Where did the surname come from? Origin of the surname

UDC 929.5

Zabuga Sofiya Sergievna

10th grade student

Kochekyan Vira Vartanovna

reader of Russian language and literature

KZNZ "Gymnasium No. 15",

m. Nikopol

WHAT'S IN A NAME?

I set myself the goal of researching the origin and formation of some surnames and nicknames, because school program dispenses with a detailed study of the proper name. Although, I think, neither the timid first-grader, nor the strict director, nor the compiler of our program himself can imagine his life as anonymous. Therefore, I read with great interest publications that provide examples of the meaning of nicknames.

In our practice, we are accustomed to either passing nicknames in silence or completely denying them. But here’s an attempt – to explore! Only with direct involvement in such work can we talk about the formation of skills linguistic analysis facts of language. And here it is important not to engage in abstract linguistic problems, but specific facts from Everyday life(after all, they themselves are the bearers of nicknames and surnames).

An attempt to classify the obtained material proves that the essence of the work is not limited only to the quantitative collection of nicknames and surnames, but provides skills in word-formation, etymological analysis, and provides the opportunity for broad generalizations.

And the science called onomastics (like any other branch of linguistics) in pure form does not exist, since its facts lie in the field of psycholinguistics, sociolinguistics, ethnography, and history of language. Thus, working on a specific problem broadens our horizons and convinces us of the insufficiency of knowledge limited by a textbook.

Studying nicknames and surnames allows you to decide directly and important problem on the formation of good, correct speech, increases interest in learning the language, presenting it in an evolving variety, and not in a set of spellings, punctograms, and rules.

Onomastics – the science of proper names. This term is associated with Greek word onoma - name. Branches of onomastics devoted to the study of individual categories of names also have their own special names. The names of people are part of the history of peoples. They reflect the life, beliefs, aspirations, fantasies and creativity of peoples, their historical contacts. Science pays great attention to their study.

Old Russian names and nicknames. All people have had personal names at all times and in all civilizations.

First period: before the introduction of Christianity in Rus', personal names were nothing more than nicknames given for one reason or another. In ancient times, people perceived names materially, as integral part person. Nicknames are of great interest. They reveal wealth vernacular 4, 7]. Old Russian names and nicknames were varied:

– surnames – nicknames of number series: Pervak, Second, Tretyak, Shestak, etc.

– popular names based on hair and skin color: Chernysh, Belyak, Belukha.

- according to others external signs– height, body features: Sukhoi, Tolstoy, Malyuta, Hare, etc.

– according to the time of birth of the child: Veshnyak, Winter, Frost.

- “bad” names that were supposedly capable of averting evil spirits, illness, death: Nemil, Zloba, Tugarin (tuga - sadness).

– by their names you can find out about the neighbors: Kozarin (Khazarin), Chudin (Finns of the Ugric tribe), Ontoman (obviously a Turk), Karel, Tatar, etc.

– big interest represent surnames associated with the animal and flora: Wolf, Horse, Wheatgrass, Branch, etc.

A careful study of them will allow us to read another page from the life of the ancient Slavs, the belief in the divinity of individual plants and animals that played a special role in the life of our ancestors.

From the listed names-nicknames with all their additional forms, surnames were formed at a certain stage of development.

Surname analysis is a linguistic study of the origin of the word “surname.” This science is called anthroponymy(from the Greek - “anthropos” - person, “onoma” - name). The purpose of these studies is to identify the information that a surname carries. Linguistic scientists and anthroponymists help explore the philological, historical and national roots of surnames.

The word surname itself entered the Russian language relatively late. Comes from the Latin word surname - family. The main purpose of the word is to designate a special family name that refers to the entire family. The word “surname” was introduced into everyday life in Russia after the decrees of Peter 1. However, as an element of naming people, it existed before, but was called a nickname, nickname. Various social groups had surnames in different time.

Formation of Russian surnames.

1. The first to receive surnames were representatives of the nobility, princes, and boyars (14th–15th centuries). Their surnames often reflected the names of their patrimonial estates: Tverskoy, Meshchersky, Kolomensky, etc. These surnames are formed according to the common Slavic model with suf. –sk (Czech, Polish, Ukrainian).

2. The surnames of nobles took shape somewhat later (16th–18th centuries). Among them, a considerable proportion are names of eastern origin, since many nobles came to serve the Moscow sovereign from foreign lands: Kantemir (from Turkic), Khanykov (from Adyghe), etc.

3. Chronologically, the following category of surnames belonged to trade and service people (17th–19th centuries): Tambovtsev, Rostovtsev, Astrakhantsev and others (according to the place of their possessions; residence). The suffixes of this category of surnames are different than in the surnames of princes – ets, in, ich.

4. In the 19th century, the surnames of the Russian clergy took shape. Among them are many artificially formed from various words not only of Russian, but also of Church Slavonic, Latin, Greek and other languages; from the names of churches, church holidays: Uspensky, Rozhdestvensky, etc.

5. The largest part of the Russian population, the peasantry, did not have legally assigned surnames until the 19th century, and some peasants received surnames only after the 1917 revolution. In 1930, the Soviet government carried out passportization. But nevertheless, the so-called street, or village, surnames in the Russian village existed for a very long time. For example, Gavrilova - in honor of the head of the family named Gavrila. The same Gavrila could enter the service of a colonel, and then the whole family began to be called the Colonels. If Gavrila mastered any specialty necessary for the village, for example, saddler or blacksmith, the whole family began to be called Shornikovs or Kuznetsovs. These were street names.

6. Many nobles in Russia were non-Russian in origin. Coming from other countries, they served in the Russian army, were baptized, married Russians, and after several generations they completely “Russified”, retaining only the foreign language basis of their surname. For example, Kiryanova (Tatar), Turaeva (Udmurt), Boldin (Kalmyk), Grechaninov (Greek), Turchanikov (Turkish), etc.

Many Russians have surnames German origin: Bruder, Wagner, Winter, Sonne and others.

The largest group consists of surnames with suf. -ov, -ev, -in, -yn, sky, tsky, skoy, tsnoi. These surnames can be called standard: Ivanov, Vanin, Pshenitsyn, Pokrovsky, Tverskoy, Trubetskoy.

