Banal names. The most common surname in Russia
A couple of centuries ago the surname among ordinary people was a rarity. Residents of Veliky Novgorod were the first to bear surnames on Russian soil. Princes and boyars received family names at the turn of the 16th-17th centuries, a little later they appeared among merchants and military men, and by the middle of the 18th century. The clergy also acquired surnames.
Peasants en masse received an “eternal” addition to their name only after the abolition of serfdom. Their surnames came from nicknames or occupations.
The most common surnames in Russia
There have been many attempts to study “all-Russian” family names, and they all show approximately the same results. We will take as a basis the results of a study by geneticist Elena Balanovskaya, who published in 2005 treatise“Family portraits of five Russian regions” is a list of 257 original Russian surnames, ordered according to frequency. You might be interested in reading this article about the most common surnames in the world.Petrov
The Petrovs close the top ten most popular Russian surnames. The frequency of the surname is on average 6-7 people per thousand inhabitants. It was based on Greek name Peter. The offspring of the bearers of this name were called “Petrov’s son”, “Petrov’s daughter”, which eventually transformed simply into “Petrov”.About the most popular Russian surnames
Only representatives became Petrovs upper strata societies, who were respectfully called by the full form of their name. The peasants had to be content with derivatives: Petrushin, Petkin, Petyunin, Petrishchev, Petrukhin, Petrin.
Among popular people in Russia there are many carriers of this historical family People: tennis player Nadezhda Petrova, actor Alexander Petrov, actress Galina Petrova.
Morozov
This surname is also formed from the name, although it is unusual in hearing modern man. In Rus', the world called “Frost” a child born on a particularly cold day. Bearers of the name were found among common people, merchants, and nobility. 
Sometimes they started calling a person “Frost” already in mature age- for composure or cruel prudence. So, the founder of the famous noble family Morozov became Ivan Semenovich, nicknamed Moroz. His five sons, Fyodor, Mikhail, Dmitry, Levkei and Firs, have already received the Morozov surname.
This surname is proudly worn by champion hockey player Alexey Morozov and his namesake, actor Alexey Morozov, star of the TV series “ Mysterious passion"and the film "28 Panfilov's Men".
Novikov
The chronicles say that the nickname “novik” was given either to army recruits or to young people who began to build an administrative career in the royal service. 
According to another version, foreigners were called “noviki”. The nickname was firmly attached to the name and did not disappear even after the person’s assimilation in a new place. This is supported by data from old census books, where opposite each person with the nickname Novik is marked “hallway”.
The famous namesakes of the Novikovs are the bard Alexander Novikov and the comedian Klara Novikova.
Kozlov
Don’t be surprised by the fact that the predecessor of the Kozlov surname was the name Kozel. After the baptism of Rus', people began to give newborns a church, “baptismal” name, but the “secular” name did not go away. And names given in honor of animals or plants were not uncommon in those days. 
By naming the child Goat, Squirrel or Wolf, parents turned to the forces of nature with a request to endow him with the appropriate qualities - perseverance, dexterity, strength.
Famous Kozlovs are former Ranetka Lera Kozlova and football player Alexey Kozlov.
Lebedev
Another “natural” name – Swan – was more common among girls. By naming their daughter this way, the parents wanted to reward her with the beauty and tenderness of a swan. 
Slavic linguist Boris Unbegaun has a different point of view. In his book "Russian Surnames" he mentions the high frequency of Lebedevs among the Russian clergy. The scientist concluded that the priests artificially took this surname for themselves, since the swan has long been a symbol of Christian humility.
But the fairly common Russian surname Lebedinsky originates from toponyms with the same root as the swan. “I am Lebedinsky,” answered people from the village of Lebedino or Lebedinoye, who moved to a new place, and this nickname was assigned to them for a long time.
A popular namesake is designer Artemy Lebedev.
Popov
The expression “priest’s son” (“son of a priest,” “son of a priest”) over time turned into Popov. But not all Popovs or Popkovs are descendants of priests. Sometimes the surname Popov was given to farm laborers who worked for the priest. Among the peasants the worldly name Pop or Popko was common. 
The surname is especially popular in the north of Russia. In the Arkhangelsk region, for every thousand people there are about twenty Popovs.
