Identical to Russians, majority Cossack surnames ends with: ov, ev, in. For many, this suggestsand even assert that the ancestors of bearers of such surnames were Russians (Great Russians). An exception is made from this that the ancestors of the bearers of such surnames as: Persiyanov, Gruzinov, Mordvintsev, Grekov, Turkin, etc. were not Russians, but representatives of nationalities, according to the indication of the surname itself. But in reality, the question of Cossack surnames is far from exhausted by this provision.
Surnames ending in― ov, ev, in more ancient origin than the Russian (Great Russian) nationality itself, the formation of which, as is known, began with just XIII V. according to R. Chr. Yes, in the 2nd agreement Prince of Kyiv Igor with the Greeks (912) in the list of his (nicknames): Fastov, Kari(th), Tudkov, Karshev, Tudorov, Svirkov, Voikov, Bernov, Gunarev, Koloklekov, Gudov, Tuadov, Kutsi(th), Vuzlev, Utin , Sinko, Borich.
Such surnames and similar ones, found in later historical documents, establish that the above endings in surnames were not only common among the population Kievan Rus, the ancestors of the Ukrainians, but also the surnames from foreign, non-Slavic words (Bern, Tuad, Tudor, Fast), took endings ov and thus they became glorified.
These data and the fact that surnames with the above endings are common to this day in Ukraine give grounds to assert that they are not the work of the Great Russians, but were borrowed, like most of the cultural foundations, from Kievan Rus; Great Russians have surnames ending in ov, ev, in reached only greatest development, ― these endings easily replace others (ii, ey, oy) or are easily added to any non-Russian words.
Bulgarians have surnames with the ending ov And ev are common now, as they were common in ancient times.
And if this is so, then we have the right to assume that such endings in surnames were also common among the Slavic-Turkic population of Cossackia (after the Tmutarakan principality, from where the Cossack nation was formed). They existed later, and only from the time of the rule of the Russians (Great Russians), i.e. over the past 2 centuries, have achieved their greatest development.
Cossacks have surnames Ouch, th, to her change in― ov, ev; other endings change to in, and by the end co the sound is increasing V: Sulatsk(y)ov, Kadatsk(y)ov, Nagib(a)in, Rynd(a)in, Zhuchenko + v, Semenchenko + v, Pozd(ey)eev, Shulg(a)in.
Poles usually have surname endings –- th, ich, ek; They are also characteristic of Ukrainians.
Cossack surnames that have retained such endings (or replaced) indicate that the ancestors of the bearers of such surnames were either Ukrainians or Poles: Kalinovsky, Bukovsky, Levitsky, Kokhanovsky, Shchetkovsky Khreshchatitsky, Kadatskov, Kurganinsky.
Ending surnames (nicknames) with co, as can be seen from the document of 912 and others, of very ancient origin. End co(the Great Russians borrowed it and turned it into ka– Ivashka, Fomka, etc.) in the Russian (Kiev) state (later in its successor - Ukraine) denoted a junior degree, subordination, a smaller part of the subject.
So, in Kievan Rus the end co sometimes added to the names of princes (Volodimirko, Vasilko, Yurko) who did not have inheritances (outcasts), i.e. subordinates; but was never added to the names of the Kyiv capital princes.
In Ukraine, the son or grandson of Taras, Shevchuk, Bulba, Ostap was called Tarasenok, Shevchenok, Bulbenok, Ostapenok, and from here the surnames were formed - Tarasenko, Shevchenko, etc.
Such formations can be assumedat first they were characteristic mainly of the western regions of Ukraine; in the Dnieper part, where there was a more intensive settlement of Turkic peoples, the ending prevailed th, Ouch, to her, A, ac; and all of them Turkic origin.
End to her(Kunduvdey, Paley, Kochubey, Berendey, etc.) very often changed to the ending eev.
Thus, from the many documents establishing entry into the ranks Don Cossacks at the end XVI V. and in the first half XVII V. individual representatives of the Ukrainian people, from the Dniester part of it, in Cossack and Moscow documents called Cherkasy, surnames on co almost never occurs. So in the list of such Cherkassy from 1647, who joined the ranks of the Cossacks. Of the more than 200 surnames, there are not even a dozen ending with co, and mainly on ov, ev. (Kupreyanov, Kharitonov, Nagib(a)in, etc.).
Development of surnames on co in Ukraine in the second half XVII Art. obligated, one might assume, to the colonization of its western regions.