Among the standard, but rare ones, which have a territorial or social limitation, are surnames with suf. - -ovo, -ago, -ikh, -yh, -ich, -ovich, -evich. Durnovo, Legkikh, Sedykh, Stisevich and others.

Among the non-standard surnames there are the shortest ones: Ge, De, Yuk, Li, etc. (may be based on common nouns, calendar names, possibly of foreign origin).

Russian surnames are an encyclopedia of Russian life and ethnography. They keep and will always keep in their foundations the memory of events, objects, phenomena characteristic of the eras when they were created. Surnames bring to us many forgotten, unwritten words and many forms lost in living speech.

Origin and education Ukrainian surnames. Ukrainian surnames are unique in this regard, the origin of which goes deep into history. Slavic peoples. According to research by historians and philologists, they are among the oldest in Europe. Thus, in the 16th century, almost all Ukrainians had surnames, while in Russia, for example, mass “family formation” began only after the abolition of serfdom in 1861. Ukrainian surnames are often similar to Russian ones. Despite this, their education has a number of distinctive features. The role of suffixes in word formation is great, thanks to which Ukrainian surnames cannot be confused. Characteristic endings distinguish them from Russian and many other Slavic “hereditary names”. The most common suffix in Ukrainian surnames was -enko (from the 16th century) in Podolia, and occasionally in the Kiev and Zhytomyr regions. This suffix is ​​fixed in the vocative case. Typical of the Cossacks, townspeople and peasants of Naddnepryansk Ukraine (someone's son). For example, Bondarenko, Timoshenko, Petrenko, Karpenko (son of a cooper, Timokha, Peter, Karp).

The suffixes -eyko, -ochko, -ko: Andreiko, Klitschko, Golovko have gained no less popularity.

Less often you can find such melodious surnames as Ovsievskaya, Petrovsky, Mogilevsky. They clearly illustrate the “work” of the suffixes -svsk, -ovsk.

Even less common are Ukrainian surnames using the Old Church Slavonic suffixes -ich: Usich, Germanovich.

The suffixes -ik, -nik are quite common: Petrik, Pasechnik, Berdnik.

Also worth mentioning are the following “star” suffixes -uk, -yuk, -chuk: Bondarchuk, Polishchuk, Tarasyuk, Viktyuk.

Like most European surnames, a significant part of Ukrainian surnames comes from the name or nickname of one of the parents, mainly, of course, the father, less often - the mother.

For example, Zakharchenko (from the name Zakhar), Ulyanenko (from Ulyan), Nikolchuk or Mikolaichuk (from Mikola).

A separate group were Ukrainian surnames that arose from princely times, for example: Malkovich, Zinkevich.

As in every other nation, big role Professions played a role in the formation of surnames in Ukraine.

For example, the surnames Bondar, Bondarenko, Bondarchuk came from the profession of “cooper”, that is, making barrels.

In general, the set of Ukrainian surnames in Europe is the most diverse:

– from nouns: Share – fate, Frost, Sereda;

– from the names: Sergienko, Mikhailenko, Romanenko, Gerasimenko;

– from animals and birds: Gogol, Gorobets, Zozulya, Vovk, Los, Medvid, Nightingale;

– surnames with the suffixes -vich, -ich, -ych, -ovich, -evich, -evich are associated with princely times: Zinkevich, Malkovich;

– government, official names: Viyt, Voyt, Pysarenko, Pysarchuk, Starostyuk;

– from toponymic names, from settlements: Pototsky, Vishnevetsky, Savitsky, Umanets;

– from the names of the area: Polovy, Lanovy, Sadovy, Zagrebelny;

- from household items, names of food: Frying pan, Makagon, Borscht, Bulba, Salo.

– from the names of regions and countries: Turchenok, Turchaninov (Turk), Voloshin (Romanian), Lyakh (Pole), Litvin (Belarusian), Moskal (Russian). Derivatives: Litvinenko, Lyashko, Lyashenko;

– from military ranks: Sotnik, Soldatenko;

– from church officials – Dyak, Dyachenko, Spivak, Ponomar, Ponomarenko, Palamarchuk;

– from persons of clergy (provided to students and seminarians upon graduation from the seminary and the Kiev-Mohyla Academy in the 18th–19th centuries: Voznesensky, Nikolsky, Rozhdestvensky, Spassky;

- surnames in -sky, -ich - had nobles as their ancestors. Cossack elders had surnames with the suffix -y: Osadchiy, Lanovy;

– surnames of Turkic origin: Kochubey, Kolchay, Gurunchak.

Interesting for your education Cossack surnames. Their authorship belonged to the Cossacks. According to the rules of the Sich, newly arrived Cossacks had to leave their surnames outside the walls of the Sich and enter the Cossacks with the name that best characterized them. For example: Zhurybida, Kostogryz, Ryaboshapka, Krivonos, Netudykhatka, Pidiprygora, Tyagnibok, Zatuliveter and others.

Statistics show that Ukrainian surnames:

10% are of noble origin;

14% – from the greats historical figures;

9% - from cultural figures;

5% – same origin with celebrities;

72% - from Ukrainian landowners or peasants.

In the second part of my work, I would like to talk about the origin of the names of our teachers. There are different versions - take whichever you want.

Suzanskaya Irina Vladimirovna– first Polish surnames began to take shape in the 15th century. among the gentry of the Polish nobility, the noble military class of landowners. In most cases, gentry surnames come from the name of the locality that belonged to a particular nobleman.

1. Version - on behalf of Susan ( folk form euro wives name) Susana (Suzana), which is translated from other Hebrew. means: Lily of the Soron Valleys.

2. Version - from the nickname Suzan, which originates from the Polish word. Sus- “jump” “leap”. This means that Suzan is a high-spirited, active person.

Fedorova Natalya Nikolaevna– the basis was the church name Fedor, from ancient times. Greek "gift of the gods" In the 16th–17th centuries. one of the most common names among Russians, inferior to Ivan, Vasily. The surname was more common in the Novgorod and Pskov regions, where it took 4th place. They had their own family coats of arms.

Sagun Olga Petrovna- the surname is formed from a similar nickname.