This surname was borne by the “sunny clown” Oleg Popov, who departed into another world at the end of 2016.
Sokolov
Russian male name Sokol has become the most common “bird” surname in Russia - Sokolov. The bird of prey, the hunter's companion, was a symbol of military valor and a noble soul. And surnames with the same stem, but with the ending “–skiy” are of Polish-Ukrainian origin. 
It is known about the untitled noble family of the Sokolovs, which appeared in late XVII century. His descendant, Count Apollinarius Sokolov, who lived on turn of the 19th century and XX centuries, was nicknamed “the genius of Russian detective work.” Historians believe that it was from him that Vladimir Ulyanov-Lenin was hiding abroad at one time.
Bearers of this noble family include actor and director Andrei Sokolov, as well as participant in the show “The Voice” Lyudmila Sokolova.
Kuznetsov
The surname Kuznetsov comes from his occupation. The blacksmith was an irreplaceable person in any village, so the geography of the family covers the whole of Russia. Most often the surname was found in the Saratov province, where there was an entire Kuznechny district.In the south of Russia, a blacksmith was called a “farmer” - this is where the surname Kovalev came from. Kovankov and Kovalkov are Russified Belarusian and Ukrainian surnames. But Kuznechikhin and Kovalikhin are derived from the nicknames of the blacksmith’s wife.
It is worth noting that the importance of blacksmithing still makes itself felt in the languages of other peoples. IN English speaking countries The surname Smith is common; in Germany it is Schmidt.
Among the famous Kuznetsovs are children's ombudsman Anna Kuznetsova and actor Yuri Kuznetsov.
Ivanov
Ivanov is one of the most common surnames in Russia. Ivan, a derivative name, was in use for several centuries, primarily among the peasantry and clergy. 
There are more than a hundred forms of surnames similar to “Ivanov”. For example, the surname Ivin. Almost all Ivins received their surname not from the willow tree, but from the diminutive form of Ivan - Iva. Another form of the name is Ivsha. Also diminutives Ivana - Ishko and Itsko. The latter is characteristic of Smolensk dialects or Belarusian language. Ishko is a South Russian dialect or Ukrainian language. Other ancient forms of the name Ivan are Ishunya and Ishuta. Previously, the surname Ivanov was pronounced with an emphasis on the letter “a”. Nowadays the stress is often placed on the last syllable.
There are many Ivanovs among the actors (What surnames are popular in neighboring countries?
Previously, in a large family, peasant parents sighed with relief if quiet, non-shouting children were born. This is a rather rare quality and is captured in the name Smirna (with an emphasis on the “o”). The Smirnys were also found among the merchants and nobility. The surname Smirnov has less common derivatives: Smirenkin, Smirnitsky, Sminin, Smirensky.
Of the owners of this surname, we can separately highlight the outstanding comedian Alexei Smirnov and the star of Soviet cinema Lydia Smirnova.
Other popular Russian surnames that were not included in the top 10: Volkov, Solovyov, Vasiliev, Zaitsev, Pavlov, Semenov, Golubev, Vinogradov, Bogdanov, Vorobyov, Fedorov, Mikhailov, Tarasov, Belov. Also on the site there is a separate article about the most popular names in Russia.
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The list of popular genus names is endless, because as many people there are as many opinions. Each person will point out beautiful surnames that he personally likes. But, according to the majority, the most popular are aristocratic designations of family names. Let's figure out which surnames are more common and respected, and where they even came from.
List of the most beautiful Russian surnames in the world
The word "surname" is translated from Latin language, how is the family". This means that this indicates that a person belongs to the clan from which he came. The emergence of family nicknames was often associated with the profession that the family practiced from generation to generation or with the name of the area in which the family lived, or the name of the family indicated character traits, specific appearance, and a nickname. It’s not for nothing that there is a saying “not in the eye, but in the eye” - people have always applied labels very precisely.
In Russia, at first there were only first and patronymic names, and the first surnames appeared only in the 14th century. Naturally, noble people received them: princes, boyars, nobles. Peasants received official family names only at the end of the 19th century, when they abolished serfdom. The first names of dynasties came from the names of places of residence, birth or possessions: Tver, Arkhangelsk, Zvenigorod, Moskvin.
