De ce unii țărani purtau nume de familie cu titluri boierești?

[Corneliu]

Am observat că există multe nume de familie românești care provin din titluri boierești sau dregătorii domnești, precum Spătaru, Vătavu, Pârcălabu, Aga etc. La prima vedere, pare ciudat ca țăranii să fi avut astfel de nume, din moment ce aceste funcții erau specifice boierimii și curții domnești.

O posibilă explicație este că aceste nume au apărut ca porecle și s-au transmis mai departe ca nume de familie. De exemplu:

Țăranii care lucrau pe moșiile unui spătar (comandant al cavaleriei) ar fi putut fi numiți ,,ai spătarului", iar mai târziu unii dintre ei au preluat numele.

Un om care semăna la comportament sau autoritate cu un pârcălab (administrator de cetate) putea fi poreclit astfel de săteni.

Dregătorii boierești aveau uneori slugi sau oameni de încredere printre țărani, care puteau moșteni simbolic titlul în nume.
...
Dacă cineva are alte păreri sau surse istorice pe acest subiect, mi-ar plăcea să le discutăm!

[Parcalab]

The surname "Spătaru" may indeed be derived from the Moldavian word "spătar". The surname of the person Neculai Milescu Spătarul is an example.
https://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicolae_Milescu
But he was from a boyar family.

As for tsaran. It is known that many rezeshi can be descended from boyars whose children left the state service and lived as simple peasants on their ancestor's land. Such villages and peasants were called rezeshs.
Many big and small boyar families of Moldova have lateral lines from peasants rezesh. For example, the boyar family of Riscanu also has a side line of rezeshas. In Bessarabia after 1812, the rezeshi were included in the ordinary free tsars and were not distinguished separately as a class.

As for the word "spătar". "spătar" is also a Slavic word, not only Romanian. In Slavs, Ruthenians, Ukrainians "spătar" is a defender of the native land from enemies, to protect. It is known that in ancient Moldova up to half of the population were Slavs, Ruthenians. Slav peasants could have the nickname "spătar", which later became a surname.

[Parcalab]

As for the word "pârcălab". This position was held by the great boyars in the 15th-17th centuries. Later, the position of "pârcălab" was abolished and its importance was lowered.

In the 18th-19th centuries, the "pârcălab" was a small police officer, a police inspector, and in some regions it was a village headman. A pârcălab could already be a mazıl or a free peasant.

In my opinion, the most accurate definition of the position of "pârcălab" in Russian sources is given by Count A.I.Osterman in his book The Partition of Turkey. From the History of the Eastern Question. War of Five Years (1735-1739).

Here the definition of the meaning of the position of "pârcălab" in ancient Moldova is given, then the definition of this position in the 18th century is given. Which is very important, because by that time the process of formation of surnames in Moldavia begins. And it becomes clearer from what exactly the surname Parcalab was formed, what functions was performed by pârcălab in Moldova and Wallachia in the 18th century, from which the surname was formed.

The most interesting words: "In Moldova and Wallachia in the 18th century parkalabs were already small police ranks, and terrible bribe takers, the scourge of the population, their places, as profitable, were willingly occupied by persons from the Moldavian nobility, and all this led to the indignation of representatives of the Russian authorities during the occupations".

"The fierce profit induced the representatives of the Divan and first-class nobles to go to the posts of parkalabs and inspectors, while in these ranks in former times were determined only second-class nobles".

Osterman also mentions the existence of the surname Parkalab in Bessarabia. "And now there is in Bessarabia surname Parcalab" Probably speaks about the beginning of the 19th century.

He also mentions that in Wallachia this position had a slightly different meaning, it was an elder of the family, a foreman, similar to the Serbian "knez".

I have researched many known points, villages, where people with the surname Parcalab are mentioned in various documents from 1774-1835. All the Parcalab I have come across are descended from Mazil or Resesh. The Mazils and Rezeshs are of a higher rank than the free Tsarans.

[Parcalab]

As for my surname Parсalab, my ancestors are from the village of Raсaria in Bessarabia, the village was founded in 1809, the first record of Parсalab in this village in 1821. 20 km away from the village of Raсaria, in the village of Gizdita, I found references to the two eldest sons of my ancestor Vasily Parcalab, who lived in the village of Gizdita. And 30 km north of the village of Gizdita, in the village of Chepeleutsi, in the census of 1774, Vasiliy Parcalab is mentioned. In 1774 Chepeleutsy village was a village without owners, inhabited by Kalarashs.
In 1835 my ancestor Vaislii Parcalab was already an elderly man, over 75 years old. And probably Vasilii Parkalab from the 1774 census is him.