1. From the common noun “saga”, the meaning of which was given by Vladimir Dal in the “explanatory dictionary” Great Russian language"as follows: the name of scandalous poetic legends, stories; thought, legend, epic. Probably, the surname indicated the occupation of the founder of the surname: he could be a poet, writer. It is possible that Sagun was nicknamed the one who told fairy tales beautifully and interestingly.

2. In the Ukrainian language the word “saga” means “river bed”. This means that the surname reflected the characteristics of the place of residence before on the river bank.

3. Another hypothesis is that the nickname has a similar etymology to the popular one in these dialects, there is “sagan” - a bowl. According to this, it can be assumed that the craftsman who made the dishes was named sagun.

4. However, it is possible that simply at the place of residence (near the forest).

Bolyak Elena Valerievna- goes back to the verb “to be sick.”

1. Most likely, this was the name given to a person with poor health.

2. It is possible that this nickname could indicate such character traits as responsiveness and willingness to help.

3. Perhaps this surname is of Romanian origin - sick.

Chernetsky Mikhail Ivanovich- the beginning of the nickname Chernets. That's what they called a monk in the old days. Therefore, the founder of the clan was probably a monk. Lived with him or was his employee. It is possible that he received the nickname Chernets for some external features, for example, dark skin or dark hair. In addition, the nickname could mean the name of the settlement Chernetsy. In this case, the surname indicates the place of birth of the ancestor. Later, the nickname Chernets gave the surname Chernetsky.

Hristolyubova Anna Grigorievna- Since ancient times, the Slavs had a tradition of giving a person nicknames in addition to the name he received at baptism. This was due to the fact that there were few church names and they were often repeated. A nickname easily made it possible to distinguish a person in society. This was very convenient, since the supply of nicknames was truly inexhaustible. Sometimes nicknames were added to prestigious names and completely replaced names not only in everyday life, but also in official documents.

The surname Hristolyubov is one of the seminary surnames that were given to seminarians and future priests. Thus, it can be assumed that the ancestor who received this surname had ordination and bore the nickname Christolyubov - the one who loves Christ believes in him.

Timoshenko Olga Vasilievna – a common type of Ukrainian surname, formed from the peasant name Timofey. From the ancient Greek “who worships God.” The basis is an easy diminutive form - Timosha.

Most likely, the founder of the Timoshenko family came from a working or peasant background. This is explained by the fact that surnames are formed from the full form, and were mainly used by the social elite, the nobility. Most likely, the formation of the Timoshenko surname began around the 14th century. Surnames are formed using the suffix -enko. The original had next value"small; young man", "son". Therefore, it was literally understood as “son of Timosha.” Later, the ancient suffix -enko lost its direct meaning.

Petrenko Irina Nikolaevna – from a proper name and belongs to a common type of Ukrainian surnames. The basis was the church name Peter from the ancient Greek “rock”, “stone”.

Patron Saint Peter was one of the disciples of Jesus Christ. The suffix -enko indicates the name of the head of the family.

Chernysh Maya Leonidovna – from a similar nickname.

1. It goes back to the adjective “black”. Most likely, the ancestor of the owner of this surname bore a nickname, which indicated features of appearance (black hair, dark skin).

Skoda Lyubov Petrovna – goes back to the nickname, which is based on the common noun “Skoda”: this is how in the old days in southern and western dialects they called any harm, loss, damage. Noun and verb “to mischief – to harm, spoil, fool, play naughty”

Zhdanova Natalya Ivanovna – The basis of the surname was the worldly name Zhdan.

1. The surname is derived from the popular Russian non-church name Zhdan, which parents gave to their long-awaited, desired son.

2. A less likely version is a nickname that could have been received by a hospitable host, or an easy-to-communicate person, the “life of the party” who was welcome everywhere. People used to say about such people: “A welcome guest does not wait for his call.”

Over time, the surname Zhdanov appeared.

Vasilenko Yuri Borisovich – from a proper name and belongs to a common type of Ukrainian surnames.

The basis is the church name - Vasily. From the canonical male personal name. Basil from the Greek “ruler, king.” From the 15th to the 19th century, the most common name among Russians. The surname is formed with the suffixes -ov, -ev, -in, -enko. Possessive adjective indicates the name of the head of the family.

Kovalenko Sergey Leonidovich – from the nickname Koval from the Ukrainian, Belarusian and Russian dialect word “koval” - blacksmith - the most necessary and well-known person in the village. One of the most common surnames in Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia.

Golovina Natalya Vladimirovna – from the nickname Head.

1. Most likely received by a smart, quick-witted person.

2. Source of the nickname – head – elective position heads played important role in the foundation of the eastern regions of Russia in the 16th–17th centuries. In the large garrisons of Siberia, the Cossack head was the second person after the governor to carry out military strengthening.

3. B historical documents contains information about two families of Golovin - noble (from Prince Stepan Vasilyev, Khovra), ruler of Sudak, Balaklava, who moved from Crimea to Moscow at the end of the 14th century. His great-grandson Ivan Vladum. The head is Khovrin and was the direct ancestor of the Golovins. They have their own coat of arms.

Maliy Svetlana Yaroslavna – from the affectionate nickname Small.

1. Which parents gave to newborns, and was also often called youngest child. The surname was used rather as an intra-family affectionate name.

2. In Rus', a young man, a servant, a lackey was called “Maly.” This value could form the basis of a surname.

While working on this topic, I came to the conclusion that sooner or later any person will want to know the origin of his last name and its history. This helps you feel proud of your family and teach your descendants to be proud of their family name. No wonder Homer wrote in his “Odyssey”:

Among living people, no one is nameless at all; at the moment of birth, everyone, both low and noble, receives his name from his parents as a sweet gift...

Bibliography:

1. Superanskaya A.V. Modern Russian surnames / A.V. Superanskaya, A.V. Suslova. – M.: Nauka, 1984. – 176 p.

2. Uspensky A.V. You and your name. A word about words // A.V. Uspensky. – L.: Lenizdat, 1962. – 636 p.

3. Dictionary Ukrainian surnames.

4. Plotnikov S.A. Secrets of names and nicknames // S.A. Plotnikov. – K.: Radyanskaya Rech, 1990.

5. A brief explanatory dictionary of Russian names and surnames.

6. Explanatory dictionary of the Russian language.

7. Petrovsky N.A. Dictionary of Russian personal names // N.A. Petrovsky. – M.: Soviet encyclopedia, 1966. – 366 p.

8. Sorokopud V. There are such surnames in Rus' // V. Sorokopud

Related information.

