How to find out the meaning of your last name. Where does my last name come from? How to find out? Make your own family tree
The famous Russian linguist A.F. Zhuravlev, Doctor of Philology, Head of the Department of Etymology and Onomastics at the Institute of Russian Language, also made his contribution to the study of statistics of Russian surnames. V. V. Vinogradov RAS (Moscow).
A.F. Zhuravlev used telephone directories of several cities in Russia and other former Soviet territories, library catalogues, personal lists of institutions, lists of applicants for some Moscow universities, diverse arrays of onomastic (family) material on the Internet, etc. the territory is not clearly delineated by him, the list of cities whose telephone directories were used is not given in full (among those named by A.F. Zhuravlev are Moscow, Ryazan, Vladimir, Krasnoyarsk, in Ukraine - Greater Yalta). The principles for selecting cities are not sufficiently substantiated. The very nature of obtaining material is debatable. A.F. Zhuravlev himself admits that he cannot “estimate with any accuracy the total volume of onomastic units that came into view, and, consequently, the share in it of those surnames that were included in the final list.
From the flow of surnames flowing into our hands, only those were selected that were included in the preliminary 800-unit list (further shortened to 500 surnames with the most reliable statistics).” The list itself of 800 units (i.e., surnames) was compiled intuitively. All this reduces the significance of the results obtained, but nevertheless the list of the 500 most common Russian surnames is interesting. The number of all carriers of the first 500 most common Russian surnames, recorded according to various sources, is several hundred thousand. Obviously, this list will still be refined, since according to A.F. Zhuravlev himself, the statistics given “can be considered to be only of a very preliminary nature, but in any case better than Unbegaun’s table” (meaning the appendix to the book “Russian surnames” with a list of the most common surnames in St. Petersburg in 1910).
I decided to list these 500 names so that site visitors can familiarize themselves with them. Two columns with data for comparison of statistics of the same surnames in St. Petersburg in 1910 were excluded from the material of A.F. Zhuravlev (they were taken from the work of B.O. Unbegaun). In the final table, to the right of the surname there is a number showing the relative occurrence of the surname. It was obtained by relating the total absolute frequency of a given surname to the total absolute frequency of the most common Russian surname Ivanov.
So, the list compiled by A.F. Zhuravlev. During preparation for posting on the site, it was discovered that there were three more surnames (they are given without a serial number). To find the desired surname, use the search function of your browser.
