Russian surnames and names

The content of the article

Russian names and surnames
Origin
Value
When surnames appeared in Russia
How many surnames in Russia
Declination of surnames in Russian
The most common surname in Russia
Beautiful Russian last names
Slavic
Popular
Rare Russian surnames
Funny
Russian noble families
Old Russian
Rating of surnames in Russia
Famous Russian surnames

Historians every year expand the list of personal nicknames of Slavic origin. Many would be interested to know their origin. But sometimes it is impossible to determine this by the sound itself, since for years a different suffix, prefixes and prefixes distorting its original meaning have been added to the derivative word.

Russian names and surnames

To determine the origin of the human race, use its passport data. The key points are the root of the word, which forms Russian names and surnames. They differ in prevalence. By sounding, you can determine the eminence of the clan or the ancestors belonging to different social groups and castes of the society: peasants, boyars, clergy. The etymology of some includes archaisms and strange foundations; you can use the reference manual to determine such ones yourself.

Origin

Derivatives and roots can originate from the nicknames of ancestors, funny nicknames, names, lines of activity. The origin of Russian surnames, in most cases, is unraveled in its etymology. One should take an interest in this clue, because through it one can learn about an outstanding ancestor or a distinguished family. For those who want to determine the origins of their generic nickname, there are alphabetical collections that are updated and updated annually, on their pages almost everyone can find out the history of their name.

Value

Etymology and the formation of a name of its own kind are of interest to an increasing number of people. The meaning of Russian surnames is clarified when determining the root of the word; it indicates the meaning. The value of family names like Bondarev, Kovalev, Shevtsov – indicate a craft that someone from the family was engaged in. Muzzle, Stoyan, Brave – on the external or internal characteristics of an individual. Nicknamed the head of the family, all his members were called and it was passed down from generation to generation.

When surnames appeared in Russia

The appropriation of a generic nickname to identify each genus began to take shape from the 15th century. When surnames appeared in Russia, initially they belonged to representatives of the upper strata of society: boyars and aristocrats, and later, in the 18th century, to church ministers. Until the 19th century, peasants and artisans received their nicknames. Their genera names were derived from the nicknames of one of the family members or occupation. In historical scrolls and records, listings are found explaining this phenomenon: “Vasily, son of Kuznetsov … Ivan, son of Khlebnikov”

How many surnames in Russia

The study of this data is still in doubt. There is no absolutely correct numerical value that could answer exactly the question of how many surnames in Russia exist today. Researchers took up such a difficult task just a few times, about 250 thousand values were officially entered in the collection, and these lists are constantly updated with new forms of once given nicknames.

Declination of surnames in Russian

The rules of the Russian language strictly determine the spelling and pronunciation of passport data. Declination of surnames in the Russian language occurs according to the following basic rules: standard – they are declined as adjectives, and of foreign origin – as nouns. Do not tend to zero ending, or ending in a consonant (Bondar, Nitsevich, Ponomar), ending in -o (Petrenko, Shevchenko, Kovalenko), foreign on-a, -i (Varnava, Okijava, Zola).

The most common surname in Russia

Boris Ubengaun was the first to compile a directory listing the names of Russia. It contains various variations due to the process of transformation of popular nicknames. Each position has an explanation (highlighted parts of word formation that explain the essence of a given word). There are positions that you can often find, there are those that are very rare. The data was taken based on the census of the city of St. Petersburg.

Common surnames in Russia:

Vladimirov;
Sergeev;
Petrov;
Ivanov.

Beautiful Russian last names

There are people whose generic nicknames fascinate with their sound. These include nicknames derived from geographical names or long, given to church officials. Such an etymology is rare, it sounds aristocratically melodic. Many change the generic data in the passport in order to get a beautiful and eye-catching name from the crowd. Lucky people are considered to be those to whom it was inherited.

The most beautiful surnames in Russia:

Preobrazhensky;
Caesarev;
Christmas;
Vyazemsky;
Assumption.

