What are the names in Russian. Russian names

With personal names, Soviet Jews had some problems (and for those who remained in the CIS, they have remained to this day). Not so that they are very big, they were more serious - but still ... Really, how to name a child? Traditional names like Sarah and Abram, which have been used for millennia, began to sound "off topic", or rather, sound like teasers. I had to adapt to Russian names, but it was not easy either. They did not always successfully combine with the biblical patronymic and traitorous surname.

However, as always, the Jews adapted. They began to prefer common names, therefore, “Russian”, “like everyone else”, but at the same time not quite, with a slight touch of foreignness: Albert, Mark, Arkady, Eduard, Zhanna, Ella ... Or they resorted to sometimes to a little acoustic deception: instead of Moshe, the child was called Misha, instead of Baruch - Boris, instead of Rivka - Rita ... Ordinary Russian names. And at the same time - almost Jewish. No problem.

But what are ordinary Russian names? We will not engage in onomastics, just remember known facts. In most cases, Russian names originate from the Greek language (Nikolai - "winner", Vasily - "king", etc.) or - much less often - from Latin (Valentin - "strong", Innokenty - "innocent"). Russians have so few truly Slavic names that they can be counted on the fingers: Vladimir, Svetlana, Lyudmila, all kinds of “glories” - Svyatoslav, Yaroslav, etc. That, perhaps, is all. Slavic origin other names are doubtful. Oleg (Olga), Gleb, Igor probably came to Russia together with the Vikings. Vadim (“the last Russian Slav”, as Lermontov says) is a Persian name. The non-Russian origin of Russian names is quite understandable: the children were named at baptism by the church, religion came to Rus' from the Greeks, and, of course, the former, “pagan” names were eradicated and replaced by Philip and Alexander. Over time, alien names became so Russified that no one now thinks about their origin and meaning.

Among the many names currently used in Russia, we single out “real Russians”. In our view, these are names coming from the hinterland, from the depths, homespun, simple, Orthodox, folk, not spoiled by fashion, education and foreigners, those that were worn, for example, by the characters of Ostrovsky's plays: Avdey, Agey, Savely, Ivan, Gavrila ... Let's take a closer look at them.

The names were given by the Orthodox Church - that's right. But she named the children in honor of the ancient biblical righteous or saints and martyrs. And these saints, in turn, often received names again in honor of biblical heroes and prophets. The latter, as you might guess, were Jews, and therefore Jewish names penetrated into the Russian (and, of course, not only into Russian) language and firmly dug in there. Russia accepted some of them almost unchanged, while others are not always easy to recognize: at first they changed into the Greek way, then into the Slavic. However, if you look closely, you can guess the prophet Jeremiah in Yerem, and it is much easier to identify Isaiah in Isaiah.

Due to the dissimilarity of languages ​​and the imperfection of translation biblical names often sound in Greek, and then in Russian, not like in Hebrew. The sound "b" usually turns into "c" (Bartholomew, Benjamin); however, in Hebrew there is the same alternation of sounds. The sound "x", transmitted by the letters "het" and "hey", in the Greek-Russian version disappears completely or (as sometimes in Hebrew) is transmitted by the sound "a" ("I"). So, instead of the prophet Eliyahu, Elijah the prophet appears. "F" sometimes turns into "t" or "v". The Greeks did not know how to pronounce the sounds "sh" and "ts", so instead of Moshe they said Moses, instead of Shlomo - Solomon. For the same reason, instead of Shoshana, Russians got Susanna (in other languages ​​- Susanna). In Hebrew, this name comes from the word "shesh" - six (it also got into the Russian language) and means a lovely, clean, white six-petal lily. When I was studying at the institute, we had a girl with this name in our group, and she was very ashamed of him ... With the beginning of emancipation, the Jews began to replace the lily with the "international" sounding Rose; that's why this name was so common somewhere in Odessa.

Now we understand how the name Elisha ("salvation in God") turned into the Russian Elisha, familiar to everyone from Pushkin's fairy tale about dead princess and seven heroes. Here, by the way, to say about the combination of the letters "el", which is often found both at the beginning and at the end of the name.

It means "God". For example, Raphael is "God's healing." In the Russian-Greek tradition, the ending “el” sounds like “silt”: Michael (“who is like God”; the name Micah has the same meaning), Gabriel (i.e. Gavrila), etc. The latter has the word "Gever" - "man" and means "man of God." So the famous lines “Gavrila served as a baker, Gavrila baked rolls” obviously do not fit this name.

This group also includes the name Daniel (Danila) - "Judge of God" (the word "dan" means "judged"). Bible connoisseurs remember how Daniel skillfully judged the incident with Susanna (Shoshana) and the elders, which became the subject of paintings by many first-class painters, including Russians (an infrequent case when biblical story gives a reason to portray the nude female body). Lazarus also belongs to the family on "el" (Eliazar - "helping God").

