In Russia, there are many surnames that end in "-sky" or "-tsky". Curious, what are they talking about? It turns out that there are several versions of the origin of such surnames.
Polish surnames
According to one version, all surnames of this kind have Polish origin. That is, for example, those who bear the surnames Pototsky, Slutsky, Zabolotsky, Polyansky, Svitkovsky, Kovalevsky, Smelyansky, have Polish roots in the family.
"noble" surnames
One of the versions says that in Rus', boyars and representatives of the nobility received surnames with the suffixes "-sky / -sky" according to the names of their ancestral destinies - Vyazemsky, Dubrovsky, Baryatinsky and so on. Surnames became hereditary, passed from father to son as a symbol of territorial power. The Thousand Book for 1550 lists 93 princely names, of which 40 end in "-sky". By the way, it is believed that this tradition still came from Poland. The mentioned suffixes were a sign of belonging to the gentry - representatives of the Polish aristocracy. Gradually, this began to be practiced in Russia, Ukraine and Belarus, also exclusively among representatives of the upper class.
An attempt to "improve" common surnames
Ethnographers suggest that there was also a tendency to improve common surnames by adding a suffix. This was especially common among Russians, Ukrainians and Belarusians who lived on the same territory as the Poles. So, Borodin could turn into Borodinsky, Gatchin - into Gatchina, Zaitsev - into Zaychevsky.
"Geographical" origin
There is a version that today most of similar surnames, in the past was formed from the geographical names of settlements, rivers and lakes. So, a resident of Ryazan in another region was called "Ryazan", over time this could turn into a surname. The surname Verzhbitsky is quite common: settlements with this name existed in Poland, and in Russia, and in Ukraine, and in Belarus.
Jewish surnames
Another hypothesis says that at least some of the surnames beginning with "-sky" may have Jewish roots. Such surnames were given to Jews living in the territories of the Baltic and Slavic countries, also by the name of the area. For example, Antokolsky, Vilkomirsky, Gilichensky, Mirgorodsky.
"Spiritual" surnames
Graduates of theological seminaries in Russia were awarded new, beautiful, sonorous surnames that fit their priesthood. So there were Christmas, Ascension, Resurrection, Preobrazhensky, Trinity, All Saints. The surname Lebedinsky presumably also belongs to the “spiritual” ones: after all, the swan is a recognized symbol of spiritual purity, including in Orthodoxy.
Most likely, the surnames ending in “-sky” or “-tsky” are still completely different in origin, and only by the root one can sometimes guess where they could come from in principle.
Increasingly, one can hear the opinion that native Russian surnames have the following suffixes: -ov, -ev, -in, -yn.
Where did the surnames with suffixes -ov and -ev come from?
According to statistics, surnames with suffixes -ov and -ev have about 60% of the population of Russia. Such surnames are considered primordially Russian, suggesting that they have a generic origin.
Initially, Russian surnames came from patronymics. For example, Ivan, who was the son of Peter, was called Ivan Petrov. After surnames came into use in the 13th century, they began to be given, focusing on the oldest man in the genus. So, not only sons, but also grandchildren and great-grandchildren of Peter became Petrovs.
To diversify surnames, they began to be given based on nicknames. So, the descendants of Beloborodov also received the name Beloborodov, passing it on to their descendants from generation to generation. 
They began to give surnames and depending on the occupation of a person. Therefore, the Goncharovs, Kuznetsovs, Plotnikovs, Popovs and other sonorous names appeared. You can be sure that Kuznetsov's great-grandfather had a forge, and Popov had priests in his family. 
Surnames with the suffix -ev were given to those people whose names, nicknames or the name of the specialization of their ancestors ended in a soft consonant. This is how the Ignatievs, Bondarevs and others appeared.
And where did the surnames with the suffixes -in and -yn come from?
About 30% of the population of Russia have surnames ending with the suffixes -in and -yn. These surnames could come from the names, nicknames and professions of ancestors, as well as from words that end in -а and -я. 
So the surname Minin means "son of Mina". By the way, Mina is a popular female name in Rus'. 
