In the vast majority of cases, Russian surnames end in -ov and -ev. Surnames with -in and -yn also became widespread. How did this happen, and what is behind it? Faktrum I decided to look into this issue.
The secret of the appearance of surnames in -ov and -ev
The endings -ov and -ev in the most common Russian surnames did not appear by chance. Historians believe that their appearance is mainly related to the origin of the family. So, for example, if a person’s name was Ivan, and his father was Peter, then he automatically received the surname Petrov, since he was the son of Peter. Later, in the 13th century, surnames began to be used officially, and they were given by the name of the eldest person in the family. Thus, not only Peter’s son, but also all his grandchildren and great-grandchildren became Petrov.
However this is not the only reason, according to which most Russian surnames received the suffixes -ov and -ev. Some of them came from nicknames. To make it clearer, let’s give an example: if a person was called Bezborodov, then his children and grandchildren became Bezborodov. The type of human activity could also play a key role in this issue. Plotnikov received just such a surname, since his father was a carpenter, and Kuznetsov was the heir of a blacksmith. As for the suffix -ev, it appeared in the surnames of those people whose ancestors were engaged in activities whose names ended with a consonant soft letter. Well, for example, the children and grandchildren of the man who received the nickname Bullfinch were already called Snegirevs, and the descendants of the cooper were called Bondarevs.
The mystery of the origin of surnames ending in -in and -yn
In second place in popularity in Russia are surnames with -in and a little less often - with -yn. In fact, there is no mystery here. Their origin is also connected with the names and nicknames of their ancestors, with their occupation. Such surnames were formed when words ending in -a and -ya, as well as nouns, were taken as a basis. feminine with a soft consonant at the end. For example, the surname Minin obviously came from female name Mina, which, in turn, was quite popular in Rus' in the old days.
Agree, these days surnames like Fomin and Ilyin are found quite often. Now it is obvious that among the ancestors of these people were Thomas and Elijah. But the surname Rogozhin suggests that the founders, apparently, were engaged in the manufacture or trade of matting. As in the case of surnames in -ov and -ev, these were also based on names, nicknames and names of professions.
In Russia there are many surnames that end in “-sky” or “-tsky”. Curious, what are they talking about? It turns out that there are several versions of the origin of such surnames.
Polish surnames
According to one version, all surnames of this kind are of Polish origin. That is, for example, those who bear the names Pototsky, Slutsky, Zabolotsky, Polyansky, Svitkovsky, Kovalevsky, Smelyansky have Polish roots in their family.
"Noble" surnames
One version says that in Rus', surnames with the suffixes “-sky/-tsky” were received by boyars and representatives of the nobility based on the names of their family destinies - Vyazemsky, Dubrovsky, Baryatinsky, etc. Surnames became hereditary, passed from father to son as a symbol of territorial power. The Book of the Thousand for 1550 lists 93 princely names, of which 40 end in “-sky”. By the way, it is believed that this tradition came from Poland. The mentioned suffixes were a sign of belonging to the gentry - representatives of the Polish aristocracy. Gradually, this began to be practiced in Russia, Ukraine and Belarus, also exclusively among representatives of the upper class.
An attempt to “improve” ordinary surnames
Ethnographers suggest that there was also a tendency to improve common surnames by adding a suffix. This was especially common among Russians, Ukrainians and Belarusians who lived in the same territory as the Poles. Thus, Borodin could turn into Borodinsky, Gatchin into Gatchinsky, Zaitsev into Zaichevsky.
"Geographical" origin
There is a version that today most of these surnames, in the past, were formed from geographical names settlements, rivers and lakes. So, a resident of Ryazan in another region was called “Ryazansky”, over time this could turn into a surname. The surname Verzhbitsky is quite common: settlements with this name existed in Poland, and in Russia, and in Ukraine, and in Belarus.
Jewish surnames
Another hypothesis states that at least some surnames starting with “-sky” may have Jewish roots. Such surnames were given to Jews living in the Baltic and Slavic countries, also by the name of the area. For example, Antokolsky, Vilkomirsky, Gilichensky, Mirgorodsky.