The unpronounceable name of God is also conveyed by the letter "Hey", which is sometimes preceded by the letter "Yud". In Russian, these letters are not really pronounced, or they sound like the ending “iya” or “ya”: Zakharia (Zakhar) - “remembering God”, Jeremiah (Yeremey) - “exalted by God” (the letters “r” and “m” make up the root of the word "raise"; for example, "frame" - "height"). The name Isaiah (Isai) means "God's salvation" (does Alexander Isaevich Solzhenitsyn know about this?), and Avdey means "God's servant" (in Hebrew, the name Ovadia corresponds to him). Avad is a slave; related to him is the word "avod" - work; however, who in Israel does not know this word?

As they say, where Avdey is, there is Matvey. What does Matvey have in common with scrambled eggs? Nothing. The proverb says so directly: "Do not confuse God's gift with scrambled eggs." Matvey in Greek is called Matthew (for example, "The Gospel of Matthew"). The “f” in Matthew is not “f”, but “phyta”, which in Greek is called “tet” and sounds like “t”. Add to this the indirect designation of the name of God "x", and we get "Matateyahu" - "God's gift." The famous historian Joseph ben Matateyahu, recorded in Roman metrics as Joseph Flavius, would have been listed simply as Joseph Matveevich in a Soviet passport.

Outstanding Artist XVII century Nikitin, who created the world-famous frescoes in the Church of Elijah the Prophet in Yaroslavl, was named Gury. The name is quite common. The most popular vaudeville in Russia is called Lev Gurych Sinichkin. We'll talk about Leo later, and Gury means in Hebrew "puppy", "lion cub". It turns out that Lev Gurych is “a lion is the son of a lion cub”. As if feeling this absurdity, the Leningrad Comedy Theater, which was directed by the wonderful director Akimov, created a vaudeville-shifter "Gury Lvovich Sinichkin". By the way, Akim (Joachim) is also a Jewish name, meaning "set by God" ("kam" - stand up). However, not all names contain the designation of God. For example, the name Agey has its root "hag" - a holiday, and the name Amos (it also now occurs more often in the form of the surname Amosov) - "heavy". Another popular Russian name(and an even more common surname) - Nazar: "abandoned, abstinent." The Hebrew words "minzar" - a monastery, "Nazir" - a monk, etc., belong to the same root.

Those who know at least a little Hebrew can easily understand that the name Saveliy comes from the word "saval" - "endure, suffer." And you don’t need to know Hebrew at all to guess that Savvatey is simply “Saturday”. The hero of Russian epics, the legendary Sadko, also bore a Jewish name. After all, Sadko is a Slavic form of the name Sadok, cognate"tzadik" ("righteous"). The name Benjamin (Benjamin) naturally means "son of right hand”, Semyon (Shimon) - “heard”, Ephraim (Ephraim) - “prolific”, Jonah - “dove”, Babyla - “mixing” (the name of the city in which the legendary “Babylonian pandemonium” took place has the same meaning).

The name Samson, or Sampson, is now out of fashion, but earlier it was very common, and even now it is often found in the form of a surname. In St. Petersburg there is Sampsonievskiy Prospekt, named after the ancient Sampsonievskaya Church. A Russian is buried in her yard statesman Artemy Volynsky, executed under Empress Anna. Then Sampsonievsky Prospekt crossed into Karl Marx Avenue, and now it has become Sampsonievsky again. Samson (Shimshon) - the name is very ancient, perhaps still pagan, and it means "sunny". The main, largest and most famous fountain of Peterhof, built by order of Peter the Great, is sculptural group"Samson Ripping the Lion's Mouth" It symbolizes Russia's victory over Sweden in northern war which gave the Russians access to the Baltic Sea. This is probably the only monument in the world to the legendary Jewish strong man. Could anyone have thought that the hero of the wars against the Philistines would become a symbol of Russia?

If I were a member of some nationalist Russian partnership, this article would not please me. Fortunately (I would think), there is at least one really Russian name, the embodiment of Russia and Russianness. This name was also worn by "the founder of a great power, the Tsar of Moscow Ivan Kalita" (Korzhavin), and Ivan the Terrible, for his violent temper nicknamed the Fourth by the people (as the historian Mark Petrov joked). Ivanushka the Fool, Vanka-Vstanka, Ivan, who does not remember kinship, Ivan's night, shouting all over Ivanovo, Russian Ivan ... How many associations!

