Tariel

Gender: Masculine

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Usages: Literature, Georgian, Greek (Rare), Kyrgyz

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Transcription: ტარიელ(Georgian) Ταριέλ(Greek) Тариэл(Kyrgyz)

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Meaning: Created by the Georgian poet Shota Rustaveli for his 12th-century epic poem The Knight in the Panther's Skin. The first element of this name is a bit uncertain, but it is likely derived from either Persian تاجور (tajvar) meaning "king" or Persian دار (dar) meaning "possessor" (see SARDAR), even though the latter is typically only used as a suffix. Also compare the first element of DARIUS, which is etymologically related. Another possibility might be Persian تار (tar) meaning "dark, obscure", since the name Tariel is written as تاریل (Taryal) in the Persian translation of the poem. Finally, the second element of this name is derived from the Persian noun یل (yal) meaning "hero". In Rustaveli's epic poem, Tariel is the name of an Indian prince, who is the titular knight of the poem. Notable real-life bearers of this name include the 19th-century Mingrelian prince Tariel "Taia" Dadiani and the Greek judoka Tariel Zintiridis (b. 1987).

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Note: two Georgian sources state that this name means either "king of heroes" or "servant of the king". The modern Persian word for 'king' is شاه (shah), so then neither meaning should be possible. However, there is an archaic Persian word with the same meaning, namely تاجور (tajvar). That seems close enough to Tariel, which makes both meanings possible after all. Also take MacKenzie's "A Concise Pahlavi Dictionary" and compare Pahlavi 'tarsagah' meaning "respectful, reverent" (page 82) and 'tuw(an)gar' meaning "rich" (page 84).

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As for the word 'servant': none of the modern Persian words for that even remotely resemble Tariel. Neither do any Pahlavi words: on page 132 of "A Concise Pahlavi Dictionary", MacKenzie states that the words for 'servant' are: bandag, kadagig, kardespas, paristag and peskar. As such, any meaning that has to do with servitude should not be applicable to Tariel.

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*** About the addition made in the first edit of this entry: I have to say that after learning about Persian تار (tar) meaning "dark, obscure", I believe that that is the correct element. After all, in the beginning of the poem, Tariel is a very mysterious figure, so this particular etymology makes perfect sense in the context of the story. ***

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Another thing of note (unrelated to the above): this name is featured in the patronymic surname of ტარიელაშვილი (Tarielashvili), which was most notably borne by Georgian aristocrats: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarielashvili (in English).

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Lastly, there are a fair amount of Georgians and people of Georgian descent in Greece, so yes, it is certainly possible for this name to be used in Greece: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgians_in_Greece (in English).

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- https://imya.com/name/33108 (in Russian; states that the name means "little master")
- http://kids.ge/baby-name?id=561 (in Georgian; states that the name means "owner, possessor")
- https://web.archive.org/web/20130130170210/http://name.interes.ge/dreams.php?action=view&id=928&from=action=search|by=%E1%83%A2 (in Georgian)
- http://www.geogen.ge/ge/msearch/4322/ (in Georgian; see the entry for Tariel near the top)
- Persian تاجور (tajvar) meaning "king": https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%D8%AA%D8%A7%D8%AC%D9%88%D8%B1#Persian (in English)
- Persian دار (dar) meaning "possessor": https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%D8%AF%D8%A7%D8%B1#Etymology_2_3 (in English)
- Persian تار (tar) meaning "dark, obscure": https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%D8%AA%D8%A7%D8%B1#Persian (in English)
- Tariel is written as تاریل (Taryal) in Persian: https://fa.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D9%BE%D9%84%D9%86%DA%AF%DB%8C%D9%86%D9%87%E2%80%8C%D9%BE%D9%88%D8%B4#%D8%AF%D8%A7%D8%B3%D8%AA%D8%A7%D9%86 (in Persian)
- Persian یل (yal) meaning "hero": https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/hero#Translations (in English; also see MacKenzie's "A Concise Pahlavi Dictionary")
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Knight_in_the_Panther%27s_Skin#Search_for_Tariel (in English)
- Tariel Bitsadze (b. Before 1980), a Georgian karateka and martial artist: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tariel_Bitsadze (in English)
- Tariel "Taia" Dadiani (19th century): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tariel_Dadiani (in English)
- Tariel "Taro" Oniani (b. 1952), a Georgian mafia boss: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tariel_Oniani (in English)
- Tariel Vasadze (b. 1947), a Ukrainian business man of Georgian descent: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tariel_Vasadze (in English)
- Tariel Zharkymbaev (b. 1996), a Kyrgyz skier: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tariel_Zharkymbaev (in English)
- Tariel Zintiridis (b. 1987), a Greek judoka: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tariel_Zintiridis (in English)
- Tarieli Melelashvili (b. 1976), a Georgian wrestler: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarieli_Melelashvili (in English)
- (general): https://www.linkedin.com/pub/dir/?first=Tariel&last=&search=Zoeken
- You can also find plenty of bearers on Facebook (provided you are logged in to Facebook!)

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(Information from name #337837 originally submitted by user Lucille)

↓↓ That is one big comment below mine. Someone put a lot of thought into that.

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Tariel sounds kinda dated to me.