In a conversation, you can come across the following statement: “Here, his last name ends in -in, which means he is a Jew.” Are Susanin, Repin and even Pushkin Jewish surnames? Some strange idea among the people, where did it come from? After all, the suffix -in- is often found in possessive adjectives formed from nouns of the first declension: koshkin, mother. While adjectives from words of the second declension are formed using the suffix -ov-: grandfathers, crocodiles. Did the words of the first declension as the basis for the surname were chosen only by Jews? It would be very strange. But probably, everything that is spinning on the tongue of people has some reason, even if it has been distorted over time. Let's figure out how to determine nationality by last name.
Ending or suffix?
It is not entirely correct to call the familiar -ov / -ev endings. The ending in Russian is a variable part of a word. Let's see what is inclined in the surnames: Ivanov - Ivanova - Ivanov. It can be concluded that -ov is a suffix followed by a null ending, as in most masculine nouns. And only in cases or when changing gender and number (Ivanova, Ivanovy) do endings sound. But there is also a folk, and not a linguistic concept of "ending" - that which ends. In that case, this word is applicable here. And then we can safely determine the ending of surnames by nationality!
Russian surnames
The range of Russian surnames is much wider than those ending in -ov. They are characterized by suffixes -in, -yn, -ov, -ev, -skoy, -tskoy, -ih, -yh (Lapin, Ptitsyn, Sokolov, Solovyov, Donskoy, Trubetskoy, Moscow, Sedykh).
Russian surnames with -ov, -ev are really as much as 60-70%, and with -in, -yn - only about 30%, which is also quite a lot. What is the reason for this ratio? As already mentioned, the suffixes -ov, -ev are attached to second declension nouns, most of which are masculine. And since in Russian surnames often originated from the name or occupation of the father (Ivanov, Bondarev), such a suffix is very logical. But there are also male names ending in -a, -я, and it was from them that the surnames Ilyin, Nikitin arose, of whose Russianness we have no doubt.
What about Ukrainians?
Ukrainian ones are usually formed with the help of suffixes -enko, -ko, -uk, -yuk. And also without suffixes from words denoting professions (Korolenko, Spirko, Govoruk, Prizhnyuk, Bondar).
More about Jews
Jewish surnames are very diverse, because Jews have been scattered throughout the world for centuries. The suffixes -ich, -man and -er can be their true sign. But here, too, confusion is possible. Family endings -ich, -ovich, -evich are typical for Poles and Slavic peoples living in East Germany. For example, one of the most famous poets in Poland is Mickiewicz.
But the basis of the surname can sometimes immediately suggest the Jewish origin of its bearer. If the basis is Levi or Cohen/Kogan, the clan originates from the high priests - kohens or his assistants - Levites. So everything is clear with Levi, Levitans, Kaganoviches.
What do surnames in -sky and -sky say?
It is wrong to assume that surnames ending in -sky or -sky are necessarily Jewish. This stereotype has developed because they were common in Poland and Ukraine. In these places there were many family estates, the names of the owners-nobles were formed from the name of the estate. For example, the ancestors of the famous revolutionary Dzerzhinsky owned the Dzerzhinovo estate on the territory of modern Belarus, and then Poland.
Many Jews lived in these areas, so many took local surnames. But Russian nobles also have such surnames, for example, the noble surname Dubrovsky from Pushkin's work is quite real. There is another interesting fact. In seminaries, they often gave a surname formed from church holidays - Preobrazhensky, Rozhdestvensky. In this case, the definition of nationality at the end of surnames can lead to errors. Seminaries also served as the birthplace of surnames with an unusual root for the Russian ear, because they were formed from Latin words: Formozov, Kastorov. By the way, under Ivan the Terrible, the deacon Ivan Bicycles served. But the bicycle had not yet been invented! How is it that there is no object, but there is a surname? The answer was this: it turned out to be a tracing paper from the Latin “swift-footed”, only with a native Russian suffix.
Surname ending in -in: we reveal the secret!
So what about the last name ending in -in? Nationality on this basis is difficult to determine. Indeed, some Jewish surnames end in this way. It turns out that in some of them this is just an external coincidence with the Russian suffix. For example, Khazin is descended from the modified surname Khazan - this is how one of the types of servants in the temple was called in Hebrew. Literally, this translates as "overseer", since the chazan followed the order of worship and the accuracy of the text. You can guess where the name Khazanov comes from. But she has the “most Russian” suffix -ov!