But John (Jochanan) is a classical Hebrew name. It is based on the root "khan" ("khen"), meaning "good, joy", and it itself is translated as "God's grace" (the same root and the same meaning for the name Ananiy and a surname derived from it, which are very common in Russia). The name Ivan (like many other Jewish names) entered all European languages ​​in the form of John, Jean, Juan, Johann, etc. Remember how Kozma Prutkov appears (of course, in an ironic context) the philosopher "Ivan-Yakov de Russo "? By the way, "Jacob" means "heel, footprint." Jacob is known to have been Esau's twin, with whom he had a dispute over the birthright. He was supposed to be born first, his heel already appeared, but then it disappeared, and Esau was the first to come out of the womb, and Jacob “followed” him. There are two explanations for this name.

Ivan reminds us that it's time to move on to female names. Why is Ivan here? Communication is very simple. The name Johanan has a female equivalent - Hana (with the same translation). Hana is the Russian Anna. In Ukraine and Poland, this name has retained a form closer to Hebrew - Ganna. I wonder if you thought about it great friend Jews Gogol, giving this name to the clear-eyed heroine of "May Night"?

Anna, as you know, was the mother of the Virgin Mary (Miryam). Also not the rarest Russian name. It probably means "Miss". Mary's friend was Elizabeth (Elisheva - "worshiping God"), the mother of John the Baptist. Millennia later, another Elizabeth replaced another Anna on the Russian throne... However, there are not so many female names in the Bible - hundreds of times less than male ones. This is quite understandable: great book she was primarily interested in the head of the clan and his deeds, the rest of the household was mentioned, as a rule, in passing, in the form of a formula like "and his cattle, and his children, and his wives." True, there are Sarah, and Ruth (Ruth), and Esther in the Russian calendar, but they did not take root on Russian soil, although they are often found in the West. To the named names, one can add only Tamara (“palm tree”), who came from Hebrew to Russia through Georgia, the previously mentioned Susanna, Seraphim (“fiery”) and, perhaps, Paradise.

And finally, one more curious detail. Jewish names sometimes passed into Greek and Latin, and from there into Russian, not only in an explicit, but also in a hidden, translated form. For example, everyone knows the original Russian, and put on the Greek name Fedot. It means "given by God". There is indeed a Russian equivalent of this name, accurately translated from Greek - Bogdan. However, “Fedot” is a translation from Hebrew of the name “Nataniahu”. It is found in Russia (mainly among Jews) in the original form "Nathan". That's really Fedot, but not the one! Similarly, Makar is a translation into Greek name Baruch - "blessed". In the Latin version, this name takes the form Benedict (Benedict). The name Chaim (“life”) sounds in Latin (and in Russian) as Vitaly, etc. It is quite possible that the name “Lev”, common among Jews, is a translation of the name Arye, popular in Hebrew.

IN European languages There is a saying "Change Saul to Paul". Its meaning is approximately such that there is no reason to call the same different names, change the awl for soap. The proverb is based on the fact that once the Roman military leader, the Jew Saul (Saul), having converted to Christianity, took a new humble latin name Paulus ("small, insignificant"); later he became the famous apostle Paul. But should other Jews change their children's names from Saul to Paul? Indeed, Jewish names are no worse than others. And much older. But if, nevertheless, a resident of Moscow or Ryazan "Israel Finkelstein" wants to give his son a real Russian name, let him carefully read this article first.

"REAL RUSSIAN" NAMES

V. Fainberg

With personal names, Soviet Jews had some problems (and for those who remained in the CIS, they have remained to this day). Not so big, they were more serious - but still ...

Really, what is the name of the child? Traditional names like Sarah and Abram, which have been used for thousands of years, began to sound "off topic", or rather, sound like teasers. I had to adapt to Russian names, but it was not easy either. They did not always successfully combine with the biblical patronymic and traitorous surname.

However, as always, the Jews adapted. They began to prefer common names, therefore, “Russian”, “like everyone else”, but at the same time not quite, with a slight touch of foreignness: Albert, Mark, Arkady, Eduard, Zhanna, Ella ... Or they resorted to sometimes to a small acoustic deception: instead of Moshe, the child was called Misha, instead of Baruch - Boris, instead of Rivka - Rita ... Ordinary Russian names. And at the same time - almost Jewish. No problem.

But what are ordinary Russian names? Let's not deal with onomastics, just remember the known facts.

In most cases, Russian names originate from the Greek language (Nikolai - “winner”, Vasily - “king”, etc.) or - much less often - from Latin (Valentin - “strong”, Innokenty - “innocent”). Russians have so few truly Slavic names that they can be counted on the fingers: Vladimir, Svetlana, Lyudmila, all kinds of “glories” - Svyatoslav, Yaroslav, etc. That, perhaps, is all. The Slavic origin of other names is already doubtful. Oleg (Olga), Gleb, Igor probably came to Russia together with the Vikings. Vadim (“the last Russian Slav”, as Lermontov says) is a Persian name.

