Toponymy of Latvia

For the first time, a similar name in the form of “Letty” ( Lettia , Letthia , Leththia ) is found in the “Chronicle” of Heinrich of Latvia (1209). Initially, the Germans so called the land where the Latgalians lived. The name “Latvia” came to the Latvian language from Lithuanian , in which it was derived from the ethnonym of Latvians - “Latvian” ( Lit. latviai ) ^[1] . The etymology of the ethnonym is unclear ^[2] .

The toponymy of Latvia as a whole is characterized by the presence of the main Latvian toponymic stratum, with a noticeable presence of Russian-language toponyms in the east, traces of German in the west and Estonian in the north. In the north of the country (in the Ventspils region ) there is a small Livian people, but in the toponymy of Latvia this ethnonym was reflected quite well: Livonia , Livonia , etc. ( ^[3] .

Despite the flat nature of the terrain, Latvia has a rather rich Oronymy : many hills and hills have been given names with a characteristic formant –kalns (“mountain”): Slyanyumakalns (“wet mountain”), Ormanakalns (“izvachchichya mountain”), Skaiskalns (“ beautiful mountain ”), Gorkalns (“ long mountain ”) ^[4] .

Latvian hydronimy is almost entirely of Baltic origin. For example, Daugava (in the Scandinavian sources of the XII-XIV centuries is called Dyna, in the Order of the Germans Dune or Dina), Lielupe ( Latvian. Lielupe , translated as “big river”), Venta ( Latvian. Venta ), Aiviekste ( Latvian. Aiviekste ) , Gauja ( Latvian. Gauja , according to A. Bilenstein , the name comes from the Liv kev or South Estonian kõiv , which means “birch”, that is, “birch river” ^[5] ), Memele ( Latvian. Mēmele ), Svete ( Latvian. Svēte ), Iecava ( Latvian. Iecava ), and others.

In oikonymy Zhuchkevich identifies 5 groups of toponyms by type of education:

• Group I - toponyms characterizing the natural conditions (relief, vegetation, etc.): Upenki , Ezernieki , Saulkrasti , Plavinas , Zalite , Mezhnieki , Silmala , Ozolayte , Liepaja , Grobina ;
• Group II - toponyms characterizing the occupations of the inhabitants: Kalei , Kurpniki , Sikshniki , Murnaki , Draimzna , Shketniki , Wendelji ;
• Group III - toponyms characterizing the features of the object: Lidumi , Rizhniki ;
• Group IV - toponyms-patronyms, data from their own names (surnames) in Latvia are quite numerous, but mainly relate to detached farms (manors);
• Group V - place names formed by immigrants in memory of their places of origin - Daugavpils , Smolensk , Pleksava ^[4] .

The authority to assign official geographical names in the territory of Latvia is vested in the government , the Saeima , the Latvian Agency for Geospatial Information (LAGI) and all municipalities (or local governments). The control and advisory body is the State Language Center . Consultative and research institutions: the University of Latvia , LAGI and the Agency of the Latvian Language ^[6] .

The Geographic Names Database of Latvia, maintained by the LAGI, as of January 2016, contained 153,285 names of 118,480 geographical objects. The National Address Register maintained by the State Land Service, as of January 1, 2016, contained the names of all administrative-territorial units (including 110 territories , 497 volosts , 76 cities ), 6,445 officially approved villages (their number is constantly decreasing) 17 216 streets, 509 890 houses and buildings. Harmonization of the data of this register with other registers - the Land Registry, the Population Register, the Enterprise Register, etc. ^[6] continues.

The Latvian Geographic Names File Cards are being digitized (~ 1 million geographical names), supported by the Latvian Language Institute of the University of Latvia ^[6] .

in Russian

• Zhuchkevich V.A. General toponymy. 2nd edition, revised and enlarged. - Minsk: Vysheynaya school, 1968. - p. 432.
• Nikonov V.A. A brief toponymic dictionary. - M .: Thought, 1966. - 509 p. - 32 000 copies
• Pospelov EM. Geographic names of the world. Toponymic dictionary / resp. ed. R.Ageeva. - 2nd ed., Stereotype. - M .: Russian dictionaries, Astrel, AST, 2002. - 512 p. - 3 000 copies - ISBN 5-17-001389-2 .
• Dictionary of place names of foreign countries / A. M. Komkov. - M .: Nedra, 1986. - 459 p.
• Geographical names dictionary of the Latvian SSR / Compiled by A.P. Alex . Editor: MB Volostnova . - Moscow: TsNIIGAIK , 1965. - 82 p. - 300 copies

in other languages

• Jānis Endzelīns . Latvijas PSR vietvārdi . - Riga: Latvijas PSR Zinātn̦u Akademija, 1956.

• Geographic Names Database of Latvia (Latvian)
• Web Portal of the State Land Service of Latvia (English) , (Latvian)