Origin of the surname. Russian surnames for women and men

24.04.2019

Nowadays, every person has a surname. Just as a name is given, a surname is “assigned.” Most people live with their own surname all their lives, and girls live until marriage, after which they change their maiden name to the surname of their husband. There are cases where men take their wives' surnames, but such cases are less common. Have you ever wondered where your last name came from, how old it is, centuries, thousands of years old? After all, you can change your surname, but then the dynasty of kinship may end, and no one guarantees that there are still people on Earth with a surname like yours. We offer you a directory of surnames in which you can try to find yours.

There are such a huge number of surnames that we are simply not able to collect information about all surnames. The directory contains more than 40,000 Russian surnames.

Dictionary of Russian surnames

The dictionary of surnames can be used as a reference book, free surnames grouped by letters. The list of surnames is quite detailed, more than 40,000. The history of the surname can go back many centuries. During its existence, a surname can undergo quite significant changes, with the loss of both individual letters and entire syllables, which can radically change the original meaning of the surname. Finding out about the origin of a surname and what it actually means, in some cases, is quite simple. Usually, it is easy to guess the meaning of a simple surname and without hints, for complex surnames this may not be possible at all.

It can be assumed that the origins of any surname lie either in a craft or in the personal characteristics of people, which later transformed into the now known surnames. No genealogy is able to trace the real state of affairs. IN best case scenario, you can find mentions of your last name in historical documents and in this way determine how old it is. The maximum that we have today is a family tree that can be traced back no more than 10 generations.

How to find out the meaning of a surname? Unfortunately, only the very first bearers of the surname knew the original meaning of their surname, maybe direct relatives and that’s it. Then it’s just guesswork and fortune telling on coffee grounds. Let's be realistic if you don't have reliable and detailed information about your ancestors, who they were, where they lived, then your secret surname may never be solved. Therefore, information about the places of residence of all your ancestors can be of great help in finding the origin of a surname. This is very important, because the same word underlying the surname is different nations and in different dialects, can have completely different meanings. Moreover, even familiar words, in the old days had meanings different from modern ones.

In this encyclopedia of surnames you will find both common and very rare surnames, of course there are also the most beautiful surnames. Naturally, the concept of beauty is very subjective and everyone will have their own opinion on this matter. Look at the common last names of visitors. Pay attention to the most funny surnames with whom you have to live real people. The most interesting thing is that they came down from the depths of centuries in exactly this form. It turns out that before, people didn’t see anything funny or shameful in their surnames. Only in this case could they be preserved.

Today we often ask ourselves the question: “Who are we? Where do our roots come from?” But we don’t always find the answer to our question. Time has passed, much has been lost and forgotten. And finding ancestors by last name is not at all easy. Our roots go back to the distant past of ancient times. But, respecting the memory of our ancestors, we reach out to history, to the history of our family.

Origin of the surname

Scientists-historians in our time are actively working in search of roots by surname. Special sites have been created on the Internet where you can conduct your research and, if you’re lucky, find traces of your ancestors. You can look through dictionaries and reference books that contain the meaning of your last name. It may come from the occupation of the father of the family, that is, a distant relative of yours. For example, “the son of a cooper is Bondarev.” The surnames that descended from the princely family were named after the lands that were in their possession. Vyazemsky, Shuisky are examples of this. The surnames came from the churches in which the clergy ruled, as well as from geographical location terrain.

If independent research has not given you any clue, then you can contact the Center for Genealogical Research or its website, its address is http://rosgenea.ru/. It was created with the goal of helping those who want to study their family tree, who do not want to lose their roots. On the website RosGenea.ru you can find out how to find your ancestors, whose roots go back to pre-revolutionary times. The site provides a database that is constantly updated. There are no analogues of this system on the Internet, so you have the opportunity to find ancestors by last name for free.

Search through the archive

If you have the opportunity and time to contact archival institutions, then prepare yourself for the fact that you will need to spend a lot of time and leaf through a lot of literature. At the same time, you should know the most minimal information about your ancestors, in particular about the place where they lived. You must write a request in the archive and its employees will look for mentions of a particular surname in the file cabinet. This may immediately reveal information about when a person was born and who his parents are. Gradually, the “ball unwinds” and a family tree begins to be drawn.