What is a surname? Where did the surnames come from? There are many theories and versions on this matter. Nowadays, a surname is a hereditary family name, showing that people belong to one common ancestor or, in the narrow sense, to one family. The word "surname" itself has Roman origin, in ancient Rome, a surname was used to describe the totality of a person’s family and the slaves belonging to him.

For a long time, this word had approximately the same meaning in Europe and Rus'; even in the 19th century, freed peasants often received the surname of the previous owner. Nowadays a surname is a generic name added to a personal name. All peoples of the world have surnames in one form or another, with the exception of the Icelanders, who have a patronymic as a surname. Tibetans don't have surnames either.

Where did the surnames of different classes come from?

Surnames ordinary people, the clergy and nobility have different origins, or rather, even different reasons for their appearance, they were even formed at different times. The most ancient in Rus' are boyar and noble families of toponymic origin. The nobles received allotments “for feeding”, therefore, in order to distinguish between rulers with the same name, they were called by allotments. This is how the Tverskaya, Shuisky, Starodubsky and many others appeared. History shows that people were very proud of such family names, they were cherished, and sometimes even bearing such a surname was considered a great privilege.

Now you can find less ancient surnames of toponymic origin: Varshavsky (Warshaver), Berdichev, Lvovsky and so on. These surnames appeared only in the 18th-19th centuries; these are classic Jewish surnames. The surnames of some indigenous peoples of Russia (for example, Tuvinians) may also have a toponymic origin. But most often, Russian surnames came from the name (baptismal or secular) of the person’s father. Let us recall the example with the Icelanders: among them, a person receives a patronymic based on his father’s name, which acts as a surname. That is, Sven's son Torvard will be Svensson, and his son will already be called Thorvardsson. A similar system was widespread in Russia in the 14th and 15th centuries.

Where did noble families come from?

There is a well-known history of the origin of the Romanov family, their members were called either Zakharyins, then Koshkins, then Yuryevs, until, finally, an established surname appeared named Roman Zakharyin-Yuryev, the great-great-great-grandson of the founder of the family, Andrei Kobyla. Some of the most common surnames at the moment are derived from the baptismal name: Ivanov and Petrov. The name “Ivan,” translated as “God’s gift,” was generally the most common male name among peasants; the name “Peter” was slightly less common. Sidorov is often added to the company of Ivanov and Petrov, but this is at least strange. The name "Sidor" was not often found in Russia.

A number of Russian noble families have clear or disputed Tatar origins. For example, the famous count's surname“Buturlin” is believed to trace its origins from the legendary Ratsha, who came to the service of Alexander Nevsky “from the Germans” (the families of the Romanovs, Pushkins, Muravyovs and others also descend from him). Other scientists believe that the surname “Buturlin” Tatar origin from the word “buturlya” - “restless person”. There is also a version that the ancestor of the Buturlins was the grandson of a native of the Horde, Ivan Buturlya. This is quite plausible, considering that in XVIII-XIX centuries it was fashionable to trace one’s family back to the northern ancestors, and not to the semi-wild Mongol-Tatars.

However, the fact remains that many noble families (Arakcheevs, Bunins, Godunovs, Ogarevs) are of Tatar origin. This is due to the fact that in Rus' there were many Tatar rulers who, after the weakening of the Horde, were baptized en masse into Orthodoxy and went into the service of the Russian princes. Now we would call them “experienced managers,” so they received good positions and inheritances. It must be said that they served not out of fear, but out of conscience, as was customary in the Horde. And if we remember that Russian statehood, in principle, is the heir of the Horde, and not of the alien Varangians (who then also did not have a state), then the logic of the prevalence of Tatar surnames in Rus' becomes clear.

Where did the surnames of the clergy come from?

The most amusing and curious is the origin of the surnames of the clergy. These are usually very beautiful and sonorous surnames: Giatsintov, Epiphany, Voskresensky and many others. Surnames of clearly “Christian” origin were given to priests based on the name of the church: Ascension, Krestovozdvizhensky, Pokrovsky, Preobrazhensky. Young priests received surnames in seminaries; these were sonorous surnames with positive meaning: Gilyarovsky, Dobrovolsky, Speransky and so on. The clergy began to receive surnames after the church reform of Peter I. Where did peasant surnames come from?

Most of the Russian peasant surnames, as already mentioned, came from personal names, but there are surnames that came from occupation. By the way, if the surname given by the father could change (like the Icelanders), then the “professional” surname was a more durable phenomenon, since the profession was often passed on from father to son. “Kuznetsov” is the third most common surname in Russia, but not because there were many blacksmiths (rather the opposite), but because everyone in the village knew the blacksmith and could indicate where he lived. By the way, classic English surname"Smith" also translates as "blacksmith".

A number of Jewish surnames also have professional origins. These include Shuster (shoemaker), Furman (carrier), Kramarov (from German word"kramer" - shopkeeper). If the surname was formed not of an artisan, but of his son, then the formant -son (-zon) was added to the word: Mendelson, Glezerson. In Slavic countries the formant -ovich was often used. Thus, the origin of the surname can be different: the surname could appear from a baptismal or secular name, the profession of a person or his father, the area where the family lived and a number of other characteristics. The main function of a surname at all times is to distinguish one person from another.

“Volost Court”, Mikhail Ivanovich Zoshchenko, 1888

HISTORY OF ORIGIN

Russian surnames are mainly formed as patronymics from ecclesiastical or non-ecclesiastical personal names or nicknames, for example, Ivan > Ivanov son > Ivanov. This also includes surnames derived from nicknames associated with the profession: Goncharov, Melnikov, Krasilnikov.

Much less often - from the names of the area, for example Belozersky from Beloozero. This method of formation is especially characteristic of princely families, however (unlike Western Europe) is not typical for nobles.

The surnames of the clergy are derived from the names of parishes (for example, Kosmodemyansky, Rozhdestvensky) or artificially created in the seminary (Afinsky, Dobrovolsky), and sometimes Greek or Latin tracing paper with a literally translated surname or nickname was used as surnames, for example Solovyov - Aedonitsky.

