The Evolution of Naming in Iran: A Comparative Study of Two Decades (1980s and 2000s) and the Year 2021

Document Type : Original Article

Author
Masoomeh Asadollah Sharifi
Ph.D. in Linguistics, lecturer in Farhangian university of Qazvin.
Abstract
Onomastics, as one of the specialized and fundamental branches of linguistics, is concerned with the scientific, systematic, and methodical study of individuals' proper names. This research employs descriptive-analytical methods to investigate historical-semantic developments as well as the sociocultural applications of names. The author has examined the pattern of naming evolution in Iran. The statistical population of the study comprises personal records containing 1,500 names, including 750 male and 750 female names drawn from two specific decades: the 1980s, the 2000s, and the year 2021. The research methodology is mixed, consisting of two distinct qualitative and quantitative components. The qualitative phase involves semantic content analysis of the names, while the quantitative phase entails the statistical processing of naming data using specialized SPSS software. The findings of this study clearly demonstrate that names are not merely simplistic labels for identifying individuals; rather, they simultaneously serve as living and dynamic historical documents, reflecting social transformations, political changes, and religious beliefs within societies.
Keywords
: Iranian names
Linguistics
Onomastics
Semantic Change
Pazand Quarterly
Volume 19, 70 71
Summer 2025
Pages 5-16