The non-Russian origin of Russian names is quite understandable: the children were named at baptism by the church, religion came to Rus' from the Greeks, and, of course, the former, “pagan” names were eradicated and replaced by Philip and Alexander. Over time, alien names became so Russified that no one now thinks about their origin and meaning.

Among the many names currently used in Russia, we single out “real Russians”. In our view, these are names coming from the hinterland, from the depths, homespun, simple, Orthodox, folk, not spoiled by fashion, education and foreigners, those that were worn, for example, by the characters of Ostrovsky's plays: Avdey, Agey, Savely, Ivan, Gavrila ... Let's take a closer look at them.

The names were given by the Orthodox Church - that's right. But she named the children in honor of the ancient biblical righteous or saints and martyrs. And these saints, in turn, often received names again in honor of biblical heroes and prophets. The latter, as you might guess, were Jews, and therefore Jewish names penetrated the Russian (and, of course, not only Russian) language and firmly dug in there. Russia accepted some of them almost unchanged, while others are not always easy to recognize: at first they changed into the Greek way, then into the Slavic. However, if you look closely, you can guess the prophet Jeremiah in Yerem, and it is much easier to identify Isaiah in Isaiah.

Due to the dissimilarity of languages ​​and the imperfection of translation, biblical names often sound in Greek, and then in Russian, not like in Hebrew.

The sound "b" usually turns into "c" (Bartholomew, Benjamin); however, in Hebrew there is the same alternation of sounds. The sound "x", transmitted by the letters "het" and "hey", in the Greek-Russian version disappears completely or (as sometimes in Hebrew) is transmitted by the sound "a" ("I"). So, instead of the prophet Eliyahu, Elijah the prophet appears. "F" sometimes turns into "t" or "v". The Greeks did not know how to pronounce the sounds "sh" and "c", so instead of Moshe they said Moses, instead of Shlomo - Solomon.

For the same reason, instead of Shoshana, Russians got Susanna (in other languages ​​- Susanna). In Hebrew, this name comes from the word "shesh" - six (it also got into the Russian language) and means a lovely, clean, white six-petal lily. When I was studying at the institute, we had a girl with this name in our group, and she was very ashamed of him ... With the beginning of emancipation, the Jews began to replace the lily with the "international" sounding Rose; that's why this name was so common somewhere in Odessa.

Now we understand how the name Elisha ("salvation in God") turned into the Russian Elisha, familiar to everyone from Pushkin's fairy tale about the dead princess and the seven heroes.

Here, by the way, to say about the combination of the letters "el", which is often found both at the beginning and at the end of the name. It means "God". For example, Raphael is "God's healing." In the Russian-Greek tradition, the ending “el” sounds like “silt”: Michael (“who is like God”; the name Micah has the same meaning), Gabriel (i.e. Gavrila), etc. The latter has the word "Gever" - "a man and means "man of God." So the famous lines “Gavrila served as a baker, Gavrila baked rolls” obviously do not fit this name.

The name Daniel (Danila) - “Judge of God” belongs to the same group (the word “dan” means “judged”). Bible connoisseurs remember how Daniel skillfully judged the incident with Susanna (Shoshana) and the elders, which became the subject of paintings by many first-class painters, including Russians (an infrequent case when a biblical story gives rise to portray a naked female body). Lazarus also belongs to the family on "el" (Eliazar - "helping God").

The unpronounceable name of God is also conveyed by the letter "Hey", which is sometimes preceded by the letter "Yud". In Russian, these letters are really not pronounced, or they sound like the ending “iya” or “ya”: Zakharia (Zakhar) - “remembering God”, Jeremiah (Yeremey) - “exalted by God” (the letters “r” and “m” make up the root of the word "raise"; for example, "frame" - "height"). The name Isaiah (Isai) means "God's salvation" (does Alexander Isaevich Solzhenitsyn know about this?), and Avdey means "God's servant" (in Hebrew, the name Ovadia corresponds to him). Avad is a slave; related to him is the word "avod" - work; however, who in Israel does not know this word?

As they say, where Avdey is, there is Matvey. What does Matvey have in common with scrambled eggs? Nothing. The proverb says so directly: "Do not confuse God's gift with scrambled eggs." Matvey in Greek is called Matthew (for example, "The Gospel of Matthew"). “F” in Matthew is not “f”, but “phyta”, which in Greek is called “tet” and sounds like “t”. Add to this the indirect designation of the name of God "x", and we get "Matateyahu" - "God's gift." The famous historian Joseph ben Matateyahu, recorded in Roman metrics as Joseph Flavius, would have been listed simply as Joseph Matveevich in a Soviet passport.