- Sobolev
- Morozov
- Gromov
- Almazov
- Derzhavin
- Bogatyrev
- Mayorov
- Admirals
- Lyubimov
- Vorontsov
List of the most beautiful surnames for girls:
- Voskresenskaya
- Lebedeva
- Alexandrova
- Serebryanskaya
- Korolkova
- Vinogradova
- Talnikova
- Generous
- Zolotareva
- Tsvetaeva
A selection of the most beautiful foreign surnames
Foreigners believe that a beautiful surname helps the family, brings good luck and happiness. But, it’s true, a person with a family nickname is teased by his peers from childhood, and subsequently he grows up insecure with a whole baggage of complexes. So it turns out that the family name brought bad luck. For people with a beautiful family heritage, everything turns out differently. From childhood they know that they can do anything in this world, so they walk with their heads held high.
Each country has its own beautiful surnames, which are unusual to the Russian ear. But the origin of family designations is the same all over the world. Some took the name of their city, while others took the nickname of the founder of the clan, the occupation of the family, and their status. Among foreign names You can also often find the names of plants, birds, and animals. If a Russian person chooses foreign name, then, as a rule, he does not delve into its meaning, but makes a choice according to its euphony.
For example, Spaniards have beautiful surnames - not uncommon. The most common are:
- Rodriguez
- Fernandez
- Gonzalez
- Perez
- Martinez
- Sanchez
Russian girls often choose generic names for themselves Spanish origin:
- Alvarez
- Torres
- Romero
- Flores
- Castillo
- Garcia
- Pascual
French surnames
All variants of French surnames are endowed with special beauty and charm. This language is very different from its other European counterparts. If it is always pronounced correctly, then French ones are pronounced differently. For example, the popular Le Pen can sound like “Le Pen”, “Le Pen”, “De Le Pen”. First French names families were given the highest circle nobility in the 11th century. It was only in the 16th century that a royal decree ordered that every French citizen be given a hereditary nickname.
Since then French surnames from generation to generation they are included in the church metrics. The most beautiful family nicknames in France come from proper names, from the occupation of the family, or from the geographical names in which the family was born. Widespread French male family names:
- Robert
- Richard
- Bernard
- Duran
- Lefebvre
Female generic names are not much different from male ones. French history ordered that no differences or other endings, as in the Russian language, exist between surnames, therefore beautiful generic names for women also bear their own name, for example:
- Leroy
- Bonn
- Francois
German
Generic names in Germany arose in the same way as in other countries: first they were received by the nobility, then by feudal lords and small landowners, and then by the lower strata of the population. The entire process of forming hereditary nicknames took about 8 centuries, and the first surnames appeared based on proper names. Vivid examples are German male generic nicknames:
- Werner
- Hermann
- Jacobi
- Peters
Beautiful family designations in Germany arose from the names of rivers, mountains and other words related to nature: Bern, Vogelweid. But the most popular generic names come from the occupations of their ancestors. For example, Müller means “miller”, and Schmidt means “blacksmith”. Rare ones sound beautiful: Wagner, Zimmerman. Women in Germany, as a rule, leave their mother's surname, and the most beautiful are considered to be:
- Lehmann
- Mayer
- Peters
- Fisher
- Weiss
American
Beautiful American family names compare favorably with other foreign ones - they are very consonant, and the owners wear them with pride. If surnames are not inherited, then any citizen of the United States can change his family name to a more harmonious one. So, the 10 most beautiful surnames American men:
- Robinson
- Harris
- Evans
- Gilmore
- Florence
- Stone
- Lambert
- Newman
Concerning American women, then, as in the whole world, at birth they take the family name of their father, and upon marriage - their husband. Even if a girl wants to leave the name of her family, then after marriage she will have double surname, for example, Maria Goldman Mrs. Roberts (by her husband). Beautiful generic names for American women:
- Bellows
- Houston
- Taylor
- Davis
- Foster
Video: the most common surnames in the world
The most common surnames in the world seem beautiful, because their bearers are popular people, and therefore happy. For example, there are about one hundred million people on the planet who have the generic name Li. In second place in terms of polarity is the surname Wang (about 93 million people). In third place is family name Garcia, common in South America(about 10 million people).