Rank Surname Frequency 1 Ivanov 1,0000 2 Smirnov 0,7412 3 Kuznetsov 0,7011 4 Popov 0,5334 5 Vasiliev 0,4948 6 Petrov 0,4885 7 Sokolov 0,4666 8 Mikhailov 0,3955 9 Novikov 0,3743 10 Fedorov 0,3662 11 Morozov 0,3639 12 Volkov 0,3636 13 Alekseev 0,3460 14 Lebedev 0,3431 15 Semenov 0,3345 16 Egorov 0,3229 17 Pavlov 0,3226 18 Kozlov 0,3139 19 Stepanov 0,3016 20 Nikolaev 0,3005 21 Orlov 0,2976 22 Andreev 0,2972 23 Makarov 0,2924 24 Nikitin 0,2812 25 Zakharov 0,2755 26 Zaitsev 0,2728 27 Soloviev 0,2712 28 Borisov 0,2710 29 Yakovlev 0,2674 30 Grigoriev 0,2541 31 Romanov 0,2442 32 Vorobiev 0,2371 33 Sergeev 0,2365 34 Kuzmin 0,2255 35 Frolov 0,2235 36 Alexandrov 0,2234 37 Dmitriev 0,2171 38 Korolev 0,2083 39 Gusev 0,2075 40 Kiselev 0,2070 41 Ilyin 0,2063 42 Maksimov 0,2059 43 Polyakov 0,2035 44 Sorokin 0,1998 45 Vinogradov 0,1996 46 Kovalev 0,1978 47 Belov 0,1964 48 Medvedev 0,1953 49 Antonov 0,1928 50 Tarasov 0,1896 51 Zhukov 0,1894 52 Baranov 0,1883 53 Filippov 0,1827 54 Komarov 0,1799 55 Davydov 0,1767 56 Belyaev 0,1750 57 Gerasimov 0,1742 58 Bogdanov 0,1706 59 Osipov 0,1702 60 Sidorov 0,1695 61 Matveev 0,1693 62 Titov 0,1646 63 Markov 0,1628 64 Mironov 0,1625 65 Krylov 0,1605 66 Kulikov 0,1605 67 Karpov 0,1584 68 Vlasov 0,1579 69 Melnikov 0,1567 70 Denisov 0,1544 71 Gavrilov 0,1540 72 Tikhonov 0,1537 73 Kazakov 0,1528 74 Afanasiev 0,1516 75 Danilov 0,1505 76 Savelyev 0,1405 77 Timofeev 0,1403 78 Fomin 0,1401 79 Chernov 0,1396 80 Abramov 0,1390 81 Martynov 0,1383 82 Efimov 0,1377 83 Fedotov 0,1377 84 Shcherbakov 0,1375 85 Nazarov 0,1366 86 Kalinin 0,1327 87 Isaev 0,1317 88 Chernyshev 0,1267 89 Bykov 0,1255 90 Maslov 0,1249 91 Rodionov 0,1248 92 Konovalov 0,1245 93 Lazarev 0,1236 94 Voronin 0,1222 95 Klimov 0,1213 96 Filatov 0,1208 97 Ponomarev 0,1203 98 Golubev 0,1200 99 Kudryavtsev 0,1186 100 Prokhorov 0,1182 101 Naumov 0,1172 102 Potapov 0,1165 103 Zhuravlev 0,1160 104 Ovchinnikov 0,1148 105 Trofimov 0,1148 106 Leonov 0,1142 107 Sobolev 0,1135 108 Ermakov 0,1120 109 Kolesnikov 0,1120 110 Goncharov 0,1115 111 Emelyanov 0,1081 112 Nikiforov 0,1055 113 Grachev 0,1049 114 Kotov 0,1037 115 Grishin 0,1017 116 Efremov 0,0995 117 Arkhipov 0,0993 118 Gromov 0,0986 119 Kirillov 0,0982 120 Malyshev 0,0978 121 Panov 0,0978 122 Moiseev 0,0975 123 Rumyantsev 0,0975 124 Akimov 0,0963 125 Kondratiev 0,0954 126 Biryukov 0,0950 127 Gorbunov 0,0940 128 Anisimov 0,0925 129 Eremin 0,0916 130 Tikhomirov 0,0907 131 Galkin 0,0884 132 Lukyanov 0,0876 133 Mikheev 0,0872 134 Skvortsov 0,0862 135 Yudin 0,0859 136 Belousov 0,0856 137 Nesterov 0,0842 138 Simonov 0,0834 139 Prokofiev 0,0826 140 Kharitonov 0,0819 141 Knyazev 0,0809 142 Tsvetkov 0,0807 143 Levin 0,0806 144 Mitrofanov 0,0796 145 Voronov 0,0792 146 Aksenov 0,0781 147 Sofronov 0,0781 148 Maltsev 0,0777 149 Loginov 0,0774 150 Gorshkov 0,0771 151 Savin 0,0771 152 Krasnov 0,0761 153 Mayorov 0,0761 154 Demidov 0,0756 155 Eliseev 0,0754 156 Rybakov 0,0754 157 Safonov 0,0753 158 Plotnikov 0,0749 159 Demin 0,0745 160 Khokhlov 0,0745 161 Fadeev 0,0740 162 Molchanov 0,0739 163 Ignatov 0,0738 164 Litvinov 0,0738 165 Ershov 0,0736 166 Ushakov 0,0736 167 Dementiev 0,0722 168 Ryabov 0,0722 169 Mukhin 0,0719 170 Kalashnikov 0,0715 171 Leontyev 0,0714 172 Lobanov 0,0714 173 Kuzin 0,0712 174 Korneev 0,0710 175 Evdokimov 0,0700 176 Borodin 0,0699 177 Platonov 0,0699 178 Nekrasov 