It would be absurd to believe that the ancestors of those with surnames - Ovanesov, Chebukchiev, Big(ai)ev, etc. or even they themselves are Russian. Conversely, if we added endings ov, ev or in to the surnames - Grimm, Wrangel, Struve, etc., then they still would not have hidden that the ancestors of the bearers of such surnames were Swedes, Germans, or a representative of some other nationality, but not Russian.
Back, lasting existence ending ov And ev even the apparent Russification of the surname cannot hide the fact that the ancestors of the bearers of the surnames - Milyukov, Chuvild(ey)eev, Turgen(b)ev, as the words themselves establish and historical documents establish, were Tatars. This is often confirmed by the very appearance and character of the bearer of such a surname. In this case, the only question that can arise is when or which ancestor or the owner of such a surname himself became a Russian (Great Russian).
Many Cossack surnames (in some villages they are predominant) are based on the word not Slavic origin; let's giveas an example: Merzhan-ov, Katason-ov, Mishustov, Koloman-ov, Kulgach-ev, Dukmas-ov, Mendeleev, Gald(a)-in, Kaklyug(a)in, Malyug(a)in, Arakantsev, Sekret-ev, Turover-ov, Boldyr-ov, Kundelek-ov, Biryuk-ov, Kudin-ov.
By determining which nationality a word was borrowed from, or brought in as a surname, the nationality of the ancestor of the bearer of such a surname is very often established; this is sometimes confirmed by historical documents. Thus, Merzhan (probably the ancestor of the bearers of this surname) was an Arab by birth, who came out of Turkish captivity together with the Don Cossacks in 1640; he converted to Christianity and became a Don Cossack.
Misustov is the surname of a Circassian princely family that existed in the middle of the last century.
Mendeleev comes from the Kalmyk word - mendele (hello).
The Kundelekovs, as established by documents, descend from the Kalmyk Murza, who converted to Christianity and became a Cossack in the first half XVIII century
Galda is a Kalmyk name; the origin from the Kalmyk is confirmed by the facial features of the bearers of this surname family legend.
The surname Turoverov was formed from 2 words: Turkic and Slavic: tur (dur) - incorrect, incorrect; a tourover in the literal sense is a person of the wrong faith, a foreigner. And, as I heard from one of the representatives of the Turoverov family, family tradition says that their ancestor was a Persian.
The surname Arakan comes from the word Arak(s) - Arakan - a native of Arak, maybe from Araks.
Sometimes Turkic and other words that served as the basis for the formation of a surname seem Slavic. Based on such similarities, it would be erroneous to assert that the ancestors of the bearers of the surnames - Kharlamov, Bokov, Vedeneev were Russians (Great Russians). So, if the surname Kharlamov was formed from the name Kharlampiy, then it would be Kharlampiev; in Kalmyk: har - black, lam (e) priest, literally translated kharlam - monk. The Bokovs come from the Kalmyk Murza - Boka, whose existence and transition to the Cossacks after the adoption of Christianity is established by documents of the first half XVIII century
Vedeneev was formed from the word - vedene, which is what the Mordovians call themselves in their language.
Appearance and character very often are confirmation; sometimes, regardless of the above, the nationality of the Cossack’s ancestors is established.
The Cossack nation was formed from the Slavic (Russians) and Turkic (Cherkasy Cossacks) living on the territory of Cossackia, later within the Tmutarakan principality that was formed from it. (Italics are mine. - Ed.)
If we take into account that in Kievan Rus, part of its population - the Black Klobuks (Dnieper Cherkasy, a people of Turkic origin), as can be seen from the chronicles, the surnames of the leaders were based on Turkic words (Lavor, Tudor, Kunduvdey, Arkashara, etc. .), then we have the right to assume that among the ancestors of the Don and other Cossacks, surnames and nicknames based on Turkic words were common, along with surnames that had Slavic roots.
During the rule of the Mongols, during the stay of the Don Cossacks as part of the Golden Horde ( XIII - XIV c.) the Turkic-Tatar language was the state language for the entire East of Europe, and among the Don Cossacks, who lived in close proximity to the Tatars, closely associated with their capital - the city of Saray, it was, along with their own, Slavic, and spoken.
Before the emergence of the Free Cossacks (moving into the Wild Field and beyond it) and the formation of independent republics (troops) in XV Art. The Don Cossacks, who lived along the borders of the Moscow and Ryazan principalities and served as a military border force, were in communication with their neighbors - the Turkic-Tatar peoples and did not forget their language. For the Don Cossacks who survived on the territory of Cossackia - according to the river. Khopru and Medveditsa (Salavaska) with its tributaries and in the lower reaches of the Don (among the Azov Cossacks), along with their own, the Turkic-Tatar language was also in use.