Internet Search

The link http://www.familyspace.ru can also tell you where to find your ancestors. Once you visit the FamilySpace website, you will see that there is unique information about genealogy. Here you can learn a lot about your roots. People are searched by profession, region and last name. Information on the site is constantly updated. And if you registered here, but didn’t find the one you were looking for, then you can just wait. When information you are interested in appears on the site, you will be notified. The site provides instructions that describe in detail how to use the site. The opportunity to find your ancestors is provided for free on this site.

If you have minimal information about your relatives: place of residence, last name, then you can check the places where they previously lived. Surely there are old-timers there who can remember these people. It often happens that there may be abandoned old photographs lying around in attics that would be of great value to you. Older people usually don’t really want to remember the past right away, but when the conversation gains momentum, you can learn a lot of interesting facts.

TV shows

If you want to find your ancestors by last name, who are still alive, but lost somewhere for one reason or another, contact the website of the “Wait for Me” program at poisk.vid.ru. There is a simple people search system that will give you the opportunity to see if any of your family and friends are looking for you, and you can also submit a request to find the person you need.

Create your family tree while you can, while your grandparents are alive. Let the story remain for future generations, let your great-grandchildren know and remember their ancestry. Leave them your photos, and time will pass, and the successors of your family will know you.

Historians are expanding the list of personal nicknames every year Slavic origin. Many people would be interested to know their origins. But sometimes it is impossible to determine this by the sound itself, since derived word over the years, various suffixes, prefixes and prefixes have been added, distorting its original meaning.

Russian names and surnames

To determine the origin of a person’s family, his passport data is used. The key points are the root of the word, which forms Russian names and surnames. They differ in prevalence. By the sound you can determine the eminence of the family or the belonging of ancestors to different social groups and castes of society: peasants, boyars, clergy. The etymology of some includes archaisms and weird basics, to determine these yourself, you can use the reference book.

Origin

Derivatives and roots can originate from the nicknames of ancestors, funny nicknames, names, areas of activity. The origin of Russian surnames, in most cases, is unraveled in its etymology. You should take an interest in this clue, because through it you can find out about an outstanding ancestor or the eminence of the family. For those who want to determine the origins of their family nickname, there are alphabetical collections that are replenished and updated annually; on their pages, almost everyone can find out the history of their name.

The most popular derivatives:

On behalf of the ancestor (whose? Whose will you be?) - Ivanov, Sidorov, Kuzmin, Petrov.
From the geographical names - Vyazemsky, Stroganov, Smolensky.
From the nicknames of the clergy - Rozhdestvensky, Preobrazhensky, Uspensky.
From the names of plants and animals - Sokolova, Orlova, Hare, Lebedeva, Golubeva.
From count and boyar titles - Minin, Tikhomirov, Tikhonravov, Godunov.

Meaning

Etymology and the formation of a proper genus name are of interest to an increasing number of people. The meaning of Russian surnames is determined by determining the root part of the word; it indicates the meaning. The meaning of family names like Bondarev, Kovalev, Shevtsov - indicate the craft that someone from the family was engaged in. Muzzle, Stoyan, Brave - on external or internal characteristics an individual person. All members of the family were called by the nickname of the head of the family, and this was passed down from generation to generation.

When did surnames appear in Russia?

The assignment of a generic nickname to identify each clan began to take shape in the 15th century. When surnames appeared in Russia, they initially referred to representatives upper strata society: boyars and aristocrats, later, in the 18th century, to church ministers. Until the 19th century, peasants and artisans received their nicknames. Their genus names were derived from the nicknames of one of the members of the family or occupation. In historical scrolls and records, listings were found that explain this phenomenon: “Vasily, son of the Kuznetsov... Ivan, son of the Khlebnikov”

How many surnames are there in Russia

The study of these data is still in question. There is no absolutely correct numerical value that could accurately answer the question of how many surnames exist in Russia today. For such difficult task researchers took it only a few times, about 250 thousand meanings were officially included in the collection, and these lists are constantly replenished with new forms of once given nicknames.

Declension of surnames in Russian

Rules Russian language strictly determine the spelling and pronunciation of passport data. Declension of surnames in Russian occurs according to the following basic rules: standard ones are declined as adjectives, and those of foreign origin are declined as nouns. They do not decline with a zero ending, or ending in a consonant (Bondar, Nitsevich, Ponomar), ending in -o (Petrenko, Shevchenko, Kovalenko), foreign ones ending in -a, -ya (Varnava, Okidzhava, Zola).