"Spiritual" surnames
Graduates of theological seminaries in Russia were assigned new, beautiful, euphonious surnames that would suit their priestly rank. This is how the Nativity, Ascension, Resurrection, Preobrazhensky, Trinity, and All Saints appeared. The surname Lebedinsky presumably also belongs to the “spiritual” family: after all, the swan is a recognized symbol of spiritual purity, including in Orthodoxy.
Most likely, surnames ending in “-sky” or “-tsky” are still completely different in origin, and only by looking at the root can one sometimes guess where they could have come from in principle.
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 which the surname came.
Instructions
All Russian surnames containing -ov- (-ev-), -in-, -sk- (Belov, Ignatieva, Baturin, Glinskaya) are declined. In the plural, the forms of female and male surnames coincide (Belovs, Glinskys). Surnames ending in -ой, -й, -й (Lanovoy, Dikiy, Zapashny) are declined in the same way as adjectives.
The rest, ending in consonants or the letters “ь”, “й” (except for surnames with -ы, -ы), have the instrumental ending -ом, (-м): Gaidar, Babel. In this case, women's surnames are not declined: with Anna Kern, for Marina Golub. In the plural, surnames of this type are also declined as masculine: visited the Herzens.
Russian surnames ending in -y, -i (Belykh, Dolgikh) are not declined.
When declension of surnames ending in -a, it matters which letter (vowel or consonant) comes before this -a, as well as whether the final -a is stressed. If in a surname there is a vowel before the final -a, such a surname is not declined (Maurois).
Surnames ending in unstressed -a after consonants are declined according to the first declension: Kafka (Kafka's novel), Okudzhava (Okudzhava's song).
If the final -а (or -я) is stressed, such surnames may or may not be declined depending on the . Surnames of French origin are not declined (Dumas, Petipa, Zola). Surnames of other origins (Slavic, from eastern languages) are declined according to the first declension, i.e., the stressed ending -a is isolated in them: Kvasha - Kvashi, Kvashe, Kvasha, Kvashoy (also Golovnya, Shengelaya, Beria, etc.).
If the surname is compound, and the first part of the surname is not in itself as a surname (Demut-Malinovsky), then only the second part of the surname is declined (sculpture of Demut-Malinovsky). If the first part of the surname is itself a surname, in this case both parts are declined (Lebedeva-Kumacha).
There are a number of surnames, the declination of which causes difficulties and is not regulated general rules. To resolve such difficulties, a dictionary of surnames is needed, giving normative recommendations for each specific word.
Sources:
- Declension of surnames. Reference and information portal GRAMOTA.RU
- Declension of masculine surnames
- Declension of proper names
The Russian language has its own peculiarities of declension of surnames and personal names, which are so difficult for foreigners learning our language. However, sometimes these questions cause difficulties even for those for whom Russian is their native language. One of these questions is how to persuade - diy in Russian, we will now consider.
Instructions
According to the rules, and having the ending - diy, incline towards . Women's surnames don't bow, but men's surnames, V nominative case those ending in -y are declined in the same way as nouns that have a second masculine gender. By ear they are often perceived as foreign.
Women's surnames with such an ending they are not declined either in the singular or in the plural. For example: Svetlana Kon diy, Svetlana Kon diy, Svetlana Kon diy, Svetlana Kon diy, Svetlana Kon diy, about Svetlana Kon diy. Likewise, and in the plural: the Cohn sisters diy, Kon sisters diy, to the Kon sisters diy, Kon sisters diy, by the Kon sisters diy, about the Cohn sisters diy.
Men's surnames on – diy are declined in both singular and plural. Singular: Evgeniy Kon diy, Evgeniy Kondiy, Evgeniy Kondiy, Evgeniy Kondiy, Evgeniy Kondiy, about Evgeniy Kondiy. In the plural: the Kondi brothers, the Kondi brothers, the Kondi brothers, the Kondi brothers, the Kondi brothers, about the Kondi brothers.