0,0697 179 Balashov 0,0694 180 Bobrov 0,0692 181 Zhdanov 0,0692 182 Blinov 0,0687 183 Ignatiev 0,0683 184 Korotkov 0,0678 185 Muravyov 0,0675 186 Kryukov 0,0672 187 Belyakov 0,0671 188 Bogomolov 0,0671 189 Drozdov 0,0669 190 Lavrov 0,0666 191 Zuev 0,0664 192 Petukhov 0,0661 193 Larin 0,0659 194 Nikulin 0,0657 195 Serov 0,0657 196 Terentyev 0,0652 197 Zotov 0,0651 198 Ustinov 0,0650 199 Fokin 0,0648 200 Samoilov 0,0647 201 Konstantinov 0,0645 202 Sakharov 0,0641 203 Shishkin 0,0640 204 Samsonov 0,0638 205 Cherkasov 0,0637 206 Chistyakov 0,0637 207 Nosov 0,0630 208 Spiridonov 0,0627 209 Karasev 0,0618 210 Avdeev 0,0613 211 Vorontsov 0,0612 212 Zverev 0,0606 213 Vladimirov 0,0605 214 Seleznev 0,0598 215 Nechaev 0,0590 216 Kudryashov 0,0587 217 Sedov 0,0580 218 Firsov 0,0578 219 Andrianov 0,0577 220 Panin 0,0577 221 Golovin 0,0571 222 Terekhov 0,0569 223 Ulyanov 0,0567 224 Shestakov 0,0566 225 Ageev 0,0564 226 Nikonov 0,0564 227 Selivanov 0,0564 228 Bazhenov 0,0562 229 Gordeev 0,0562 230 Kozhevnikov 0,0562 231 Pakhomov 0,0560 232 Zimin 0,0557 233 Kostin 0,0556 234 Shirokov 0,0553 235 Filimonov 0,0550 236 Larionov 0,0549 237 Ovsyannikov 0,0546 238 Sazonov 0,0545 239 Suvorov 0,0545 240 Nefedov 0,0543 241 Kornilov 0,0541 242 Lyubimov 0,0541 243 Lviv 0,0536 244 Gorbachev 0,0535 245 Kopylov 0,0534 246 Lukin 0,0531 247 Tokarev 0,0527 248 Kuleshov 0,0525 249 Shilov 0,0522 250 Bolshakov 0,0518 251 Pankratov 0,0518 252 Rodin 0,0514 253 Shapovalov 0,0514 254 Pokrovsky 0,0513 255 Bocharov 0,0507 256 Nikolsky 0,0507 257 Markin 0,0506 258 Gorelov 0,0500 259 Agafonov 0,0499 260 Berezin 0,0499 261 Ermolaev 0,0495 262 Zubkov 0,0495 263 Kupriyanov 0,0495 264 Trifonov 0,0495 265 Maslennikov 0,0488 266 Kruglov 0,0486 267 Tretyakov 0,0486 268 Kolosov 0,0485 269 Rozhkov 0,0485 270 Artamonov 0,0482 271 Shmelev 0,0481 272 Laptev 0,0478 273 Lapshin 0,0468 274 Fedoseev 0,0467 275 Zinoviev 0,0465 276 Zorin 0,0465 277 Utkin 0,0464 278 Stolyarov 0,0461 279 Zubov 0,0458 280 Tkachev 0,0454 281 Dorofeev 0,0450 282 Antipov 0,0447 283 Zavyalov 0,0447 284 Sviridov 0,0447 285 Zolotarev 0,0446 286 Kulakov 0,0446 287 Meshcheryakov 0,0444 288 Makeev 0,0436 289 Dyakonov 0,0434 290 Gulyaev 0,0433 291 Petrovsky 0,0432 292 Bondarev 0,0430 293 Pozdnyakov 0,0430 294 Panfilov 0,0427 295 Kochetkov 0,0426 296 Sukhanov 0,0425 297 Ryzhov 0,0422 298 Starostin 0,0421 299 Kalmykov 0,0418 300 Kolesov 0,0416 301 Zolotov 0,0415 302 Kravtsov 0,0414 303 Subbotin 0,0414 304 Shubin 0,0414 305 Shchukin 0,0412 306 Losev 0,0411 307 Vinokurov 0,0409 308 Lapin 0,0409 309 Parfenov 0,0409 310 Isakov 0,0407 311 Golovanov 0,0402 312 Korovin 0,0402 313 Rozanov 0,0401 314 Artemov 0,0400 315 Kozyrev 0,0400 316 Rusakov 0,0398 317 Aleshin 0,0397 318 Kryuchkov 0,0397 319 Bulgakov 0,0395 320 Koshelev 0,0391 321 Sychev 0,0391 322 Sinitsyn 0,0390 323 Black 0,0383 324 Rogov 0,0381 325 Kononov 0,0379 326 Lavrentiev 0,0377 327 Evseev 0,0376 328 Pimenov 0,0376 329 Panteleev 0,0374 330 Goryachev 0,0373 331 Anikin 0,0372 332 Lopatin 0,0372 333 Rudakov 0,0372 334 Odintsov 0,0370 335 Serebryakov 0,0370 336 Pankov 0,0369 337 Degtyarev 0,0367 338 Orekhov 0,0367 339 Tsarev 0,0363 