Outstanding artist XVII century Nikitin, who created the world-famous frescoes in the Church of Elijah the Prophet in Yaroslavl, was named Gury. The name is quite common. The most popular vaudeville in Russia is called Lev Gurych Sinichkin. We'll talk about Leo later, and Gury means in Hebrew "puppy", "lion cub". It turns out that Lev Gurych is "a lion is the son of a lion cub." As if feeling this absurdity, the Leningrad Comedy Theater, which was directed by the wonderful director Akimov, created a vaudeville-shifter "Gury Lvovich Sinichkin".

By the way, Akim (Joachim) is also a Jewish name, meaning "set by God" ("kam" - stand up). However, not all names contain the designation of God. For example, the name Agey has as its root "hag" - a holiday, and the name Amos (it also now occurs more often in the form of the surname Amosov) - "heavy". Another popular Russian name (and an even more common surname) is Nazar: "abandoned, abstinent." The Hebrew words "minzar" - a monastery, "Nazir" - a monk, etc., belong to the same root.

Those who know at least a little Hebrew can easily understand that the name Saveliy comes from the word "saval" - "endure, suffer." And you don’t need to know Hebrew at all to guess that Savvatey is simply “Saturday”. The hero of Russian epics, the legendary Sadko, also bore a Jewish name. After all, Sadko is a Slavic form of the name Sadok, akin to the word "tsadik" ("righteous"). The name Benjamin (Benjamin) naturally means “son of the right hand”, Semyon (Shimon) - “heard”, Ephraim (Ephraim) - “fertile”, Jonah - “dove”, Babyla - “mixing” (the same meaning has the name the city where the legendary "Babylonian pandemonium" took place).

The name Samson, or Sampson, is now out of fashion, but earlier it was very common, and even now it is often found in the form of a surname. In St. Petersburg there is Sampsonievskiy Prospekt, named after the ancient Sampsonievskaya Church. The Russian statesman Artemy Volynsky, who was executed under Empress Anna, is buried in her yard. Then Sampsonievsky Prospekt crossed into Karl Marx Avenue, and now it has become Sampsonievsky again.

Samson (Shimshon) - the name is very ancient, perhaps still pagan, and it means "sunny". The main, largest and most famous fountain of Peterhof, built by order of Peter the Great, is a sculptural group "Samson tearing apart the mouth of a lion." It symbolizes Russia's victory over Sweden in the Northern War, which gave the Russians access to the Baltic Sea. This is probably the only monument in the world to the legendary Jewish strong man. Could anyone have thought that the hero of the wars against the Philistines would become a symbol of Russia?

If I were a member of some nationalist Russian partnership, this article would not please me. Fortunately (I would think), there is at least one really Russian name, the embodiment of Russia and Russianness. This name was worn by both “the founder of a great power, the Tsar of Moscow Ivan Kalita” (Korzhavin), and Ivan the Terrible, nicknamed the Fourth by the people for his violent temper (as historian Mark Petrov joked). Ivanushka the Fool, Vanka-Vstanka, Ivan, who does not remember kinship, Ivan's night, shouting all over Ivanovo, Russian Ivan ... How many associations!

But John (Johanan) is a classical Hebrew name. It is based on the root "khan" ("khen"), meaning "good, joy", and it itself is translated as "God's grace" (the same root and the same meaning for the name Ananiy and a surname derived from it, which are very common in Russia).

The name Ivan (like many other Jewish names) entered all European languages ​​in the form of John, Jean, Juan, Johann, etc. Remember how Kozma Prutkov appears (of course, in an ironic context) the philosopher "Ivan-Yakov de Russo "?

By the way, "Jacob" means "heel, footprint." Jacob is known to have been Esau's twin, with whom he had a dispute over the birthright. He was supposed to be born first, his heel already appeared, but then it disappeared, and Esau was the first to leave the womb, and Jacob “followed” him. There are two explanations for this name.

Ivan reminds us that it's time to move on to female names. Why is Ivan here? Communication is very simple. The name Johanan has a female equivalent - Hana (with the same translation). Hana is the Russian Anna. In Ukraine and Poland, this name has retained a form closer to Hebrew - Ganna. I wonder if the great friend of the Jews Gogol thought about this when he gave this name to the clear-eyed heroine of May Night?

Anna, as you know, was the mother of the Virgin Mary (Miryam). Also not the rarest Russian name. It probably means "Miss". Mary's friend was Elizabeth (Elisheva - "worshiping God"), the mother of John the Baptist. Millennia later, another Elizabeth replaced another Anna on the Russian throne...

However, there are not so many female names in the Bible - hundreds of times less than male ones. This is quite understandable: the great book was primarily interested in the head of the family and his deeds, the rest of the household was mentioned, as a rule, in passing, in the form of a formula like "and his cattle, and his children, and his wives."