In different social strata, surnames appeared at different times. The first in the Russian lands to acquire surnames were citizens of Veliky Novgorod and its vast possessions in the north, stretching from Baltic Sea to the Ural ridge. Novgorod chroniclers mention many surnames and nicknames already in the 13th century.

“Novgorod Bargaining” - painting by Apollinary Vasnetsov

So in 1240. Among the Novgorodians who fell in the Battle of the Neva, the chronicler mentions the names: “Kostyantin Lugotinits, Gyuryata Pineshchinich, Namest, Drochilo Nezdylov, son of a tanner.”

In 1268“having killed the mayor Mikhail, and Tverdislav Chermny, Nikifor Radyatinich, Tverdislav Moisievich, Mikhail Krivtsevich, Ivach, Boris Ildyatinich, his brother Lazor, Ratsha, Vasil Voiborzovich, Osip, Zhiroslav Dorogomilovich, Poroman Podvoisky, Polyud, and many good boyars.”

In 1270“Having run to the prince at the Settlement of the Thousand and Ratibor, Gavrilo Kyyaninov and his other friends.” In the same year, Prince Vasily Yaroslavich “went to the Tatars, taking Petril Rychag and Mikhail Pineshchinich with him.”

In 1311“Kostyantin, Ilyin’s son Stanimirovich, was quickly killed.” In 1315, Prince Mikhail Tverskoy demanded from the Novgorodians: “give me Fyodor Zhrevsky”...

And there are many such examples...

Somewhat later, in XIV-XV centuries, family names appeared among princes and boyars.

The princes were nicknamed by the name of their inheritance, and the moment of the emergence of the surname should be considered the moment when the prince, having lost his inheritance, still retained its name as a nickname for himself and his descendants: Shuisky, Vorotynsky, Obolensky, Vyazemsky, etc.

A minority of princely surnames come from nicknames: Gagarins, Gorbatye, Glazatye, Lykovs, Scriabins (boyar Skryaba Travin, Timofey Grigorievich), etc.

Surnames like Lobanov-Rostovsky connect the name of the reign with a nickname.

Boyar and noble families were also formed from nicknames or from the names of their ancestors.

The process of becoming boyar families of hereditary nicknames is well illustrated by the history of the boyar (later royal) family of the Romanovs. Its founders were those who lived in the 14th century. Andrei Ivanovich Kobyla (his brother Fyodor Ivanovich Shevlyaga - the founder of the ancient boyar family of the Trusovikhs (from Matvey Trus, 15th century), etc.) and Fyodor Andreevich Koshka Kobylin.

The descendants of Fyodor Koshka for several generations bore the nickname-surname Koshkins (however, not all of them: his son Alexander Bezzubets became the ancestor of the Bezzubtsevs, and another son Fyodor Goltyai became the ancestor of the Goltyaevs). The names of his son Ivan and grandson Zakhary Ivanovich were Koshkins. Among the children of the latter, Yakov Zakharovich Koshkin became the founder noble family Yakovlev, and Yuri Zakharovich began to be called Zakharyin-Koshkin, while the son of the latter was already called Roman Zakharyin-Yuryev. The surname Zakharyin-Yuryev, or simply Zakharyin, was also borne by Roman’s son, Nikita Romanovich (as well as his sister Anastasia, the first wife of Ivan the Terrible); however, the children and grandchildren of Nikita Romanovich were already called Romanovs, including Fyodor Nikitich (Patriarch Filaret) and Mikhail Fedorovich (Tsar).

At the end of the 15th century. Among the Russian nobles, the first surnames of foreign origin appear, primarily the surnames of Polish-Lithuanian and Greek (eg. Filosofov) immigrants.

In the 17th century to them are added such surnames of Western origin as Fonvizins, Lermontovs.

The surnames of the descendants of Tatar immigrants were reminiscent of the names of these immigrants: Yusupov, Akhmatov, Kara-Murza, Karamzin (also from Kara-Murza). However, it should be noted that the eastern origin of a surname does not always indicate the eastern origin of its bearers: in some cases, they come from Tatar nicknames that were in fashion in Moscow Rus'. This is the surname Bakhteyarova, which was borne by the branch of the Rostov Rurik princes (from Fyodor Priimkov-Bakhteyar), or the surname Beklemishev, which came from the nickname Beklemish (Turkic - guarding, guarding), which was borne by Fyodor Elizarovich, the boyar of Vasily I.

During this period, peasants usually did not have surnames; their function was performed by nicknames and patronymics, as well as the mention of their owner, since in the 16th century. The peasantry of central Russia was subjected to mass enslavement.

For example, in archival documents of that time one can find the following entries: “Ivan Mikitin’s son, and his nickname is Menshik,” entry from 1568; “Onton Mikiforov’s son, and nickname is Zhdan,” document from 1590; “Guba Mikiforov, son of Crooked Cheeks, landowner,” entry from 1495; “Danilo Soplya, peasant”, 1495; “Efimko Sparrow, peasant,” 1495.

In these records one can see indications of the status of still free peasants (landowner), as well as the difference between the patronymic and the surname (son of such and such).

The peasants of northern Russia, the former Novgorod possessions, could have real surnames in this era, since serfdom did not apply to these areas.

Probably the most famous example This kind of person is Mikhailo Lomonosov. You can also remember Arina Rodionovna Yakovleva, a Novgorod peasant woman and Pushkin’s nanny.

Pushkin in the village of Mikhailovskoye. N.N. Ge. 1874

Cossacks also had surnames. Surnames were also given to a significant part of the population of the lands that were previously part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth - the Belarusian lands to Smolensk and Vyazma, Little Russia. The majority of the indigenous population of the black earth provinces, the descendants of service people: single-lords, state peasants, also had surnames.

Under Peter the Great, by Senate Decree of June 18, 1719, in connection with the introduction of the poll tax and conscription, the earliest police registration documents were officially introduced - travel documents (passports). The passport contained information: name, surname (or nickname), where he came from, where he was going, place of residence, description of his type of activity, information about family members who traveled with him, sometimes information about his father and parents.

By decree of January 20, 1797, Emperor Paul I ordered the preparation of a General Armorial noble families where more than 3,000 noble family names and coats of arms were collected.