But there are also matronyms, that is, those that are formed on behalf of the mother. Moreover, the female names from which they were formed were not Russian. For example, the Jewish surname Belkin is a homonym of a Russian surname. It was formed not from a fluffy animal, but from the female name of Bale.
German or Jewish?
Another interesting pattern was noticed. As soon as we hear names like Rosenfeld, Morgenstern, we immediately confidently determine the nationality of its bearer. Definitely a Jew! But not everything is so simple! After all, these are words of German origin. For example, Rosenfeld is a "field of roses". How did it happen? It turns out that on the territory of the German Empire, as well as in the Russian and Austrian, there was a decree on the assignment of surnames to Jews. Of course, they were formed in the language of the country in which the Jew lived. Since they were not transmitted from distant ancestors from the depths of centuries, people themselves chose them. Sometimes this choice could be made by the registrar. So many artificial, bizarre surnames appeared that could not have arisen in a natural way.
How, then, to distinguish a Jew from a German, if both have German surnames? It's hard to do this. Therefore, here you should not be guided only by the origin of the word, you need to know the genealogy of a particular person. Here, at the end of the surname, nationality simply cannot be determined!
Georgian surnames
It is not difficult for Georgians to guess the ending of surnames by nationality. If Georgians are likely to be -shvili, -dze, -uri, -ava, -a, -ua, -ia, -ni, -li, -si (Basilashvili, Svanidze, Pirtskhalava, Adamia, Gelovani, Tsereteli). There are also Georgian surnames that end in -tskaya. This is consonant with Russian (Trubetskaya), but this is not a suffix, and they not only do not change by gender (Diana Gurtskaya - Robert Gurtskaya), but also do not decline by case (with Diana Gurtskaya).
Ossetian surnames
Ossetian surnames are characterized by the ending -ty / -ty (Kokoyty). Characteristic for this nationality is the ending of the surname in -ev (Abaev, Eziev), usually it is preceded by a vowel. Often the stem of a word is incomprehensible to us. But sometimes it can turn out to be homonymous or almost homonymous to the Russian word, which is confusing. There are among them those that end in -ov: Botov, Bekurov. In fact, these are the real Russian suffixes, and they are attached to the Ossetian root according to tradition in this way to convey surnames in writing. These are the fruits of Russification of Ossetian surnames. At the same time, it is foolish to assume that all surnames ending in -ev are Ossetian. The ending of the surname in -ev does not yet determine nationality. Surnames such as Grigoriev, Polev, Gostev are Russian and they differ from similar ones ending in -ov only in that the last consonant in the noun was soft.
A few words about Armenians
Armenian surnames often end in -yan or -yants (Hakopyan, Grigoryants). Actually, -yan - this is the truncated -yants, which meant belonging to the genus.
Now you know how to find out the nationality at the end of the last name. Yes, it is not always easy to do this with guaranteed accuracy, even with a developed language sense. But as they say, the main thing is that a person be good!
The surname, in Armenian "azganun", means the name of the family. In the Middle Ages, generic names practically did not exist. If there was a need for a name, then it happened like this: if several Arams or several Anahits lived in one settlement, then the inhabitants defined them in different ways: for example, Aram, the grandson of Garnik, or Aram, the grandson of Hayk. Sometimes, for the nickname, worldly nicknames were used that characterize a recognizable feature of a person, for example, the lame Amayak or Anahit, who has twelve children.
The need for the formation of surnames arose due to the development of society and increased migration of the population. People began to move more often from one area to another, so it became necessary to give people "sustainable" nicknames, which eventually evolved into Armenian surnames. In those days, a tradition appeared along with the name to indicate the place where the person came from, for example: Grigor Tatevatsi, Anania Shirakatsi, etc. Or they used his profession to name a person - Mkrtich Nakhash, Nikohayos Tsaghkarar, David Kertokh, Grigor Magistros and etc.
Over time, already in the Middle Ages, surnames began to appear in aristocratic Armenian families - Mamikonyans, Artsruni, Amatuni, Rshtuni. When noble families were mentioned, the words “azg” (“kind”) or “tun” (“house”, “smoke”) were added to the surnames. For example, “Clan of Mamikonyans”, “Clan of Rshtuni”, or “House of Artsruni”, etc. Over time, family nicknames appeared among peasants and artisans. For example, Khatstukhyan (baker), Voskerchyan (jeweler), Kartashyan (mason), etc.