True, there are Sarah, and Ruth (Ruth), and Esther in the Russian calendar, but they did not take root on Russian soil, although they are often found in the West. To the named names, one can add only Tamara (“palm tree”), who came from Hebrew to Russia through Georgia, the previously mentioned Susanna, Seraphim (“fiery”) and, perhaps, Paradise.

And finally, one more curious detail. Jewish names sometimes passed into Greek and Latin, and from there into Russian, not only in an explicit, but also in a hidden, translated form. For example, everyone knows the original Russian, but in fact the Greek name Fedot. It means "given by God". There is indeed a Russian equivalent of this name, accurately translated from Greek - Bogdan. However, "Fedot" is a translation from Hebrew of the name "Nataniahu". It is found in Russia (mainly among Jews) in the original form "Nathan". That's really Fedot, but not the one!

Similarly, Makar is a translation into Greek of the name Baruch - "blessed". In the Latin version, this name takes the form Benedict (Benedict). The name Chaim (“life”) sounds in Latin (and in Russian) as Vitaly, etc. It is quite possible that the name “Lev”, common among Jews, is a translation of the name Arye, popular in Hebrew.

In European languages ​​there is a saying "Change Saul to Paul". Its meaning is approximately such that there is no reason to call the same thing by different names, to change the awl for soap. The proverb is based on the fact that the once Roman military leader, the Jew Saul (Saul), having converted to Christianity, took for himself a new humble Latin name Paulus (“small, insignificant”); later he became the famous apostle Paul.

But should other Jews change their children's names from Saul to Paul? Indeed, Jewish names are no worse than others. And much older. But if, nevertheless, a resident of Moscow or Ryazan "Israel Finkelstein" wants to give his son a real Russian name, let him carefully read this article first.

Middle name is feature, which distinguishes the Russian system of anthroponymy from most modern European ones: in Europe it is represented only by others Eastern Slavs(Belarusians and Ukrainians), as well as Bulgarians and Icelanders (the latter have practically no surnames). The adaptation by Russians of the names of other peoples is usually accompanied by certain phonetic changes, and often by the appearance of a patronymic.

Names, patronymics and nicknames have been known since ancient times. At the same time, ancient sources do not always help to clearly distinguish between pre-Christian names (given from birth) and nicknames (acquired in more late age). Surnames appeared in Rus' rather late and, as a rule, they were formed from the names and nicknames of ancestors. The first in the XIV-XV centuries. acquired the names of princes and boyars. However, even in the 16th century the inheritance of non-princely boyar families was very unstable. Then merchants and clergy began to acquire surnames. In the middle of the XIX century. , especially after the abolition of serfdom in the city, the names of peasants are formed. The process of acquiring surnames was basically completed by the 30s of the XX century.

nominal formula

Compound

There are the following traditionally used components of the Russian anthroponym, from which various models of naming a person can be formed:

• Name- a personal name given at birth, usually one, but in ancient times several names could be given. Diminutive (hypocoristic) name - an informal form of a name, formed from a personal name using certain suffixes or truncation (Maria - Masha - Mashka - Manya - Musya, etc., Alexander - Sasha - Sashura - Shura - Sanya - Shurik - Iskander; Nikolai - Kolya - Kolyusik - Nika, etc.). In modern times, similar formations, bordering on nicknames, are also made from surnames (Kislov - Kisly, Panov - Pan), which is a process historically reverse to the formation of surnames.
• Surname- patronymic, an indication of the name of the father. It has the ending - (c) ich, - (c) on; in ancient times also -ov, -in similarly modern surnames(V Bulgarian it has been preserved).
• Surname- inherited from generation to generation through the male line. Usually, the original Russian surname ends in -ov / -ev (from the bases of the second declension: Petrov, Konev) or -in (from the bases of the first declension: Fomin, Koshkin); less often -th / -th (Rozhdestvensky, Sadovskaya); th (Petrovs); less typical for Russians (unlike other Eastern Slavs) are surnames with zero ending(Beaver, Sparrow, etc.).
• Nickname- an individual name that is not given at birth and is associated with certain characteristic features or events. Ancient times are characterized by a very stable and almost official use of many nicknames (for example, Ivan Kalita, Vasily Esifovich Nos - Novgorod mayor), but even now nicknames are informally widely used, especially in youth social groups, where they can act as actually the main means of nominating a person.

Models

In the most full form Russian name, like full names other peoples, is more often used in official documents and much less often in other situations. In Russia, for its citizens (not only ethnic Russians), these three elements of the anthroponym are mandatory indicated in official documents.

