 1731 (LkmKrI 78), de Minieyszany 1741 (LkmKrIII 4), de Villa Mineyszany 1745 (LkmJnII 6), de Mineyſzany 1749 (LkmKrII 33), de Mineyszkiemie 1749 (LkmKrII 31), 1750 (LkmKrII 33), de Mienieyszkiemie 1750 (LkmKrII 35), de Mineyszany 1752 (LkmKrII 40), 1754 (LkmKrII 45), de Minieyszkiemie 1756 (LkmKrII 50), de Mineyszany 1757 (LkmJnII 16), de Mineyszany 1758 (LkmKrII 61), 1760 (LkmKrII 70), de Mineyszkiemie 1761 (LkmKrIII 6), de Mineyszany 1762 (LkmKrIII 10), 1770 (LkmKrIII 72), Miemyeſzany 1772 (LkmKrIII 88), Mnieyſzany 1773 (LkmKrIII 94), de Minieyſzkiemie 1773 (LkmKrIII 92), de Minaſzany 1781 (LkmKrIII 133), Mineyszany 1785 (LkmKrIII 94) (= *Mineišenai ⇔ Mineiškienis ← personal name *Mineišis; present-day Mineiškienis25). Incidentally, the same phenomenon, i.e. variation, can also be observed in seventeenth-century registers; cf. the entries de Mikutancy 1682, de Mikuciu 1683, de Mikuci 1686, 1687, 1689, de Mikuteniu 1686, 1688, 1689, de Mikutancy 1687, 1689, 1691 (Garliauskas 2004: 163) (= *Mikutėnai ⇔ *Mikučiai), de Szyłeykieniu 1686, 1688, 1689, de Szyłeyki 1686, de Szyłeykianu 1688, 1691, de Sziley kieniu 1690, de Szyleyki 1691 (ibid., 168) (= Šileikėnai ⇔ *Šileikiai). Thus, it must be stated that in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries oikonyms with the suffix –ėnai and names of settlements without this suffix were used as variants of the same settlement name. It should be noted that the emergence of variants of some oikonyms with and without a patronymic suffix is associated with the phenomenon, characteristic of personal names in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, of dropping patronymic suffixes (cf. Vanagas 1996: 225–226); however, in the cases of oikonymic variation indicated for Linkmenys Parish, a connection with the dropping of suffixes can hardly

24 In this case, the personal-name-origin hypothesis is also confirmed by register data showing that persons with such personal names lived in the settlement designated by the place name; cf. the entries Michaelis Kuprėnas Kuprany 1781, Simonis Kuprys Kupry 1783; cf. also Catarina Kuprowna de Kupry 1766.

25 In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, the form *Mineišiai of this oikonym was used, cf. Sioto Mineyszewskie, siola Minieyszow 1553 (LI 86, 92), Siolo Mineišze 1636 (VTII 23); it is also recorded in an eighteenth-century source: Wies Mineiysz 1732 (VTII 5). Thus, in this case the development of the oikonym must have been: *Mineišiai → *Mineišenai, Mineiškienis → Mineiškienis.

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can be discerned: the personal name Kuprėnas survived as a surname in the Linkmenys region to the present day, whereas *Kuprys, recorded in the eighteenth century, is not used here; the personal names *Ginutėnas, Ginutis, *Mineišis, *Mineišėnas were no longer used in those settlements at the beginning of the variation of the aforementioned oikonyms (in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries)26. Therefore, it may be suspected that in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries the oikonymic suffix –ėnai was simply dropped in living speech, and variants without it arose alongside them: *Ginutėnai ⇔ Ginučiai, *Mineišėnai ⇔ Mineiškie­mis. Perhaps this was done by analogy with variants of similar oikonyms that, when they arose, retained a direct connection with historical personal names of the same root (stem) (*Kuprėnai ← personal name Kuprėnas ⇔ *Kūpriai ← personal name *Kupris, *Kuprys).