340 Shuvalov 0,0356 341 Kondrashov 0,0355 342 Goryunov 0,0353 343 Dubrovin 0,0353 344 Golikov 0,0349 345 Kurochkin 0,0348 346 Latyshev 0,0348 347 Sevastyanov 0,0348 348 Vavilov 0,0346 349 Erofeev 0,0345 350 Salnikov 0,0345 351 Klyuev 0,0344 352 Noskov 0,0339 353 Ozerov 0,0339 354 Koltsov 0,0338 355 Commissioners 0,0337 356 Merkulov 0,0337 357 Kireev 0,0335 358 Khomyakov 0,0335 359 Bulatov 0,0331 360 Ananyev 0,0329 361 Burov 0,0327 362 Shaposhnikov 0,0327 363 Druzhinin 0,0324 364 Ostrovsky 0,0324 365 Shevelev 0,0320 366 Dolgov 0,0319 367 Suslov 0,0319 368 Shevtsov 0,0317 369 Pastukhov 0,0316 370 Rubtsov 0,0313 371 Bychkov 0,0312 372 Glebov 0,0312 373 Ilyinsky 0,0312 374 Uspensky 0,0312 375 Dyakov 0,0310 376 Kochetov 0,0310 377 Vishnevsky 0,0307 378 Vysotsky 0,0305 379 Glukhov 0,0305 380 Dubov 0,0305 381 Bessonov 0,0302 382 Sitnikov 0,0302 383 Astafiev 0,0300 384 Meshkov 0,0300 385 Sharov 0,0300 386 Yashin 0,0299 387 Kozlovsky 0,0298 388 Tumanov 0,0298 389 Basov 0,0296 390 Korchagin 0,0295 391 Boldyrev 0,0293 392 Oleynikov 0,0293 393 Chumakov 0,0293 394 Fomichev 0,0291 395 Gubanov 0,0289 396 Dubinin 0,0289 397 Shulgin 0,0289 398 Kasatkin 0,0285 399 Pirogov 0,0285 400 Semin 0,0285 401 Troshin 0,0284 402 Gorokhov 0,0282 403 Old people 0,0282 404 Shcheglov 0,0281 405 Fetisov 0,0279 406 Kolpakov 0,0278 407 Chesnokov 0,0278 408 Zykov 0,0277 409 Vereshchagin 0,0274 410 Minaev 0,0272 411 Rudnev 0,0272 412 Trinity 0,0272 413 Okulov 0,0271 414 Shiryaev 0,0271 415 Malinin 0,0270 416 Cherepanov 0,0270 417 Izmailov 0,0268 418 Alekhine 0,0265 419 Zelenin 0,0265 420 Kasyanov 0,0265 421 Pugachev 0,0265 422 Pavlovsky 0,0264 423 Chizhov 0,0264 424 Kondratov 0,0263 425 Voronkov 0,0261 426 Kapustin 0,0261 427 Sotnikov 0,0261 428 Demyanov 0,0260 429 Kosarev 0,0257 430 Belikov 0,0254 431 Sukharev 0,0254 432 Belkin 0,0253 433 Bespalov 0,0253 434 Kulagin 0,0253 435 Savitsky 0,0253 436 Zharov 0,0253 437 Khromov 0,0251 438 Eremeev 0,0250 439 Kartashov 0,0250 440 Astakhov 0,0246 441 Rusanov 0,0246 442 Sukhov 0,0246 443 Veshnyakov 0,0244 444 Voloshin 0,0244 445 Kozin 0,0244 446 Khudyakov 0,0244 447 Zhilin 0,0242 448 Malakhov 0,0239 449 Sizov 0,0237 450 Yezhov 0,0235 451 Tolkachev 0,0235 452 Anokhin 0,0232 453 Vdovin 0,0232 454 Babushkin 0,0231 455 Usov 0,0231 456 Lykov 0,0229 457 Gorlov 0,0228 458 Korshunov 0,0228 459 Markelov 0,0226 460 Postnikov 0,0225 461 Black 0,0225 462 Dorokhov 0,0224 463 Sveshnikov 0,0224 464 Gushchin 0,0222 465 Kalugin 0,0222 466 Blokhin 0,0221 467 Surkov 0,0221 468 Kochergin 0,0219 469 Grekov 0,0217 470 Kazantsev 0,0217 471 Shvetsov 0,0217 472 Ermilov 0,0215 473 Paramonov 0,0215 474 Agapov 0,0214 475 Minin 0,0214 476 Kornev 0,0212 477 Chernyaev 0,0212 478 Gurov 0,0210 479 Ermolov 0,0210 480 Somov 0,0210 481 Dobrynin 0,0208 482 Barsukov 0,0205 483 Glushkov 0,0203 484 Chebotarev 0,0203 485 Moskvin 0,0201 486 Uvarov 0,0201 487 Bezrukov 0,0200 488 Muratov 0,0200 489 Rakov 0,0198 490 Snegirev 0,0198 491 Gladkov 0,0197 492 Zlobin 0,0197 493 Morgunov 0,0197 494 Polikarpov 0,0197 495 Ryabinin 0,0197 496 Sudakov 0,0196 497 Kukushkin 0,0193 498 Kalachev 0,0191 499 Gribov 0,0190 500 Elizarov 0,0190 Zvyagintsev 0,0190 Korolkov 0,0190 Fedosov 0,0190