The two-component naming model is the most widely used. It could be:

• name + patronymic- more often used in relation to adults and the elderly or when addressing a person with emphatic respect ( Vladimir Vladimirovich, Alla Borisovna).
• first name + last name- stereotypical form when referring to a person in the third person ( Vasily Kudryavtsev or Vasya Kudryavtsev, Tatyana Smirnova or Tanya Smirnova).
• name + nickname- more often informal naming of a person ( Olga Ryzhaya, Zhora Khomyak).

In informal communication and in the family, a simple personal name is also often used, without any additions, or a diminutive name (hypocoristics). Addressing only by patronymic is colloquial (while the patronymic is usually pronounced in a deliberately simplified form: Mikhalych, Sanych and so on.). Addressing only by last name is common in schools, educational institutions(appeal of teachers to students) and paramilitary organizations and is often not pleasant for the owner of the surname. Also used as a way to roll call.

personal name

The name given to a person at birth and by which he is known in society. IN ancient Rus' distinguished between canonical and non-canonical names.

In the pre-Christian era, that is, almost until the end of the X century. , among the Eastern Slavs (ancestors of modern Russians, Ukrainians and Belarusians), only personal names were used, which were given to children at birth.

Surname

The patronymic as part of the nominal formula performed a triple function: it supplemented the name, distinguishing its owner (in addition to the surname) from the namesake, clarified kinship in the family circle (father - son) and expressed respect (a form of politeness).

The patronymic name arose as a sign of respect, veneration worthy, first in relation to the princes (chronicles of the 11th century) - boyar prince Yuri Alekseevich Dolgorukov, then to eminent boyars, nobles, and under Peter I and distinguished merchants; in the 19th century representatives higher strata societies acquired uniforms for -vich. The patronymic on "ev", "ov", "in" - was received by merchants, on "ets" - the youngest in the family. Along with this, there are records: the gunner Timoshka Kuzmin, the son of Strelkin, the inmate Ivashka Grigoriev, the walking Timoshka Ivanov. Forms like Grigoriev, Ivanov are not surnames yet. They are sometimes called "semi-patronymics", since they are neither Grigoryevich nor Ivanovich. The poor, as a rule, did not have patronymics.

Patronymics, formed from both Russian and non-Russian names, were found in the oldest Russian written monuments - cf. Burchevich, Berendeich (from Turkic generic name Burchi and from the tribal name Berendei). With numerous censuses, it was required to record everyone "by name with fathers and nicknames."

Historically, the patronymic was divided, as it were, into several categories. Kholops did not have it at all. Just noble people received a semi-patronymic: Pyotr Osipov Vasiliev. As for the patronymic in -ich, it has become, as it were, a sign that the person who wears it belongs to the class, aristocratic elite. Thus, -ich stood out from the patronymic, ceased to be a suffix in full and began to be used independently, turning into special term privileges, generosity of persons or estates. -ich began to be perceived as a title, as indicating the generosity of the word "de" (in French), "von" (in German), "van" (in Dutch). In accordance with this provision, vich could be awarded, which was what the Russian tsars did.

However, patronymic forms in -ov / -ev in the 19th century. were used only in clerical speech, in official documents. In informal situations, in everyday life, Russian people called each other by their first names and patronymics in the form that is familiar to us now: the magnificence on -ovich, -evich, -ovna, -evna, -ich, -inichna was not limited. Sometimes it was even used instead of a name (as sometimes it is now), when the speaker wanted to emphasize special respect for a person, to show a shade of affection, love.

Surname

Russian surnames are inherited official names indicating that a person belongs to a certain genus.

The surname, undoubtedly, was the main component of the nominal formula, since it served, in particular, to a clearer awareness of the family affiliation, its expression. As a rule, Russian surnames were single and passed only through the male line (although there were exceptions).

Surnames were usually formed with the help of suffixes from proper and common names, with the majority from possessive adjectives with suffixes -ov (-ev), -in (Ivan - Ivanov, Sergey - Sergeev, Kuzma - Kuzmin, etc.).

In Rus', surnames were formed from the name of the ancestor and patronymic (Ivanov, Petrov); from the place or from the epithet at the place of residence of the ancestor (Zadorozhny, Zarechny); from the name of the city or locality from which the person came (Moskvitin, Tveritin, Permitin); from the profession, the position of the ancestor (Sapozhnikov, Laptev, Prikazchikov, Bondar); from the birth order of the ancestor (Tretiak, Shestak); from ethnic background ancestor (Khokhlov, Litvinov, Polyakov, Tatarinov, Moskalev). More often, surnames were based on the nickname or patronymic of a member of the family, who distinguished himself in some way, moved to another locality, became the owner of an estate or the head of a particularly large family.