The view that the original form of the oikonym was *Ginutėnai and that it was of personal-name origin is also supported by the fact that it would be difficult to substantiate the appellative-origin hypothesis from a word-formation perspective. A direct derivational connection between this place name and Lithuanian gimti is entirely impossible; therefore, in such a case one would have to assume that it is a derivative with the suffix –ėnai from a former appellative (deverbal noun) *ginutis27. However, among the approximately 70 oikonyms formed from appellatives with this suffix, the base words are names of geographical features (Bal-ėnai: balà, Dirv-ėnai: dirvà, Purv-ėnai: purvas, Šil-ėnai: šìlas), names of plants (Alksn-ėnai: álksnis, Puš-ėnai: pušìs), and names associated with people’s domestic, economic, and cultural activities (Smalnyč-ėnai: smál­nyčia ‘a place where tar is distilled, a tar kiln’, Žagr-ėnai: žãgrė (Razmukaitė 1998: 16). Yet there is not a single settlement name regarded as a derivative in –ėnai from a deverbal noun belonging to the category of agent nouns. This type of formation has not been distinguished in Lithuanian hydronymy, helonymy, or oronymy either (cf. Vanagas 1970: 134; Bilkis 2008: 197, 201; Kačinaitė 2009: 42). Common nouns with the suffix –ėnas are likewise not formed from such appellatives28.

26 Interestingly, alongside the seventeenth-century Molėtai Parish oikonyms *Mikutėnai, *Mikučiai indicated above, the corresponding anthroponyms *Mikutėnas, *Mikutis are likewise not recorded.

27 In dialects, several dozen deverbal nouns formed with the suffix –utis (–ė) and belonging to the word-formation category of agent nouns are used; cf. barškùtis, tarškùtis ‘a chatterbox, a babbler’, šnekùtis ‘one who likes to talk a lot’ (LKG I 324), blaškùtis, gaišùtis, krapštutis, purškùtis ‘one who is restless, a scatterbrain’, ‘one who causes delay’, ‘one who works slowly’, ‘one who gets angry quickly’, etc. (Ambrazas 1993: 142). Thus, the appellative *ginutis would be entirely possible.

28 Desubstantives with the suffix –ėnas belonging to the category of nouns denoting possessors of a characteristic are usually formed from place names (anykštėnas, kupiškėnas, tilžėnas, etc.), while a few have a different meaning; cf. balėnas ‘a tree burl’, kelėnas ‘a road bone’, ryškėnas ‘a fish trap’ (Ambrazas 2000: 168).

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5. CONCLUSIONS

5.1. Analysis of historical records of the settlement name Ginučiai shows that, formerly, probably two forms were used – *Ginutėnai and Ginučiai. The variant with the suffix –ėnai should be regarded as primary because it was mentioned first (in 1554) and used until the beginning of the twentieth century. The present-day oikonym Ginučiai was already known in the first half of the seventeenth century, frequently used in the eighteenth century (from 1734), and from the first half of the twentieth century became generally established in living speech and administrative documents.

5.2. The etymology of the oikonym is associated with the search for the origin of the primary variant *Ginutėnai. On the basis of the word-formation and etymological tendencies of settlement names and other place names of similar structure, the word-formation tendencies of appellatives containing the suffix –ėnas, and data from the analysis of personal names of the same root, it may be claimed that *Ginutėnai is probably a formation of the pluralia tantum type derived from the patronymic personal name *Ginutėnas. This is suggested by several reasons: 1) Lithuanian oikonyms in –ėnai are particularly often formed from the plural of personal names containing the same suffix, and this type of formation is most widespread in eastern Lithuania; 2) the base personal name Ginutis, from which the personal name *Ginutėnas underlying the oikonym’s formation could have arisen, is attested in historical and present-day anthroponymy; 3) there are no other Lithuanian oikonyms or other place names formed with the suffix –ėnai from deverbal nouns belonging to the category of nouns denoting bearers of a verbal characteristic, nor are there appellatives of the same type.

5.3. The village name Ginučiai, which arose later and lacks the suffix –ėnai, is hardly directly derived from the plural of the personal name Ginutis attested in historical and present-day Lithuanian anthroponymy. This anthroponym is not recorded in the village of Ginučiai or in the territory of the Linkmenys estate, i.e. in Linkmenys Parish, in the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries; therefore, it must have disappeared in this region much earlier. Analysis of the parish’s oikonyms in –ėnai suggests that the variant Ginučiai may have arisen in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries because of a tendency to use both forms alternately—with and without the suffix.

