Etymology

Like Kūolka the name of Košrags appears in documents only starting with the 18th century. According to L. Kettunen the term may have come from the name of a river Koštõr-joug, he allows the possibility that the ending may stem from agja [aigā?] "edge, area" as well.

The etymology of the first component (Koštõr), however, remains unclear. Of interest is an early variant Košt-joug and Košt-joug-küla which would suggest that the first component might have been Košt- initially. Perhaps it comes from a shortened form of the Latin given name Constantinus. According to sources such names were given not only in the territory of Estonia but by Finnic peoples in Latvia as well: in 1289 – Coste in Riga, from 1355-1362 Coste around Kuldīga also in 15th century – Costi in Rūjiena. The form Kuošt- might have predictably been derived from Koosti common in Estonia but -rags, -rõg (commonly believed to be a Latvian element) might have been added according to the local tradition [cf. Sīkrõg].^[1]

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kuoʃtrəg/