DISTRIBUTION OF SURNAMS AMONG MERCHANTS AND SERVICE PEOPLE

In the XVIII-XIX centuries. surnames began to spread among civil servants and merchants. At first, only the richest - the “eminent merchants” - were awarded the honor of receiving a surname.

In the 15th-16th centuries there were few of these, mostly of Northern Russian origin. For example, the merchants Kalinnikovs, who founded the city of Sol Kamskaya in 1430, or the famous Stroganovs. Among the merchant surnames there were many that reflected the “professional specialization” of their bearers. For example, the surname Rybnikov, derived from the word rybnik, that is, “fish merchant.”

One can also recall citizen Kuzma Minin, who, as is known, did not belong to the nobility, but had his own surname already at the end of the 16th and beginning of the 17th centuries.

Minin's appeal to the people of Nizhny Novgorod in 1611

DISTRIBUTION OF SURNAME AMONG THE CLRISH

The clergy began to have surnames only from the middle of the 18th century. Usually they were formed from the names of parishes and churches (Preobrazhensky, Nikolsky, Pokrovsky, Blagoveshchensky, Rozhdestvensky, Uspensky, Kosmodemyansky, etc.). Before this, priests were usually called Father Alexander, Father Vasily, Father or Father Ivan, without any surname being implied. Their children, if necessary, often received the surname Popov.

Some clergy acquired surnames upon graduation from the seminary: Athensky, Dukhososhestvensky, Palmin, Kiparisov, Reformatsky, Pavsky, Golubinsky, Klyuchevsky, Tikhomirov, Myagkov, Liperovsky (from a Greek root meaning “sad”), Gilyarovsky (from a Latin root meaning “cheerful”) ").

Wherein best students surnames were given that were the most euphonious and carried a purely positive meaning, in Russian or Latin: Brilliantov, Dobromyslov, Benemansky, Speransky (Russian analogue: Nadezhdin), Benevolensky (Russian analogue: Dobrovolsky), Dobrolyubov, etc.; on the contrary, bad students were given dissonant surnames, for example Gibraltar, or derived from the names of negative biblical characters (Saul, Pharaoh).

DISTRIBUTION OF SURNAMES AMONG THE PEASANTRY

“...As practice reveals, even among persons born in a legal marriage, there are many people who do not have surnames, that is, bearing so-called patronymic surnames, which causes significant misunderstandings, and even sometimes abuses... To be called by a certain surname is not only a right, but it is also the duty of every full-fledged person, and the designation of the surname on some documents is required by law itself.”

In central Russia, among the peasantry, surnames until the 19th century. were relatively rare. However, one can remember individual examples - famous Ivan Susanin, who lived in the 16th-17th centuries.

Ivan Susanin at the Monument “Millennium of Russia” in Veliky Novgorod

In addition, the names of some peasants are known - participants in certain wars, campaigns, defenses of cities or monasteries and other historical disasters.

However, indeed, until the 19th century. mass distribution among the peasants of Central Russia they did not have surnames. But this is rather due to the fact that in those days there was no need for a complete mention of all peasants, and there are no documents in which peasants were mentioned without exception or in the majority. And for the official document flow of those years, if a peasant was mentioned in it, it was usually quite enough to mention the village in which he lived, the landowner to whom he belonged, and his personal name, sometimes along with his profession.

The majority of peasants in central Russia were officially given surnames, recorded in documents only after the abolition of serfdom in 1861.

At the root of some surnames were the names settlements(villages, villages), where these peasants came from. Mostly these are surnames ending in -skikh. Brynsky, Lebedevsky, Uspensky

However, most surnames are family nicknames in origin. Which, in turn, came from the “street” nickname of one or another family member. For the majority of peasants, this very “street” nickname was written down in the document, of which another family could have more than one.

Nicknames appeared much earlier than universal family names. These same family nicknames, sometimes going back many generations, actually served as surnames among the peasants of Central Russia - in everyday life, even before they were universally consolidated. They were the first to be included in the census forms, and in fact, family registration was simply the recording of these nicknames in documents.

Thus, giving a peasant a surname often came down simply to official recognition, legitimization, and assignment of family or personal nicknames to their bearers. This explains the fact that in the era before the mass allocation of surnames to the peasants of Central Russia, we still know individual names and surnames of the peasants who took part in certain important events.

When it became necessary to mention a peasant in a chronicle or in a narration about some event in which he was a participant, the corresponding nickname was simply indicated as his surname - his own, or his family's. And then, during the general assignment of surnames to the peasants of Central Russia, which occurred after the abolition of serfdom, these same nicknames were, for the most part, officially recognized and assigned.

Worldly surnames were formed on the basis of the worldly name. Worldly names came from pagan times, when church names did not yet exist or were not accepted by the common people.

After all, Christianity did not immediately captivate the minds, much less the souls, of the Slavs. Old traditions were preserved for a long time, the covenants of ancestors were revered sacredly. Every family remembered the names of their ancestors up to the 7th generation and even deeper. Legends from the history of the family were passed down from generation to generation. Cautionary stories the past deeds of the ancestors were told at night to the young successors of the family.

Many of the worldly ones were proper names (Gorazd, Zhdan, Lyubim), others arose as nicknames, but then became names (Nekras, Dur, Chertan, Zloba, Neustroy). It should be noted here that in Old Russian system names, it was also customary to call babies protective names, amulets - names with negative content - for protection, scaring away evil forces, or for the reverse effect of the name. This is how it is still customary to scold those taking an exam, or to wish a hunter “no feather, no feather.”

It was believed that Dur would grow up smart, Nekras would grow up handsome, and Hunger would always be well-fed. Protective names then became familiar nicknames, and then surnames.

For some, the patronymic was recorded as a surname. The royal decrees on conducting a census usually stated that everyone should be recorded “by first name and nickname,” that is, by first name, patronymic and last name. But in the XVII - first half XVIII centuries The peasants did not have hereditary surnames at all. The peasant family lived only for one life. For example, Procopius was born into the family of Ivan, and in all metric records he is called Procopius Ivanov. When Vasily was born to Procopius, the newborn became Vasily Prokopyev, and not Ivanov at all

The first census of 1897 showed that up to 75% of the population did not have a surname (however, this applied more to residents of the national outskirts than of indigenous Russia). Finally, surnames appeared for the entire population of the USSR only in the 30s of the 20th century during the era of universal passportization.