It is known that the Moscow state was given to the Volga Cossacks (a branch of the Don) at the beginning XVII Art. wrote letters in the Tatar language. Replenishment of the Kazakhs in XVI - XVII i.v. came much more from the Turkic-Tatar peoples than from the Great Russians, not to mention the Ukrainians (Cherkasy). Finally, speak Tatar to the Don foreman of the end XVIII century and the beginning of the XIX V. was a sign good manners, like the Russian aristocracy of that time - speak in- French.
Based on the above, we can assert that surnames, the basis of which are Turkic-Tatar words, could have been formed by the Cossacks themselves and are not necessarily brought in (i.e., that their ancestors came from the Don); but they are all, of course, of ancient origin.
Such characteristic surnames as Kolimanov (changed Kolomanov), Arkasharin (which existed among the Don Cossacks in the first half XVIII c.) and Kaledin indicate the continuity of surnames among the Cossacks since ancient times.
Koloman and Arkashara are one of the leaders of the Black Klobuks (Dnieper Cherkassy) XIII V. The name Koloman appears even earlier. Kaleda - one of the leaders of the Dnieper Cherkassy beginning XV Art. As is known, the Ukrainian people - especially from the Dnieper region (Cherkasy) were a significant element that supplemented the Don Cossacks during the emergence of the Free Cossacks, and after that they were the main source of its replenishment.
Surnames derived from Slavic words sometimes make it possible to establish the origin of the ancestors of their bearers.
Thus, the ancestors of the owners of the surnames: Kravtsov, Shvetsov, Limarev, Kovalev, Chebotarev, Miroshnikov, Osipov, Ostapov, Astakhov, Guselshchikov, Gretsykhin were, of course, Cherkasy.
But there is no evidence to assert that the ancestors of those bearing the surnames Kuznetsov, Sapozhnikov, Vedernikov, Melnikov were certainly Great Russians; these surnames could also have formed on the Don.
Cossacks have surnames that come from words that sometimes define nationality, more often social status, occupation, etc.: Voevodin, Boyarinov, Budarshchikov, Pushkarev, Drummers, Ryndin (rynda - princely or royal bodyguard - page). But it would be a mistake to assume that the surnames Voevodin and Boyarinov originated from the fugitive boyar and governor of Moscow (this would have been hidden by the fugitive). It can be assumed with sufficient reason that they are of Novgorod origin, when at the end XV and in the first half XVI c., after the Moscow defeat of Novgorod and Vyatka, representatives of the upper classes of V. Novgorod fled (emigrated) to the Cossacks - boyars, governors, merchants, and clergy, saving their heads from the Moscow chopping block.
A surname like Barabanshchikov does not establish the Great Russian origin of its owner - in the Moscow state in the second half XVII c., when the troops of the “foreign system” were raised, they were precisely the Germans.
There are many Cossack surnames derived from Mohammedan names: Alimov, Seimov (Usein, Seim), Kireev (Gireev), Izmailov, Temirev, etc. The ancestors of those bearing such surnames were, of course, persons who professed Islam - either Tatars or Turks , or Circassians, or, finally, Persians; but it is impossible to decide which nationality exactly.
Almost the majority of Cossack surnames in currently, as in XVII - XVIII Art. in comparison with others, if divided into groups, it comes from Orthodox names.
As is known, the Don Cossacks (like other Cossacks) were Orthodox from ancient times; among the Don Cossacks from 1261 to the end XIV V. there was its own special Podonsk (or Saransk) diocese with a bishop in the capital of the Golden Horde, Saray. The Novgorodians and Cherkasy, who greatly expanded the ranks of the Cossacks, were also Orthodox. Finally, the ancestors of the Don Cossacks were Slavs (Russians) and Kazakhs (Cossacks), who lived in Cossackia and the Tmutarakan principality since IX c., were Orthodox.
Thus, the formation of surnames from Orthodox names was, of course, common among the Cossacks themselves and was very ancient.
Many Cossack surnames known from documents of the second half XVI c., have survived to this day; many are no longer found, but this does not mean that there are no descendants of such Cossacks left.
Very often one surname was replaced by another. If there were two families or several of the same surname, then the new one received the surname after the name of the senior representative - or his personal nickname, a characteristic feature.
When there were no written documents, surnames were lost, and nicknames or names of family elders were assigned as surnames. This is how the surnames were formed - Kosorotov, Ryabov, Dolgov, Kurnosov, Shkur(a)in, Zheltonozhkin, Vostrov, Kultyshkin, etc. In themselves they are not characteristic, but initially they were an addition to the surname. Such “street” surnames, which could no longer gain a foothold due to the existence of written documents, were formed among the Cossacks until recently.
