Surname “Mindur”.
Etymology of the Name
The
name
"Mindur"
is
of
the
Norwegian
origin.
Although
relatively
rare,
this
name
is
still
used
as
a
given
name,
particularly
in
families
with
Old
Norse
traditions
who
adhere
to
Nordic
culture
and
Norse
mythology.
In
the
contemporary
meaning
the
name could be interpret as "open-minded" or "one who speaks his mind”.
Farther
analyses
of
the
etymology
of
word
may
revile
relation
to
the
Old
Norse
word
‘“minna”
which
may
refer
to
remind,
remember,
possibly
mind.
The
name
ending.
genitive
suffix
“-ur
“
is
a
patronymic
inflection
attached
to
the
father’s
name,
signifying
familial
connection
and
helping
preserve
the
father’s
identity
and
the
lineage.
The
system
of
inflection
most
likely is of the Indo-European origin.
Although
in
Old
Norse
and
Icelandic
originally
different
suffix
was
use
for
male
(-dur)
and
female
(-dottir),
eventually
suffix
“-ur” become universally used for both male and female names.
As
the
Vikings
traveled
in
their
longboats,
the
name
spread
to
other
part
of
Scandinavia
and
surrounding
islands
including
Scotland.
An
example
of
the
name
used
as
a
given
name
is
Mindur
Berge,
a
brave
sailor
with
a
Viking
spirit
who
voluntarily participated in World War II and died at sea during the “Shetland Bus Operation.”
"Mindur"
has
also
been
used
as
a
family
name.
For
instance,
historical
records
from
Scotland
indicate
that
Elspet
Mindur
of
Boharm
in
Moray
County
married
John
McWilliam
on
June
8,
1714.
Moray
County
and
its
neighboring
areas
are
still
populated by descendants of Vikings who settled in this part of Scotland during the 9th and 10th centuries.
An
interesting
example
of
the
name
"Mindur"
used
as
a
surname
involves
a
group
of
people
living
in
a
geographically
semi-isolated
area
of
Central
Europe,
in
the
highlands
of
the
Carpathian
Mountains,
approximately
400
miles
from
the
Baltic Sea and Scandinavia. The area has a waterway connection via rivers to the Baltic Seacoast and Scandinavia.
Old
Norse
has
strongly
influenced
other
Germanic
languages,
including
English,
which
still
contains
many
words
of
Old
Norse
origin.
The
written
Old
Norse
language
was
recorded
in
the
Runic
alphabet.
Today,
a
slightly
altered
version
of
Old
Norse is spoken in Iceland and the Faroe Islands by approximately 250,000 people.
Examples of Norse Words:
Nordur
(North),
Sudur
(South),
madur
(man),
hermadur (soldier), smidur
(smith),
sandur
(sandy delta)
Examples of Norse Names ending with -ur
Male; Bardur, Leifur
Female: Hildur, Sigridur
Historical Background
The travels of Northern people trace back to the beginning of the first millennium. Gothic and Viking expansions
significantly influenced the demographics and cultures of Europe and Asia. The preservation of language and tribal
traditions was inherent to Nordic culture, with less emphasis on the establishment of statehood. The legendary toughness
of the Norsemen allowed them to survive in the harsh environments of newly conquered lands, often surrounded by
hostile tribes. Isolated pockets of Northerners survived in Eastern Europe and Asia until the second half of the current
millennium.
In 1595, Flemish diplomat Ogier Ghiselin de Busbecq documented that Gothic tribes were living in the Crimea region,
1200 years after their expansion from Gotland. Other researchers, like Blumenthal, noted the existence of the Gothic
language in the Black Sea areas in the 18th century. Upon the arrival of Christianity to the Northern lands, Vikings
gradually converted to the new religion. Some moved south along Central European rivers and eventually settled in new
lands.
The territory in Central Europe known as Galicia (not to be mistaken with Galicia in Spain) was governed by the Rurik
(Rurikid) dynasty, which originated in 862 by the Varangian Prince, who brought with him Rus people from Scandinavia
and particularly Eastern Sweden. The name has an origin similar to the Swedish Roslagenin (Roden). It is believed that
the name Rus, like the Proto-Finnic name of Sweden “Routs”, is of Old Norse origin and translates to “men who row”.
Rowing was the navigation method used by Viking warriors and tradesmen. According to some historical sources, a
number of the ethnic Rus settlements survived relatively intact for a long time in the secluded parts of Ruthenia. The
legend is that Prince Rurik was invited by the local tribes to establish order and to rule the land. This period in the history
of Central Europe is poorly documented, leading to various claims and many speculations.
