A number of Lithuanian surnames evolved from the ancient pre-Christian Lithuanian personal names, such as Budrys, Girdenis, Tylenis, Vilkas, Amantas, Bukantas, Rimgaila, Vizgirda, Tarvydas. [1] Many of them are of compound type, typically consisting of two stems (dithematic names), and many are of single stem. [2] [3] [4] Sometimes the order of these stems may reverse, e.g., Norvaišas vs. Vaišnoras, Tautvydas vs. Vytautas.
Some two-stemmed names have a clear etymology, arising from nicknames, such as Baltakis = Balt-akys = "White eyes". Alfred Senn suggests that such transparent names are less ancient development, while those with non-evident etymology originate from the Indo-European pra-language. [5]
A two-stemmed name may be further compounded into a patronymic cognomen/surname: Algirdas—Algirdaitis (son of Algirdas; see Lithuanian names of Vladimir Olgerdovich, Andrei of Polotsk, Dmitry of Bryansk), Žygimantas—Žygimantaitis. [2]
Much of this glossary of stems common in ancient Lithuanian names is based on Dictionary of Lithuanian Surnames, searchable online in the Lithuanian Surname Database (LSD). [6]