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Naming systems and personal names containing nu 'slave' during the Khitan–Liao period (907–1125)
Author(s)
Date Issued
2026
Publisher
University Library System, University of Pittsburgh
Journal
ISSN
0027-7738
1756-2279
Citation
Names: A Journal of Onomastics, 2026, vol. 74(2), pp. 17-29.
Description
Open access
Type
Peer Reviewed Journal Article
Abstract
The Khitans lived on the steppe of Mongolia during the tenth through twelfth centuries. According to Chinese historical records, many Khitan people had names ending in the Chinese word nu 奴 ‘slave’. This study explores why this naming pattern occurred and identifies the Khitan naming systems reflected by this phenomenon. Based on data collected from materials and steles engraved in Chinese and Khitan scripts, the study shows that Khitan names are not simply dichotomized into either inherited Chinese conventions or Khitan customs. Rather, the dataset demonstrates that in their bilingual and bicultural context, the Khitan people used two linguistic approaches to personal naming. They not only continued their own kinship-based naming system by applying three strategic patterns of father–son, brother–brother, and husband–wife linkages. They also integrated elements from the Chinese lexicon and imitated the Chinese onomastic pattern of assigning nicknames containing nu. Nu thus became a Khitan naming component. This investigation draws on pragmatic and semantic theoretical frameworks in multilingual contexts, and utilizes the sociolinguistic concepts of borrowing and code–mixing. Using this multidimensional approach, this study systematically describes the Khitan naming practice and provides evidence for historical contact onomastics, thereby shedding new insights into the relationships between names, languages, and cultures.
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