The geographical name Ruthenia is a Middle Ages Latin exonym for the “Land of Rus” and refers to the region presently
known as Galicia. The interpretation of the meaning of “Ruthenians” as the name of the Rus population is inconsistent and
sometimes controversial. The name is either accepted or challenged by the competing regional powers, depending on the
political ambitions of the ethnic groups and the prevailing political interests.
Ruthenia was a site of contention between Kievian Russ, Hungary, Poland, Prussia, and Austria, which further contributed
to the ethnic diversity of the region's population. The Old Norse origin of the name Mindur could imply that the
concentration of this name in this area of the Carpathian Highlands is the result of Viking expansion. The name Mindur
can be found in and around the town of Lobetanz (present-day Nowotaniec). Although, subsequent to Rurik's invasion, the
settlement existed for a few centuries, the town of Lobetanz was officially established in 1366 with the German
Magdeburg Law. It appears that Lobetanz was the original settlement for the Mindur Clan in Central Europe. From there,
the name spread to nearby towns. Verifiable written records known to us about Mindur living in Lobetanz go back to the
beginning of the 1700s.
Although the above sounds plausible, one cannot exclude other scenarios for the origination of the Mindur clan in the
Carpathian Highlands. Scandinavians have been preoccupied with Central Europe for centuries. The almost 300 years of
Swedish wars in Central Europe (1563-1721) possibly presented other opportunities for individual migration from
Scandinavia to the picturesque and fertile Highlands of Galicia.
According to the US Census Bureau, there was a wave of migration of Mindur families to the US from Lobetanz, which
started at the end of the 1800s and continued through the beginning of the 1900s. Most of these immigrants went to
Pittstown, PA, where they found employment as miners. Some ended up in the Elizabeth/Union, NJ area and Oneonta,
NY. The area of Pittstown is populated by people with the name Mindur, but also Minder. Some of these families are
related. It appears that during the US Customs registration process, in some cases, the name Mindur was misspelled or
intentionally anglicized to spell Minder.
During our research on the name distribution, we identified a case in which the name Mindur is used without a connection
to the clan. A person in Dutchess County, NY, who was not born Mindur, obtained the name as a result of a failed
matrimony.
We have also identified a version of the name spelled “Mindurski”. This appears to be an attempt to make it look like the
bearer is part of the nobility. Originally, to end a name with “-ski” was an old Slavic tradition symbolizing ownership of a
village or land and it was usually granted by the king or the prince. However, the word Mindur has no meaning in the
Slavic languages and there is no town or village named Mindur. At the beginning of the 13th century, this tradition was
often misused. Eventually, many names were intentionally created to sound like the bearer was part of the nobility.
In the present time, the name Mindur is unique even in Scandinavia but is very unusual in other parts of Europe. The word
does not have any phonetic reference to the languages in Central Europe nor does it have any meaning in other
languages but Old Norse and Icelandic. It can be concluded that people with the name Mindur who came to the United
States from Lobetanz belonged to the same group. It is not possible to determine the location and social status of all the
clan members. According to genealogical sources, about 120 people bear this surname. There are some individual
examples of Mindur being used as a family name in France and Germany. However, we did not identify any wider
distribution of it.
Mindur – Meaning of the Word
The word "mindur" has several intriguing interpretations and uses across different contexts:
Scientific usage: in science "mindur" can be seen as a compound abbreviation for "minimum duration" (min+dur).
Acronym
use
in
Venezuela:
“MINDUR”
is
an
acronym
for
the
Ministerio
del
Desarrollo
Urbano
(Ministry
of
Urban
Development).
Geographical
name
in
the
State
of
Minas
Gerais
in
Brazil:
"Mindure"
is
the
name
of
a
town.
This
name
is
a
compound
word created from the names of two neighboring municipalities in Minas Gerais.
Phonetic
similarities
in
Hindu
dialects:
there
are
limited
phonetic
similarities
between
the
word
"mindur"
and
some
words
in
Hindu
dialects.
This
resemblance
can
be
interpreted
as
a
connection
between
Sanskrit
and
Old
Gothic
languages.
Both
languages
belong
to
the
Indo-European
language
family,
which
is
considered
the
precursor
of
current
European
languages.
Sometimes
the
Indo-European
languages
contain
core
words
with
similar
spellings
but
often
different
meanings.
Introduction
