R: Nahuatl Names

[John F. Schwaller]

Bob McCaa of the University of Minnesota has done an analysis of Nahuatl
names found in an early, ca. 1540, census from the Cuernavaca Valley.  Here
are the Top Ten Nahuatl names:

Male: (sample is 1300, frequency shown beside name)

Yaotl	74
Matlalihuitl	66
Nochhuetl	59
Coatl	48
Tototl	19
Quauhtli	18
Tochtli	17
Zolin	16
Matlal	12
Xochitl	12

Female:	  (Sample is 1205, frequency shown beside each name)

Teyacapan	313
Tlaco	182
Teicuh	182
Necahual	151
Xoco	53
Centehua	42
Xocoyotl	38
Tlacoehua	22
Tepin	15
Cihuaton	15

Please note the extremely limited number of female names.  While among the
males there were 427 unique names, among the females there were only 57.
As you can also see, nearly all the female names refer to birth order.

You might also look at the list in Sahagun's Primeros memorialies, recently
published by Oklahoma.  In Chapter 4, paragraph 3 Sahagun lists names for
boys and girls.

Boys: Yaolt, Tochtli, Mazatl, Coatl, Xochitl, Cuetzpalli, Cipctli, Ollin,
Xochipepe, Cuixtli, etc.

Girls: Teyacapan, Teuicui, Xoco, Papan, Tlacotl, Xiloxoch, Miyaoaxochitl,
Eloxochitl, Mizquixaual, Xochitl, etc.

J. F. Schwaller,  List Owner


John Frederick Schwaller                             schwallr at selway.umt.edu
Associate Provost                                        406-243-4722
The University of Montana                           FAX 406-243-5937
                          http://www.umt.edu/history/NAHUATL/