Вопросы ономастики (Mar 2019)
Russian Names with the Stem Maur-, Testimonies of the Old Rostov Land
Abstract
The article looks to the origins of Russian proper names with the stem Maur- and specifically deals with toponyms of Maurino and the like, which are particularly prevalent in the Yaroslavl region and commonly attested in the vicinities of Kostroma, Vologda, and Vladimir. The mapping based on the “Lists of Populated Areas of the Russian Empire” showed the localization of toponyms with the Maur- stem in the area of the historical Meryan land, as well as their presence on Sheksna, at the White and Kubensky lakes, and in the Northern Dvina basin. Apart from that, the written sources of the 15th–17th centuries also make mention of anthroponyms with the same stem, relating to the different social strata of the old Russian society, from slaves to patrimonies. This fact attests to the anthroponymic origin of the toponyms considered. The borrowed stem Maur- found in Russian anthroponyms and the derived toponyms has phonetic counterparts in the Baltic languages, however, the correlation with the historical Meryan land indicates the local substrate origin of the stem. This geo-reference, seen in context with the linguistic analysis of anthroponyms and toponyms with the Maur- stem and added by historical and archaeological data, suggests that the proper names in question should be classified as Russian, but based on foreign languages. Dating back to the times earlier than the 15th century, they are a testimony of intraregional contacts of the multi-tribal population of the Volga — Klyazma interfluve in the era of Slavic colonization. The geographic distribution of toponyms with the Maur- stem gives an idea of the migration routes taken by the mixed population of the Rostov land at the beginning of the second millennium of the common era.
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