Accordingly, in order to write such a surname, we must have information about the gender of this . The absence of such information can put the writer in a difficult situation. Accordingly, in which the surname ending in – is indicated diy, carries information about the field.
There is one more, rather syntactic, nuance. When mentioning male and gender with a surname - diy, she doesn't bow either. For example: Victor and Elena Kan diy, Victor and Elena Kan diy, Victor and Elena Kon diy, Victor and Elena Kon diy, Victor and Elena Kon diy, about Victor and Elena Kon diy.
Sources:
- N. A. Eskova. Difficulties in inflecting nouns. Educational materials for practical classes in the course “Language of Modern Printing”. State Press Committee of the USSR. All-Union Institute for Advanced Training of Print Workers. M., 1990.
Declension of adjectives is carried out by cases, gender and numbers. There are also indeclinable adjectives in the Russian language, but they are a minority.
Instructions
There are two types of declension: adjective and mixed. Most adjectives are declined according to the first type. The adjective declension is divided into the declension of adjectives with the ending –ой and adjectives with the endings –й and –й.
The declension of adjectives ending in –ой is also divided into subtypes based on the final sound of the stem. This sound can be velar, hard hissing or paired.
The declension of adjectives with endings –й and –й has more varieties according to the final sound of the stem. The ending can appear after iota, after ts, after hard sibilants, after velar, after soft paired consonants, after hard paired consonants.
The mixed type of declension is divided into the first pronominal, second pronominal and possessive. Possessive adjectives with bases ending in –iy and –in, as well as the countable adjective third, are inflected according to the first pronominal. All other possessive adjectives are inflected according to the possessive subtype.
The declension of adjectives with a stem to a paired-hard consonant occurs as follows. IN masculine and singular endings for cases are as follows: -й/-ой in the nominative and accusative, -ого in the genitive, -ом in the dative, -ом in the instrumental, -ом in the prepositional. In the neuter gender and singular the endings are similar, except for the ending –о in the nominative and accusative cases.
In the feminine gender and singular the endings are as follows: -aya in the nominative, -ой in the genitive and dative, -уу in the accusative, -о/-оу in the instrumental, -ой in the prepositional. The plural of adjectives with a stem on a paired hard consonant is declined as follows: -y in the nominative and accusative, -y in the genitive and prepositional, -y in the dative, -y in the instrumental.
Based on a soft-paired consonant, the masculine gender in the singular has the following endings: -й in the nominative and accusative, -ee in the genitive, -im in the dative and accusative, -im in the instrumental, -em in the prepositional. The singular number is neuter: -ee in the nominative and accusative, -ee in the genitive, -im in the dative, -im in the instrumental, -em in the prepositional. Feminine singular: -yaya in the nominative, -ey in the genitive and dative, -yuyu in the accusative, -ey/-ey in the instrumental, -ey in the prepositional.
The plural of this type of adjective is declined as follows: -ie in the nominative and accusative, -i in the genitive and prepositional, -im in the dative and instrumental.
Adjectives with a sibilant stem in the masculine gender and singular change by case as follows: -й/-ой in the nominative, -его in the genitive, -ем in the dative, -й/-ой and –и/-ой in the accusative, - im in the instrumental, -em in the prepositional. In the neuter singular: -ee/-oe in the nominative and accusative, -ogo in the genitive, -om in the dative, -im in the instrumental, -om in the accusative. Feminine singular: -aya in the nominative, -е/-ой in the genitive and dative, -уу in the accusative, -е/-ей and –ой/-ою in the instrumental, -е/-оь in the prepositional.
Adjectives with a sibilant stem in the plural are declined according to the following scheme: -ie in the nominative, -ikh in the genitive and prepositional, -im in the dative, -ie/-ikh in the accusative, -imi in the instrumental.
If an adjective has a stem with the sound g/k/x, in the masculine gender and singular it has the following endings. In the nominative case –й/-ой, in the genitive –ого, in the dative–ом, in the accusative –й/-ох/-ом, in the instrumental –im, in the prepositional –ом. In the neuter gender singular: -oe in the nominative and accusative, the rest as in the masculine gender.