For example, the surname Semin comes from the name Semyon. Interestingly, the name Semyon comes from Simeon, which in ancient times meant "heard by God." This is how they formed popular surnames- Nikitin, Ilyin, Fomin and many others. 
Also, some surnames indicate the belonging of a person's ancestors to a particular craft. For example, the surname Rogozhin indicates that the ancestors of a person traded matting or were engaged in its production. 
It is impossible to say with absolute certainty, because even now many disputes continue, however, it is assumed that the names Pushkin, Gagarin, Zimin, Korovin, Ovechkin, Borodin also came from the names of things, phenomena, animals or professions. 
Nevertheless, experts say that initially you need to find out which word underlies the surname, and only then can we talk about professional pursuits or nicknames of distant ancestors, from which the surname came.
Wikipedia:
Most of the surnames in the Russian nominal formula came from patronymics (according to the baptismal or worldly name of one of the ancestors), nicknames (according to the type of activity, place of origin, or some other feature of the ancestor) or other generic names.
Russian surnames in most cases were single or written with a hyphen, passed strictly through the male line. IN mid-nineteenth century, especially after the abolition of serfdom in 1861, the surnames of most people of the peasant class are formed. By the 1930s, the process of obtaining surnames by various nationalities was completely completed.
Russian surnames most often have the ending -ov / -ev. From 60% to 70% of Russian surnames have the ending -ov / -ev. Surnames ending in -ov / -ev are formed as follows:
Surnames formed mainly as patronymics or after the name of the grandfather (grandfather's name, from which the father's temporary surname originated) from church or Slavic personal names or nicknames, for example, Ivan → son of Ivan - Ivanov, Alexey → son Aleksey- Alekseev, a man nicknamed Beardless → son of Beardless - Bezborodov, etc.
This also includes surnames formed from nicknames associated with the profession. For example, a person by profession is a blacksmith → the son of a blacksmith - Kuznetsov.
The authorities of the Don Cossack Region did not recognize surnames ending in -in and -y/y. During the census, such surnames were changed into -ov, for example, the surname Kuzmin turned into Kuzminov, Bessmertny - into Bessmertnov, etc.
Russian surnames ending in -in occupy the second place in terms of prevalence among Russian surnames, after surnames ending in -ov / -ev. In places in Russia, especially in the Volga region, surnames with -in cover more than 50% of the population. Everything that is written about family names in -ov / -ev fully applies to surnames in -in. Surnames ending in -in are present among Belarusians and are less popular than among Russian surnames. For Belarusians, the ratio of suffixes -ov / -ev and -in is completely different, 90% to 10%. This is due to the fact that the basis of surnames was not perceived in native Russian diminutive form names in -ka, and with the Belarusian form in -ko (Ivashkov, Fedkov, Geraskov - from Ivashko, Fedko, Gerasko, respectively, instead of Ivashkin, Fedkin, Geraskin).
The Russian North is the historical homeland of Russian surnames, with suffixes -ih and -ih. These surnames appeared at the turn of the first and second millennia and later spread into central regions Rus' and the Urals. The appearance and wide distribution of surnames in Siberia occurred much later and was associated with the beginning of the period of the conquest of Siberia in the second half of the 16th century.
Surnames in -ih/-s originated from the nickname that characterized the family - Short, White, Red, Large, Small, etc. - and are the genitive (or prepositional) plural form of the possessive adjective, which was formed by adding a patronymic suffix to nickname root. Doctor philological sciences A.V. Superanskaya describes the mechanism for the formation of these surnames as follows: “The head of the family is called Golden, the whole family is Golden. A native or native of the family in the next generation - Golden "
Surnames in -sky / -sky more often have their distribution among the Poles. Despite this, a fairly large percentage of the Russian population have surnames in -sky / -sky. The surname originates from the areas that were previously occupied by the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. This method of word formation includes surnames formed from names:
Localities or settlements - this method of education is especially typical for princely families or the Western Russian gentry of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, however, is not so characteristic of the Great Russian noble families(Unlike Western Europe). Examples: Belozersky - the owner of the estate of Beloozero, Vyazemsky - the owner of the estate in Vyazma.
