A Békés Megyei Múzeumok Közleményei 20. - Száz éve alakult a Békéscsabai Múzeum-Egyesület (Békéscsaba, 1999)

Hévvízi Sándor: Analysis of the names of Settlements in Békés county

Békés megye településneveinek rendszere Analysis of the names of Settlements in Békés county - Sándor Hévvízi Summary We have examined the names of settlements in Békés County and came to the following conclusions. The names of villages and towns existent in Békés County at present (80 settlements) were named by Hungarians. If we assume that Kevermes, Kötegyán, Mezögyán and Okány were not named by Hungarians, still the 95 per cent of the names (i. e. 76 settlements) is of Hungarian origin. Examining the linguistic methods of giving names, our ancestors mostly formed the names of the settlements from personal names (29 settlements - 36.25%). Among the settlements examined Ï1 names (13.75%) were formed by common nouns. There are 14 names (17.5%) which consist of a common noun and an -s suffix. The names of 10 settlements (12.5%) end in -egyház; -egyháza [ecclesia; ecclesia of...] suffix which demonstrates the intensive downgrade of villages. Examining the anterior constituents we established that 5 names (6.25%) refer to the name of the county, 4 (5%) to the River Körös, and 4 (5%) to agriculture which is the most decisive character in the settlement named after. I should mention one more thing concerning the names of settlements in our county. The settlements in Békés County were not all destroyed during the Tatarian desolation, but during the Turkish invasion, which lasted 150 years, almost all towns and villages situated in this area were ruined. Gyula remained continuously existent (since the continuity of inhabitants partly remained) and Békés, Doboz and Okány can also be put into this group with little reservations. The number of the population and the villages in Békés County increased very slowly which is proved by the fact that the mayor part of the villages were re-established in the 19

th and 20

th century. More exactly, in the 1800s 22 settlements were established while in the 1900s 25 new settlements appeared. Fortunately, most of these towns and villages were named after their precedent settlements which had been destroyed or the former name was modified. Only the following settlements received new names which had been not used before, since there had been no settlements in their territory before: Csárdaszállás, Hunya, Kardos, Kardoskút, Kertészsziget, Körösújfalu, Örménykút, Tarhos, Végegyháza. 301