Who are the Kalarashis? Dmitry Cantemir in his book "Description of Moldavia" wrote: In these conditions, when the number of Moldavian nobility increased considerably, the gentlemen were pleased to divide all the nobility into three degrees. The first place was given to the boyars and precisely to those who advanced to the highest state positions, or to those who were born from such. They belonged to almost the same degree of nobility, to which in the Russian Empire belongs "boyar family", which is different from the rest of the nobility of the lower order. In the second place were considered kurteni, or courtiers, who inherited one or two villages from their ancestors, and whom the Russians call nobles.

The third place is occupied by kalarashi, i.e. horsemen, who, for the use of lands granted to them by the lords, must constantly accompany them on campaigns on their own dependence.

The latter are rezeshi, whom we prefer to call free farmers rather than nobility. They almost correspond to the Russian odnodvorts, do not own peasants, mostly live together in one village and cultivate their lands either by themselves or by hiring servants."

I have also found the opinion that there was a law in Moldavia that at least one son of a boyar was obliged to serve as a kalarash. The children of great boyars served in the regiment of honorary kalarash, which always accompanied the prince of Moldavia. Children of minor boyars served in less noble regiments of kalarashes, on the outskirts of the land.

Vasili Parcalab, who was a kalarash from the village of Cepeleuti, could be the son of some minor official in Moldavia. His father could have held the position of parсalab in the Moldavian region, but we know that the position of parkalab in the 18th century was not a great boyar position, but a minor police rank.

[andreicucuruz]

Am observat că există multe nume de familie românești care provin din titluri boierești sau dregătorii domnești, precum Spătaru, Vătavu, Pârcălabu, Aga etc. La prima vedere, pare ciudat ca țăranii să fi avut astfel de nume, din moment ce aceste funcții erau specifice boierimii și curții domnești.

O posibilă explicație este că aceste nume au apărut ca porecle și s-au transmis mai departe ca nume de familie. De exemplu:

Țăranii care lucrau pe moșiile unui spătar (comandant al cavaleriei) ar fi putut fi numiți ,,ai spătarului", iar mai târziu unii dintre ei au preluat numele.

Un om care semăna la comportament sau autoritate cu un pârcălab (administrator de cetate) putea fi poreclit astfel de săteni.

Dregătorii boierești aveau uneori slugi sau oameni de încredere printre țărani, care puteau moșteni simbolic titlul în nume.

Indicațiile privind posibilele motivații pe filiera de poreclire mi se par plauzibile și chiar, aș zice, un procentaj bun din nume își găsesc explicația astfel.

Aș adăuga faptul că multe dintre vechile familii boierești au avut destule ramuri care au sărăcit și au ajuns, în cele din urmă, în rândurile țărănimii. Dar în general cred că majoritatea numelor de familie (cel puțin dacă vorbim de Moldova) sunt mult mai recente (majoritatea din sec. 19).

Trebuie avut în vedere și ideea adusă în discuția de @Parcalab și anume faptul că anumite titluri boierești datând din Evul Mediu au în secolul 18-19 corespondent și înțelesuri diferite prin generalizare în lumea boierească măruntă sau chiar sătească (e.g. vătaful, acel supraveghetor al slugilor de la curtea boierilor sau mănăstirilor era de multe ori ales chiar din rândul țărănimii, termenul de părcălab era folosit, în unele zone, în sec 18-19, pentru a desemna primarul rural ori un șef de gros sau închisoare, etc.)

[Parcalab]

Am observat că există multe nume de familie românești care provin din titluri boierești sau dregătorii domnești, precum Spătaru, Vătavu, Pârcălabu, Aga etc. La prima vedere, pare ciudat ca țăranii să fi avut astfel de nume, din moment ce aceste funcții erau specifice boierimii și curții domnești.

O posibilă explicație este că aceste nume au apărut ca porecle și s-au transmis mai departe ca nume de familie. De exemplu:

Țăranii care lucrau pe moșiile unui spătar (comandant al cavaleriei) ar fi putut fi numiți ,,ai spătarului", iar mai târziu unii dintre ei au preluat numele.

Un om care semăna la comportament sau autoritate cu un pârcălab (administrator de cetate) putea fi poreclit astfel de săteni.

