Several Kazakh names: Aisholpan, Almagul, Samarkan

Eagle Huntress (2016)

The Eagle Huntress (2016) is a documentary film about a 13-year-old Mongolian girl, Aisholpan, who trains under her father to become an eagle hunter.

Though Aisholpan’s family lives in western Mongolia, they aren’t ethnically Mongolian — they’re Kazakhs. (The Kazakhs were pushed into western Mongolia by Russian troops during the 19th century; the westernmost Mongolian province of Bayan-Ölgii is currently almost 90% Kazakh.)

So, Aisholpan isn’t a Mongolian name. It’s a Kazakh name. What does it mean? The ai– element refers to the moon, and the –sholpan element refers to Venus.

Aisholpan’s mother is Almagul. In her name, the alma– element means “apple” and the –gul element means “flower.”

So far I haven’t been able to define the names of her other family members: her father Nurgaiv (nur– apparently means “shine”), her older brother Samarkan (whose name could be based on Samarkand?), her younger sister Saigulug, and her younger brother Dinka.

Aisholpan’s eagle also has a name (White Feathers) but traditionally Kazakh eagle hunters do not give their birds names. Instead the eagles are known by their ages, and these age-names differ from region to region. Examples given in my source article include Balapan (one year old), Tastuluk (two), and Tirnek (three).

Sources: Breaking free: meet the first girl eagle huntress in Mongolia, Kazakhs – Wikipedia, Names – Kazakhstan Adoptive Families

Baby names from classic arcade games?

Potential baby names may be hiding in the titles of classic arcade games of the ’80s and early ’90s. No, I’m not talking Q*Bert or Pac-Man. But how about Azurian, Zaviga, or Cadash?

Below are a bunch of possibilities, most not even as daring as Dovahkiin or Tali’Zorah. Three of them — Kage, Raiden, and Truxton — have already popped up in the SSA data. (And if you’re in the mood to play, click through to check out playable versions of the games hosted by the Internet Archive!)

  • Amidar (1981)
    • “Amidar” is based on Amidakuji (the name of a Japanese game) which is based on Amida (the name of a figure in East Asian Buddhism).
  • Bosconian (1981)
  • Zarzon (1981)
  • Azurian, from Azurian Attack (1982)
  • Zaxxon (1982)
  • Zektor (1982)
  • Cavelon (1983)
  • Ixion (1983)
  • Regulus (1983)
  • Xevious, from Super Xevious (1983)
  • Zaviga (1984)
  • Kage (“kah-gay”), from Legend of Kage (1985)
  • Rygar (1986)
  • Gryzor (1987)
  • Sauro (1987)
  • Ordyne (1988)
  • Syvalion (1988)
  • Truxton (1988)
  • Xenon (1988)
  • Cadash (1989)
  • Dyger (1989)
  • Sagaia (1989)
  • Tonma, from Legend of Hero Tonma (1989)
    • “Tonma” is translated to “Tommy” within the game, interestingly.
  • Xyonix (1989)
  • Aurail (1990)
  • Raiden (1990)
    • “Raiden” was used again a couple of years later in the original Mortal Kombat.
  • Trigon (1990)
  • Solvalou (1991), one of several Xevious sequels
  • Vimana (1991)
    • “Vimana” is a Sanskrit word that refers to a flying palace or chariot in Hindu mythology.

I half-expect to see Zaxxon on the charts soon, now that Jaxon and Jaxxon are trendy and variants like Maxxon and Daxxon have emerged.

Family of food names: Taco, Apple, Chili, Bran

tacos

Florida-born rugby player Taco Pope — who’s in the Jacksonville Axemen Hall of Fame — comes from a family full of food-names.

He has brothers named Apple-Joe and Pepci. His mother, Chili-Lu, has a brother named Pepar and a sister named Cofi. Pepar has a daughter named Colby (“after the cheese”). Cofi has four children named Sage, Bran, Cinnamon-T and Dentyne (“after the American chewing gum brand”).

The initial food names were thought up by grandparents Rex and Dortha Lou. Dortha Lou’s nickname? “Pork.”

So does Taco Pope like his name? He told one reporter that it had never been a hindrance. On the contrary, it was “a good conversation starter.”

Sources:

Image: Adapted from Tacos veganos surtidos 01 by Luis Alvaz under CC BY-SA 4.0.

The odd names of the Hakki Pikki

Members of the nomadic Hakki Pikki tribe of southern India are known for their unusual names.

According to Dr. K. M. Metry, chairman of the Department of Tribal Studies at Kannada University, the Hakki Pikki people “used to name their children after the river or the mountain that they worshipped. Following the political turmoil and change in regimes, they got dispersed in different regions of South India.”

Traveling, hunting, and begging are a part of the Hakki Pikki way of life, but as these things became criminalized during the 20th century, the Hakki Pikki themselves came to be seen as criminals. So they disguised their identity by giving their children nontraditional names, such as…

  • British, named “during the independence struggle”
  • Coffee
  • Court (male), “born at a camp set up by his nomadic family near a district court”
  • Cycle Rani
  • Deluxe Express
  • English
  • Glucose (female)
  • Government
  • Japan (male)
  • Pistol*
  • Post Office

These actually aren’t much different from the bizarre names of Meghalaya, which include Friday, Moonlight, and Zenith.

*Did you know that Pistol and other gun names (e.g., Caliber, Trigger, Shooter, Gunner) have been on the rise in the U.S. recently?

Sources: Meet Mr Court of the Hakki Pikki tribe, who’s nephew of late Japan, The Hakki Pikki Tales – The Alemaari Trails, The man who lived with the tribes