Feminine singular: -aya in the nominative, -ой in the genitive and dative, -уу in the accusative, -о/-оу in the instrumental, -оу in the prepositional. Plural: -ie in the nominative, -ikh in the genitive and instrumental, -im in the dative, -ie/-ikh in the accusative, -imi in the instrumental.
Video on the topic
Sources:
- Declension of adjectives in Russian
- Declension of adjectives
Citizens of Veliky Novgorod and its subordinate lands acquired surnames and nicknames. Chronicle evidence draws our attention to this fact, telling about the Battle of the Neva in 1240.
Later, in the 14th – 15th centuries, princes began to acquire family names. Called by the name of the inheritance they owned, having lost it, the princes began to reserve its name for themselves and their descendants as a family name. This is how the Vyazemsky (Vyazma), Shuisky (Shuya) and other noble families appeared. At the same time, they began to take hold, originating from the nicknames: Lykovs, Gagarins, Gorbatovs.
Boyarsky and then noble families, due to their lack of inheritance status, were formed in to a greater extent from nicknames. The formation of a surname on behalf of the ancestor has also become widespread. Bright to that the reigning family in Russia - the Romanovs.
Romanovs
The ancestors of this ancient boyar family were ancestors who wore different times nicknames: Mare, Koshka Kobylin, Koshkins. The son of Zakhary Ivanovich Koshkin, Yuri Zakharovich, was already called by his father and by his nickname - Zakharyin-Koshkin. In turn, his son, Roman Yuryevich, bore the surname Zakharyev-Yuryev. The Zakharyins were also the children of Roman Yuryevich, but with their grandchildren (Fyodor Nikitich - Patriarch Filaret), the family continued under the name of the Romanovs. With the surname Romanov, Mikhail Fedorovich was chosen to the royal throne.
Last name as personal identification
The establishment of passports by Peter I in 1719 for the convenience of collecting poll taxes and carrying out recruitment gave rise to the spread of surnames for men of all classes, including peasants. At first, along with the name, a patronymic and/or nickname was written in, which then became the owner’s surname.
Formation of Russian surnames into –ov/-ev, -in
The most common Russian surnames are derived from personal names. As a rule, this is the name of the father, but more often the grandfather. That is, the surname was fixed in the third generation. At the same time, the personal name of the ancestor became a possessive adjective, formed from the name using the suffixes –ov/-ev, -in and answering the question “whose?”
“Whose Ivan? - Petrov."
In the same way in late XIX– at the beginning of the 20th century, Russian officials formed and recorded the surnames of the inhabitants of the Russian Transcaucasus and Central Asia.
With each year of his life, a person increasingly expands his choice of communication, meeting new people. In order for a new acquaintance to contact you, you need to make a pleasant impression on him. To avoid uncomfortable situations, it is important to know what nationality the person in front of you is in order to behave in accordance with the moral and ethical standards of his country. By most surnames you can accurately determine the nationality of your friends, neighbors, business partners, etc.
Russians- use surnames with the suffixes -an, -yn, -in, -skikh, -ov, -ev, -skoy, -tskaya, -ikh, -yh (Snegirev, Ivanov, Voronin, Sinitsyn, Donskoy, Moskovskikh, Sedykh);
Belarusians- typical Belarusian surnames end in -ich, -chik, -ka, -ko, -onak, -yonak, -uk, -ik, -ski. (Radkevich, Dubrova, Parshonok, Kuharchik, Kastsyushka); many names in Soviet years were Russified and Polished (Dubrovsky, Kosciuszko);
Poles- most surnames have the suffix -sk, -tsk, and the ending -й (-я), indicating masculine and feminine gender (Sushitsky, Kovalskaya, Khodetsky, Volnitskaya); There are also double surnames - if a woman, when getting married, wants to keep her surname (Mazur-Komorowska); In addition to these surnames, surnames with an unchanged form are also common among Poles (Nowak, Sienkiewicz, Wujcik, Wozniak). Ukrainians with last name endings ending in -y are not Ukrainians, but Ukrainian Poles.;
Ukrainians- the first classification of surnames of a given nationality is formed using the suffixes -enko, -ko, -uk, -yuk (Kreshchenko, Grishko, Vasilyuk, Kovalchuk); the second series denotes the type of craft or occupation (Potter, Koval); the third group of surnames consists of individual Ukrainian words(Gorobets, Ukrainian, Parubok), as well as a merger of words (Vernigora, Nepiyvoda, Bilous).