Church parishes (churches), in turn, formed from the names church holidays, names of saints. Examples: Voznesensky, Holy Cross, Christmas, Trinity, Assumption, Yaransky.
Artificially created in the seminary. Examples: Athenian, Athos, Dobrovolsky
Their last names end in -ovich, -evich, which corresponds to our patronymics (e.g. Serbian. Re: Surnames ending in -ih, -y, Aslan, 08/01/08 18:30 if you don't know, don't write. Re : Surnames ending in -ih, -ih, What is, 14/11/06 22:56 My friend's surname is ALIEN.
what is the nationality if the surname ends in -ih-, -ih-??
My own last name ends in -ih. And I'm Russian. I will add that in the same areas, aliased surnames also ended in -i/-s, for example, my surname Semenov came from these places in the form of "Semenovs". And here is another very common surname - Sedykh. Something like that comes to mind that people in some district in Russia also have such surnames. Eg. there are two musicians, husband and wife, and their surname is Deaf.
Almost all surnames are either pure nicknames given once to an ancestor (the Czechs have many such surnames) either by father or by locality (but this is also a variant of a nickname).
Those. Initially, almost any surname was a kind of refinement to the name. At the same time, for example, there was another Ivan in that village. But the son of Sergei.
If in the central part of Rus' surnames mainly ended in -ov, -ev, -in, then in Siberia surnames with the same roots ended in -ih, -y: White, Black, Polish.
The well-known linguist B. O. Unbegaun believes that surnames with -i and surnames with -i can be attributed to typical Siberian surnames .... ”, read more, it’s useful!
Surnames in -ih and surnames in -ih were brought to Siberia by the colonists even before they fell out of use in the northern part of Russia.
The father, for example, had a surname ending in -ov, and his children were recorded under surnames ending in -ski. So they were recorded by scribes.
Moreover, interestingly, in these censuses, father and son could have surnames with different endings.
There are few in my area. But when they are, it can be funny. And to get the same, peasant ending. So the host announced them like this: “You are performing ... Probably depends on the region. I had such an assumption, but then, according to the idea, there should be many similar endings of surnames. Me too: after all, we have Chernov ... Because he was a tailor.
Those. nationality could be any - I have a friend with the surname Lithuanian, who claims that he comes from a Lithuanian who was exiled to Siberia before 1917 for some sins. There was a count, but he became, "like" a serf and Soviet power there was nothing to complain about. With "White" and "Black" the same situation.
I quote the version of the owner of the surname Maryinsky: “Some Polish nobleman was exiled to the Urals and he was allowed to settle in the forest as a lonely farm. He was a descendant of the disgraced Polish Count Potocki, who, after the defeat of the Confederate uprising, was exiled to Kazan. Petrovich and Russian patronymic Petrovich). For example, the father could be Kozlov, and the son was recorded as Kozlovsky.
In addition, the name is known ethnic group Siberian Tatars Shibans and generic name Crimean Tatars shiban murzas. The Perm Region has locality Shibanovo, and in Ivanovskaya - Shibanikha.
In the records of 1570-1578, Prince Ivan Andreevich Shiban Dolgoruky is mentioned; in 1584, the stirrup grooms of Tsar Theodore Ioannovich Osip Shiban and Danilo Shikhman Ermolaevich Kasatkins.
Shabansky. The surname is formed from the names of the settlements Shabanovo, Shabanovskoye, Shabanskoye, located in different parts countries.
From school, many have learned the rule that when pronouncing and writing female surnames cases are not declined, and masculine - on the contrary, like similar adjectives or nouns. Is it so simple, and do men bow foreign surnames in Russian - this article is devoted to this, based on the monograph by L.P. Kalakutskaya, published in 1984.
Importance of the problem
There are many situations in which the correct spelling and correct pronunciation of surnames in different cases is very important:
- The child began to study at school, and he needs to correctly sign a notebook or diary.
- A young man or an adult man is awarded a diploma or a letter of thanks.
- At a serious event, they announce the exit or performance of a man with difficult surname. It's not nice if it gets distorted.
