Frequency of Doukhobor Names in Saskatchewan in 1905

by Jonathan J. Kalmakoff

A study of the frequency of names offers important insights into Doukhobor genealogy, history and culture.  The frequency of a name is the number of times it occurs relative to the total name instances sampled.  This study presents data on the frequency of men’s names, women’s names and surnames found among the Doukhobors in Saskatchewan in 1905.  The study shows the popularity and variety of personal names at this time.  It also shows the absolute and relative size of families bearing a particular surname.  Overall, this study allows us to form a detailed and accurate understanding of the use of names by Doukhobors shortly after their arrival in Canada from Russia.  Compiled by Jonathan J. Kalmakoff.

Source

The names for this frequency study were taken from the Doukhobor village census of 1905.  The census was taken by the Dominion Land Branch of the Department of Interior to identify eligible homestead entrants among the Doukhobors living in Saskatchewan.  It contains a substantial amount of information, including the personal names and surnames of 9,188 Doukhobors living in 69 village settlements.  As the number of Doukhobors living out of such village settlements, either in commercial towns, on homesteads or out-of-province, was extremely low at this time (estimated 25 persons or 0.27 percent of the entire population), the census can be considered comprehensive and representative of virtually all Doukhobors (estimated 99.73 percent) living in Canada at the time.

Methodology

A systematic study of the census was undertaken to identify duplicate entries for persons.  None were detected, which is not surprising, given the purpose for which the census was taken.  Although the census was also taken for years subsequent to 1905, only the 1905 entries were analyzed, so as to avoid the potential for double-counts.  A name count was then conducted using computer software and a digital copy of the census to determine the frequency of the names contained therein.  Once counted, the names were deleted to further avoid the potential for double-counts.

Many names in the census are listed in a variety of spellings.  This does not reflect different usage of names but rather the language barrier between English-speaking census takers and the Russian-speaking Doukhobors, the lack of a standard transliteration system from the Cyrillic to Latin alphabet, and varying degrees of illiteracy amongst the Doukhobors as well as census-takers.  As a result, the names in the census are spelt phonetically the way they sounded.  For the purpose of this study, all variant spellings of a single name were counted together.  For example, the men’s names Wasil, Wasyl and Wasily were counted together and likewise the surnames Voikin, Woikin and Woykin.

Similarly, many personal names (but not surnames) in the census are listed in a variety of forms.  In some cases (292 persons or 3.1 percent of the entire population), the diminutive form of a standard Russian name is used, as was the common practice among the Doukhobors.  For example, the men’s name Dmitry also appears as Mitro and the women’s name Praskovia as Paranya.  In other cases (250 persons or 2.7 percent of the entire population), an Anglicized form of the standard Russian name is used.  Hence, the men’s name Mikhailo also appears as Michael and the women’s name Pelagea as Polly.  For the purpose of this study, all variant forms of a single name were counted together.

The above methodology and approach were used to overcome the challenge of analyzing large datasets, to ensure consistency, and to minimize the opportunity for manual errors in calculation.  It has also provided a more effective method for sharing data and results.
 

Men’s Names

The study identified a total of 72 Russian names distributed among 4,658 Doukhobor males, an average of 1 name for every 65 males.  In contrast, there were approximately 1,500 men’s names in use in Russia at the time.  From this it can be concluded that the pool from which men’s names were drawn by Doukhobors in Saskatchewan in 1905 was relatively small.

Within the pool of men’s names, a small number of names was very popular, while the greater number of names was chosen only rarely.  Therefore, it was very common for different Doukhobor males in 1905 to share the same name.
 

Table 1  Frequency of Men's Names

As may be seen from Table 1 above, the 10 most popular men’s names were shared by 81.86 percent (3,813 individuals) of all Doukhobor males, while more than 1 in every 2 males (55.86 percent or 2,602 individuals) bore one of the top 5 names.  In contrast, the 62 less popular men’s names, while comprising 86.11 percent of the entire pool of names, accounted for only 18.14 percent (845 individuals) of all Doukhobor males.  Of these, 38 names appear less than 10 times and 16 names appear only once.

Click here for a frequency listing of men's names that appear in the census.  For illustrative purposes, the ten most frequent entries in the listing are reproduced in Table 2 below.

Women’s Names

The study identified only 39 Russian names distributed among 4,530 Doukhobor females, an average of 1 name for every 116 females.  This can be contrasted with the approximately 1,000 women’s names in use in Russia at the time.  It follows that the pool of women’s names used by Doukhobors in Saskatchewan was very small.  In absolute terms, it was almost half the size of the corresponding pool of men’s names.

Within the pool of women’s names, a remarkably small number of names accounted for the larger part of naming choices.  For this reason, it was very common for different Doukhobor females in 1905 to share the same name; almost twice as common as among Doukhobor males.
 

