Gjin is an Albanian male given name, clan, surname and onomastic element. As a name, it is usually held by

Albanian Christians Christianity in Albania was established throughout the country in 325 AD. From 1100 AD, the Byzantine Empire carried out Church missions in the area. In relation to the increasing influence of Venice, the Franciscans started to settle down in th ...

, 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 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 name John. It is the name of the apostle Saint John in ...

(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 Catholic clergy consider Shën Gjin (Saint Gjin) to be the same saint 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 ( grc, Γένθιος, "Génthios"; 181168 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 relati ...

'' 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 (also ''Prenne'', ''Premte'' or ''Petka'') is the dawn goddess, goddess of love, beauty, fertility, and protector of women, in the Albanian pagan mythology. She is thought to have been worshiped by the Illyrians in antiquity. In Albanian f ...

, the Albanian equivalent of Roman

Venus Venus is the second planet from the Sun. It is sometimes called Earth's "sister" or "twin" planet as it is almost as large and has a similar composition. As an interior planet to Earth, Venus (like Mercury) appears in Earth's sky never f ...

, Norse

Freyja In Norse paganism, 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 ( ; grc-gre, Ἀφροδίτη, Aphrodítē; , , ) is an ancient Greek religion, ancient Greek goddess associated with love, lust, beauty, pleasure, passion (emotion), passion, and procreation. She was syncretized with the Roman god ...

but was identified by the Catholic Church with the

martyr A martyr (, ''mártys'', "witness", or , ''marturia'', 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 ...

Saint Anne According to Christian apocryphal and Islamic tradition, Saint Anne was the mother of Mary and the maternal grandmother of Jesus. Mary's mother is not named in the canonical gospels. In writing, Anne's name and that of her husband Joachim co ...

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, in older texts, onomatology) is the study of the etymology, history, and use of proper names. An ''orthonym'' is the proper name of the object in question, the object of onomastic study. Onomastics can be helpful in data mining, w ...

element and is noted in the regions of

Tirana Tirana ( , ; aln, Tirona) is the capital and 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 overlooking the Adriatic Sea ...

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 central ...

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 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 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 *

Gjin Progoni Gjin Progoni ( la, Ginius) was an ''archon'' (or lord) of Kruja, located in present-day Albania, from c. 1198 until his death in 1208.: "Even if it is hard to identify the outlook of Prince Gjin, the son of Progon, who died in 1208, it is clear t ...

* Gjin Zenebishi *

Gjini family Gjini family (Croat: Ginni) (Italian: Gini, Ghini) was an Albanian medieval family who lived in Venetian Albania in the 16th and 17th century who played a major role in social and military history in the eastern Adriatic coast. The noble Mark Gjini ...

Gjin Muzaka IGjin Muzaka II

References

{{Reflist Albanian masculine given names Albanian-language surnames

Origin

As toponym

Persons with the name Gjin

See also

References