Most people often wonder what a surname means. Some are simply out of curiosity, while others want to find a connection with their ancestors and important historical events. The surname of each person indicates his belonging to a certain clan, family - this is a historically formed family name. However, not everyone always had a similar name - it all started a little differently.
In Rus', the process of the emergence of surnames took a fairly decent period of time - from the end of the 14th to the 19th centuries. This is due to the fact that at that time only representatives of the upper class had the privilege of belonging to a certain family; appanage princes and boyars were assigned surnames based on the names of the volosts they owned (for example, Vitebsk, Smolensk). Here it becomes clear what the surname means. The princes were very proud of this, defended and reconquered their lands.
The next owners of family names were rich, famous merchants and nobles who deserved something, and often simply bought this right. They were called by their occupation or by their existing nicknames (Tkach, Rybnik, Likhachev). The merchants intended to expand with the help of the received surname; clients preferred to work with registered houses that had their own. The clergy had special rights. By the name of the clergyman, it was possible to determine in which parish he served (Nikolsky, Kazansky, etc.).
The rest of the population are commoners. They were without surnames, having only a first and patronymic name. In the archives there are often entries: “Peter, Ivanov’s son.” Obviously, on
On the basis of such differentiation, a modern surname was obtained, the origin of which goes far into the past. In addition, ordinary people also had nicknames that were given to them based on their professional affiliation or some individual characteristics. Such a surname could easily be lost by changing one’s craft or character traits that gave rise to the nickname.
Subsequently, surnames were also given to former serfs. At first glance, it is not entirely clear what the surname means in this case. But, having sorted it out, it becomes clear that they were assigned the surname of the former owner, which is why in one area there could be many namesakes who did not have a surname at all. In 1888, a decree was issued that obliged everyone to have a surname in order to be included in documents. For many peasants, the patronymic was entered as the last name.
What does the surname mean? It has an ambiguous meaning. Someone could get it because of their possession of territory or because of their craft, and someone could get it because of their short stature, clubfoot or other external signs. Then its information content was much greater than it is now, because you could learn a lot about a person from your last name. Today this gives us little. Some bearers themselves do not know what their family name means, how it was obtained, or who their ancestors are. Although there are those who dive into the depths of genealogy in search of information, trying to find their roots.