Table 3  Frequency of Women's Names

Table 3 above shows that the 10 most common women’s names were shared by 79.67 percent (3,609 individuals) of all Doukhobor females, while more than 1 in 2 females (51.90 percent or 2,351 individuals) bore one of the top 4 names.  By way of contrast, the 29 less popular names, while comprising 74.35 percent of the entire pool of names, account for only 20.33 percent (921 individuals) of all Doukhobor females.  Of these, 11 names appear less than 10 times and 5 names appear only once.

Click here for a frequency listing of women's names that appear in the census.  For illustrative purposes, the ten most frequent entries in the listing are reproduced in Table 4 above.

Surnames

Finally, the study identified a total of 235 Russian surnames distributed among 9,188 Doukhobors, an average of 1 surname for every 39 persons.  When contrasted with the approximately 100,000 surnames in use in Russia at the time, it can be concluded that the pool of surnames used by Doukhobors in Saskatchewan was rather small.

Within the pool of surnames, there was an uneven distribution among the population; however, the effect was not pronounced, except at the very top of the frequency listing.  The most striking anomaly was the top surname in the listing, Popoff, which occurred almost three times as frequently as the second most common surname and almost fourteen times as frequently as the average.  Comparatively speaking, however, it was less common for different Doukhobors to share the same surname than personal name.

Table 5  Frequency of Surnames

As may be seen from Table 5 above, a quarter of all Doukhobors shared 1 of 14 surnames ranked from 1 to 14.  Another quarter shared one of 28 surnames ranked from 15 to 43.  Another shared one of 47 surnames ranked from 44 to 91.  The last quarter of all Doukhobors shared 1 of 143 surnames ranked from 92 to 235.
 

Click here for a frequency listing of surnames that appear in the census.  For illustrative purposes, the ten most frequent entries in the listing are reproduced in Table 6 below.

Summary

As may be seen from this frequency study, the early twentieth century was not a time of great diversity in Doukhobor naming.  For both men and women, the 10 most frequent names account for about 80 percent of the persons named, and in each case adding the next 6 names brings the total to about 90 percent.  Generally, men’s names were more varied than women’s names, with nearly twice as many names occurring.  In both cases, however, it can be said that there was a great reliance on a relatively small repertoire of popular personal names.

This study identifies a similar trend among surnames, although the effect is not as pronounced as among personal names.  That is to say, the 10 most frequent surnames accounted for about 20 percent of the population, and the 42 most frequent surnames accounted for about 50 percent.  It can be concluded that there was a small number of large families and clans sharing common surnames, and a large number of smaller family units with diverse surnames.

From a genealogical perspective, this study underlines the problem of name ambiguity among the Doukhobors.  For example, a search for the men’s name Vasily comes up with 740 different persons sharing this name, while a search for the surname Popov shows 523 individuals with this surname.  When this personal name and surname are combined, a search identifies no less than 39 individuals sharing the name Vasily Popov.  Such ambiguity hinders the identification of specific persons in records and can potentially lead to confusion in family historical research.

Historically speaking, this study depicts names and naming patterns among Doukhobors for the year 1905.  However, it should be considered as indicative and not definitive of naming trends today.  The rate of growth in size differed among families over time.  As well, post-1905 Doukhobor immigration, while not substantial, nevertheless altered the population size and relative frequency of some names, and brought new names from Russia which did not previously occur in Canada.  Finally, new names (especially personal names) appeared among the Doukhobors after 1905 which did not occur previously either in Russia or Canada.

From a cultural perspective, the small pool of personal names and surnames may be explained, at least in part, by the small founding population of Doukhobors at the end of the eighteenth century; the Doukhobor practice of name repetition from generation to generation; and the geocultural isolation of the Doukhobors, from the late eighteenth century onwards, from external Russian naming influences.  Within these pools, the trend towards uniformity in names and naming patterns may be reflective of a broader pattern of sectarian development.

References
 

• Lapshinoff, Steve, List of Doukhobors Living in Saskatchewan in 1905 (Crescent Valley: self-published, 1996).
• Library and Archives Canada, Immigration Branch, Central Registry Files, Doukhobor Village Files (RG 76, Volumes 183 to 185, Parts 1 to 14) Microfilm Reel Nos. C-7337 to C-7341.
• Petrovskii, N.A., Slovar Russkikh Lichnikh Imen (Moscow, 1968).
• Unbegaun, B.O., Russian Surnames (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1972).

This article was reproduced by permission in Onomastica Canadiana (Canadian Society for the Study of Names: December 2007, Volume 89, Number 2). Click here to read article in journal format.

For a distribution study by Jonathan J. Kalmakoff of Doukhobor surnames that appear in the 1905 census, click here to search by surname or click here to search by village.  

Frequency of Men's Names

Frequency of Women's Names

Frequency of Surnames

Contents of the Doukhobor Genealogy Website Copyright © 1999-2013 Jonathan J. Kalmakoff. All rights reserved.