Aztec society was a complex mixture of people from different ethnicities and tribes. The centre of the Aztec Empire was Tenochtitlan which was the capital of the empire and the most powerful city-state in the region.
Aztec NamesAztec society was a complex mixture of people from different ethnicities and tribes. The centre of the Aztec Empire was Tenochtitlan which was the capital of the empire and the most powerful city-state in the region.While it had people from different ethnicities, it was dominated by the Mexica people who spoke the Nahuatl language.Aztec names had religious inspiration and often referred to different things of the natural world. A variety of Aztec names are given even today by the Nahuatl speaking people in the region of Central Mexico. Aztec Names HistoryThe history of drew its inspiration from the empire itself and the religious concepts of the Aztecs.
For instance, with the establishment of the empire and a system of nobility, common people could not use the names of the emperors.Nonetheless, they gave a variety of names to their children based on their religious concepts. With the establishment of the Aztec Empire, more emphasis was given on military virtues and religion and thus such names became more important.Popular Aztec Boys Names and MeaningsThe Aztec empire was a military empire and the people were deeply religious. Both these facts influenced the Aztec names.Thus boys in the Aztec Empire had such names as Achcauhtli which means “leader”, Amoxtli which means “protection” or “shelter”, Atl which means “water”, Chimalli which means “shield”, Coaxoch which means “serpent flower”, Cuixtli which means “kite”, Eztli which means “blood”, and so on.Popular Aztec Girls Names and MeaningsThere were some Aztec names which could be given to both boys and girls. Examples of such Aztec names are Achcauhtli meaning “leader” or Atl meaning “water”.The names which were reserved for girls included Chalchiuhticue which means “jade skirt”, Cihuaton which means “little woman”, Ixchel which means “rainbow lady”, Nenetl which means “doll”, and so on.The names were often inspired by the names of goddesses.