Kazakh names that tell a story

In many cultures a name is chosen because it sounds nice. Traditional Kazakh names were often chosen because they said something.

Names as wishes

A family with several daughters and no son might name the next girl Ulbolsyn, “let it be a son”, or Ulzhan, “soul of a boy”. Others used Ulbala or Ultugan. The hope was that the name would, in a sense, call a brother into the family. You can still meet women with these names, who know exactly what their parents were hoping for.

Names as protection

In families that had lost children, parents sometimes gave a new baby a plain or unflattering name, such as Elemes (“unnoticeable”) or Eleusiz (“unremarkable”), so that evil spirits or the evil eye would pass over the child. It is the same logic found in many cultures: don’t draw attention to what you love most.

Names as a diary

Many names record when or how a child arrived:

• born during Ramadan: Orazbek or Orazkul;
• born on a Friday (juma): names like Zhumabike;
• born while the father was away at war: Sogys (“war”), with a younger brother born after his return named Zhenis (“victory”).

Who chooses

Traditionally the name was given by a grandfather or another respected elder, so that the child would grow up to resemble a good person. Often the elder would say the name aloud into the baby’s right and left ears, three times each.

Knowing this makes Kazakh names much more interesting to hear. Many of them carry a small piece of family history, and it’s usually a welcome question to ask what someone’s name means.