Latvians- feature to masculine denotes a surname ending in -s, -is, and for a feminine ending - in -a, -e (Verbitskis - Verbitska, Shurins - Shurin)
Lithuanians - male surnames end in -onis, -unas, -utis, -aitis, -enas (Pyatrenas, Norvydaitis), women's surnames are formed from the husband's surname using the suffixes -en, -yuven, -uven and the ending -e (Grinius - Grinyuvene), surnames unmarried girls contain the basis of the father's surname with the addition of the suffixes -ut, -polut, -ayt and endings -e (Orbakas - Orbakaite);
Estonians- male and female genders are not distinguished using surnames, everything foreign names(mainly German) were at one time Estonianized (Rosenberg - Roosimäe), this process continues until today. for example, in order to be able to play for the Estonia national team, football players Sergei Khokhlov and Konstantin Kolbasenko had to change their surnames to Simson and Nahk;
French- many surnames are preceded by the prefix Le or De (Le Pen, Mol Pompadour); basically, dissimilar nicknames and personal names were used to form surnames (Robert, Jolie, Cauchon - pig);
Romanians: -sku, -u(l), -an.
Serbs: -ich.
English- the following surnames are common: formed from the names of the place of residence (Scott, Wales); denoting profession (Hoggart - shepherd, Smith - blacksmith); indicating the external appearance of character and appearance (Armstrong - strong, Sweet - sweet, Bragg - boastful);
Germans- surnames formed from personal names (Werner, Peters); surnames that characterize a person (Krause - wavy, Klein - small); surnames indicating the type of activity (Müller - miller, Lehmann - geomor);
Swedes- most surnames end in -sson, -berg, -sted, -strom (Andersson, Olsson, Forsberg, Bostrom);
Norse- formed from personal names using the suffix -en (Larsen, Hansen), surnames without suffixes and endings can occur (Per, Morten); Norwegian surnames can repeat the names of animals, trees and natural phenomena(Blizzard - blizzard, Svane - swan, Furu - pine);
Italians- surnames are characterized by the suffixes -ini, -ino, -ello, -illo, -etti, -etto, -ito (Benedetto, Moretti, Esposito), can end in -o, -a, -i (Conti, Giordano, Costa) ; the prefixes di- and - indicate, respectively, that a person belongs to his family and geographical structure(Di Moretti is the son of Moretti, Da Vinci is from Vinci);
Spaniards and Portuguese have surnames ending in -ez, -az, -iz, -oz (Gomez, Lopez), surnames indicating a person’s character are also common (Alegre - joyful, Bravo - gallant, Malo - horseless);
Turks- most often surnames have the endings -oglu, -ji, -zade (Mustafaoglu, Ekindzhi, Kuindzhi, Mamedzade); when forming surnames, Turkish names or everyday words were often used (Ali, Abaza - fool, Kolpakchi - hat);
Bulgarians - almost all Bulgarian surnames are formed from personal names and suffixes -ov, -ev (Konstantinov, Georgiev);
Gagauz: -oglo.
Tatars: -in, -ishin.
Greeks- Greek surnames cannot be confused with any other surnames, only they have the endings -idis, -kos, -poulos (Angelopoulos, Nikolaidis);
Czechs- the main difference from other surnames is the mandatory ending -ova in women's surnames, even if where it would seem to be inappropriate (Valdrova, Ivanovova, Andersonova).
Georgians- common surnames ending in -shvili, -dze, -uri, -ava, -a, -ua, -ia, -ni, -li, -si (Baratashvili, Mikadze, Adamia, Karchava, Gvishiani, Tsereteli);
Armenians- a significant part of the surnames of residents of Armenia has the suffix -yan (Hakopyan, Galustyan); Also, -yants, -uni.