Absolutely all people understand what a surname is. But not everyone knows its history and origin. There are also several meanings of this concept. In the article we will look at all the details and tell the reader when surnames appeared in Rus', and the meaning of this concept in everyday life.
What is a surname?
- A surname, according to many explanatory dictionaries, means a common name for all members of one family, which is passed on from father to son and so on.
- From Latin familia is translated as “family, clan”. Since the times of Ancient Rome, this concept has denoted a family legal unit running a common household. It consisted of family members, blood relatives and even slaves. This name passed by inheritance, upon marriage, adoption.
- From French and German, according to V. Dahl's explanatory dictionary, a surname meant family, clan, blood ties, ancestors, nickname. For example: family teas, “he is from a noble family”, familiar address (in a family way, in a friendly way, in a brotherly way), to become familiar (to establish friendly and close relationships with someone, to fraternize).
We have looked at all the concepts in the dictionaries of what a surname is, and now we will figure out when people got a surname.
Historical information
The history of the surname as a concept begins in Ancient Rome. It was there, among the family nobility, that it began to be passed on by inheritance. Usually a surname was given according to the person’s place of birth or residence, where his possessions were located.
In European countries, the tradition of passing on the surname of ancestors by inheritance began only in the 15th century. And even then this was the advantage of noble persons, a small handful of aristocrats. The rest of the poor working people used only names.
The appearance of surnames in Rus'
The first historical data on the appearance of the surname dates back to the 13th century. At first, the citizens of Veliky Novgorod and the region from the Baltic Sea to the Ural Mountains, which belonged to the possessions of this principality, understood what a surname was. Of course, these were representatives of noble families. In 1268, in the chronicles one could read about Tverdislav Chermny and Nikifor Radyatinich, etc. These were the “good” boyars listed.
The princes received their second name after the name of their lands. For example, Obolensky, Vyazemsky. But some got their surnames from nicknames. For example, Hunchback, Tongue, Coward, Mare, Toothless.
Then messages appear in documents about the names of princes and high boyars living in the Moscow principality. Russian surnames were single, sometimes written with a hyphen. From the end of the 15th century, the first surnames with foreign roots appeared at that time, depending on whose descendants were and what countries they came from. For example, Karamzin, Akhmatov, Lermontov, Bakhteyarov.
Surnames of the poor people
Most of the country's inhabitants, classified as commoners, did not have surnames. They had such an opportunity only after the abolition of serfdom in 1861. Before this, this function was performed by various nicknames, the name of the owner of the serf. All residents of villages and hamlets belonging to the landowner were subject to enslavement.
This phenomenon has become widespread since the 16th century. In the documents, the peasants were formalized as follows: “Ivan, Mikhailov’s son, nickname Crooked Nose.” Serfdom did not spread to the northern regions of Russia, and there people had real surnames that were passed on by inheritance. The most famous peasant of those regions, who glorified his family name, is Mikhail Lomonosov. Cossacks and residents of present-day Belarus had their father’s surname. They were previously considered residents of the lands of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, and the entire population of the black earth provinces was given surnames.
Most of the surnames originated from the father's name, baptismal name or the name of one of the famous ancestors. The first population census in 1897 revealed that more than 75% of the people inhabiting the country did not have a surname at all, especially residents of the outskirts and remote areas.
After granting the right to all people to have their own surname, registration took a long period of time. The process of each person receiving a surname was completed only in the 1930s. By this time, all nationalities of the greater Soviet Union were covered.
Whose? Whose?
The appearance of surnames varies, but more than 60% of all surnames given to Russian people are formed by the name of an ancestor - father or grandfather. Previously, they asked the question: “Whose? Whose will you be?” The answer was as follows: “My last name is Petrov, that is, the son of Peter, Alekseev is the son of Alexei, etc.” Therefore, most surnames have common suffixes -ov/-ev. A study of the history of surnames showed that they came not only from names, but also from nicknames of people. For example, the father had a nickname - Bezborody or Kosolapy, then his son’s surname was Bezborodov or Kosolapov.