The Armenian surnames also reflected the nicknames of a person, characterizing his appearance or character traits (Chakhatyan - a fox, Karchikyan - a dwarf) and others. In most cases, Armenian surnames originated from the name of the founder of the clan, to which a prefix or suffix was added, expressing kinship or affiliation - “yan”, “yants”, “ents”, “unts”, “onts”, “uni”. The most common are surnames ending in "yan" (Chakhalyan, Aramyan, Zhamkochyan), etc. "Yan" was formed from the form "yants" and also means that "ents" (Margaryan - Margaryants - Margarents, that is, belonging to the genus Margar). Armenian surnames with the suffix "uni" were inherent in the Nakharar families (Bagratuni, Amatuni, Rshtuni) as a feature of belonging to a noble Armenian family. Armenian surnames with the suffixes "enz", "unts", "onts" are common in Zangezur, for example, Adonts, Bakunts, Mamunts, Kalvarents and also means belonging to a noble family.
During the census and passportization of the population, the surnames of some Armenians living in Russia became "Russified", the ending "ts" was sometimes discarded. This happened for two reasons: either as a result of a scribal error, or as a result of a conscious choice. The history of each Armenian surname is interesting and original. Surnames didn't just happen. Each surname is based on an interesting history of its formation with its own principles, stages of evolution, each Armenian surname has a certain meaning, which is solved by modern philological science - onomastics.
Why do Armenian surnames end in "yan"?? and got the best answer
Answer from Grigory Davidyan[guru]
The same reason why many Russian surnames end in "-in".
The Armenian ending "-yan" (in the original "-yan") indicates possessiveness. This is a common ending in Indo-European languages (-ian, ien, -an, -en, -in, etc.), its counterpart in Russian is the ending "-in" for possessive adjectives (e.g. mamin, papin, etc.) .
That is, the meaning is the same as in Russian surnames for "-in" - indicates belonging, connection.
Historically, the surnames of Armenians were formed by the name (profession, nickname, some personal quality, name of the place of birth / residence, etc.) of the grandfather. That is, the usual Armenian surname is a derivative of a male name, less often from a profession, a place name, personal qualities, etc. Of course, there are numerous exceptions and distortions in practice.
Answer from Lilia Mustafina[guru]
Because Armenians. Slavic surnames on "ov", Belarusians have "ich". So as not to be confused.
Answer from From cat[guru]
Armenian
Answer from Irina[guru]
Because -DZE and -SHVILI are already occupied by Georgians!
Answer from Hamburger[guru]
blue-blooded Armenians on yants.
Answer from "AnZoRRo"[guru]
oh Bora!! first learn to write in Russian! and then remember the Armenians !!
Answer from Asya Hovhannisyan[guru]
That's who we are.)))
But there are still rare Armenian surnames that end in "UNI" - royal surnames.
For example Artsruni.
Answer from Bill Bilalov[newbie]
Armenian
Answer from Karen Hayrapetyan[newbie]
Attention Correct answer!
Ending Jan or Yants.
In the Armenian language there is the concept of the founder of the clan! He is considered from the Father to the grandson and above.
How?
In the Armenian language, it is customary to name a person from a given family in honor of the Founder of the family.
Example Genus Hayrapetyan. (My surname) I belong to the Hayrapet family. And in a literal translation, my last name is translated as follows. He is from the Hayrapet clan. Thus, YAN is known as< он ИЗ рода>And the very word Hayrapet in the Armanic Hayrapet is translated as Father Glova. (It is written about my family in Wikipedia!) He is my direct ancestor!
here is the link
link
Answer from HARUT AMIRYAN[newbie]
So, -ants (-yants) is the ending of the genitive plural (compare "nranz" - them). In modern Armenian, the suffix -yan is used to form adjectives, for example, "Moskovyan" - Moscow, "Kievyan" - Kiev. So, the surname "Sarkisyan" means belonging to the Sarkis family.
Where do the names Dzhugashvili and Tsereteli come from? What connects Armenian surnames with the Turkish language? Why do Azerbaijanis cancel the "Russian" endings in their surnames? We answer these and other questions.
Georgian surnames
Ethnographers attribute the origins of Georgian surnames to the 7th-8th centuries. They most often came from the place of residence, a little less often - from professions, names, patronymics or family titles (for example, Amilakhvari or Eristavi).
The structure of Georgian surnames is the same as that of most others: root + suffix. By the surname suffix, in many cases it is possible to understand from which region it comes from and to which ethnic group its carrier belongs. For example, among Megrelians, surnames often end in “-ua” (Todua, Gogua) or “-iya” (Gamsakhurdia, Beria), and among the Lazes - in “-shi” (Khalvashi, Tugushi).