Moldovans: -sku, -u(l), -an.
Azerbaijanis- formed surnames by taking Azerbaijani names as a basis and attaching Russian suffixes -ov, -ev (Mamedov, Aliyev, Hasanov, Abdullaev) to them. Also, -zade, -li, ly, -oglu, -kyzy.
Jews- the main group consists of surnames with roots Levi and Cohen (Levin, Levitan Kagan, Koganovich, Katz); the second group came from male and female Hebrew names with the addition of various suffixes (Yakobson, Yakubovich, Davidson, Godelson, Tsivyan, Beilis, Abramovich, Rubinchik, Vigdorchik, Mandelstam); the third classification of surnames reflects the character of a person, his appearance or profession (Kaplan - chaplain, Rabinovich - rabbi, Melamed - pestun, Schwartzbard - black-bearded, Stiller - quiet, Shtarkman - strong).
Ossetians:-ti.
Mordva: -yn, -in.
Chinese and Koreans- for the most part these are surnames consisting of one, less often two syllables (Tan, Liu, Duan, Qiao, Tsoi, Kogai);
Japanese- modern Japanese surnames are formed by merging two full-valued words (Wada - sweet voice and rice field, Igarashi - 50 storms, Katayama - hill, Kitamura - north and village); The most common Japanese surnames are: Takahashi, Kobayashi, Kato, Suzuki, Yamamoto.
As you can see, to determine a person’s nationality, it is enough to accurately analyze his last name, highlighting the suffix and ending.
WHAT DO SURNAMES WITH “-IN” MEAN? SURNAMES ENDING WITH -IN HAVE RUSSIAN ROOTS OR JEWISH ROOTS?
In the collection of the famous Slavic linguist B. O Unbegun “Russian Surnames” you can read that surnames starting with “in” are predominantly a Russian type of surname.
Why the ending “-in”? Basically, all surnames ending in “in” come from words ending in -а/-я and from feminine nouns ending in a soft consonant.
There are many examples of erroneous addition of -in to stems with a final hard consonant: Orekhin, Karpin, Markin, where -ov should have been used. And in another case, -ov turned out to be in the place of -in: Shishimorov from the base of shishimora. Mixing of formants is possible. After all, among Russians -in and -ov have been semantically indistinguishable for more than a thousand years. The meaning of the difference has been lost in the common Slavic language; the choice of -ov or -in depends only remnantly on the phonetic feature of the stem (Nikonov “Geography of Surnames”).
Do you know how the name of the famous leader came about? people's militia 1611 -1612 Minin? Minin bore the personal nickname Sukhoruk, he did not have a surname. And Minin meant “son of Mina.” Orthodox name"Mina" was widespread in Rus'.
Another vintage Russian surname- Semin, also a surname with “-in”. According to the main version, the surname Semin goes back to the baptismal male name Semyon. The name Semyon is the Russian form of the ancient Hebrew name Simeon, meaning “listening”, “heard by God”. From the name Semyon in Rus', many derivative forms were formed, one of which - Syoma - formed the basis of this surname.
The famous Slavic linguist B.O. Unbegaun, in the collection “Russian Surnames,” believes that the surname Semin was formed from the baptismal Russian name according to the following scheme: “Semyon - Sema - Semin.”
Let's give another example of a surname that we examined in detail in the family diploma. Rogozhin is an old Russian surname. According to the main version, the surname preserves the memory of the profession of distant ancestors. One of the first representatives of the Rogozhins could be engaged in the manufacture of matting or trade in fabric.
Coarse woven fabric made from wash tapes was called matting. In Rus', a matting hut (rogozhnitsy, matting) was a workshop where matting was woven, and a matting weaver or matting dealer was called a matting izba.
In his close circle, Rogozhnik’s household were known as “Rogozhin’s wife,” “Rogozhin’s son,” and “Rogozhin’s grandchildren.” Over time, terms denoting the degree of relationship disappeared, and the hereditary surname Rogozhin was assigned to the descendants of Rogozhin.