The most common surname in Russia

Boris Ubengaun was the first to begin compiling a directory that lists the names of Russia. It contains various variations due to the process of transformation of folk nicknames. Each position has an explanation (highlighted parts of word formation that explain the essence of a particular word). There are positions that can be found more often, and there are those that are very rare. The data was taken based on the population census of the city of St. Petersburg.

Common surnames in Russia:

Vladimirov;
Sergeev;
Petrov;
Ivanov.

Beautiful Russian surnames

There are people whose generic nicknames captivate with their sound. These include those derived from geographical names or long nicknames given to church ministers. This etymology is rare and sounds aristocratically melodic. Many people change their birth details in their passports in order to get a name that is beautiful and stands out from the crowd. People to whom it was inherited are considered lucky.

The most beautiful surnames in Russia:

Preobrazhensky;
Caesar;
Christmas;
Vyazemsky;
Uspensky.

Slavic

There are genus names that originate from the ancient Slavs. These nicknames are very rare and therefore valuable to historians. Their small number is due to the fact that derivatives begin with names pagan gods or Old Slavonic names. With the advent of Christianity, such nicknames were categorically prohibited, people were baptized and renamed en masse, therefore those who have preserved them to this day are a godsend, a shining example pagan culture.

Old Slavic surnames, examples:

Yarilo;
Dovbush;
Putyata;
Lada;
Saint;
Dobrynin;
Peaceful.

According to the population census conducted in the 80s of the last century, with former USSR, about 50% of the rural and 35% of the urban population have generic nicknames, formed on the principle of patronymics with the addition of suffixes. This study is recognized as the highest quality and most detailed up to our times. Popular Russian surnames: Sidorov, Smirnov, Kuzmin, Vasiliev. The second place in frequency is occupied by nicknames that indicate the type of activity: Kuznetsov, Bondarev, Reznikov, Khlebnikov, etc.

Rare Russian surnames

It is difficult to create a reliable list that includes all items. But the main ones have been selected. It is not often that you meet people who have a family nickname that coincides completely with geographical name or is formed from a combination of two words. There are few who are lucky enough to become the namesake of famous historical figures and heroes. literary novels.

Rare surnames in Russia:

Astrakhan;
Kamchatka;
Goddess;
Krutiperets;
Crusoe;
Karenin.

funny

Sometimes among acquaintances there are family nicknames that involuntarily make you smile with their comical nature. They surprise fellow citizens, and especially foreigners, with their pronunciation, they consist of adding the stems of some nouns or verbs, they can denote a funny or strange action, name objects whose names sound strange in human name. A person who has to wear them can hardly be called lucky.

Funny Russian surnames:

Kostogryzov;
Mozgoedov;
Popkin;
Rzhach;
Login;
Khachapuri;
Shit grandfathers;
Snot.

Russian noble families

Their owners can have no doubt about the high title of someone from their family; they were assigned exclusively to nobles, boyars, and high-ranking officials. People close to high positions and ruling power. They can also be merchants. The presence of such titular nicknames among the peasantry, workers from the common population or artisans is excluded; their mere presence spoke of a high social status its owner.

Russians noble families:

Stroganov;
Godunov;
Tikhomirov;
Minin;
Novgorodtsev;
Tikhonravov;
Ventsenostsev.

Old Russian

This term denotes not only Old Slavonic nicknames from the times of paganism, but also those that, by their etymology, designate outdated concepts and words of ancient use, eradicated from modern speech. Interesting to consider are generic nicknames that name old monetary units, household items, crafts that are not found in modern world. All these signs indicate a long history of the family and roots that go far.

Old Russian surnames:

Kunin;
Altynov;
Kalita;
Zlatnikov;
Pryalkin;
Kozhemyaka;
Bandurov.

Rating of surnames in Russia

The top 100 items that can often be found in the passports of fellow citizens have been compiled. All of them were selected based on the directory and ordered during the census during the year. This information will be especially interesting for girls, because everyone dreams of meeting her man and getting married. Statistics say that in 89% of cases, women switch to a male generic nickname upon marriage. Such a top will clearly show the most likely options that everyone may encounter. The section includes the first 10 positions.

Ivanov;
Smirnov;
Kuznetsov;
Popov;
Sokolov;
Vasiliev;
Fedorov;
Novikov;
Egorov;
Kozlov.

Famous Russian surnames

Their list is compiled based on the frequency of use among the population. The most popular surname in Russia - Ivanov. Even foreigners know about this, associating with her all the names of Russian compatriots. It went down in history and became a classic. For example in German this nickname became Muller, in America and Britain - Smith, in Poland - Novak or Kowalski, in Georgia - Mamedov.