According to preliminary data, one of the most common surnames in Russia is Smirnov. In Moscow alone there are about 70,000 people with this last name. Do you know why there are so many? In the past, in large families the peasants rejoiced if a child was born into the family calm child. Enough a rare event, which was recorded in the pedigree by Smirnov. Consequently, the surname Smirnov came from the Smirnykhs. Experts are confident that this name is one of the most extensive in the Russian Federation.
Kuznetsovs
Another common surname in Russia, closely related to occupation. Previously, it was used to indicate a person engaged in blacksmith craft. Considering the spread of the profession in peasant villages, it is clear why it has become popular everywhere. There are thousands of Kuznetsovs in Moscow. In the past, the surname Kuznetsov was most often found in the Penza province. Currently, the Kuznetsovs can be found not only in the Russian Federation, but also in Ukraine and Belarus.
Vasiliev
This surname came from church name Basil. Ascends from Greek word"king" – basileus. In ancient times, surnames that came from the full form of given names were considered the top of the nobility. In small villages they reflected respect and high authority. It is known that the surname is noble origin. In Russia, a common surname belongs to several noble families. Throughout the territory Russian Federation there are millions of people with this name.
Popovs
Long ago, the surname Popov meant “son of a preacher.” Of course, not all Popovs are descendants of priests. Popular even among the laity Russian surname has become widespread. In particular, this applies to Popili, Popko and other variations. The surname is considered especially common in the north of Russia. In the Arkhangelsk province alone there are about 1000 people with this name. It is difficult to say unequivocally that people with this surname live in the capital.
Petrov
Petrov is another one of the 10 most common surnames in Russia. Translated from ancient Greek it means “rock”. Peter is an apostle of Christ. He founded Christian Church. For this reason, it is considered a very powerful patron for humans. This factor determines the popularity of the surname. In some cities, the number of people with this surname exceeds the mark of 6-7 thousand people. There are much more in the capital. The name Peter reached its peak of popularity in the 18th century.
Mikhailovs
The reason for the emergence of this surname was the peasant name Mikhail. Translated it means “like God.” The surname comes from old form named Mikhailo. Mikhailovs are common not only in the Russian Federation, but also in Ukraine. Another explanation for the popularity can be the fact that surnames associated with animals and birds have always been popular among the Slavs. Mikhailov is connected with Mikhail - Misha. Along with this surname there are such equally well-known names as Medvedev, Sokolov, Volkov, Perepelkin, etc.
Sokolov
Among the most common is the surname Sokolov, which is popular not only in Russia, but also in Ukraine and other nearby countries. This name comes from non-canonical names. For a long time until 2013, the surname was second only to Smirnov in popularity in this niche. Today things are a little different. There are even more Lebedevs. However, this is a rough estimate. Research is needed to obtain accurate data.
Lebedev
Another common surname that comes from a non-church name. In ancient times, many people had the name Swan. Some experts associate this name with a city located in the Sumy region. Previously, swans were called slaves who were forced to deliver swans for their princes. However, there are many more versions, but researchers can accurately state only one fact - Lebedev is one of the most famous names in Russia.
In recent times, the history of the origin and spread of surnames worried only linguists, historians, ethnographers and, naturally, owners of this value. However, recently, scientists from the Laboratory of Popular Human Genetics of the Medical Genetic Research Center of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences have become interested in this issue.
What is the reason for the unexpected excitement around a seemingly unremarkable historical heritage?
How to compile a list of the 100 most common Russian surnames
Scientists claim that the entire Russian gene pool is hidden in the origins of native Russian surnames.
Considering the hundreds of thousands of surnames concentrated in the vast Russian state, the researchers took as a basis only the indigenous people who geographically live in Central Russia and the Russian North.
But here, too, problems arose: the most common surnames did not always turn out to be original Russian ones. Therefore, scientists were faced with the task of separating the original and migratory specimens.
Additional parameters were introduced that the surname had to correspond to:
- At least three representatives per surname.
- Compliance with local linguistic norms and dialects.
After this, 14,428 remained from the original list.
By the way, scientists are considering 8 regions: Arkhangelsk, Kostroma, Smolensk, Belgorod, Kursk and Voronezh region, as well as the Kashinsky district of the Tver region.