But surnames from Orthodox names can hide ancestors of any national origin.
When a non-Cossack and non-Christian, especially a minor, joined the ranks of the Cossacks, he sometimes acquired the surname of a godfather.
Thus, the descendants of a cross-Gypsy who became a Cossack did not necessarily turn into the Tsygankovs, they could also turn into the Vasilyevs, Polikarpovs, Petrovs, if they bore such a name godfather ancestor.
Sometimes Greeks who joined the ranks of the Cossacks received surnames by name, which was not uncommon. Thus, the Greek merchants who shared the burden of the “Azov Seat” with the Don Cossacks in 1641 were all accepted into the Cossacks. The Yanov surname came from the Greek Yan (it is a mistake to consider it to be of Polish origin); from Maxim the Grek - the Grekovs and from one of them - the Korolevs (“korolyok” - a silver coin of that time, used by the Cossacks and Turks, foreign minted, with the image of a young king - “korolev”). All other Greeks received surnames based on their given names (fathers, grandfathers); This is how they appear in the document.
It would seem that extensive material should have been provided by the lists of Cossacks of the Zimov villages (embassies from the Don to Moscow), preserved in the files of the Moscow Ambassadorial Order, but in reality there are no names in them.
In o in the relationship between the Don and the Moscow state, it was accepted: the Moscow Tsar in the letter did not usually name the surname of the Don Ataman, but only his first and patronymic (Osip Petrov); this was a special honor; back, and the Don Army did not put the ataman’s surname in the replies to the Moscow Tsar, but only the first and patronymic.
These letters and signatures are the main material for history, and we still do not know the surnames of such Don atamans as Ermak Timofeev, Osip Petrov, Naum Vasiliev, Yakovlev, etc. Timofeev, Petrov, etc. are patronymics, and not by last name; the descendants of these atamans do not live under these surnames, but those that these atamans actually had.
In the lists of the composition of the Zimov villages XVII Art. last names are also not shown (the importance of the composition of the village), but only first names and patronymics.
Cossacks have surnames from female names and female names (Sidorkins, Gapkins, Sidorins, Dyachikhins, Yasyrkins, etc.).
These surnames were formed in this order - if a captive or immigrant married a natural Cossack woman, then the offspring received a surname after the mother’s name; The child could also take a surname based on the mother’s name or a characteristic feature of her, if his father was unknown.
Cossacks have a lot of surnames from the name of one or another clergy (Dyachkins, Popovs, etc.). The surname Popov is especially common among the Don Cossacks. To mention the name Popov on the Don is to say absolutely nothing.
In the Don Cadet Corps, such surnames were also accompanied by No.; Preparatory students or first-graders at the Popovs had numbers, usually exceeding 2 tens.
There is a well-known anecdote that has a historical basis. After class allied forces Paris in 1813. Don Ataman gr. Platov represented the Emperor at the review. Alexandru I Cossack regiments.
The latter at that time did not bear a number, but were called by the names of the regiment commanders. During the passage of regiments on horseback, ataman gr. Platov, among others, allegedly named: “Dyachkin’s regiment...Dyachikhin, Dyakov...Dyakonov...Popov 8...Popov 12, Popov 13, Protopopov...Apostolov’s regiment.”
When the last regiment was named, Alexander I , allegedly asked: “Where is the Jesus regiment?” To which Donskoy ataman replied: “We didn’t have time to form: the war is over.”
Some of the indicated surnames were actually borne by the commanders of the Cossack regiments, others are found among the officer surnames of 1812-13, as established by documents.
Such surnames could have been formed during the entry of the Novgorodians and Vyatchans into the ranks of the Cossacks, but personally, I don’t see any of the historical documents until the middle of the 10th century. VII Art. I have never met a surname that comes from a clergyman. They probably formed on the Don after the emigration of the Great Russians after the spiritual split, the only period when their entry into the ranks of the Cossacks was more or less noticeable.
It is possible that the ancestors of those bearing these surnames were Great Russians, although I have met Cossacks bearing the surname Popov, in whose entire family the Turkic-Tatar type was clearly expressed.
An exception and addition must be made from this. The surname Apostolov (rare in the Don - one family) is certainly of Ukrainian origin.
The clerk is only in last century denoted only spiritual rank, in XVII Art. a clerk is a clerk, a clerk, etc. The (very high) rank of “military clerk” in the Zaporozhye army in Donskoy corresponded to “military clerk”. It is more likely that the surname Dyakov comes from here, and not from the clergy. The surname Rastrygin should also be included in the above category.
