Cultural, social and political influences on the frequency of saints’ names

Abstract

The paper outlines some phenomena that may influence the popularity of saints’ names in Christian societies. The diachronic overview focuses on the Hungarian given name stock and its changes and alternations in time, space and society. The multidisciplinary approach is mainly based on historical and onomastic literature and large databases of given names from the Middle Ages to modern days. Among the religious factors, the study presents the impact of religious taboos, the interference between cults of saints of the same name, and the collective veneration of saints. Political factors are also introduced: the effects of the Reformation, Catholic Revival, and wars against the Ottoman Empire in the 16th–18th centuries.