But there were other suffixes. If the ancestor's name ended with a hard consonant, then they wrote -s(Ivan - Ivanov, Platon - Platonov). If the names of relatives ended in a soft consonant, a suffix was added here -ev. For example, Porfiry - Porfiryev, Ignatius - Ignatiev. If names ended in -а or -я, then the suffix was put -in. For example, if the name is Ilya, my last name is Ilyin, Afonya is Afonin, Erema is Eremin.
But some authorities did not recognize surnames that ended in -in or -y/-y. Such surnames were forcibly replaced by others that contained the generally accepted suffixes -ov. For example, a person had a surname Kuzmin, it was changed during the census, especially in the region of the Don Army, into Kuzminov, and the surname Bedny into Bednov.
But there were separate regions, where surnames with the suffix -in belonged to more than half the population. This is mainly the Volga region.
There were also surnames that were created by numerous additions of various suffixes. For example, Ignat - Ignatyuk - Ignatyuchenko - Ignatyuchenkov.
Name of professions
Many people associate the origin of their surname with the type of work they do. If the worker was a carpenter, then he was given the surname Stolyarov. Such roots include the following surnames: Kuznetsov, Bocharov, Kopalshchikov, Kulinarov, Plotnikov, Vodovozov, Goncharov, Kovalev. They started doing this because people’s names were often repeated, and there were only a small number of second baptismal names. And the workers had many professions.
Priests' names
The clergy began to take sonorous surnames only in the 18th century. The names of parishes and different churches were used. For example, Troitsky, Preobrazhensky. Some took euphonious names for themselves, using Latin names: Reformatsky, Gilyarovsky, Athenian. After graduating from the seminary, the teachers gave the students surnames that corresponded to the capabilities, efforts and behavior of the seminarians. Good students received the following names: Dobromyslov, Tikhomirov, Nadezhdin. Bad students got less sonorous ones, bearing the names of negative characters from the Bible. For example, Saulov or Gibraltar.
The emergence of passports
During the reign of Peter I, due to the fact that the poll tax and conscription were introduced, the Senate Decree of June 18, 1719 was adopted, which ordered all residents to have police registration documents. In another way they were called travel certificates or passports. The document indicated the person’s name, surname or nickname, permanent place of residence, information about marital status, the name of the father, family members who were traveling with him, and the direction of movement.
Emperor Paul I in 1797 ordered the compilation of a General Arms Book of all noble families. A huge amount of work was done. More than 3,000 of all family names were collected, as well as the coats of arms of each noble family.
Modern passports
Every person in the world has a passport, which indicates his first name (in some, patronymic), last name. Permanent residence address and marital status are indicated.
There are rules for changing your last name in your passport. This may happen:
- At your own request. For example, when the surname was indecent or offensive - Bukhalo, Stsykun or Mogila. A person is not obliged to bear the burden of some distant ancestor who received such a surname all his life. Although this procedure is long and troublesome, it is quite possible, especially if you like your mother’s surname.
- When adopting a child, or vice versa.
- When switching to the surname of the husband or wife after marriage.
- In the event of a divorce, the spouse can switch back to her maiden name.
When changing your last name to another, you will have to redo all existing documents: international passport, identification code, will, medical cards at the district clinic, car registration, bank cards, driver’s license, student’s license, insurance policy documents, etc.
A study of the history of surnames has shown that it is possible to find out from it historical data, the social status of ancestors, their spiritual world and type of activity. This kind of work is very educational. If you want to know the history of your surname, there are many websites that describe the historical origins of a particular common surname.
Every person has a surname, but has anyone ever wondered where it came from, who invented it, and for what purposes it is needed? There were times when people only had names, for example, in the territory of former Rus' this trend was observed until the 14th century. Studying the surname can tell a lot of interesting things about the history of the family, and in some cases even allows you to determine the ancestor. Just one word will tell about the well-being of the family’s ancestors, their belonging to a higher or lower class, and the presence of foreign roots.
Origin of the word "surname"
Many people are interested in where the surname came from, what it meant and for what purposes it was used. It turns out that this word is of foreign origin and originally had a completely different meaning than it does now. In the Roman Empire, the term did not refer to family members, but to slaves. A specific family name meant a group of slaves belonging to one Roman. Only in the 19th century did this word acquire its current meaning. Nowadays, a surname means a family name that is inherited and added to a person’s name.
When did the first surnames appear in Rus'?