Today it is impossible to imagine the life of a modern person without a surname. It connects people with family members and the whole clan. This is how the ancestors who lived hundreds of years ago identified themselves. There are many surnames in Russia that come from the distant past, but there are also more common ones.

Origin of Russian surnames

In Rus' initially there were no surnames. What looked like a family name in the chronicles had a completely different meaning. For example, Ivan Petrov meant Ivan the son of Peter. The most common forms that were encountered (Chobot, Shemyaka, Upyr) were nicknames that were given for some personal qualities of a person or for his profession. They were individual and were not passed on to descendants.

The history of the origin of surnames among the upper class related to places of residence or to belonging to a princely (royal) family. Thus, the Vyazemsky princes were called because of the possessions that were located in the city of Vyazma, the Rzhevsky princes - because of the city of Rzhev, and so on. The formation of nominal families in Russia began by changing endings, prefixes, suffixes, or by connecting the root system with the name or nickname of the founder of the clan.

The process of formation of boyar dynasties is perfectly illustrated by the history of the royal family of the Romanovs, whose ancestors lived in the 14th century. The founder was Andrei Koshka Kobylin, and his descendants were called Koshkins. One of the children of Kobylin’s grandson began to be called Zakharyin-Koshkin, and the latter’s son was named Roman. Then Nikita Romanovich was born, whose children and grandchildren were already called Romanovs. This is still a common Russian surname.

When did they appear

The first naming of an entire family in Rus' occurred in the 15th century. The sources, as already mentioned, were the profession of the ancestor, the name of the craft or the geographical name. First, the upper classes received clan names, and the poor and peasants acquired them last, since they were serfs. The emergence of surnames in Russia of foreign origin first occurred among nobles who came from Greek, Polish or Lithuanian families.

In the 17th century, Western genealogies were added to them, such as the Lermontovs and Fonvizins. Generic names from Tatar immigrants are Karamzins, Akhmatovs, Yusupovs and many others. The most common dynasty in Russia at that time was the Bakhteyarov, which was worn by the Rurik princes from the Rostov branch. Also in fashion were the Beklemishevs, whose name was the boyar of Vasily I Fyodor Elizarovich.

During this period, peasants only had patronymics or nicknames. Documents of that time had the following entries: “Danilo Soplya, peasant” or “Efimko son Crooked cheeks, landowner.” Only in the north of the country did peasant men bear real pedigree names, since in Novgorod lands serfdom did not apply.

The most common families of free peasants are Lomonosov and Yakovlev. Peter the Great, by his decree in 1719, officially introduced documents - travel documents, which contained the name, nickname, place of residence and other information. From this year, dynasties of merchants, office workers, clergy, and subsequently, from 1888, among peasants began to be established.

What is the most common Russian surname?

Beautiful, and therefore popular even now, surnames were given to representatives of the clergy. The basis was the name of the church or parish. Before this, priests were called simply: Father Alexander or Father Fedor. Afterwards they were given generic names such as Uspensky, Blagoveshchensky, Pokrovsky, Rozhdestvensky. Non-church common dynasties in Russia are associated with the names of cities - Bryantsev, Moskvichev, Tambovtsev, Smolyaninov. Successful seminary graduates were given beautiful names Diamonds, Dobrolyubov, Pharaohs, which are still popular today.

For men

Great value for modern people has a worthy surname. Genus names that have a semantic meaning are popular among men. For example, the names of descendants recognized by all are derived from the professional nickname Bondarchuk (cooper), Kuznetsov (blacksmith), Bogomazov (icon painter), Vinokur (manufacturer of alcoholic beverages).

Interesting Russians male surnames have a loud and sonorous pronunciation - Pobedonostsev, Dobrovolsky, Tsezarev. Beautiful and popular Russian generic names today come from nominal origins - Mikhailov, Vasiliev, Sergeev, Ivanov. No less successful, based on the names of birds and animals, are Lebedev, Volkov, Kotov, Belkin, Orlov, Sokolov. Trees and shrubs also left their mark. Popular families are formed from the names of plants - Kornev, Berezkin, Malinin, Dubov.

Women's

As history tells us, female generic names were formed in the same way as male ones - through prefixes and suffixes. The most famous Russian surnames for girls come from proper names, names of animals, birds. Morozova, Vorontsova, Arakcheeva, Muravyova-Apostol and others sound great. The list of pedigrees for girls descended from representatives of flora and fauna sounds no less beautiful - Strizhenova, Medvedeva, Vorontsova, Vorobyova.

No less popular, formed from a deep semantic meaning with an emphasis on the first syllable: Slavic, Wise, Shchedraya, Rodina. They are heard and pronounced perfectly - Popova, Novikova, Svetlova, Lavrova, Teplova. Among foreign generic names there are also a large number of beautiful:

• German: Lehmann, Werner, Braun, Weber;
• English: Mills, Ray, Taylor, Stone, Grant;
• Polish: Yaguzhinskaya, Koval, Vitkovskaya, Troyanovskaya;
• Belarusian: Larchenko, Polyanskaya, Ostrovskaya, Belskaya;
• Bulgarian: Toneva, Blagoeva, Angelova, Dimitrova.

The most famous Russian surnames

Researchers of the statistics of Russian hereditary names argue that they often originate from populated regions, sacred holidays or the names of parents. Sometimes surnames were given among the nobility and landowners by truncation of full family names, and they were usually assigned to a natural child. Among them: Temkin (Potemkin), Betskoy (Trubetskoy), Pnin (Repnin). IN modern Russia The most famous families of hereditary artists are Bondarchuk, Tabakov, Mashkov, Mikhalkov.