Famous Russian surnames:

Sidorov;
Ivanov;
Petrov;
Kozlov;
Smirnov;
Popov;
Sokolov.

Video

Not every person knows the history of his surname, but everyone for whom family values and ties of kinship matter, strives to find relatives and establish connections with them. The Family Tree website is happy to help you in this good endeavor. Finding ancestors is not an easy task; for this you will need to rummage through the family archive and make all sorts of inquiries, but finding relatives on the Internet is much easier. Family sites operating within our portal are named after the surname of their founder. After looking through the list, you can find relatives by last name, if, of course, the history of the last names of the people you are interested in coincides with yours. “Who were my ancestors?” - You can search for free for those who will help with the answer on the “Family Tree”, filtering family sites by last name.

With us, searching for ancestors by last name becomes easy and fast, and most importantly, it is always free and accessible. “I want to find relatives,” new users often write to us. Well, we will definitely help you do this!

Even if a search engine is unable to help you find ancestors by last name, then “Family Tree” is at your service! The history of the surname can no longer remain a secret to you! To find your ancestors, just join us. As you know, whoever searches will find, and in your case, he will also find it quickly and for free. Communicate, interact, and very soon you will receive an answer to the question: “Who were my ancestors?”

Absolutely all people understand what a surname is. But not everyone knows its history and origin. There are also several meanings of this concept. In the article we will look at all the details and tell the reader when surnames appeared in Rus', and the meaning of this concept in everyday life.

What is a surname?

The surname, according to many explanatory dictionaries, means common name for all members of one family, which is passed on from father to son and so on.
From Latin familia is translated as “family, clan”. Since Ancient Rome this concept denoted a family legal unit running a common household. It consisted of family members, blood relatives and even slaves. This name passed by inheritance, upon marriage, adoption.
From French and German, by explanatory dictionary V. Dahl, the surname denoted family, clan, blood ties, ancestors, nickname. For example: family teas, “he is from a noble family”, familiar address (in a family way, in a friendly way, in a brotherly way), to become familiar (to establish friendly and close relationships with someone, to fraternize).

We have looked at all the concepts in the dictionaries of what a surname is, and now we will figure out when people got a surname.

Historical information

The history of the surname as a concept begins in Ancient Rome. It was there, among the family nobility, that it began to be passed on by inheritance. Usually a surname was given according to the person’s place of birth or residence, where his possessions were located.

IN European countries The tradition of passing on the surname of ancestors by inheritance began only in the 15th century. And even then this was the advantage of noble persons, a small handful of aristocrats. The rest of the poor working people used only names.

The appearance of surnames in Rus'

The first historical data on the appearance of the surname dates back to XIII century. At first they understood what a surname was, citizens of Veliky Novgorod and the region from Baltic Sea to the Ural Mountains, which belonged to the possessions of this principality. Of course, these were representatives of noble families. In 1268, in the chronicles one could read about Tverdislav Chermny and Nikifor Radyatinich, etc. These were the “good” boyars listed.

The princes received their second name after the name of their lands. For example, Obolensky, Vyazemsky. But some got their surnames from nicknames. For example, Hunchback, Tongue, Coward, Mare, Toothless.

Then messages appear in documents about the names of princes and high boyars living in the Moscow principality. Russian surnames were single, sometimes written with a hyphen. From the end of the 15th century, the first surnames with foreign roots appeared at that time, depending on whose descendants were and what countries they came from. For example, Karamzin, Akhmatov, Lermontov, Bakhteyarov.

Surnames of the poor people

Most of the country's inhabitants, classified as commoners, did not have surnames. They had such an opportunity only after the abolition of serfdom in 1861. Before this function carried out various nicknames, the name of the owner of the serf. All residents of villages and hamlets belonging to the landowner were subject to enslavement.

This phenomenon has become widespread since the 16th century. In the documents, the peasants were formalized as follows: “Ivan, Mikhailov’s son, nickname Crooked Nose.” Serfdom did not spread to the northern regions of Russia, and there people had real surnames that were passed on by inheritance. The most famous peasant of those regions, who glorified his family name, is Mikhail Lomonosov. Cossacks and residents of present-day Belarus had their father’s surname. They were previously considered residents of the lands of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, and the entire population of the black earth provinces was given surnames.