5.4. Given the most likely possibility concerning the oikonym’s origin, it is questionable whether the present-day village name Ginučiai can be directly derived from the verb ginti(s) ‘to rescue someone by repelling an attack; to repel an attack’ or from the possible Lithuanian deverbal noun *ginutis. Its connection with Lithuanian ginti(s) could be only indirect: *Ginutėnai ← personal name *Ginutėnas ← personal name Ginutis ← (personal names Ginas, Ginis, Ginius) ← Lithuanian ginti (gina).

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ABBREVIATIONS

personal name

present-day

dialectal

genitive

Lithuanian

surname

district

district municipality

locative

district

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On the Origin of the Oikonym Ginūčiai

SUMMARY

Ginūčiai village, located in Eastern Lithuania, and its name have attracted the interest of historians, linguists, and researchers of local history due to its intriguing geographical proximity to the renowned Ginūčiai hillfort. This hillfort is believed to have housed the Linkmenys castle, first mentioned in 1373 in the Livonian Chronicle by Hermann von Wartberge. The village’s close proximity to this significant historical site has fueled speculation about the possible connection between the village name’s origins and the defence of Linkmenys castle. Therefore, there is a recurring consideration that the oikonym Ginūčiai might have originated from the Lithuanian appellative ginti ‘to save someone or something from an attack; to repel an attack’.

Historical records of the oikonym Ginūčiai reveal the usage of two forms throughout history: *Ginutėnai and Ginūčiai. The variant with the suffix –ėnai is considered the primary one, being the earliest mentioned variant dating back to 1554, persisting in common usage until the beginning of the 20^th century. The present-day oikonym Ginūčiai was already known in the first half of the 17^th century and gained frequent use from 1734 onward in the 18th century. Gradually, it became universally established in common usage and administrative documents, solidifying its prevalence from the first half of the 20th century.

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The oikonym’s etymology is intertwined with the quest to uncover the origin of the primary variant *Ginutėnai. Drawing on the tendencies of word formation and origin of oikonyms and other toponyms of a similar structure, the patterns of the formation of appellatives with the suffix -ėnas and the analysis of the personal names with the same root, we can state that *Ginutėnai can most likely be qualified as a pluralia tantum type formation which is derived from the patronymic personal name *Ginutėnas. Several reasons support such conclusions: 1) Lithuanian oikonyms with the suffix -ėnai are often formed from the personal names’ plural form with the same suffix, and such type of word formation is most widespread in Eastern Lithuania; 2) historical and contemporary anthroponymy attests to the personal name Ginūtis, the base word of the personal name *Ginutėnas, which may serve as the base word of the oikonym in question; 3) there are no other Lithuanian oikonyms and other toponyms formed with the suffix -ėnai from the deverbatives of the category of names denoting the possessors of a verbal property and the appellatives of the similar nature.

There is uncertainty regarding whether the later village name Ginūčiai, lacking the suffix -ėnai, can be directly linked to the plural form of the personal name Ginūtis attested in Lithuanian historical and contemporary anthroponymy. This anthroponym is not documented in Ginūčiai village, the Linkmenys manor area, or the Linkmenys parish in the 16th–18th centuries, suggesting its disappearance from common usage in this area much earlier. The analysis of the parish oikonyms with the suffix -ėnai suggests that during the 17th and 18th centuries, the variant Ginūčiai might have emerged due to a tendency of interchangeable usage of both forms – with and without the suffix – within that period.

Considering the probable origin of the oikonym, there is uncertainty regarding whether the current village name Ginūčiai can be directly derived from the verb ginti(s) ‘to save someone or something from an attack; to repel an attack’ or the likely Lithuanian deverbative *ginutis. Its link with Lith. ginti(s) could only be indirect: *Ginutėnai ← personal name *Ginutėnas ← personal name Ginūtis ← (personal names Gìnas, Gìnis, Gìnius) ← Lith. gìnti (gina).

Received October 25, 2023

LAIMUTIS BILKIS

Institute of the Lithuanian Language

5 Petro Vileišio St., LT-10308 Vilnius, Lithuania

[email protected]

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