Dregătorii boierești aveau uneori slugi sau oameni de încredere printre țărani, care puteau moșteni simbolic titlul în nume.

Aș adăuga faptul că multe dintre vechile familii boierești au avut destule ramuri care au sărăcit și au ajuns, în cele din urmă, în rândurile țărănimii. Dar în general cred că majoritatea numelor de familie (cel puțin dacă vorbim de Moldova) sunt mult mai recente (majoritatea din sec. 19).

This can be interestingly investigated with DNA tests on the male line of Y-dna. The sample, the number of y-dna tests among Romanians and Moldovan citizens is very small. I hope someday there will be more.

[Parcalab]

I found a general list of the Parkalabs of the Principality of Moldavia in chronological order.

My ancestor Vasily is the son of Simeon Parcalabu born around 1758.
If his father Semen was parkalab, then probably this parkalab was Simeon parkalab of the city of Orhei from 1741-1748. (Fost pârcălab – 1741 dec. 8 (Condica lui Constantin Mavrocordat, vol. II, p. 454.))
Coincidences in names, dates, close proximity.


We need to find out who this Simeon parkalab was. Was he from a boyar family? Or was he from a lowly family? Semyon's surname is not mentioned in the document. Boyar surnames were usually given in the 18th century. If there's no surname, he might not have been a boyar.

[Parcalab]

It also says:

Domnitorul Constantin Mavrocordat adresează la 8 decembrie 1741 o carte lui "Simeon,
vameşul de Chişinău, carile au fost şi pârcălab la Orhei, deci a fost pârcălab până la această
dată.

That's all I know about this man so far.

[andreicucuruz]

Cum spuneam undeva și mai sus, în lumea satului existau echivalențe pentru astfel de funcții. Prin urmare, nu este exclus ca Vasile să fi fost fiul unui primar de sat sau, poate, al unui om care la un moment dat deținuse rolul de pârcălab al unei închisori. Ținând cont de numărul mare de persoane înregistrate în secolele XVIII-XIX cu variante ale numelui Părcălab, e greu de crezut că toți ar fi fost urmașii direcți ai pârcălabilor de cetate sau de ținut.

[Parcalab]

Cum spuneam undeva și mai sus, în lumea satului existau echivalențe pentru astfel de funcții. Prin urmare, nu este exclus ca Vasile să fi fost fiul unui primar de sat sau, poate, al unui om care la un moment dat deținuse rolul de pârcălab al unei închisori. Ținând cont de numărul mare de persoane înregistrate în secolele XVIII-XIX cu variante ale numelui Părcălab, e greu de crezut că toți ar fi fost urmașii direcți ai pârcălabilor de cetate sau de ținut.

I'm of the same opinion. The only thing I don't agree with is the position of prison warden. 'Porcolab, meaning 'prison warden, prison guard', is Hungarian. I have no Hungarians in my family, although autosomal DNA analysis showed a Magyar value of 6%.

I would believe in the Boyar theory of Parcalab origin only if there is a reference to Parcalab as Mazyls in the documents. I did not find any links with the Purcalabu Mazyl families from Vasieni village, Chisinau district.

I think that my ancestor Vasilii Parcalab could have come from across the Prut in the first years after 1812, the beginning of the Russian occupation of Bessarabia. In the first years after 1812, free migration of Moldovans on both sides of the Prut was allowed. It is also possible that he could have been a migrant from across the Danube River.

It is enough to read the metric books. We see that in the years 1811-1820 metric books volume of 2-4 pages, but after 1820 the volume of pages of metric books sharply increased. In the books after 1820th years begin to meet surnames which were not in the books 1810-1820.

Russian authorities kept records of migrants from among Bulgarians, Gagauz, Germans, Poles, Ukrainians from Austria. But they did not keep records of Moldovan migrants from across the Prut. There are no lists of Moldovan migrants from across the Prut.

[Parcalab]

A similar situation for my ancestors from the Carabulea surname.

I have traced the Carabulea family to the 1820s. My ancestor Diordiy Carabulea is listed in the 1824 census for the village of Yedintsy (presumably birth year 1750). But nothing is known about him before 1824. In the census of 1774 on the village Edintsi Khotyn uyezd also nothing about him.

In the census of 1774 the surname Carabulea is found in the south of Moldavia, and for one village it is directly stated that they came from across the Danube (this is the territory of Dobrudja or Wallachia).