Cossack surnames, originating from geographical names, mainly cities, towns and villages (Bogaevsky, Bukanovsky, Kargalsk(iy)ov, Kundryutskov, Ternovskov, Khopersky, Kumshatskov, Bogucharskov, Samarin, Korochentsov, etc.), provide little data for determining the nationality of ancestors - especially if the names of the villages served as the basis for surnames.
The surname Bukanovsky only says that the ancestor of the person bearing this surname came from the Bukanovsky town of the Don Army. Bogaevsky is a migrant from Bogaevskaya village or town to another - which says very little.
The very appearance of the late M. P. Bogaevsky said more that his ancestor was, of course, a Kalmyk, and the facial features of his brothers confirm this.
Karochenets - a native of the city of Karochi - was probably a Cherkasy (Ukrainian).
The Bogucharskovs, Samarins, Kaluzhenins were from their respective cities; immigrants from outlying cities - from the children of boyars, archers, city Cossacks; in the ranks of the latter there were Cherkassy and Tatars.
So in this case, the affiliation of those bearing such surnames with the ancestors of the Great Russians is not established.
Thus, Cossack surnames do not indicate any significant entry of Great Russians (Russians) into the ranks of the Cossacks; Of course, they cannot provide any material to prove the origin of the Don and other Cossacks from the Great Russians, since the Cossacks actually do not originate from the Great Russians (Russians).
The above applies to all Cossacks, except the Kuban-Black Sea residents. Their surnames are identical to Ukrainian ones; endings prevail th, Ouch, th, A, ac. They are based on Slavic (Ukrainian) words and Turkic ones, some borrowed from their ancestors - the Black Klobuks (Cherkasy).
But this question requires special research.
Is. Bykadorov
From the editor.
I was happy to find this article in issues 38-39 of the magazine “Free Cossacks” (In iflax Kozatstvo") - published on June 25 and July 10, 1929 in Prague (the second year of publication). Its author is Isaac Fedorovich Bykadorov.
Born in 1882 into the family of a Don colonel in the village of Nizhne-Kundryuchevskaya. Major General, historian, comrade of the chairman of the Don Circle, member of the Supreme Circle of the Don, Kuban and Terek. He received a good systematic education at a classical gymnasium in Rostov-on-Don, at the Novocherkassk Engineering School. In 1907, he was accepted into the Academy of the General Staff, completed the full course, but in 1910, shortly before graduation, he returned to duty (due to a family tragedy).
During the First World War he was awarded many military orders (he lost one eye).
In the spring of 1918, the Cossacks, who rebelled against Soviet power, elected Colonel Bykadorov as their commander.
Since 1920 - in exile.
“Being an ardent Cossack patriot, he always diligently collected materials on Cossack history and used them for his books “The History of the Cossacks” and “The Don Cossacks’ Struggle for Access to the Sea,” which were published already in exile... His books, as well as individual articles in the Cossack press, gave a theoretical justification for the Cossack national idea and set some milestones for the Cossacks in their historical quest.” (A.I. Skrylov, G.V. Gubarev.)
...This article does not, of course, put an end to the answer to the most difficult question and about the origin of Cossack surnames, and the Cossacks themselves. But it is necessary to know the opinion of one of the most educated Cossack leaders on this matter.
Cossack general-from-philology Isaac Bykadorov... Amazing people were in our history!
Y. MAKARENKO
In a conversation you can come across the following statement: “Here, his last name ends with -in, which means he is a Jew.” Are Susanin, Repin and even Pushkin really Jewish surnames? It’s some kind of strange idea among the people, where did it come from? After all, the suffix -in- is often found in possessive adjectives formed from first declension nouns: cat, mother. While adjectives from words of the second declension are formed using the suffix -ov-: grandfathers, crocodiles. Is it really true that only Jews chose words of the first declension as the basis for their surname? It would be very strange. But probably everything that is on people’s tongues has some basis, even if it has been distorted over time. Let's figure out how to determine nationality by last name.
Ending or suffix?
Calling the familiar -ov/-ev endings is not entirely correct. The ending in Russian is the variable part of the word. Let's see what inclines in surnames: Ivanov - Ivanova - Ivanov. It can be concluded that -ov is a suffix and is followed by a null ending, as in most nouns masculine. And only in cases or when changing gender and number (Ivanova, Ivanovy) endings are heard. But there is also a folk, and not linguistic, concept of “ending” - what it ends with. In that case, this word is applicable here. And then we can safely determine the ending of surnames by nationality!
Russian surnames
The range of Russian surnames is much wider than those ending in -ov. They are characterized by the suffixes -in, -yn, -ov, -ev, -skoy, -tskoy, -ih, -yh (Lapin, Ptitsyn, Sokolov, Soloviev, Donskoy, Trubetskoy, Moskovskikh, Sedykh).
