Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Associate Professor of Sociology, Payam Noor University, Tehran, Iran.

2 Assistant Professor of Linguisticsm, Payame Noor University, Tehran, Iran.

3 M.A. in Sociology, Payame Noor University, Tehran, Iran.

Abstract

Naming and choosing names are influenced by several factors. This research aimed to investigate the socio-historical contexts of the evolution of naming childrenin Saqqez during the last half century. The research method is a descriptive-analytical method. The statistical population includes the names of children born between 1350 and 1400 in Saqqez based on the documents of the Civil Registry Office in Saqqez. According to the frequency of names,, 100 girls' names and 100 boys' names (200 names in total) from five decades have been selected. These names were categorized as Kurdish, Persian, Arabic, Turkish and Western names. The results of data analysis showed that the naming of children was influenced by historical and social developments and the media. In the last decade, Persian and Kurdish names have grown more than Arabic, Turkish and Western names. Also, the frequency of some Arabic names is decreasing and the variety of names in the society has increased. The developments in naming show that society tended towards pluralism in choosing names and choosing different and new names, to be attributed to the variety of names available to choose due to access to various media and internet sites, and the desire attributed to being different.

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