As regards motivation, the early 19th-century cow-names belong to the earlier era when the predominant motivation of animal-names was their colour. Only later on did the motivation based on the animal’s predecessors’ place of origin, on the name of its preceding or current owner or keeper, or simply on a female – usually not frequently used – first name, gain ground. It is apparent that even such seemingly less significant category of proper names as the cow-names can be important in terms of the research of the history of the language and its dialects (especially lexis and word formation) and thus also in terms of learning about the earlier ways of life and thought.
In the first part of the article, the author deals with the Slovak personal name Silvester and surnames derived from it (especially Vester). The second part is devoted to several surnames reflecting occupations of their holders. The last part is focused on the recorded changes of the name of a Slovak woman in the 18th century.
JavaScript is turned off in your web browser. Turn it on to take full advantage of this site, then refresh the page.