Gjon
Gjon (definite form: "Gjoni") is an Albanian male given name, clan, surname and onomastic element. As given name. Etymology and history. "Gjon" as a given name is a form of the English name John. It is the name of the apostle Saint John in Albanian (). Most saint names in Albanian come from Latin; John is from the Latin Iohannes, the Latin form of the Greek Ioannes (), derived from the Hebrew name Yohanan (), meaning "God is gracious". Both theologists and linguists are unsure about the relationship of the name "Gjon" to "Gjin"—the Catholic clergy considers the two to be the  same saint, but the Christians of the Central Albanian Shpati region (who are Orthodox) revere Gjin and Gjon as separate saints, while linguists are unsure about the etymology of Gjin and whether or not it shares its origin with Gjon. In the Middle Ages the name Gjon was very widespread in all Albanian regions. Until lately it was also prevalent among Arvanites in Greece The name Gjon is also mentioned in the afterword of Gjon Buzuku's 1555 book, Meshari, where the author introduces himself to the reader as ""Unë, dom Gjoni, biri i Bdek Buzukut"" (""I, don Gjoni, son  of Bdek Buzuku""). As surname. Gjoni or Gjonaj is a common Albanian last name, from the given name Gjon. The names "Joni" and "Jonima" also have the same source, and the latter (under the modern Albanian form "Gjonima") being the surname of members of the Jonima family. The Serbian language family name Đonović is derived from the first name Gjon which means that it is of Albanian origin. History. The clan of Gjoni was first recorded in 1306. Originally Christian, it is shared between Albanian Christians and Muslims. As toponym. "Gjon", due to historic naming of places after the saint , became an element in Albanian toponyms, contributing to the formation of placenames such Shijon, Shinjan, Gjonm and Gjorm, the difference between the latter two demonstrating Tosk rhoticism.