There are actually as many as 60-70% of Russian surnames with -ov, -ev, but only about 30% with -in, -yn, which is also quite a lot. What is the reason for this ratio? As already mentioned, the suffixes -ov, -ev are added to second declension nouns, most of which are masculine. And since in Russian surnames often originate from the name or occupation of the father (Ivanov, Bondarev), such a suffix is very logical. But there is also male names, ending in -a, -ya, and it was from them that the surnames Ilyin and Nikitin arose, the Russianness of which we have no doubt.
What about Ukrainians?
Ukrainian ones are usually formed using the suffixes -enko, -ko, -uk, -yuk. And also without suffixes from words denoting professions (Korolenko, Spirko, Govoruk, Prizhnyuk, Bondar).
More about Jews
Jewish surnames very diverse, because Jews were scattered throughout the world for centuries. A sure sign of them can be the suffixes -ich, -man and -er. But even here confusion is possible. Family endings-ich, -ovich, -evich are characteristic of Poles and Slavic peoples who lived in East Germany. For example, one of famous poets in Poland - Mickiewicz.
But the basis of a surname can sometimes immediately suggest the Jewish origin of its bearer. If the basis is Levi or Cohen/Cohan, the clan originates from the high priests - the Kohanim or his assistants - the Levites. So everything is clear with Levi, the Levitans, and the Kaganovichs.
What do surnames in -sky and -tsky tell you?
It is incorrect to assume that surnames ending in -sky or -tsky are necessarily Jewish. This stereotype developed because they were common in Poland and Ukraine. In these places there were many family estates; the surnames of the noble owners were formed from the name of the estate. For example, the ancestors of the famous revolutionary Dzerzhinsky owned the Dzerzhinovo estate on the territory modern Belarus, and then - Poland.
Many Jews lived in these areas, so many took local surnames. But Russian nobles also have such surnames, for example, noble surname Dubrovsky from Pushkin’s work is quite real. There is another interesting fact. In seminaries they often gave a surname derived from church holidays - Preobrazhensky, Rozhdestvensky. In this case, determining nationality by the end of surnames can lead to errors. Seminaries also served as the birthplace of surnames with an unusual root for the Russian ear, because they were formed from the Latin words: Formozov, Kastorov. By the way, clerk Ivan Velosipedov served under Ivan the Terrible. But the bicycle had not yet been invented! How can it be that there is no object, but there is a surname? The solution was this: it turned out to be a tracing paper from the Latin “swift-footed”, only with the original Russian suffix.
Last name starting with -in: revealing the secret!
So what about ending your last name with -in? It is difficult to determine nationality on this basis. Indeed, some Jewish surnames end like this. It turns out that in some of them this is just an external coincidence with the Russian suffix. For example, Khazin descends from the modified surname Khazan - this is the name in Hebrew for one of the types of servants in the temple. Literally this translates as “overseer,” since the hazan monitored the order of worship and the accuracy of the text. You can guess where the surname Khazanov comes from. But she has the “most Russian” suffix -ov!
But there are also matronyms, that is, those that are formed on behalf of the mother. Moreover, the female names from which they were formed were not Russian. For example, the Jewish surname Belkin is a homonym for a Russian surname. It was formed not from a furry animal, but from female name Beila.
German or Jew?
Another interesting pattern has been noticed. As soon as we hear surnames like Rosenfeld, Morgenstern, we immediately confidently determine the nationality of its bearer. Definitely, this is a Jew! But not everything is so simple! After all, these are words German origin. For example, Rosenfeld is a “field of roses”. How did this happen? It turns out that on the territory of the German Empire, as well as in the Russian and Austrian Empire, there was a decree on assigning surnames to Jews. Of course, they were formed in the language of the country in which the Jew lived. Since they were not passed down from distant ancestors from time immemorial, people chose them themselves. Sometimes this choice could be made by the registrar. This is how many artificial, bizarre surnames appeared that could not have arisen naturally.
How then can one distinguish a Jew from a German if both have German surnames? This is difficult to do. Therefore, here you should not be guided only by the origin of the word; you need to know the pedigree of a particular person. Here, you can’t just determine nationality by the end of your last name!
Georgian surnames
For Georgians, it is not difficult to guess the ending of their last names by nationality. If the Georgian is most likely -shvili, -dze, -uri, -ava, -a, -ua, -ia, -ni, -li, -si (Basilashvili, Svanidze, Pirtskhalava, Adamia, Gelovani, Tsereteli). There are also Georgian surnames that end in -tskaya. This is consonant with Russian (Trubetskaya), but this is not a suffix, and they not only do not change by gender (Diana Gurtskaya - Robert Gurtskaya), but also do not decline by case (with Diana Gurtskaya).
Ossetian surnames
Ossetian surnames are characterized by the ending -ty/-ti (Kokoyty). The ending of the surname in -ev (Abaev, Eziev) is also typical for this nationality; it is usually preceded by a vowel. Often the basis of a word is not clear to us. But sometimes it can turn out to be homonymous or almost homonymous with a Russian word, which is confusing. Among them there are also those that end in -ov: Botov, Bekurov. In fact, these are real Russian suffixes, and they are attached to the Ossetian root according to the tradition of conveying surnames in writing. These are the fruits of the Russification of Ossetian surnames. At the same time, it is stupid to think that all surnames ending in -ev are Ossetian. The ending of a surname with -ev does not yet determine nationality. Surnames such as Grigoriev, Polev, Gostev are Russian and they differ from similar ones ending in -ov only in that the last consonant in the noun was soft.
A few words about Armenians
Armenian surnames often end in -yan or -yants (Hakopyan, Grigoryants). Actually, -yan is a truncated -yants, which meant belonging to a clan.
Now you know how to find out your nationality by the end of your last name. Yes, it is not always easy to do this with guaranteed accuracy, even with a developed linguistic sense. But as they say, the main thing is that the person is good!
More and more often you can hear the opinion that native Russian surnames have the following suffixes: -ov, -ev, -in, -yn.
Where did the surnames with the suffixes -ov and -ev come from?
According to statistics, about 60% of the Russian population have surnames with the suffixes -ov and -ev. Such surnames are considered originally Russian, suggesting that they are of ancestral origin.
Initially, Russian surnames came from patronymics. For example, Ivan, who was the son of Peter, was called Ivan Petrov. After surnames came into use in the 13th century, they began to be given based on the oldest man in the family. So, not only the sons, but also the grandchildren and great-grandsons of Peter became Petrovs.
To diversify surnames, they began to be given based on nicknames. Thus, the descendants of Beloborodov also received the surname Beloborodov, passing it on to their descendants from generation to generation. 
They began to give surnames depending on the person’s occupation. Therefore, the Goncharovs, Kuznetsovs, Plotnikovs, Popovs and other sonorous names appeared. You can be sure that Kuznetsov’s great-grandfather had a forge, and Popov had priests in his family. 
Surnames with the suffix -ev were given to those people whose names, nicknames or the name of the specialization of their ancestors ended in a soft consonant. This is how the Ignatievs, Bondarevs and others appeared.
Where did the surnames with the suffixes -in and -yn come from?
About 30% of the Russian population have surnames ending with the suffixes -in and -yn. These surnames could come from the names, nicknames and professions of ancestors, as well as from words that end in -a and -ya. 
So the surname Minin means “son of Mina.” By the way, Mina is a popular female name in Rus'. 
For example, the surname Semin comes from the name Semyon. Interestingly, the name Semyon comes from Simeon, which in ancient times meant “heard by God.” That's pretty much how they formed popular surnames- Nikitin, Ilyin, Fomin and many others. 
Also, some surnames indicate that a person’s ancestors belonged to a particular profession. For example, the surname Rogozhin indicates that a person’s ancestors traded matting or were engaged in its production. 
It cannot be stated with absolute certainty, because even now many disputes continue, but it is assumed that the surnames Pushkin, Gagarin, Zimin, Korovin, Ovechkin, Borodin also came from the names of things, phenomena, animals or professions. 
Still, experts say that you first need to find out what word underlies the surname, and only then can you talk about professional occupations or nicknames of distant ancestors from whom the surname came.
Their last names end in -ovich, -evich, which corresponds to our patronymics (for example, Serbian. Re: Last names ending in -ih, -yh, Aslan, 01/08/08 18:30 if you don’t know, don’t write. Re : Surnames ending in -ih, -yh, Whichever is, 11/14/06 22:56 My friend has the surname VISITORS.
What is your nationality if your last name ends in -ih-, -yh-??
My last name ends in -ikh. And I'm Russian. I will add that in the same areas, given names also received endings in -i/-y, for example, my surname Semenov came from these places in the form “Semyonovs”. And here is another very common surname - Sedykh. Something comes to mind that people in some district in Russia also have such surnames. Eg. There are two musicians, husband and wife, and their last name is Glukhikh.
Almost all surnames are either pure nicknames, once given to an ancestor (Czechs have many such surnames) or from the father, or from the locality (but this is also a variant of the nickname).