- When preparing important documents (certificate, diploma) or preparing case materials to establish family ties (in court, at a notary).
- Know if they're leaning male surnames, is necessary for people of many professions who deal with the execution of personal files or other business papers.
Russian surnames
The most common surnames in Russia - with suffixes - sk (-ck), ov (-ev), in (-yn): Razumovsky, Slutsky, Ivanov, Turgenev, Mukhin, Sinitsyn. All of them are easily inclined, like ordinary adjectives, both in feminine and in masculine. Exception - surnames on -ov, -in, ending in prepositional somewhat different from the traditional.
Foreign surnames with suffix -in (-yn) also have a mismatch with Russians in instrumental. Let's look at an example:
Do male surnames tend to th without suffix - sk, which are also found in Russia (Tolstoy, Berezhnaya, Sukhoi)? Few (in scientific papers in philology there is a complete list of them), they easily change in cases similar to adjectives with a similar ending.
Ukrainian surnames
The most famous Ukrainian surnames- on -enko And -ko: Bondarenko, Luchko, Molodyko. If you look at Russian literature, then in works of art (A.P. Chekhov, for example), writers are quite free to write them in male version and in the plural: "Let's go visit the Bondarenkos."
This is not true, because official spelling differs from works of art And colloquial speech. The answer to the question whether Ukrainian male surnames tend to - enko And -ko, unequivocal - no. Example:
- I am writing a letter to Oleg Bondarenko.
- She has an affair with Ivan Luchko.
And this applies to all families. Ukrainian origin, even as rare as Alekhno, Rushailo, Soap, Oatmeal. Surnames are never inclined to -ago, -ovo, -yago: Vodolago, Durnovo, Dubyago. But what about those that end in consonants?
Surnames beginning with -k
Historically, suffixes -uk (-uk) they indicated either a kindred or a semantic affiliation: Ivan's son - Ivanchuk, cooper's assistant - Bondarchuk. To a greater extent, they are inherent in the western part of Ukraine, but are widespread among all Slavic peoples. Do male surnames tend to - uk?
According to the laws of the Russian language, female surnames do not change by case, but male surnames ending in a consonant (the exception is the ending -their,-s), decline without fail:
- I wrote a letter to Olga Dimitryuk.
- I was invited to visit Igor Shevchuk.
- I recently saw Sergei Ignatyuk.
All surnames expressed by nouns are subject to change in cases: Mole, Wolf, Wind, Pillar. There is one subtlety here: if the surname is Slavic, then the existing fluent vowel is not always preserved in the root. In jurisdictions, its spelling is important, although many sources do not consider the pronunciation to be incorrect without it. As an example, consider the surname Hare. More often pronounced: "She called Ivan Zayets." This is acceptable, but more correct: "She called Ivan Zayats."
Common in Ukraine and surnames in -ok, -ik: Pochinok, Gorelik. Knowing the rule that all male surnames with a consonant at the end change by case, it is easy to answer the question: do male surnames tend to -To:
- She came to the house of Ilya Pochinok (here the fluent vowel disappears).
- He knew Larisa Petrik well.
Exception to the rule
The Slavs often meet family endings on -their(s): Chernykh, Ilyinsky. In the first half of the 20th century, male surnames with similar endings were often changed by case. According to the norms of the Russian language today, this is wrong.
The origin of these surnames from the plural adjective requires the preservation of their individuality:
- He greeted Peter Bela X.
Although there is a consonant at the end, this is an exception to the rule that you need to be aware of when answering the question of whether male surnames are declined.
Quite common is the ending in -h: Stoikovich, Rabinovich, Gorbach. The general rule applies here:
- Waiting for Semyon Rabinovich to visit.
- He liked Anna Porkhach's exhibition very much.
Armenian surnames
Armenia is a small country with a population of just over 3 million people. But about 8.5 million representatives of the diaspora live in other countries, so they are very widespread. They can often be identified by their traditional ending - an(-yang): Avjan, Dzhigarkhanyan. In ancient times, there was a more archaic family form: -ants (-yants), -oz, which is still common in the south of Armenia: Kurants, Sarkisyants, Tonunts. Is the Armenian male surname inflected?
