Gender Feminine
Scripts Սաթենիկ(Armenian)
Other Forms FormsSatenig (variant transcription)
Meaning & History
Most sources state that this name is derived from the Armenian noun սաթ (sat') meaning "(black) amber" combined with the Armenian diminutive suffix իկ (ik). At least one source theorises that the name might ultimately be of Scythian origin, and compares it to the name of the Ossetian deity Satana (a figure in the Nart sagas).Satenik was the name of an Alan princess, who went on to become Queen of Armenia after marrying the Armenian king Artaxias I (died in 160 BC). It was likely not her birth name, as the now-extinct Alanic language is unrelated to the Armenian language. Thus she must have received the name upon her marriage to the aforementioned Armenian king, in which case it is either an armenization of her birth name or a fully authentic (and unrelated) Armenian name.