The history of dual Christian naming – that is, the practice of giving a lay person an additional Christian name, other than his/her baptismal name, – spans a period as long as at least five centuries (late 13th to 18th). This practice tended to be mostly socially and gender neutral, however, the ruling elites specifically contributed both to the making and unmaking of it. Originally, Russian princes and their milieu would give a baby one Christian name as baptismal and another as public, patrimonial and dynastic. Later, this public name would conflate the functions of a dynastic name and a baptismal name, while the first name, defined by the birth date, would be relegated to personal piety. Later, this transformation would have a dramatic effect on the whole practice of naming in Russia.

The article is written in Russian.