Such Russian surnames ending in “-in” include: Pushkin (Pushka), Gagarin (Loon), Borodin (Beard), Ilyin (Ilya), Ptitsyn (Bird); Fomin (from the personal name Thomas); Belkin (from the nickname “squirrel”), Borozdin (Furrow), Korovin (Cow), Travin (Grass), Zamin and Zimin (winter) and many others
Please note that the words from which surnames starting with “in” are derived mostly end in “-a” or “-ya”. We won’t be able to say “Borodov” or “Ilyinov”; it would be more logical and more sonorous to say “Ilyin” or “Borodin”.
Why do some people think that surnames ending with “-in” have Jewish roots? Is this really true? No, this is not true; you cannot judge the origin of a surname by one ending. Sound Jewish surnames coincides with Russian endings simply by chance.
You should always research the surname itself. For some reason, the ending “ov” does not cause us any doubts. We believe that surnames ending in “-ov” are definitely Russian. But there are also exceptions. For example, we recently prepared a beautiful family diploma for one wonderful family named Maksyutov.
The surname Maksyutov has the ending “ov”, which is common among Russian surnames. But, if you examine the surname deeper, it turns out that the surname Maksyutov is derived from the Tatar male name“Maqsud”, which translated from Arabic means “desire, premeditated intention, aspiration, goal”, “long-awaited, desired”. The name Maksud had several dialect variants: Maksut, Mahsud, Mahsut, Maksyut. This name is still widespread among the Tatars and Bashkirs.
“The surname Maksyutov is an old princely surname Tatar origin. ABOUT ancient origin the names Maksyutov say historical sources. The surname was first documented in the 16th century: Maksutovs (Maksutovs, obsolete Maksyutovs, Tat. Maksutovlar) - a Volga-Bulgar princely-Murzin family, descended from the Kasimov prince Maksut (1554), in the genealogical legend Prince Maksut was called an ulan and a descendant of the prince Kashima." Now there is almost no doubt about the origin of the surname.
How do you know if a surname ending in -in is of Jewish origin or is it an original Russian surname? Always analyze the word that underlies your last name.
Here are examples of Jewish surnames with the ending “-in” or “-ov”: Edmin (derived from the name of the German city of Emden), Kotin (derived from the Hebrew קטן- in the Ashkenazi pronunciation “kotn”, meaning “small”), Eventov (derived from Hebrew “even tov” - “ gem"), Khazin (derived from the Hebrew "hazan", in the Ashkenazi pronunciation "khazn", meaning "a person leading worship in a synagogue"), Superfin (translated as "very handsome") and many others.
The ending “-in” is simply an ending by which one cannot judge the nationality of a surname. You always need to research a surname, analyze the word that underlies it and try to search in various books And archival documents the first mention of your last name. Only when all the information has been collected will you be able to confidently determine the origin of your surname and find answers to your questions.
SURNAMES ENDING IN SKY/-SKAYA, -TSKIY/-TSKAYA
Many Russians have a firm and unfounded belief that surnames in -skiy are certainly Polish. From history textbooks, the names of several Polish magnates are known, derived from the names of their estates: Potocki and Zapotocki, Zablocki, Krasinski. But from the same textbooks the surnames of many Russians with the same suffixes are known: Konstantin Grigorievich Zabolotsky, okolnichy of Tsar John III, late 15th - early 16th centuries; clerk Semyon Zaborovsky, early 16th century; boyars Shuisky and Belsky, close associates of Ivan the Terrible. Famous Russian artists are Levitsky, Borovikovsky, Makovsky, Kramskoy.
An analysis of modern Russian surnames shows that forms in -sky (-tskiy) exist in parallel with variants in -ov (-ev, -in), but there are fewer of them. For example, in Moscow in the 70s of the twentieth century, for every 330 people with the surname Krasnov/Krasnova, there were only 30 with the surname Krasnovsky/Krasnovskaya. But enough rare surnames Kuchkov and Kuchkovsky, Makov and Makovsky are represented almost equally.