List of the most common surnames in Russia

Based on the results of many years of research, scientists compiled a list of 500 generic names common in Russia. The ten most popular included:

1. Smirnov. There is no clear opinion about the origin. Various versions are proposed, from the introduction of backward peasants to the “new world”, to the connection with the name Smirnaya, which in Rus' characterized an accommodating and peaceful person. A more probable version is one based on the naming of people who are humble before God.
2. Ivanov. It is not difficult to guess that the origin is connected with the Russian name Ivan, popular at all times.
3. Kuznetsov. He is the most respected among the village men. In every village the blacksmith was respected and had big family, the male part of which was provided with work until the end of their days. In the dialects of the western and southern regions of Russia there is the word koval instead of blacksmith, therefore one of the transformations of Kuznetsov is Kovalev.
4. Vasiliev. Although Vasily in modern world Children are not often named, the surname is firmly entrenched in the top ten most common.
5. Novikov. The popularity is due to the fact that every newcomer or newcomer was previously called Novik. This nickname passed down to his descendants.
6. Yakovlev. Derived from a popular male name. Jacob is the secular equivalent of the church name Jacob.
7. Popov. Initially, this nickname was given to the son of a priest or a worker (farm) of a clergyman.
8. Fedorov. The basis was male name, very common in Rus'. The surname Khodorov has the same roots from the name Khodor.
9. Kozlov. Before the introduction of Christianity, the Slavs were pagans, so naming a person after a plant or animal was a tradition. The goat has always been considered a symbol of fertility and vitality, which is why it is a favorite among the Slavs fairy tale character. The animal became a symbol of the devil after the advent of Christianity.
10. Morozov. Also a non-church common name in Rus'. Previously, the name Frost was given to a baby born in winter. This is the image of a hero who has unlimited power during the cold season.

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Since their inception, surnames in Russia have been more than just an addition to a given name. It was easy to establish and social status resident, and the occupation of the generations of his ancestors, and the territorial part of the state where the family of the bearer of the family name arose and grew strong. It is more difficult to identify the history of surnames with foreign roots, but here, too, documentary facts can be traced.

First surnames as the prerogative of the elite

For a long time there were no official surnames in Rus'. They made do with first names, patronymics and nicknames. Early chronicle evidence from the 13th century about the presence of surnames concerned only the Novgorod lands.

The first Russian surnames came from the patronymic, the baptismal name of one of the ancestors in the male line. Surnames were also formed from the name of the place of residence, type of employment, as well as popular nicknames.

Surnames became mandatory only in the 16th century for the privileged classes of princes and boyars, and after some time for nobles and merchants. The first additions to the name based on the name of their inheritance were received by noble land owners (Vyazemsky, Tverskoy), as well as the most influential and rich merchants, at that time mainly North Russian. IN merchant names their labor specialization was reflected (Rybnikov is a fishmonger). Appeared and double surnames, formed from the name of the principality and supplemented by the nickname (Lobanov-Rostovsky).

Foreign origin of Russian surnames

Some nobles of Russia were not Russian by origin. For example, a foreigner served in Russian army, then converted to Orthodoxy, married a local woman and finally assimilated. So, the seemingly completely Russian surname Kiryanov came from Tatar name Kiryan. The Nakhimovs and Yusupovs appeared on the same principle.

There are also examples of the evolution of noble foreign families. From 1490 to 1493 eminent Italian architect Pietro Antonio Solari supervised the construction of the Kremlin. Subsequently, the surname Solari was transformed into the Russian Solarev. The situation is similar with the surname Chicherin. The founder of the Chicherin family of nobles was the translator Chicherini, who came to Russian soil in the retinue of the Byzantine Sophia Paleologus, who later became Grand Duchess Moscow.

There are numerous examples of the degeneration of foreign surnames that have changed beyond recognition. For example, many of the Levshins are descendants of the Levenshteins. Their ancestor arrived in Russia in the 14th century to serve Dmitry Donskoy and from Levenshtein turned into Lefty, and his descendants gradually evolved to the Levshins. There are many Khomutovs in Russia, whose surname is absolutely not connected with a horse cart, but is derived from the British Hamilton. In the 16th century, a member of a noble family, Thomas Hamilton, came to Russia. His descendants were initially called the Gamantov boyars, but gradually the spelling of the surname changed, resulting in the current version.

A cacophonous peasant name as a family cross

The situation with the names of the peasants was bleak. Until the 19th century, they were content only with patronymics, nicknames, and also a mention of their owner. Often nicknames were given from light hand a witty master, as a result of which the powerless peasant became Vaska Durakov or Fedka Kosolapov.

After the abolition of serfdom, “nicknames” turned into surnames. Over time, the descendants of former forced peasants emerged into the world, becoming entrepreneurs and officials. But, despite their social rise, they continued to be called by dissonant and sometimes ridiculous surnames, which could only be changed with imperial permission. It is clear that gaining the favor of the autocrat is not an easy task. As a result, entire families passed on funny family names from one generation to the next.

The Soviet fashion for changing surnames violated family traditions

October Revolution gave rise to an active process of changing surnames. In addition to the desire to wash away the unloved peasant family, there were other reasons for such a boom. Some tried to express deep revolutionary sentiments through a new name, others tried to hide their class origin. Moreover, few people thought about interrupting the family history of their kind.

For example, in Russia at that time it became dangerous to bear the Romanov surname. In addition, a new society was being formed - “ Soviet people" Many immigrants from the eastern republics, in order to join the general flow, changed their surnames to the most common Russian ones. Some were guided by purely personal impulses. Among such petitions was an appeal from the future white general Andrei Shkuro, who found his last name unacceptable for a staff officer. A collective letter to the People's Commissariat of Internal Affairs from the Black Sea sailors has also been preserved. Sailor Durakov wanted to become Vinogradov, Kobelev asked permission to be called Skobelev, and Gnilokvas decided to change his last name to Stepanov.

The procedure for changing a surname was simplified as much as possible. It was enough to notify the marriage and birth registration department of your decision, as well as publish a corresponding advertisement in the newspaper. The number of people wishing to take advantage of this right was off the charts. They decided to turn the situation in favor of the state, and changing the surname became paid. In 1923, a new name cost 20 rubles, and then 40. However, the high cost of the service did not reduce demand. An announcement from the Izvestia newspaper of that time clearly illustrates the reasons for the fashion for changing surnames. It was reported that citizen Zhivolup would henceforth be called Dneprov, and Soplyakov wished to turn into Sibiryakov, and Zhulikov and Shirinkin preferred to be called Orlovs. This “family” freedom continued until in April 1940 the NKVD adopted new instructions on the procedure for changing surnames and given names. From now on, in order to change them, the state required serious reasons and approvals from a number of government bodies.

Anyone interested in the history of Russia will be interested to know.