Nomi personali ad Azzano d’Asti tra il 1861 e il 1880

This analysis examines the repertoire of personal names given to newborns in Azzano d’Asti, a small municipality in rural Piedmont, between 1861 and 1880. Across 564 birth records, 1216 personal names were identified, indicating that multiple names were frequently assigned to each newborn. The study first investigates the number of names given to each child and the recurrence of specific name types, considering the male and female populations separately. Viewing name assignment as a form of classification expressed through the derivation of a child’s name from those of individuals with whom they are intended to be connected, the study considers the various possibilities for name derivation revealed in the examined records (spirituals relatives in baptismal registers, blood relatives in civil registry records). Finally, noting the discrepancy between the long name strings used during baptism and the tendency to record relative’s names with a single appellation, the article analyses the dynamics of name reduction, assessing which elements of the name string are most frequently omitted.