Latvian (Livonian) map during the German era

[Lemminkäinen]

Sandis, can you check this map and tell if you see changed names compared to the modern map. I notice that many of these place names are not German. Are they Latvian or renamed to Latvian?

[Sandis]

Sandis, can you check this map and tell if you see changed names compared to the modern map. I notice that many of these place names are not German. Are they Latvian or renamed to Latvian?

I will check these place names. From which year is this map? Looks like these could be place names which were used by Courland and Semigalia Livonians. There are some Finno-Ugric place names also in southern Latvia.
I immediately noticed familiar Finno-Ugric place name "Majani" south of the river Aa (Lielupe) and town Mitau (Jelgava). Aa were a name also for Gauja river near Riga Gulf and near a place Lejasciems in Nothern Vidzeme. Today there is a small place in Northen Vidzeme "Majani". It's located in an area which up to 1800s was inhabited by southern Estonians who later merged with Latvians.
Here's a modern maps at different scales of this Northern Vidzeme area. Underlined place names are definitely of Finno-Ugric origin (some others probably may have Finno-Ugric influence). Southern Estonian name for Gauja river in this area was Aa (like for Lielupe river), however also Latvian name Gauja probably was from Finno-Ugric "Koiva":

https://www.google.lv/maps/place/Maj...6!4d26.5639759

[Lemminkäinen]

I don't know ithe age, but suppose it is from the beginning of the 19th century. There are names that could be Finnic, like names with ne- or nen-endings and names with kyl-or kyla- endings. The vocal/consonant in tve end depends on the Finnic language. I can make a list of names sounding Finnic

[Sandis]

I don't know ithe age, but suppose it is from the beginning of the 19th century. There are names that could be Finnic, like names with ne- or nen-endings and names with kyl-or kyla- endings. The vocal/consonant in tve end depends on the Finnic language. I can make a list of names sounding Finnic

Maybe this old map is from Duchy of Courland and Semigallia (1562-1795) because eastern Latvia is empty.
There is a empty place between Courland and Semigallia which was sparsely populated in 1200s. I will compare it to other historical maps.
I will underline place names which sound Finnic.
And it would be interesting to see your list.

[Sandis]

Here i marked place names which sound Finnic (blue) and which sound Baltic (red), but this is the fast version.
For many i couldn't safely identify origin. Some could be pre-Livonian Finnic, some could be Finnicized Baltic or Balticized Finnic.
Some Latvian place names are controversial. I thought that river name Koiva is of Finnic origin, but modern Estonian linguists think that Estonian and Liv name of Gauja river "Koiva"
(Coiwa) is, however, borrowed from the Baltic languages.
Some toponyms and hydronyms could be of Paleolithic origin (pre-Indo-Erueopan and pre-Uralic).
"Mellesille" in Northern Courland is direct Latvian translation from Livonian "Musta numm".

[Sandis]

Old European hydronymy:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_European_hydronymy

[Sandis]

Here's a list of places and rivers i recognized in modern map (all were known or heard).
Obviously this map is made in Northern Courland, because there it's more detailed. Some place names probably were known only to Livonian speakers and not by locals. I can't find them anywhere, however Livonian language traces are found even in Eastern Semigallia (Jaunjelgava area).

Northern Courland

Kolkka -> Kolka
Musta numm (Mellesille) -> Melnsils
Roje -> Roja (place and river)
Vaida -> Vaide
Ira -> Lielirbe
Madirb -> Mazirbe
Piza -> Miķeļtornis (in Latvian Mikkel's tower)
Luuž -> Lūžņa
Vindava -> Ventspils
Usmaitenj -> Usma
Kimalen -> Ķimale
Kandava

Southern Courland

Rive -> Rīva (river)
Lipaiken -> Turlava or Valāti
Saraiken -> Saraiķi
Tosmar -> Tosmare
Liepaja (Libau) -> Liepāja
Perkonen -> Pērkone
Otanke -> Otaņķi
Bartava -> Bārta (river)
Virgen -> Virga
Vindava -> Venta (river)

Semigallia

Tukkum -> Tukums
Valgumi -> Valguma ezers (lake)
Varkal -> Varkaļi
Mitau (Jelgava) -> Jelgava
Aa -> Lielupe (river)
Nemen -> Mēmele (river, in Lithuania Nemunėlis)
Vjessit -> Viesīte (place and river)
Vjessit Järvi -> Viesītes ezers (lake)

Lithuania

Palangen -> Palanga
Memel -> Klaipėda
Muša -> Mūša (river, in Latvia Mūsa)
Penemune -> Panemunė

Vidzeme

Kekkau -> Ķekava
Riiga -> Rīga
Üksküll -> Ikšķile
Väinä -> Daugava (river)
Aa -> Gauja (river)
Allaš -> Allaži
Nurmas -> Nurmiži
Ligat -> Līgatne
Ajaš -> Aijaži
Lemsalo -> Limbaži
Salis -> Salaca (river)
Raune -> Rauna
Arraš -> Āraiši
Šujen -> Skujene
Launekaln -> Launkalne
Vellan -> Velēna
Tirse -> Tirza (place and river)

Question is why there are Tirza in this map but not some places to the north of Cēsis which are closer to Northern Courland than Tirza, also why there are so few places up to river Daugava. The lower Daugava coast was inhabited by Daugava Livonians, but a long time ago.

[Sandis]

This map from 14th/16th century is also interesting because it shows that Livonians lived as a minority also in some areas of Central /Southern Courland. It partly can explain Livonian dialect spread to the south and influence in modern Central Courland:

[Lemminkäinen]

Here i marked place names which sound Finnic (blue) and which sound Baltic (red), but this is the fast version.
For many i couldn't safely identify origin. Some could be pre-Livonian Finnic, some could be Finnicized Baltic or Balticized Finnic.
Some Latvian place names are controversial. I thought that river name Koiva is of Finnic origin, but modern Estonian linguists think that Estonian and Liv name of Gauja river "Koiva"
(Coiwa) is, however, borrowed from the Baltic languages.
Some toponyms and hydronyms could be of Paleolithic origin (pre-Indo-Erueopan and pre-Uralic).
"Mellesille" in Northern Courland is direct Latvian translation from Livonian "Musta numm".

Thank you. Interesting to see your differentiation work. I'll place my comments later. I agree your dating, this map has to be older than I supposed first.

[Sandis]

I had an assumption that name "valks" for small rivers in Courland came from Courland Livonian language because it was not found at the Lithuania border and in Semigallia.
I calculated frequencies of this name among all river names and it matches the map from 14th/16th century: