Method of use "speaking" surnames and names are often used by authors of works. It was especially popular in the first half of the 19th century, although at all times it helps writers when creating their creations.
It is known that in Rus' until the 17th-18th centuries. there were names reminiscent of modern nicknames; such names served at the same time as a unique characteristic of a person, the main qualities of his character: Balui, Balamut, Biryuk, Gryaznin, Lyutoy, Molchan, Nesmeyan, Plokh, Crybaby, etc.
And in literature it all started with classicism in literature - a method in which heroes are clearly divided into positive and negative. Therefore, writers and playwrights often gave them surnames that emphasized certain character traits.
Writers of the 19th century continued this tradition. They came up with so many “speaking” surnames! Many became household names, as their characters were characteristic of many people. And even today these words are relevant, since, unfortunately, among us there are Oblomovs, Molchalins, Skotinins and many others.
The surnames themselves and their role also changed: from a simple nickname, which brightly, prominently characterized the hero, to a deep, sometimes veiled meaning, understandable only when studying the history of a given name or surname.
Types of “speaking” surnames:
- Surnames by which one can openly understand the author’s attitude towards the characters, what features he identifies in them (Skotinin, Skalozub, Oblomov, Sobakevich and others)
- Surnames and given names whose meaning is understood by the etymology of the word (Famusov, Prostakova, Mitrofan. Sofya, Larisa).
- The surname can suggest the type of activity of the hero: Professor Preobrazhensky in “The Heart of a Dog” by M. Bulgakov.
- Some surnames invented by authors do not directly indicate traits of this hero, but as if they help to understand a whole social phenomenon that is revealed in this image (the name of the son of the hero of A.P. Chekhov’s story “Fat and Thin” is Nathanael, Akaki Akakievich Bashmachkin in “The Overcoat of N.V. Gogol, Lokhankin Vasisualiy I. Ilf and E .Petrova from “The Golden Calf”)
- The surnames of the characters can also create a unique atmosphere of the work. So in A. Chekhov’s story “The Terrible Night” there are Cherepov, Chelyustov, Panikhidin, Trupov, Pogostov. They add fear to the story.
- The most important goal is to express the author’s attitude towards the hero. Writers use the surnames of characters to already direct readers to what kind of character will be discussed.
- An important purpose of such surnames is to emphasize, to concentrate attention on some social phenomenon. They are a kind of metaphor, for example, Lyapkin-Tyapkin from “The Inspector General”.
- The surnames of the characters are similar to the surnames of real people. IN in this case these are always positive heroes (Meresyev in “The Tale of a Real Man” by B. Polevoy, Dobrosklonov in “Who Lives Well in Rus'” by N.A. Nekrasov, Kuligin in “The Thunderstorm” by A. Ostrovsky)
Thus, the role of “speaking” names and surnames in literature is great. They are playing significant role when creating a literary and artistic text, they are integral components of the writer’s style and language, closely related to the theme of the work, the author’s ideas, the depicted time and space, and the essence of the created images.
Works that can be cited as arguments in task No. 9 on the topic of “speaking” surnames:
- D.I. Fonvizin “Undergrown” (Skotinin, Pravdin, Milon and others)
- A.S. Griboedov “Woe from Wit” (Molchalin, Chatsky, Famusov)
- N.V. Gogol “Dead Souls” (Manilov, Sobakevich, Korobochka and others), “The Inspector General” (Derzhimorda, Strawberry, Lyapkin-Tyapkin, etc.)
- N.A. Nekrasov “Who can live well in Rus'?” (Altynnikov, Grosh, Dobrosklonov)
- M.E. Saltykov-Shchedrin (Pimple from “The History of a City”, etc.)
- M. Bulgakov " dog's heart(F.F. Preobrazhensky)
- Heroes of plays by A.N. Ostrovsky (Kabanova. Tikhon, Larisa, Katerina, etc.)
- A.P. Chekhov (school superintendent Khamov (“Exam for Rank”), sexton Vonmiglasov from “Surgery,” Nevyrazimov in “Meluzga”). A. Chekhov's heroes can even be divided into types of "speaking" surnames: food - Pivomedov ("Exam for Rank"), body parts - Zhelvakov, Chelyustin, Gryaznorukov, animals - Kleshchev, Guskin, Kuryatin ("Surgery"), Gnilorybenkov. A. Chekhov was a real master at coming up with surnames.
More heroes of A. Chekhov: non-commissioned Prishibeev in story of the same name, official Chervyakov in “Death of an Official”, actor Unylov in “After the Benefit Performance”, overseer Ochumelov and goldsmith Khryukin “Chameleon”.
Note: Separate articles will be written on these works over time.
Material prepared by: Melnikova Vera Aleksandrovna
What do the “talking” names say? What is the connection between the Khomutovs and the Hamiltons? Where are Ivanovia and Popovia? And what to answer the question: “Whose will you be?”
The family name remained in the village
Once, Emperor Alexander I, not hearing the last name of one of the people being introduced to him at a reception, asked again: “Let me ask, what is your last name?” According to legend, the merchant replied that “the family name remained in the village, but if the sovereign wishes, the person being asked is ready to immediately send for it.” The fact is that the word ‘surname’ was then used only in its “primordial” meaning - “family”.
At first, this was how they joked about the “lagging behind” nobles, and then about the merchants, who were just beginning to get used to their new position in society. But in every joke, as we know, there is some truth! The vast majority of Russian surnames come from fatherland (patronymic), or rather dedicism (patronymic grandfather), assigned to the third generation. What is not a “surname”, what is not a family?
What does the “speaking” surname mean?
Several centuries ago the most popular names were... Malina and Kalina: the prevalence of the surnames Malinin and Kalinin reminds us of this today. But how can this be explained? Why exactly these berries, and not cranberries or, say, gooseberries?
In the old days, gooseberries were called the word "bersen", and the name "gooseberry" came from Polish-Belarusian dialects. And that’s not the only thing! All attention is paid to the chronicles: they show that in the old days there was a male name Malina. A charter from 1498 mentions a Novgorod peasant, Malina. And the “related” and even more common surname Kalinin owes its popularity to the canonical church name Kallinikos, which translated from ancient Greek means “good conqueror.”
Or here’s another thing: you met a person whose last name seems simple to the extreme: Khomutov. And, if you are asked to express thoughts about the origin of this surname, you will probably shrug your shoulders dismissively. Everybody knows old word"collar": the main part of a horse's harness, placed around the horse's neck so that shafts or lines can be attached to it.
As if everything is correct, but in our country you will meet many Khomutov citizens, whose surname and the venerable old Khomutov have absolutely nothing in common. Their surname comes from another surname, and not even Russian, but English - from noble family Hamilton.
By historical legend, V mid-16th century century, a representative of the noble Scottish family of Hamilton, Thomas Hamilton, left England for Russia with his son Peter. The descendants of this Peter Hamilton gradually turned into the boyars of the Hamiltons, Gamantovs, Khomentovs and, finally, the Khomutovs!
From Moscow to the very...
Russian surnames are the most valuable material for studying history hometown, regions and even countries. From words to deeds: as soon as the scientist Vladimir Nikonov “superimposed” the names on the map, very interesting patterns immediately began to emerge. This experiment made it possible to divide the European part of Russia into four conventional zones, which are characterized by the active spread of a surname.
These zones were named: Ivanovia (northwest - Pskov, Novgorod, adjacent lands), Smirnovia (center and northern Volga region from Tver to Nizhny Novgorod), Kuznetsovia (south - from Orel to the Middle Volga region and further to the east) and Popovia (north).
Why, for example, are Ivanovs so popular in the north-west? Perhaps the reason for this was the relatively early date of adoption of Christianity by the bulk of the inhabitants of the Novgorod lands. Perhaps “Ivanovia” is connected with the fact that in many lands there were so-called local saints, whose names are church reform in the 19th century they were not included in the unified Russian Orthodox calendar.
Sonorous and noble
“Two years before the revolution, I knew quite a few young girls for whom the mere “ringing” of such a surname awakened the most enthusiastic dreams. I wish I could marry such a lucky man! I wish I could become the owner of such a super-aristocratic name!” - Lev Uspensky wrote in his book “A Word about Words”.
Almost a century has passed, but interest in exotic, “rich”, two-story family names has remained. There is something about them that pleases the Russian ear: a certain chic, a certain foppishness, European reliability, but most importantly - history! It seems that people with such a surname simply cannot be Ivans who do not remember their kinship. However, our interest is in a different direction: it’s still curious, where did they come from and why were they needed in Russia?
Of course, they arose among the local nobility, but for different reasons and different ways. Often a person who bore an ordinary patronymic surname, with “-ov” or “-in”, added the second part to it, as if becoming a sovereign person. For example, Field Marshal Suvorov, promoted to Count of Rymniksky, if he had been a person of a different character, could have been called Suvorov-Rymniksky in everyday life. But no, even on his tombstone there is a laconic carving: “Here lies Suvorov.”
And the famous Russian rich man Demidov, having married the niece of Napoleon I in Italy, bought the entire principality of San Donato near Florence and received the title of Prince of San Donato into the bargain. For almost half a century in Russia this title was not recognized for him, but after his death the title and surname were approved for his nephew. So simply the Demidovs became the Demidovs-San Donato.
Kublik, Kulka, Vernigora, Mytnik, Shumay, Galda, Finko, Loboda, Konovalenko, Zyuba, Sachko, Artyukh and some others - these were the names of the first settlers. Actually, peasants and Cossacks did not have surnames then; they had nicknames based on their occupation, character, and appearance. It was only after nicknames became surnames.
What are they talking about? Let's think about it.
Kulka- everything with them is like in a bag of rye compressed like a sickle: tightly, firmly, reliably. Or, perhaps, from the word “kul”, which means a small bag made of matting, to put in a sack; in a sack means to put supplies for the road. There is even a saying - from bag to bag - about unsuccessful attempt fix something that has led to the worse.
Kublik- probably a very friendly family, a real “kublo” - all one for one.
Vernigora- return, they say, behind the mountain, to the lowland, there is no point in being located on the mountain, or maybe there was a nickname for Mountain, and they addressed him like this: they say, turn, return, Mountain. They settled downstairs, right next to the pond.
Zyuba- most likely, from the word “tooth” with a softened (z’), that is, toothy, smart, knowing his worth.
Mytnik- from the word “myt”, which means “tax”, the Gospel speaks of publicans, tax collectors. In Ukraine, even today, customs is called mytnya.
The second meaning of the word “Mytnik” is a genus of plants of the Norichnikov family, which is still widespread on all continents; in Russia it grows in swamps and along the banks of reservoirs. The flowers are irregular, pink-violet, purple, yellow, white, all its parts are poisonous, although it is beautiful in appearance, some types of mytnik are bred as decorative ones. Mytnik is still growing in Ukraine and here, in Nikolaevka. It is now impossible to establish what meaning this surname came with.
Konovalenko- from Ukrainian word“farmer”, that is, a horse doctor.
Shumay- there is a lot of noise, at first glance. Let's turn to another source. After the defeat and enslavement of the Serbs by the Turks, many Serbian refugees, starting from the 15th century, found salvation in Russia. Isn’t the basis of the surname connected with the Serbian word “shuma” - “forest”, and “shumai” - “forest”? The inhabitant of the wooded area of central Serbia was called Shumak. Isn't this where the name Shumay comes from?
Finko- Ukrainian surname in -ko from the form “Finai” from the church name “Feoniy” or “Finod”.
Galda- from the word “to chatter”, that is, to talk loudly, to bother with your conversations.
Volkov- from old Russian name“Wolf” (the ancient Slavs had such a name, like the name “Beetle”),
Loboda- this is how “quinoa” sounds in Ukrainian, that is, by meaning it is a herbaceous or shrubby plant that clogs crops. But quinoa, by the way, is eaten as a salad.
Rope- one of the common surnames, formed by the name of the tool. But does she belong to the first settlers? Rope - clean Russian word, in Ukrainian it sounds “matuzok”, so maybe people with that last name came later.
Shinkar means “owner of a tavern,” that is, a tavern. Perhaps the first inhabitants came with it, or it arose here as a designation of human activity, occupation.
Chumak- a trader who was engaged in plague trade - he transported bread, flax, lard to the south on oxen or horses, and from there - fish, salt
.Miroshnik- flour grinder, miller.
Koval- master of shoeing a horse, blacksmith.
Zarudny- from the Ukrainian “rudy”, which means red, even fiery red. Perhaps the prefix was formed from the preposition: go, they say, for ore.
Artyukh- belongs to one of the varieties Slavic surnames, formed from folk forms peasant names, goes back to the name “Artemy”, which means “healthy, unharmed”. The name was popular and had many forms: Ortemko grandfather (1495, Bronnitsy peasant), Artyukh Parfeev (1500, Suzdal landowner), Artuy Ivankov (1564, Novgorod peasant). One of the ancient names stuck as a surname.
Sachko- double meaning: - from the word “net” - to evade work, to be cunning; and like a net for catching birds, it means dexterity and savvy.
Gutter- a purely Ukrainian word, in Russian it has the form “gutter” - a device through which water flows, or from the Ukrainian word “zhlob” - greedy, stingy.