Linguists distinguish 13 main varieties of suffixes. In many regions of Georgia, mostly in Imereti, Guria, Adzharia, Lechkhumi, surnames with the suffix "-dze" are common, which translates as "son" (Gongadze, Shevarnadze, Dumbadze). According to data for 1997, 1,649,222 people had surnames with this ending.
The second most common is the suffix "-shvili". Its translation is very close to the previous suffix - "child", "child", but sometimes it's just "descendant". By 1997, there were 1,303,723 surnames with the suffix "-shvili". Such an ending is very common in Kakheti and Kartli (Peikrishvili, Kululashvili, Elerdashvili).
The suffix "-iani" is also popular in Georgian surnames. This is the "Svan" ending, which is more typical for the western regions of Georgia. Often such a suffix indicates the noble origin of the ancestor. For example, Dadeshkeliani, Dadiani and Gelovani are princely surnames.
The formation of Georgian surnames has various sources. Some of them come from baptismal names - Nikoladze, Georgadze, Davitashvili. Some surnames are derived from Muslim names. For example, the surname Jalagonia is formed from the Muslim male name Jalal (“greatness”, “leadership”) and the Georgian noun “drive” (“mind”, “reasoning”). There are surnames associated with animals - Lominadze ("lomi" - "lion"), Dzhugashvili ("dzug" - "flock", "flock").
Quite often, Georgian surnames are tied to any locality. Its first carrier often became at the origins of the princely family. This is precisely the surname Tsereteli, which comes from the name of the fortress and the village of the same name, located in the north of the Zemo region - “Tsereti”.
Armenian surnames
Armenian surnames are a relatively new phenomenon. At least officially, they began to be registered only from the 19th century, when the population census began and the need for documents arose. However, in aristocratic families, surnames appeared in the Middle Ages - Mamikonyans, Artsruni, Amatuni, Rshtuni. By tradition, the words “azg” (“clan”) or “tun” (“house”) were put before noble surnames. It sounded like "Mamikoyan family" or "House of Artsruni".
Before the appearance of surnames in the common people, in order to distinguish two people with the same name, they could say, for example, like this: “Hayk the grandson of Arno” and “Hayk the grandson of Garnik”. Sometimes a person was given a characteristic nickname - "lame Amayak", or "Anahit, who has twelve children." The need for the formation of surnames arose with the development of society and increased migration of the population.
For the most part, Armenian surnames come from a generic ancestor, to whose name an ending was added indicating belonging. This ending has undergone a noticeable evolution: in ancient Armenian it was the suffix "-eants", which was transformed into "-ents". In modern Armenian, it took the phonetic form “-yants”, which subsequently lost the “ts”, becoming “-yan”.
If earlier, to show belonging to a genus, they said, for example, Davidents, now it sounds like Davidian. However, the last "c" has not disappeared in all surnames. So some Armenians who moved to Russia in the 19th century retained this ending. But in Armenia itself, in particular, in the Zangezur region, such surnames are still found - Adonts, Bakunts, Kalvarents.
The most common form of formation of Armenian surnames from given names, but often they come from the names of professions and crafts - Atstukhyan ("baker"), Voskerchyan ("jeweler"), Ekimyan ("healer"), Kartashyan ("mason") or are based on a characteristic human trait - Chakhatyan ("fox"), Karchikyan ("dwarf").
The surnames of the inhabitants of Western Armenia have their own peculiarity. The entry of this part of the country into the Ottoman Empire affected the fact that the roots of many Armenian surnames are of Turkish origin. So, the surname Demirchyan comes from the Turkish word "demirchi" - "blacksmith". The ethnographer Levon Abrahamyan notes that the letter “h” in Armenian surnames usually indicates a craft, because in Turkish the names of crafts end in “chi”, for example, “bardakchi” (“potter”). An Armenian surname derived from this word is Bardakchyan.
A curious feature of some Armenian surnames is the prefix "melik", indicating a noble origin (Melik-Hakopyan), as well as "ter", which was used by clergy and meant "father", "lord" (Ter-Petrosyan).
Azerbaijani surnames
The appearance of surnames among Azerbaijanis falls on the beginning of the 20th century - mainly, these are the first years of the establishment of Soviet power in Azerbaijan. Back in the 19th century, the anthroponymic model of Azerbaijanis consisted of the main name and the name of the father. For men, the words “oglu” or “zade” (both meaning “son”) were added to them, for example, Ibrahim Sattar oglu, and for a woman - “kyzy” (“daughter”) - for example, Reyhan Kurban kyzy.
