Third Cultural Post

[Maddie Philips]

After some thought, I decided to do my third cultural post on the concept Basque naming. The Basques have quite a few specific first names, like Amaia, Miren, or Itziar, but it has a never ending list of possible last names, all based off of the characteristics of the family farm, especially pertaining to where it was located. I've decided to use Basque last names in my own family as examples, in order to also better understand my own heritage, and what being Basque means to me. Because the language is made up of root words with suffixes added in order to modify them, last names are very similar. Some simple ones include Etxegorri, which means "red house," Etxeberri, which means "new house," and Etxebarne, which means "interior house." Etxe is clearly the Basque word for house, while adding suffixes changes the house's description. Some other names take after where the house is located, like Bidart, which means "way between," or Carriquiri, which means "twisting street." Hegoburu means "southern summit," while Chabalgoiti means, "above cattle." Even the last name which means "downstairs,"Estabay, is made up of the words for "below," and "story." Jaureguiberri, which means something along the lines of "place of the new palace," is connected to the name Castejuri, which although not pertaining directly to the house, connects to the family by saying, "noble lineage." Such connections are common throughout the last names of the Basque Country, like Gorostibar, which means "upward valley," with the root word ""ibar" going into Ibarrondo, which means "high valley," and then Ibarrondogaray, which means "nearby high valley." The "ondo" of these names also goes into Mendiondou, which means "near the mountain." Despite all of these connected words, some Basque surnames were simple one word descriptions, like Erreque, which means "stream," Ezpel, which means "box tree," and Txocou, which means "corner."