These areas make up 5 regions of Russia: Northern, Eastern, Central, Western, Southern.
Ivanovs, Smirnovs: founders of the genetic fund
The most common surnames include 250 names.
The list was compiled based on the frequency of their predominance in each of the previously designated regions.
I would like to say that even a simple layman, who is unfamiliar with genetic and historical sciences, could name some names.
For example, when asked “what is the most common surname in Russia,” every second person will say: “Smirnovs, Ivanovs.” They will take this data not from research, but from the realities of life: everyone has such a friend or acquaintance. They top the list of the 100 most common surnames.
History of the study of the issue: V.A. Nikonov and B.O. Unbegaun
As noted earlier, geneticists were not the first to become interested in the origin of surnames. Linguists, historians and ethnographers can be called pioneers in this field.
These include the Soviet onomatologist V.A. Nikonov. It was his mind that came up with the officially registered conclusion about what are the most common surnames in Russia. Nikonov found that Smirnovs, Ivanovs, Popovs and Kuznetsovs are the most common names in the designated areas.
And the top lists compiled “The most common Russian surname” are far from a modern innovation.
The first such list belongs to the pen of B.O. Unbegaun. It was compiled in 1972 according to the St. Petersburg address book. The most common surnames were borne by 31,503 people. And out of 200 thousand names from the address book, Unbegaun identified the 100 most popular. But the list he identified was not pure and included not only Russian residents, but also visitors. For example, Schmidt and Miller can hardly be called Slavic, therefore, based on this fact, the book “Russian Surnames” published in 1989 can hardly be called 100% reliable.
The most common Russian surname: list of geneticists
Will you find yourself on the list compiled by geneticists? And what is the most common Russian surname, of course, besides those already stated?
In order to find out the answers to these questions, at least one list must be made public. To do this, we chose a list compiled by geneticists based on 5 Russian regions. To make searching easier, it is sorted alphabetically rather than by popularity. To the right of each surname is located serial number, corresponding to the list created by geneticists.
Surname | № | Surname | № | Surname | № | Surname | № | Surname | № |
___A___ | |||||||||
Soloviev | |||||||||
Commissioners | Nekrasov | ||||||||
Agafonov | Kondratiev | Nesterov | Stepanov | ||||||
___D___ | Konovalov | Strelkov | |||||||
Alexandrov | Nikiforov | Subbotin | |||||||
Alekseev | Konstantinov | Nikolaev | |||||||
Dementiev | |||||||||
Anisimov | Kornilov | ||||||||
Dmitriev | ___T___ |
||||||||
Artemiev | |||||||||
Dorofeev | ___ABOUT___ | Terentyev | |||||||
Afanasiev | Ovchinnikov | ||||||||
___B___ | Krasilnikov | Timofeev | |||||||
___E___ | |||||||||
Evdokimov | |||||||||
Belozerov | Kudryavtsev | Tretyakov | |||||||
Belousov | Kudryashov | ___P___ | Trofimov | ||||||
Kuznetsov | |||||||||
Emelyanov | ___U___ |
||||||||
Bespalov | Panfilov | ||||||||
___F___ |
|||||||||
___L___ | |||||||||
___AND___ | Lavrentiev | ||||||||
Fedoseev | |||||||||
Bogdanov | Ponomarev | ||||||||
Bolshakov | Zhuravlev | Larionov | |||||||
___З___ | Filippov | ||||||||
Prokhorov | |||||||||
___R___ | |||||||||
___IN___ | Zinoviev | Rodionov | |||||||
Vasiliev | ___X___ |
||||||||
___M___ | Kharitonov | ||||||||
Vinogradov | ___AND___ | ||||||||
Vishnyakov | Maksimov | ___T___ |
|||||||
Vladimirov | Mamontov | ||||||||
Ignatiev | ___WITH___ | ___H___ |
|||||||
Martynov | Savelyev | ||||||||
Vorobiev | ___Ш___ |
||||||||
Vorontsov | ___TO___ | Medvedev | Samoilov | ||||||
___G___ | Melnikov | Samsonov | |||||||
Gavrilov | Merkushev | Shestakov | |||||||
Kalashnikov | Seleznev | ||||||||
Gerasimov | Mikhailov | Seliverstov | |||||||
Kapustin | |||||||||
Gorbachev | ___SCH___ |
||||||||
Gorbunov | Kirillov | Molchanov | Shcherbakov | ||||||
Muravyov | ___Y/I___ |
||||||||
Grigoriev | Sitnikov | ||||||||
Myasnikov | |||||||||
History of the origin of the surname
We have already learned which Russian surname is the most common: the Smirnov family has it.
