Imiennictwo na terenie dzielnic Torunia – Mokrego i Bydgoszczy – Szwederowa w latach 1875–1914 jako egzemplifikacja zróżnicowania kulturowego ludności oraz zmian w obyczajowości na przełomie wieków

The article discusses the issue of giving newly born children first names in two working class residential areas: Mokre in Toruń and Szwederowo in Bydgoszcz, between 1875 and 1914. The source base consisted of parish registers and the birth register of the General Register Office for those areas. The main research objectives were to determine the total population, the denominational structure of the two districts, the number of births with respect to denomination, births in terms of the number of given names, the popularity of first names, second names and the first-name summaries in the denominational context for each district. Both areas showed similar features of the denominational structure: an increasing percentage of Catholics at the expense of Evangelicals, the existence of small communities of Jews and representatives of other Christian denominations. In terms of anthroponymy in working class districts, certain similarities were observed, although there were also differences, primarily in the middle names given to newly born children. In Szwederowo, Catholics far more commonly opted for the first name only, whereas Evangelicals – for one or more middle names. In Mokre, on the other hand, the ratio between persons with first name only and those with middle names was more balanced. In both districts, the differences were mainly in the context of the denominational structure, which involved the attachment of Catholics to names from Christian tradition, especially those derived from the New Testament, while Evangelicals to names of Germanic origin, as well as those referring to the dynasty or literary characters.