Slavic

There are names of the genus, which descended from the ancient Slavs. These nicknames are very rare and therefore valuable to historians. Their small number is due to the fact that derivatives originate from the names of pagan gods or Old Slavonic names. With the advent of Christianity, such nicknames were categorically banned, people were baptized and renamed en masse, because those who have survived to this day are a find, a vivid example of pagan culture.

Old Slavonic surnames, examples:

Yarilo;
Dovbush;
Putyaty;
Lada;
Holy man;
Dobrynin;
Mirolyub.

According to the census conducted in the 80s of the last century, during the former USSR, about 50% of the rural and 35% of the urban population wear generic nicknames formed by the patronymic with the addition of suffixes. This study is recognized as the highest quality and most detailed up to our times. Popular Russian surnames: Sidorov, Smirnov, Kuzmin, Vasiliev. The second place in frequency is occupied by nicknames that indicate the type of activity: Kuznetsov, Bondarev, Reznikov, Khlebnikov, etc..

Rare Russian surnames

It’s hard to make a reliable list that includes all the positions. But the main ones are selected. It is infrequently possible to meet people who wear a family nickname, which coincides completely with the geographical name or is formed from a combination of two words. Few of those who were lucky enough to become the namesake of famous historical figures and heroes of literary novels.

Rare surnames in Russia:

Astrakhan;
Kamchatka
Eibogin;
Krutiperets;
Crusoe;
Karenin.

Funny

Sometimes among friends there are family nicknames that involuntarily cause a smile with their comic nature. They surprise fellow citizens with their pronunciation, and especially foreigners, consist of adding up the foundations of any nouns or verbs, can indicate a funny or strange action, name objects whose name sounds strange in the human name. It’s hard to call a person who has to wear them lucky.

Funny Russian last names:

Bone gnawers;
Mozgoyedov;
Popkin;
Rzhach;
Login;
Khachapuri;
Govnodedov;
Snot.

Russian noble families

Their owners can not doubt the high title of someone of their kind, they were assigned exclusively to nobles, boyars, and high-ranking officials. People close to high positions and the ruling power. They can also be merchants. The presence of such title nicknames among the peasantry, a worker from the common population or artisans is excluded, their mere presence spoke of the high social status of their owner.

Russian noble families:

Stroganov;
Godunov;
Tikhomirov;
Minin;
Novgorodtsev;
Tikhonravov;
Crowned beasts.

Old Russian

This term refers not only to Old Slavonic nicknames of pagan times, but also to those that by their etymology denote obsolete concepts and words of ancient life, eradicated from the current speech. Of interest for consideration are generic nicknames that call old monetary units, household items, and crafts that are not found in the modern world. All these signs indicate the prescription of the genus and roots that go far.

Old Russian surnames:

Kunin;
Altynov;
Kalita;
Zlatnikov;
Pryalkin;
Kozhemyaka;
Bandurov.

Rating of surnames in Russia

The top 100 items are compiled, which can often be found in the passports of fellow citizens. All of them were selected based on the directory and ordered during the census during the year. This information will be especially interesting for girls, because everyone dreams of meeting his man and getting married. Statistics say that 89% of cases of women go to the male generic nickname at marriage. Such a top will clearly show the most likely options that each may encounter. The section includes 10 first positions.

Rating of surnames in Russia:

Ivanov;
Smirnov;
Kuznetsov;
Popov;
Sokolov;
Vasiliev;
Fedorov;
Novikov;
Egorov;
Kozlov.

Famous Russian surnames

Their list is based on the frequency of use among the population. The most popular surname in Russia is Ivanov. Even foreigners know this, associating with it all the names of Russian compatriots. She went down in history and became a classic. For example, in the German language, such a nickname was Muller, in America and Britain, Smith, Poland, Novak or Kowalski, Georgia, Mammadov..

Famous Russian last names:

Sidorov;
Ivanov;
Petrov;
Kozlov
Smirnov;
Popov;
Sokolov.