It is subject to the rules of the Russian language, which have already been mentioned in the article. Male surnames with a consonant at the end are subject to case declension:
- together with Armen Avjan ( wherein "together with Anush Avjan");
- watched a movie with Georg Tonunts ( wherein "Film starring Lili Tonunts").
Ending in vowels
Male surnames remain unchanged if they, regardless of origin and belonging to a particular country, end in the following vowels: and, s, y, u, e, e. Example: Gandhi, Dzhusoyty, Shoigu, Camus, Maigret, Manet. It does not matter at all whether the stress falls on the first or last syllable. This includes Moldovan, Indian, French, Georgian, Italian and Example: " He recently read the poems of Shota Rustaveli". But do male surnames tend to - and I)?
Both options meet here, so it's better to present them in a table:
| bow down | Don't bow down | |
| Letters -and I) not under stress | The last letters follow the consonants: Pied Ha, cafe ka.
| If the last letters follow a vowel - And: Mor ia, Gars and I.
|
| Letters -and I) are under stress | The last letters come after the consonants, but have Slavic roots: Vine, Mitta.
| The last letters follow consonants or vowels and have French origin: Dumas, Benoit, Delacroix, Zola.
|
To consolidate knowledge, do male surnames tend to - A, we offer you an algorithm that can always be at hand.
German surnames
Origin Germanic surnames similar to their history in other states: most are derived from the personal names, place names, nicknames, or occupations of their bearers.
The settlement of the Volga region by Germans in the 18th century led to the fact that their spelling in Russia was often carried out with errors, so there are many similar surnames with a discrepancy in one or two letters. But in fact, all of them, with rare exceptions, end in a consonant, so when answering the question of whether male German surnames, we can state with certainty: yes. Exceptions are: Goethe, Heine, Otto and others, ending in
Since German surnames change by case, they should be distinguished from Slavic ones. In addition to the common ones, such as Müller, Hoffman, Wittgenstein, Wolf, there are ending in -their: Dietrich, Freindlich, Ulrich. In Russian surnames before -their there are rarely soft consonants with solid vapors. This is due to the fact that there are almost no adjectives with similar stems in the language. Slavic surnames, unlike the German ones, do not decline (Fifth, Borovsky).
If at the end -ь or -й
The rule by which male surnames are inclined, having consonants without an ending as a basis, also applies to those cases where at the end is put -b or th. They change in cases like second declension nouns. However, in the instrumental case they have a special ending - ohm (em). They are perceived as foreign. To answer the question of whether male surnames tend to -b And th, consider an example:
- Nominative (who?): Vrubel, Gaidai;
- Genitive (of whom?): Vrubel, Gaidai;
- Dative (to whom?): Vrubel, Gaidai;
- Accusative (of whom?): Vrubel, Gaidai;
- Creative (by whom?): Vrubel, Gaidai;
- Prepositional (about whom?): about Vrubel, about Gaidai.
There are exceptions to the rule. Yes, do not bow dissonant surnames(Dumpling), as well as coinciding with the geographical name (Uruguay, Taiwan). Even if it stands after the hissing (Night, Mouse), the surname is inclined according to the male version.
Double and compound surnames
China, Vietnam and Korea differ in what their inhabitants wear compound surnames consisting of several words. If they end in a consonant, they decline general rules, but only their last part. Example:
- We listened to Kim Jong Il's speech.
Russians double surnames are inclined in both parts according to the general rules:
- painting by Petrov-Vodkin;
- theater Nemirovich-Danchenko.
If the first part is not a surname, but serves integral part, it does not change in cases:
- Ter-Hovhannisyan's jump;
- work by Demuth-Malinovsky.
Whether male surnames of other foreign countries are declined depends entirely on the rules of Russian grammar, which were discussed in the article. The question of the use of the plural or singular when listing two persons remained unclear.
singular and plural
In what cases is the plural used, and in what singular, best seen from the table:
Male surnames, unlike female ones, are declined, but there are many cases discussed in the article when they are also not subject to change. The main criteria are the ending of the word and the country of origin of the surname.
