Kaján, Kaán
or Keán,
were common names in the clan with the same name. The name is probably the same
as the Turkish-Tartar khakhan, kagan which mean sovereign, monarch. The
consonant change in kahan-kajan is similar to that in the words
fehér-fejér.
The
name also appears int he form of place names referring to ancient lodgings and
land property.
The
village name Keán changed to Kaján, Kajánd in the Hungarian
language lett, Keantó changed to
Kajántó. The village
name in the form of
Kaján and
Kajánd
can be found
in the old Bodrog county between today’s Gara and Katymár.
The names
Nagy- and Kis Kaján (Big and Small Kaján)
are preserved in place names of
Szolnok-Doboka county,
Bethlen disctrict,
Kajántó (=Kaján-lake),
Kajánútja (=Kaján road), Kajánháza (=Kaján house) were
preserved in other Transsylvanian place names. In the Maros region we
have
Pusztakalán, Kiskalán,
The name also appears in the village name
Kajánújfalu,
next
to Csongrád
Some
research say that it was not only a simple personal name but the sovereign
(khán)
title of
Pecheneg in
the Moldva region.
Others think that it is the HUngarian version of the latin name
Caetano (= from Caetia).
There is a saint called
Cajanus
in the area of the Hungarian crown that time (according to the story of
archdeacon in Spalato.)
Kaján
is not a
common family name nowadays, however we can find it in the Felvidék (Upper
Hungary=the region North of Hungary, now in the territory of Slovakia) region as
well as in Transsylvania. We can clearly state that this is the only
ancient
Hungarian name
from the settlement era which is part of our family.
 |
|
Places of living of Kajáns today
Places of living up to1950 |
They could
easily disperse from the Upper-Tisza region, their ancient place of
living, to the various parts of Felvidék. There were and still are many in
Árva/Orava
county but can be found also in
Abaúj,
Trencsén/Trenčín,
Nyitra/Ňitra
and
Komárom/Komarno.
These
are today family lines with no connection between them, we know them partially
and present them in parts only.
The Middle - Tisza region
was also their ancient place of living. From this area, most probably in the
Turkish era they were forced to move to the Felvidék (Upper Hungary) region,
because they left trace only in one place name.
From
the 14th century on the clan of Baranya county was using Siklósi
and Beremendi names.
Those
reappearing in Orosháza in the 19th century, arrived from Árva county. This
family then dispersed, descendants from the female line are living even in
Canada and the US.
Since
the Körös region and Transsylvania were also ancient places of their
living, The family living there is also descendant of the Hungarian conquerors
or the clan called Kán. Their memory is kept in the place names.