However, such names were typical for representatives of the privileged classes, they were the first to receive surnames since the formation of Soviet Azerbaijan. Ordinary people for some time retained a two-part anthroponymic model - a nickname-distinguisher and a name attached to it: for example, Kechal Mamed ("bald Mamed"), Cholag Abdullah ("lame Abdullah") or Uzun Gasan ("long Gasan").
The first Azerbaijani surnames were often based on the name of the father or grandfather. Such a name was attached without changes, but a word denoting a son or daughter merged with it, for example, Aliaga Selimzade. Similar surnames are found now - Jafaroglu, Safaroglu, Ramazanzade. However, already in the first years of Soviet power, Azerbaijanis began to take Russified variants of surnames - Aliyev, Samedov, Vezirova, Mansurov.
Despite the fact that the vast majority of Azerbaijani surnames are patronymics, occasionally there are surnames associated with the occupation, for example, the surname Vekilov comes from the word “vekil” (“lawyer”, “defender”).
Surnames in which there is the word "khan" - Talishkhanov, Gubakhanov, Shekikhanov imply belonging to a noble family. For example, the surname Bakikhanov originates from the "Baku khans".
Azerbaijani surnames are widely used outside the country. According to the data of the Civil Registry Agency of the Ministry of Justice of Georgia, in 2011 the top five most common surnames in Georgia included two Azerbaijani ones - Mammadov (25,968 people) and Aliyev (17,605 people).
In March 2013, the Azerbaijani Ministry of Justice decided to return Azerbaijani surnames to their original sound. From now on, as before, they will end in “-zade”, “-oglu” and “-kyzy”. This decision was explained in the Ministry by the fact that the Turkic, Iranian and Arabic roots of Azerbaijani surnames do not combine with the Russian suffixes “-ov” and “-ev”.
The emergence of Armenian surnames.
History of Armenian surnames is a relatively new phenomenon. We can say that the surnames of the Armenians were formed in the XIX-XX centuries, when the surname became an indispensable attribute of naming a person. However, even earlier among the Armenians there was the concept of “azganun”, which means the name of the genus, which to some extent replaced the surname. Such names belonged to representatives of the authorities, indicated their place in society or proximity to the royal family.
Etymology of Armenian surnames.
Meaning of Armenian surnames the most varied. Basically, the surnames of Armenians are formed on behalf of an authoritative ancestor with the help of various suffixes. If you look alphabetical list of Armenian surnames, you can notice the advantage of surnames ending in -yan (Petrosyan, Hovsepyan, Chakhalyan, Margaryan). The suffixes -ents, -uni, -unts, -onts (Bagratuni, Adonts, Mamunts, Kalvarents) spoke of belonging to a noble family.
Armenians are a people of artisans, the profession often became a hallmark of the family and formed the basis of the family name (Kartashian-mason, Ekimyan-healer, Zhamagortsyan-watchmaker). There are especially many such surnames among Western Armenians, who for centuries were under the rule of Turkey and firmly occupied the niche of artisans there. Interpretation these Armenian surnames rests on Turkish words - Demirchyan (demirchi-blacksmith), Bardakchyan (bardakchi-potter), Mumdzhyan (mumji-candlemaker).
Dictionary of Armenian surnames includes surnames that were formed on the basis of any signs of a person. For example, Barseghyan means "prolific", Gamburyan is related to the Turkish word "kambur" - humpbacked, and Shishmanyan means "fat".
Some surnames indicated the area where the person came from - Arzumanyan (from the city of Erzrum), Karnetsyan (from the godod of Kartsi), Meletyan (resident of the city of Melet). A special group is formed by surnames with the prefixes "melik" - and "ter" -. The first belonged to the nobility, and the second was used by clergy and had the meaning of "father", "father". In Soviet times, many Armenians abandoned these "titles", but now they are returning the old additions to their surnames - Ter-Petrosyan, Melik-Papashyan.
Transformation of Armenian surnames in Russian.
The close proximity to Russian culture and the residence of many Armenians on the territory of Russia led to the fact that some Armenian surnames changed their ending following the example of Russians - Sargsyan-Sarkis, Ayvazyan-Ayvazov. Such Armenian surnames have generic differences (Sarkisov-Sarkisova). declination such Armenian surnames the same as the Russians. The remaining surnames are the same for men and women and change in cases only in the masculine gender.
Top Armenian Surnames shows which of them are the most widespread and popular.
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General information about African surnames
Romance of Greek surnames
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The natural simplicity of Bulgarian surnames
