Surnames and Personal Names under E in Stična’s 16th-Century Manorial Records
Kosezi in 16th-Century Surnames
The list of surnames beginning with the letter E in the 16th-century manorial records of the Stična Monastery is rather modest. Apart from the surname Edlinger, only von Eyssendorff and von der Esslin appear, though they cannot yet be classified as surnames, as they indicate the geographical origin of a person. Jacob and Janeß von Eyssendorf, mentioned in 1505, are none other than neighbors Jakob and Janez from the village of Železno near Dobrnič (Eyssendorf). It is more difficult to determine the geographical origin of Achitz von der Esslin, who was also mentioned in 1505 and lived in the hamlet of Zavodje near Muljava. I assume that he was a foreign official who temporarily resided on a farm in the aforementioned location during his service at the monastery. Both the personal name Achitz and the place name Esslin suggest a foreign origin. A suburb of Vienna is called Essling, but it is difficult to definitively assume that this was his place of origin.
The surname Edlinger appears four times in the land registers, specifically in the years 1505, 1558, and 1572. In the village of Gornje Prapreče, Mathko Edlinger from Spodnje Prapreče was mentioned in 1505, with a note stating that he was the steward of Svibno Castle. Other mentions of the surname Edlinger are related to the tithe rights that this noble family held in the villages of Gorenje Brezovo, Kamno Brdo, and Sela near Višnja Gora. The surname Edlinger has an interesting origin, as it derives from the German term for a specific social class of kosezi (freemen or ministeriales).
Kosezi were members of the medieval social class among Alpine Slavs, who had already risen above common freemen in the Carantanian era. They can be defined as an emerging native nobility or equated with ministeriales – armed companions of the prince who were granted land in return for military service. Kosezi existed in the Slovenian lands until the mid-16th century, and in some isolated cases, even longer. Their historical presence is evidenced by numerous places named Koseze or Edling (29 preserved) in Carinthia, Styria, and, to some extent, in Carniola (Upper and Lower Carniola).
Surnames Starting with E:
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- Edlinger: Edlinger (1505, 1558, 1572)
Personal Names Starting with E:
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- Engelbert: Einglbracht (1558, 1572)
- Erazem: Eraseim (1558), Erasum (1558)
- Ermach: Ermach (1544, 1558)