À propos de Χρυσόστομος et d’autres anthroponymes tirés de στόμα

Résumé En

The radical of the Greek noun στόμα, ‘mouth’, has produced a small series of anthroponyms since the Archaic period. Although not rare, these names are not frequently attested. Apart from a few derivatives, we can mention at least two auspicious compounds derived from laudatory adjectives that refer to the idea of eloquence: Εὔστομος and Χρυσόστομος. Both are fairly well attested in Latin sources under the Roman empire, in rather modest, if not servile, circles. Occurrences of the masculine Chrysostomus and the feminine Chrysostoma can be found at Rome and in Italy between the first and fifth centuries AD. On the other hand, the use of Χρυσόστομος as a personal name seems to have been extremely rare in the East. Up to and including the early Byzantine period, the mediocre success of this anthroponym was therefore inversely proportional to the popularity that John Chrysostom’s nickname enjoyed among the Christians since the end of antiquity.