But what secret does she keep within herself? In order to open this veil, it is necessary to delve into the history of its origin.
There are several theories. The most popular are two of them.
Theory #1
The first version explains the wide distribution area of the surname.
According to legend, in ancient times there was a class of wandering people who led a nomadic life, moving throughout Rus' from village to village. In gratitude for the shelter, they showed residents more effective ways farming, farming, sharing knowledge.
It is believed that when entering the territory of any settlement for the first time, they uttered the phrase: “We welcome you, good people. We are coming with the NEW WORLD.” This became not only their greeting, but also a promise of reward for their shelter.
After years nomadic people ceased to exist, but his descendants did not forget their roots, so they began to be called SMIRNOV.
Theory #2
The second version is among those that support the origin of surnames from proper names. It says that according to Slavic beliefs, the name Smyrna previously existed. A descendant of this man, after the 15th-17th centuries, began to be called Smirnov, which was a direct reference to the head of the family.
Famous Smirnovs
Considering the scale of distribution of the surname, it is not difficult to assume that among famous personalities“Smirnovs” are often encountered.
I would like to mention one such dynasty.
The branch we are considering contains creative path three generations - parents and children.
Actor and director Andrei Smirnov is a gifted child of an equally brilliant parent.
His father, Sergei Sergeevich Smirnov - Soviet writer, public figure, WWII participant. Author of the novel "Brest Fortress".
Andrei Sergeevich's daughter, Avdotya, is better known as Dunya Smirnova: a famous Soviet presenter, film director, critic, screenwriter.
Such dynasties are not uncommon if the family is included in the list of the 100 most common surnames.
What's going on in the world?
Naturally, it is not only in the Russian expanses that a tendency for certain surnames to predominate has been noticed.
For example, in China the most popular is Li.
Therefore, it will be interesting to find out which surname is the most common in the world.
- Lee: Over 100 million representatives worldwide.
- Zhang: About 100 million representatives.
- Wang: over 90 million.
- Nguyen: over 36 million. Origin area: Vietnam.
- Garcia: over 10 million. Spanish roots.
- Gonzalez: over 10 million. Spanish roots
- Hernandez: over 8 million representatives. The history of origin is divided into two branches: Spanish and Portuguese.
- Smith: over 4 million. Country - England.
- Smirnov: over 2.5 million representatives worldwide.
- Mueller: about a million. Roots - Germany.
It is logical that the top three include Chinese surnames. After all, the Chinese (aka Han Chinese) make up 19% of total number people on the planet.
The surname Li, as you already know, is the most common in the world: 7.9% of the total population of China have it.
It has numerous spelling variations: Li, Lee and Ly. Has Chinese and Korean roots.
The Chinese emperor of the Tang Dynasty, Li Yuan, who reigned from 618 to 626, also belonged to the Li clan.
An interesting fact is that in the struggle for power he defeated other contenders for the throne, including Li Gi. And his son, Li Shimin, became a follower, whom his own brothers tried to kill.
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 founder, the name of the craft or 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 ones:
- 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 claim 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:
- 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.
- Ivanov. It is not difficult to guess that the origin is connected with the Russian name Ivan, popular at all times.
- 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.
- Vasiliev. Although Vasily in modern world Children are not often named, the surname is firmly entrenched in the top ten most common.
- Novikov. The popularity is due to the fact that every newcomer or newcomer was previously called Novik. This nickname passed down to his descendants.
- Yakovlev. Derived from a popular male name. Jacob is the secular equivalent of the church name Jacob.
- Popov. Initially, this nickname was given to the son of a priest or a worker (farm) of a clergyman.
- Fedorov. The basis was a male name, very common in Rus'. The surname Khodorov has the same roots from the name Khodor.
- 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, that’s why it’s a favorite among the Slavs fairy tale character. The animal became a symbol of the devil after the advent of Christianity.
- 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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