Wednesday, April 21, 2010

What's with that name?

The boy's name Boris \b(o)ris\ is pronounced BOR-iss. It is of Russian and Slavic origin, and its meaning is "small; battle glory".

Boris (first name)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


Boris, Borys or Barys (Bulgarian, Russian, Serbian, Ukrainian: Борис; Belarusian: Барыс) is a Slavic name, probably with Bulgarian roots.[1][2] It is common in Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro, Russia, Serbia, Slovenia, Ukraine, Czechoslovakia and other countries. In recent generations it has also been used among English and German-speakers, even without any Slavic background.

Meaning

The most common theory is that this name comes from the Bulgar language with meanings according to the different interpretations: "wolf", "short" or "snow leopard". Some authors, which support the "Iranian theory" about the origin of the Bulgar language derive "Bogoris" from the Iranian word "bog", which could mean "godlike". Another theory is that this name is that it is an abbreviated form of the Russian name Borislav, which means "one who fights for glory" from the Russian бор bor, battle combined with слав slav, glory. . Thе second is less likely, because the name Borislav appeared later than Boris.

Gender male
Meaning unclear
Region of origin First Bulgarian Empire
Origin Bulgarian, Slavic
Related names Borislav
Popularity Popular names page

Origin

Boris is first found in written records in the case of the Bulgarian ruler Prince Boris I (852-889), who adopted Christianity in 864 AD and imposed it on his people. His name came to be known in Europe in relation to this particular act. Moreover, after his death in 907 AD he was proclaimed the first Bulgarian saint, and traces of his cult during this period can be found as far away as Ireland. The Patriarchate of Constantinople recognized the canonization of St. Boris in 923 AD. However, Prince Boris was not a Slav. He came from a dynasty of the Bulgars that was probably of Turkic origin. Among the Bulgars the name was known in its two forms - Boris and Bogoris.

History

Boris owes its worldwide usage to its adoption by the Rus Slavs. It is known that the name of the Bulgarian saint reached the Rus in the late 10th century, likely during the reign of Boris II of Bulgaria (969-977), great-grandson of Boris I. In 967 the Byzantine Emperor Nicephorus Phocas sent to the Rus ruler Sviatoslav I of Kiev his agent, with the task of talking Sviatoslav into assisting him in a war against the First Bulgarian Empire. In the Battle of Silistra, which occurred in the spring of 968 Sviatoslav defeated the Bulgarian ruler Peter I of Bulgaria and proceeded to occupy the whole of northern Bulgaria. In spite of some temporary successes and the reconciliation with Byzantium, Bulgaria faced a new invasion by Sviatoslav in 969. The Bulgarians were defeated again, and Peter I abdicated and become a monk. His successor Boris II was unable to stem the Rus advance, and found himself forced to accept Sviatoslav I of Kiev as his ally and puppet-master. Probably by this campaign his youngest son Vladimir I of Kiev found his Bulgarian wife, who is assumed to be a daughter of Peter I, i.e. sister of Boris II.[10][11]

One of the sons of Vladimir I was given the name Boris. As evidenced by the Rus Primary Chronicle, Boris and Gleb were sons of Vladimir I, born to him by his Bulgarian wife. During Vladimir's reign in 988 the conversion of the Kievan Rus to Christianity took place. In this conversion both ordinary priests and prelates from Bulgaria played a significant part. Also, with the adoption of the Byzantine calendar and the Eastern Orthodox liturgical calendar the cult of St. Boris entered the Rus Orthodox Church. In 1015 the princes Boris and Gleb were killed by their stepbrother Sviatopolk I of Kiev, who usurped the throne. Within a short time Boris and Gleb were canonized and ever since they have been the native soldier-saints most revered among the Ukrainians, Russians and Byelorussians.

Spreading

From the lands of Kievan Rus the name Boris went over to the neighbouring countries. An example of this is the case of the Hungarian prince Boris Kalamanos (1112-1155), son of the Magyar king from his marriage with Euphtimia, daughter of the Kievan prince Vladimir II Monomakh. For a fairly long period men named Boris were found predominantly in the courts and among the nobility, but eventually the name became popular among all strata in the Russian Empire, including Siberia and Alaska. So it reached gradually the two Americas and Australia. In the present day, one can meet a Boris even in Africa.

Notable people named Boris

Arts and entertainment

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