Those. Initially, almost any surname was a kind of clarification of the name. At the same time, for example, there was another Ivan in that village. But Sergei's son.
If in the central part of Rus' surnames mostly ended in -ov, -ev, -in, then in Siberia surnames with the same roots ended in -ih, -yh: White, Black, Polish.
The famous linguist B.O. Unbegaun believes that surnames with -ikh and surnames with -ikh can be classified as typically Siberian surnames....,” read more, it’s useful!
Surnames with -ikh and surnames with -ih were brought to Siberia by colonists even before they fell out of use in the northern part of Russia.
My father, for example, had a surname ending in -ov, and his children were recorded under surnames ending in -skikh. This is how the scribes recorded them.
Moreover, interestingly, in these censuses father and son could have surnames with different endings.
In my area there are few of them, but when they exist it can be funny. And to get that very peasant ending. So the presenter announced them like this: “You are performing... Probably depends on the region. I had such an assumption, but then, according to the idea, there should be many similar endings of surnames. Me too: after all, we have Chernov... Because he was a tailor.
Those. the nationality could be any - I have a friend with the surname Litovskikh, who claims that he descends from a Lithuanian who was exiled to Siberia before 1917 for some sins. There was a count, but he became a “type” of serfdom and Soviet power, and there was nothing to find fault with. The situation is the same with “Whites” and “Blacks”.
I quote the version of the owner of the Maryinsky surname: “Some Polish nobleman was exiled to the Urals and he was allowed to settle in a lonely farmstead in the forest. He was a descendant of the disgraced Polish Count Potocki, who, after the defeat of the Confederate uprising, was exiled to Kazan. Petrovich and Russian patronymic Petrovich). For example, the father could be Kozlov, and the son was recorded as Kozlovsky.
In addition, the name is known ethnic group Siberian Tatars Shibans and family name Crimean Tatars Shiban Murzas. IN Perm region there is a settlement called Shibanovo, and in Ivanovskaya there is Shibanikha.
Records from 1570-1578 mention Prince Ivan Andreevich Shiban Dolgoruky; in 1584 - the grooms of Tsar Feodor Ioannovich Osip Shiban and Danilo Shikhman Ermolaevich Kasatkin.
Shabansky. The surname is derived from the names of the settlements Shabanovo, Shabanovskoye, Shabanskoye, located in different parts countries.
More and more often you can hear the opinion that native Russian surnames have the following suffixes: -ov, -ev, -in, -yn.
Where did the surnames with the suffixes -ov and -ev come from?
According to statistics, about 60% of the Russian population have surnames with the suffixes -ov and -ev. Such surnames are considered originally Russian, suggesting that they are of ancestral origin.
Initially, Russian surnames came from patronymics. For example, Ivan, who was the son of Peter, was called Ivan Petrov. After surnames came into use in the 13th century, they began to be given based on the oldest man in the family. So, not only the sons, but also the grandchildren and great-grandsons of Peter became Petrovs.
To diversify surnames, they began to be given based on nicknames. Thus, the descendants of Beloborodov also received the surname Beloborodov, passing it on to their descendants from generation to generation.
They began to give surnames depending on the person’s occupation. Therefore, the Goncharovs, Kuznetsovs, Plotnikovs, Popovs and other sonorous names appeared. You can be sure that Kuznetsov’s great-grandfather had a forge, and Popov had priests in his family.
Surnames with the suffix -ev were given to those people whose names, nicknames or the name of the specialization of their ancestors ended in a soft consonant. This is how the Ignatievs, Bondarevs and others appeared.
Where did the surnames with the suffixes -in and -yn come from?
About 30% of the Russian population have surnames ending with the suffixes -in and -yn. These surnames could come from the names, nicknames and professions of ancestors, as well as from words that end in -a and -ya.
So the surname Minin means “son of Mina.” By the way, Mina is a popular female name in Rus'.
For example, the surname Semin comes from the name Semyon. Interestingly, the name Semyon comes from Simeon, which in ancient times meant “heard by God.” This is roughly how popular surnames were formed - Nikitin, Ilyin, Fomin and many others.
Also, some surnames indicate that a person’s ancestors belonged to a particular profession. For example, the surname Rogozhin indicates that a person’s ancestors traded matting or were engaged in its production.
It cannot be stated with absolute certainty, because even now many disputes continue, but it is assumed that the surnames Pushkin, Gagarin, Zimin, Korovin, Ovechkin, Borodin also came from the names of things, phenomena, animals or professions.
Still, experts say that you first need to find out what word underlies the surname, and only then can you talk about professional occupations or nicknames of distant ancestors from whom the surname came.