A significant part of surnames ending in -skiy/-skaya, -tskiy/-tskaya are formed from geographical and ethnic names. In letters from our readers who want to know about the origin of their surnames, the following surnames in -sky / -tsky are mentioned.
Brynsky. The author of this letter, Evgeniy Sergeevich Brynsky, himself sent the story of his last name. We present only a small fragment from the letter, since it is not possible to publish it in its entirety. Bryn - river Kaluga region, flows into the Oka Zhizdra tributary. In the old days, large dense Bryn forests stretched along it, in which the Old Believers took refuge. According to the epic about Ilya Muromets, it was in the Bryn forests that the Nightingale the Robber lived. Let us add that there are several settlements of Bryn in the Kaluga and Ivano-Frankivsk regions. The surname Brynski/Brynska, found in Poland, is derived from the name of two settlements Brynsk in different parts country and also, apparently, goes back to the names of the rivers Bryn and Brynitsa. There is no uniform interpretation of the names of these rivers in science. If the suffix -ets is added to the name of a populated place, then such a word denotes a person from this place. In Crimea in the 60s and 70s of the 20th century, winegrower Maria Bryntseva was well known. Her surname is derived from the word brynets, that is, a native of the city or village of Bryn.
Garbavitsky. This Belarusian surname corresponds to the Russian Gorbovitsky (in Belarusian language in place of the unstressed o the letter a is written). The surname is derived from the name of some settlement of Gorbovitsy. In the materials we have, there are only Gorbov, Gorbovo and Gorbovtsy. All these names come from the designations of the terrain: hump - a hillock, a sloping hill.
Dubovskaya. The surname is derived from the name of one of the many settlements: Dubovka, Dubovo, Dubovoe, Dubovskaya, Dubovsky, Dubovskoye, Dubovtsy, located in all parts of the country. It is possible to find out from which one exactly, only from the information preserved in the family, where the ancestors who received this surname lived, or where they came from to their future place of residence. The emphasis in the surname is on “o”: Dubovsky/Dubovskaya.
Steblivsky. The Ukrainian surname corresponding to the Russian one is Steblevsky; formed from the names of the populated places Steblevka in the Transcarpathian region or Steblev - Cherkassy. In Ukrainian spelling, i is written in place of the second e.
Tersky. The surname comes from the name of the Terek River and indicates that one of the distant ancestors of this person lived there. There were the Terek region and the Terek Cossacks. So bearers of the Tersky surname may also be descendants of Cossacks.
Uriansky. The surname, apparently, is derived from the name of the settlement of Urya. In our materials, this name is recorded in the Krasnoyarsk Territory. Perhaps there are similar names in other places, since the name of the populated place is associated with the name of the river and with the designation ethnic group ur, as well as with the name of the medieval Turkic people Uryanka. Similar names could be found in different places, since medieval peoples led a nomadic lifestyle and assigned the name of their ethnic group to those places where they stayed for a long time.
Chiglinsky. The surname comes from the name of the settlement Chigla Voronezh region, which is apparently related to the designation of the union of the medieval Turkic tribes of the Chigili.
Shabansky. The surname is derived from the names of the settlements Shabanovo, Shabanovskoye, Shabanskoye, located in different parts of the country. These names come from the Turkic name Shaban of Arabic origin. IN Arabic Sha'ban - the name of the eighth month lunar calendar. The name Shaban is also attested in Russian peasant families in the 15th-17th centuries. In parallel with this, the spelling variant Shiban was noted in the Russian language - obviously, by analogy with the Russian shibat, zashibat. 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. The servant of Prince Kurbsky was called Vasily Shibanov - executed by Ivan the Terrible in 1564.
In addition, the name of the ethnic group of the Siberian Tatars Shibans and their family name are known Crimean Tatars Shiban Murzas. IN Perm region there is a settlement called Shibanovo, and in Ivanovskaya there is Shibanikha.
So closely related to each other different types proper names: personal names, geographical and ethnic names, as well as surnames.