To find out where the surnames came from, you need to go back to the 14th-15th centuries and delve into the history of Rus'. In those days, society was divided into classes. It was this conditional division that was reflected in future surnames; representatives of different strata acquired them at different times. Princes, feudal lords, and boyars were the first to acquire family names; a little later, this fashion came to merchants and nobles. Ordinary people did not have surnames; they were addressed only by their first names. Only the rich and influential classes had such a privilege.
How a surname came to be can be determined by its meaning. For example, the family names of many feudal lords echo the name of their lands: Vyazemsky, Tverskaya, etc. The lands were inherited from father to son, respectively, the clan retained the surname of its founder. Many family names had roots of foreign origin, this was explained by the fact that people came from other states and settled on our lands. But this is typical only for the rich classes.
Surnames of former serfs
It turns out that even in the 19th century, having your own surname was an unaffordable luxury that the poor could not boast of, and before the abolition that took place in 1861, ordinary Russian people used names, nicknames, and patronymics. When they gained freedom and began to belong to themselves, and not to the nobles, it became necessary to come up with a surname for them. During the population census in 1897, census takers themselves came up with the names of clans for former serfs, as far as their imagination allowed. For this reason, a huge number of namesakes appeared, because the same names were attributed to hundreds of people.
For example, where did the surname Ivanov come from? It's very simple, the fact is that its founder's name was Ivan. Very often in such cases, the suffix “ov” or “ev” was added to the name, so the result was Alexandrov, Sidorov, Fedorov, Grigoriev, Mikhailov, Alekseev, Pavlov, Artemyev, Sergeev, etc., the list can be continued indefinitely. Where did the surname Kuznetsov come from? Here the answer is even simpler - depending on the type of occupation, there were a lot of them: Konyukhov, Plotnikov, Slesarenko, Sapozhnikov, Tkachenko, etc. Some peasants took the animal names they liked: Sobolev, Medvedev, Gusev, Lebedev, Volkov, Zhuravlev, Sinitsyn. Thus, by the end of the 19th century, the majority of the population had their own surnames.
The most common surnames
Many people are interested not only in the question of where surnames came from, but also which of them are the most common. There is an opinion that Sidorov is also the most common. Perhaps this was the case before, but today this is outdated information. Although Ivanov is among the top three, he is not in first, but in an honorable second place. Kuznetsov takes third place, but Smirnov holds the lead. The mentioned Petrov is in 11th place, but Sidorov is in 66th place.
What can prefixes, suffixes and endings tell us?
As already mentioned, the suffixes “ov” and “ev” were added to names; if they are removed, the person will receive the name of his founding ancestor. Much also depends on the stress; if it falls on the last syllable, then the surname belongs to a peasant, and on the second - to an eminent nobleman. The clergy changed the name of the clan, for example, Ivanov became Ioannov.
For a long time there was no clear answer to the question of where surnames with the suffix “sky” came from. Today, researchers agree that such names belonged to nobles of Polish blood, as well as ministers of churches dedicated to the Epiphany: Znamensky, Epiphany, Holy Cross. They are associated with such holidays as the Exaltation of the Cross, Epiphany, dedicated to the icon of the Mother of God “The Sign”.
The suffixes “in” and “yn” mainly belong to Russian Jews: Ivashkin, Fokin, Fomin. A Jew could be disparagingly said Ivashka, and Foka and Foma are purely Diminutive suffixes “uk”, “chuk”, “enk”, “onk”, “yuk” belong to Slavic surnames. They are mainly found in Ukraine: Kovalchuk, Kravchuk, Litovchenko, Osipenko, Sobachenko, Gerashchenko, etc.
Random names
Not all surnames can tell about an ancient, glorious family. The fact is that most of them were simply invented by people, so such names do not even contain information about the name, occupation or place of residence of the founder. Sometimes there are very curious cases that tell where surnames come from. In the Soviet Union, there was active formalization, so anyone with a dissonant name could easily change it. Many people from villages (mostly young boys and girls) received their last names along with their passports. So, a policeman asked one guy: “Whose are you?” - “Papanin”, that’s how it was written down in the document. And there are a lot of such stories. Be that as it may, now every person has a surname, which can tell a lot of interesting things about the whole family.