Most of the surnames originated from the father's name, baptismal name or the name of one of the famous ancestors. The first population census in 1897 revealed that more than 75% of the people inhabiting the country did not have a surname at all, especially residents of the outskirts and remote areas.

After granting the right to all people to have their own surname, registration took a long period of time. The process of each person receiving a surname was completed only in the 1930s. By this time, all nationalities of the greater Soviet Union were covered.

Whose? Whose?

The appearance of surnames varies, but more than 60% of all surnames given to Russian people are formed by the name of an ancestor - father or grandfather. Previously, they asked the question: “Whose? Whose will you be?” The answer was as follows: “My last name is Petrov, that is, the son of Peter, Alekseev is the son of Alexei, etc.” Therefore, most surnames have common suffixes -ov/-ev. A study of the history of surnames showed that they came not only from names, but also from nicknames of people. For example, the father had a nickname - Bezborody or Kosolapy, then his son’s surname was Bezborodov or Kosolapov.

But there were other suffixes. If the ancestor's name ended with a hard consonant, then they wrote -s(Ivan - Ivanov, Platon - Platonov). If the names of relatives ended in a soft consonant, a suffix was added here -ev. For example, Porfiry - Porfiryev, Ignatius - Ignatiev. If names ended in -а or -я, then the suffix was put -in. For example, if the name is Ilya, my last name is Ilyin, Afonya is Afonin, Erema is Eremin.

But some authorities did not recognize surnames that ended in -in or -y/-y. Such surnames were forcibly replaced by others that contained the generally accepted suffixes -ov. For example, a person had a surname Kuzmin, it was changed during the census, especially in the region of the Don Army, into Kuzminov, and the surname Bedny into Bednov.

But there were separate regions, where surnames with the suffix -in belonged to more than half the population. This is mainly the Volga region.

There were also surnames that were created by numerous additions of various suffixes. For example, Ignat - Ignatyuk - Ignatyuchenko - Ignatyuchenkov.

Name of professions

Many people associate the origin of the surname with the species labor activity. If the worker was a carpenter, then he was given the surname Stolyarov. Such roots include the following surnames: Kuznetsov, Bocharov, Kopalshchikov, Kulinarov, Plotnikov, Vodovozov, Goncharov, Kovalev. They started doing this because people’s names were often repeated, and there were only a small number of second baptismal names. And the workers had many professions.

Priests' names

The clergy began to take sonorous surnames only in the 18th century. The names of parishes and different churches. For example, Troitsky, Preobrazhensky. Some took euphonious names for themselves, using Latin names: Reformatsky, Gilyarovsky, Athenian. After graduating from the seminary, the teachers gave the students surnames that corresponded to the capabilities, efforts and behavior of the seminarians. Good students received the following names: Dobromyslov, Tikhomirov, Nadezhdin. Bad students got less sonorous names negative characters from the Bible. For example, Saulov or Gibraltar.

The emergence of passports

During the reign of Peter I, due to the fact that the poll tax and conscription were introduced, the Senate Decree of June 18, 1719 was adopted, which ordered all residents to have police registration documents. In another way they were called travel certificates or passports. The document indicated the person’s name, surname or nickname, permanent place of residence, information about Family status, what was the name of the father, the family members who were traveling with him, and the direction of travel.

Emperor Paul I in 1797 ordered the compilation of a General Arms Book of all noble families. A huge amount of work was done. More than 3,000 of all family names were collected, as well as the coats of arms of each noble family.

Modern passports

Every person in the world has a passport, which indicates his first name (in some, patronymic), last name. Permanent residence address and marital status are indicated.

There are rules for changing your last name in your passport. This may happen:

By at will. For example, when the surname was indecent or offensive - Bukhalo, Stsykun or Mogila. A person is not obliged to bear the burden of some distant ancestor who received such a surname all his life. Although this procedure is long and troublesome, it is quite possible, especially if you like your mother’s last name.
When adopting a child, or vice versa.
When switching to the surname of the husband or wife after marriage.
In the event of a divorce, the spouse can switch back to her maiden name.

When changing your last name to another, you will have to redo all existing documents: international passport, identification code, will, medical cards at the district clinic, car registration, bank cards, driver’s license, student’s license, insurance policy documents, etc.

A study of the history of surnames showed that it is possible to find out from it historical data, the social status of ancestors, their spiritual world and type of activity. This kind of work is very educational. If you want to know the history of your last name, there are many sites that describe historical origin one or another common surname.