Gjin is an

Albanian Albanian may refer to: *Pertaining to Albania in Southeast Europe; in particular: **Albanians, an ethnic group native to the Balkans **Albanian language **Albanian culture **Demographics of Albania, includes other ethnic groups within the country ...

male

given name A given name (also known as a forename or first name) is the part of a personal name quoted in that identifies a person, potentially with a middle name as well, and differentiates that person from the other members of a group (typically a f ...

clan A clan is a group of people united by actual or perceived kinship and descent. Even if lineage details are unknown, a clan may claim descent from a founding member or apical ancestor who serves as a symbol of the clan's unity. Many societie ...

surname In many societies, a surname, family name, or last name is the mostly hereditary portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family. It is typically combined with a given name to form the full name of a person, although several give ...

and onomastic element. As a name, it is usually held by

Albanian Christians Christianity in Albania began when Christians arrived in Illyria soon after the time of Jesus, with a bishop being appointed in Dyrrhachium ( Epidamnus) in 58 AD. When the Roman Empire was divided in 395 AD, modern Albania became part of the ...

, as it is derived from the name of a saint, although the identity of this saint is unclear, as both theologists and linguists disagree on the relation of Saint Gjin to Saint

Gjon Gjon (definite form: ''Gjoni'') is an Albanian language, Albanian male given name, clan, surname and onomastic element. As given name Etymology and history ''Gjon'' as a given name is a form of the English language, English name John (given name ...

(the latter of which is considered to be Saint John).Riska, Albert (2013)
"The Christian Saints in the (Micro)toponymy of Albania"
''Anglisticum Journal (IJLLIS)'' vol 2 issue 3. Pages 167-176. Page 174

Origin

The origin of the name "Gjin" is unclear, except for the fact that he is considered a Christian saint by

Albanians The Albanians are an ethnic group native to the Balkan Peninsula who share a common Albanian ancestry, Albanian culture, culture, Albanian history, history and Albanian language, language. They are the main ethnic group of Albania and Kosovo, ...

. The Catholic clergy consider Shën Gjin (Saint Gjin) to be the same

saint In Christianity, Christian belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of sanctification in Christianity, holiness, imitation of God, likeness, or closeness to God in Christianity, God. However, the use of the ...

as Shën Gjon (Saint John) but the Christians of the Central Albanian Shpati region (who are Orthodox)) revere the two as separate saintsRiska, Albert (2013)
"The Christian Saints in the (Micro)toponymy of Albania"
''Anglisticum Journal (IJLLIS)'' vol 2 issue 3. Pages 167-176. with two different saint days—21 May for Shën Gjon, but 24 June for Shën Gjin. Linguists also are unsure etymologically about the derivation of Gjin, especially, once again, whether it has the same source as Gjon. If Gjin does not have the same source as Gjon, it is difficult to find any Christian source of the name despite Gjin being considered a Christian saint among Albanians. Krahe and Lambertz have theorized that Gjin is in fact a Christianization of a pre-Christian Albanian figure, arguing in particular that the original name of the figure in ancient times was ''

Gentius Gentius (, ''Génthios''; 181–168 BC) was an Illyrian king who belonged to the Labeatan dynasty. He ruled in 181–168 BC, being the last attested Illyrian king. He was the son of Pleuratus III, a king who kept positive relations with Rome. ...

'' before it was mutated over time. If so, Gjin could be not the only Albanian Christian saint with a non-Christian origin, as another saint is also thought to be of pre-Christian origin: Shën Premti which shares the origin of ''Premte'', the Albanian word for Friday, and is thought to share the origin of the ancient goddess

Prende Prende or Premte is the dawn goddess, goddess of love, beauty, fertility, health and protector of women, in the Albanian pagan mythology. She is also called Afër-dita, an Albanian phrase meaning "near day", "the day is near", or "dawn", in assoc ...

, the Albanian equivalent of Roman

Venus Venus is the second planet from the Sun. It is often called Earth's "twin" or "sister" planet for having almost the same size and mass, and the closest orbit to Earth's. While both are rocky planets, Venus has an atmosphere much thicker ...

, Norse

Freyja In Norse mythology, Freyja (Old Norse "(the) Lady") is a goddess associated with love, beauty, fertility, sex, war, gold, and seiðr (magic for seeing and influencing the future). Freyja is the owner of the necklace Brísingamen, rides a char ...

and Greek

Aphrodite Aphrodite (, ) is an Greek mythology, ancient Greek goddess associated with love, lust, beauty, pleasure, passion, procreation, and as her syncretism, syncretised Roman counterpart , desire, Sexual intercourse, sex, fertility, prosperity, and ...

but was identified by the Catholic Church with the

martyr A martyr (, ''mártys'', 'witness' Word stem, stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an external party. In ...

Saint Anne According to apocrypha, as well as Christianity, Christian and Islamic tradition, Saint Anne was the mother of Mary, mother of Jesus, Mary, the wife of Joachim and the maternal grandmother of Jesus. Mary's mother is not named in the Bible's Gosp ...

As toponym

Albanians have historically coined place names using the names of saints, and Gjin is no exception. The following toponyms, among others, include ''Gjin'' as an

onomastic Onomastics (or onomatology in older texts) is the study of proper names, including their etymology, history, and use. An ''alethonym'' ('true name') or an ''orthonym'' ('real name') is the proper name of the object in question, the object of onom ...

element and is noted in the regions of

Tirana Tirana ( , ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in Albania, largest city of Albania. It is located in the centre of the country, enclosed by mountains and hills, with Dajti rising to the east and a slight valley to the northwest ov ...

Elbasan Elbasan ( , ; sq-definite, Elbasani, ) is the fourth most populous city of Albania and seat of Elbasan County and Elbasan Municipality. It lies to the north of the river Shkumbin between the Skanderbeg Mountains and the Myzeqe Plain in centr ...

and

Mirdita Mirdita is a region of northern Albania whose territory is synonymous with the historic Albanian tribe of the same name. Etymology The name Mirdita derives from a legendary ancestor named Mir Diti from whom the tribe claims descent. Other a ...

. *

Shëngjin Shëngjin () is a coastal town and a former municipality in Lezhë County, northwestern Albania. At the 2015 local government reform it became a subdivision of the municipality of Lezhë. The population at the 2023 census was 6,963. Shëngjin i ...

with variants Shnjin and Shën GjiniRiska, Albert (2013)
"The Christian Saints in the (Micro)toponymy of Albania"
''Anglisticum Journal (IJLLIS)'' vol 2 issue 3. Pages 167-176. Page 167 * Gjinar *

Gjinovec Gjinovec (, ) is a village in the former Trebisht in Dibër County in northeastern Albania. At the 2015 local government reform it became part of the municipality Bulqizë. It is situated within the Gollobordë region, near the border with North Ma ...

* Gjinoc The given name transferring into the toponym is also seen in the form of Gjin Aleksi's Mosque.

Persons with the name Gjin

Gjin is typically held as a given name by Albanian Christians, including these notable personalities: * Gjin Bua Shpata, despot of Arta * Gjin Progoni, Albanian prince *

Gjin Zenebishi John Zenevisi or Gjon Zenebishi ( or ''Gjin Zenebishi''; died 1418) was an Albanian magnate that held the estates in Epirus, such as Gjirokastër and Vagenetia. Name Zenevisi can be found with different spellings in historical documents. His n ...

, ruler of Epirus * Gjini family * Gjin Muzaka I * Gjin Muzaka II

References

{{Reflist Albanian masculine given names Masculine given names Albanian-language surnames

Origin

As toponym

Persons with the name Gjin

See also

References