Surnames and Personal Names under A in Stična’s 16th-Century Manorial Records
Introduction to Stična’s Manorial Records
The manorial records of the Cistercian Abbey Stična from the 16th century are a treasure trove of genealogical data. I examined the oldest surviving records from the monastery, dating to the years 1505, 1544, 1558, 1572, 1574, and 1575. The last three records are almost identical, showing very few differences in content. In the 16th century, the Stična Abbey owned an extensive estate, encompassing as many as 250 villages in Carniola. Its holdings included 1,073 farms, 48 mills, and numerous other properties and lands.
The Evolution of Surnames in Stična’s 16th-Century Manorial Records
One particularly fascinating aspect of studying these records is observing the development and formation of surnames. The most common surnames found in the records are Kastelic and Novak. The manorial records contain only 23 distinct female names, compared to around 100 male names. The number of surnames is even greater, as approximately 800 different surnames have been identified. In 1505, only 35% of tenants were recorded with surnames, a figure that rose to 44% by 1575. While the trend of adopting surnames is noticeable in the Stična manorial records, it is not as pronounced as one might expect.
Surnames Starting with A:
Abič: Abitsch (1505)
Ambrožič: Ambroschitz (1505)
Arutalič: Arutaliz (1575)
Atič: Atisch (1544)
Ateš: Attesh (1558)
Auersperg: von Aursperg (1505)
Avguštinec: Augustintz (1544)
Awhenir: Awhenir (1544)
Two additional surnames appear written with an initial A in German but are actually surnames starting with O:
Oter: Autter (1572, 1574)
Oven: Auen (1558, 1572, 1573), Awen (1558, 1572)
Personal Names Starting with A:
- Ahac, Ahacij: Achatz (1544, 1558, 1572), Achaz (1544, 1572), Achitz (1505),
- Aleks, Aleksander: Allex (1544), Alex (1558, 1572)
- Ambrož: Ambroß (1505, 1544, 1558, 1572) Ambrosh (1558, 1572), Ambros (1544)
- Andrej: Andrey (1505), Anndrey (1505), Andry (1505), Anndre (1544, 1558, 1572), Anndry (1572), Andre (1572), Anndro (1572), Andrei (1544)
- Anton, Tone: Anthoni (1544, 1558), Annthoni (1544), Anthon (1558)
- Anže: Anxe (1505)
- Avguštin: Augustin, (1505, 1544, 1558, 1572), Augustinn (1572)
- Amata: Amatha (1505)
- Apolonija, Polona: Apolonia (1572), Appolonia (1575)