Colgan- either from the word “restlessness” (tights in Ukrainian), or this is the name of the steppe grass. Somewhat later, the Yatsenkov farmstead was formed, the predominant surname was Yatsenko, however, i.e. Ukrainian origin, but the meaning is not clear. Then in x. Kulkin (Nikolaevka) and surnames appeared in Yatsenkovo
Davydovs(from the name David or Davyd), Zinchenko (from male name Zinovy), Goncharenko (potter - master who makes pottery, ceramics), Syrovatsky (settlers from Syrovatsky village, comes from the adjective “damp”, Syrovatsky village is located near Nikolaevka, in a lowland, in a damp place), Kharchenko (grub - products).
There is information that there was a surname Bigwig, this word denotes a person who powerfully manages and manages all affairs. Then, in all likelihood, the saying “De yarochok, there is a little farm” appeared, since the Cherkassy settled in ravines.
Currently, some of the most common surnames are Artyukh, Zarudny, Zyuba, Yatsenko.
Last name disappears Share. It probably came about as follows. When there was not enough space in two beams, they settled in others: this is how Grushovka, Krai, Raek, and Dolin Les arose. The last ravine (Dolin Les) was not inhabited for a long time, since although it is located at the bottom, the area is swampy.
But some family had to go there. They were probably told: “Go, line up, it’s your lot to live there.” Here we go: Dolin Les. There was a small beam forest, just like in Parnoy. The place is very beautiful, there are hazel thickets all around, viburnum bushes flaunt, numerous springs gush out, giving rise to a tributary of the Krasnaya River (in the ancient Russian language the word “red” meant “beautiful”).
Russian surnames are the most valuable material for studying the history of your native city, region and even the country. From words to deeds: as soon as the scientist Vladimir Nikonov “superimposed” the names on the map, very interesting patterns immediately began to emerge. This experiment made it possible to divide the European part of Russia into four conventional zones, which are characterized by the active spread of a surname.
These zones were named: Ivanovia (northwest - Pskov, Novgorod, adjacent lands), Smirnovia (center and northern Volga region from Tver to Nizhny Novgorod), Kuznetsovia (south - from Orel to the Middle Volga region and further to the east) and Popovia (north ).
Why, for example, are Ivanovs so popular in the north-west? Perhaps the reason for this was the relatively early date of adoption of Christianity by the bulk of the inhabitants of the Novgorod lands. Perhaps “Ivanovia” is connected with the fact that in many lands there were so-called local saints, whose names were not included in the unified Russian Orthodox calendar during the church reform in the 19th century.
Sonorous and noble
“Two years before the revolution, I knew quite a few young girls for whom the mere “ringing” of such a surname awakened the most enthusiastic dreams. I wish I could marry such a lucky man! I wish I could become the owner of such a super-aristocratic name!” - Lev Uspensky wrote in his book “A Word about Words”.
Almost a century has passed, but interest in exotic, “rich”, two-story family names has remained. There is something about them that pleases the Russian ear: a certain chic, a certain foppishness, European reliability, but most importantly - history. It seems that people with such a surname simply cannot be Ivans who do not remember their kinship. However, our interest is in a different direction: it’s still curious, where did they come from and why were they needed in Russia?
Of course, they arose among the landed nobility, but for different reasons and in different ways. Often a person who bore an ordinary patronymic surname, with “-ov” or “-in”, added the second part to it, as if becoming a sovereign person. For example, Field Marshal Suvorov, promoted to Count of Rymniksky, if he had been a person of a different character, could have been called Suvorov-Rymniksky in everyday life. But no, even on his tombstone there is a laconic carving: “Here lies Suvorov.”
And the famous Russian rich man Demidov, having married the niece of Napoleon I in Italy, bought the entire principality of San Donato near Florence and received the title of Prince San Donato into the bargain. For almost half a century in Russia this title was not recognized for him, but after his death the title and surname were approved for his nephew. So simply the Demidovs became the Demidovs-San Donato.
The author creates his hero using certain technical means, which are called literary techniques. One of these techniques is a telling surname. It consists in the fact that the author characterizes his character with the help of associations that the reader associates with a certain word. In this case, even the most ordinary surname can be the speaker if it accurately characterizes the hero. An example of this is Molchalin in the play by A.S. Griboyedov "Woe from Wit". He agrees with everything, he will never say extra words and reveals herself to be completely vain to Famusov. By the way, Famusov is also a telling surname, since it comes from the Latin word meaning “glory”, “fame”.