In various social strata, surnames appeared in different time. The first in the XIV-XV centuries. acquired the names of princes and boyars. Usually they were given by the names of their patrimonial estates: Tverskoy, Zvenigorodsky, Vyazemsky. Among them are many foreign surnames, especially oriental origin, since many nobles arrived at the service of the king from foreign lands. Methods of education noble families(surnames of ancient noble families and families that served the nobility as ranks after the introduction of the Table of Ranks) were diverse. small group were the names of the ancient princely families, derived from the names of their principalities. Before late XIX V. of these genera, which originated from Rurik, five survived: Mosalsky, Eletsky, Zvenigorodsky, Rostov (the latter usually had double surnames) and Vyazemsky. From the name of the estates came the names of Baryatinsky, Beloselsky, Volkonsky, Obolensky, Prozorovsky, Ukhtomsky and some others.

In the XVIII-XIX centuries. surnames began to appear among servicemen and trading people. They often reflected geographical concepts upon birth. The clergy began to acquire surnames only from the middle of the 18th century, usually formed from the names of parishes (Preobrazhensky, Nikolsky, Pokrovsky, etc.).

IN mid-nineteenth century, especially after the abolition of serfdom in 1861, the surnames of peasants are formed (from the surnames of landowners, names settlements, nicknames, patronymics), and for some they appeared only in the 30s of the XX century.

Nickname

Nicknames, unlike names, always reflect not desirable, but real properties and qualities, territorial or ethnic origin, the place of residence of their carriers and thus indicate the special meaning that these properties and qualities had for others. Nicknames were given to people different periods their lives and were usually known to a rather limited circle of people.

Do not confuse nicknames and pagan Old Russian names. But there is not always a clear distinction between them. This is connected, in particular, with the custom of giving children names formed from ethnonyms, names of animals, plants, tissues and other objects, "protective" names. Apparently, it was about such nicknames that he wrote at the beginning of the 17th century. English traveler Richard James in his diary dictionary:

However, and in currently people can get a semi-official nickname, or come up with one for themselves.

Sometimes the nickname is still used officially today, for example, Alexander Pankratov-Bely and Alexander Pankratov-Cherny.

Literature

• Yu. A. Rylov Romance and Russian anthroponymy
• N. I. Sheiko Russian names and surnames
• V. P. Berkov 2005. Russian names, patronymics and surnames. Usage rules.
• N. I. Formanovskaya Sociocultural space of the Russian personal name and modern facilities mass media
• NM Tupikov Dictionary of Old Russian Proper Names. St. Petersburg, 1903.
• A. V. Superanskaya Dictionary of Russian names
• M. Moroshkin Slavic name-book or a collection of Slavic personal names in alphabetical order. SPb., 1867.
• B. O. Unbegaun Russian surnames / Per. from English. / Common ed. B. A. Uspensky. M., 1989; 2nd ed. 1995; ditto: Unbegaun B.O. Russian surnames. Oxford, 1972.

Footnotes

Links

• Tupikov N.M. Dictionary of Old Russian personal proper names. - M.: Russian way, 2004.
• Women's names, men's names. Complete Orthodox calendar.

Wikimedia Foundation. 2010 .

), as well as among Bulgarians, Greeks and Icelanders (the latter have practically no surnames). The adaptation by Russians of the names of other peoples is usually accompanied by certain phonetic changes, and often by the appearance of a patronymic.

Names, patronymics and nicknames have been known since ancient times. At the same time, ancient sources do not always help to clearly distinguish between pre-Christian names (given from birth) and nicknames (acquired at a later age). Surnames appeared in Rus' rather late and, as a rule, they were formed from the names and nicknames of ancestors. The first in the XIV-XV centuries. acquired the names of princes and boyars. However, even in the 16th century, the inheritance of non-princely boyar families was very unstable. Then merchants and clergy began to acquire surnames. In the middle of the 19th century, especially after the abolition of serfdom in the city, the surnames of peasants were formed. The process of acquiring surnames was basically completed by the 30s of the XX century.

nominal formula [ | ]

Compound [ | ]

There are the following traditionally used components of the Russian anthroponym, from which various models of naming a person can be formed:

• Name- personal name given at birth, usually one, but in ancient times several names could be given. Diminutive (hypocoristic) name - an informal form of a name, formed from a personal name using certain suffixes or truncation (Maria - Masha - Masha - Manya - Musya, etc., Alexander - Sasha - Sashka - Shura - Sanya - Shurik - Sanyok; Nikolai - Kolya - Kolyusik - Kolyan, etc.). In modern times, similar formations, bordering on nicknames, are also made from surnames (Kislov - Kisly, Panov - Pan), which is a process historically reverse to the formation of surnames.
• Surname- patronym, an indication of the name of the father. It has the ending - (c) ich, - (c) on; in ancient times also -ov, -in similarly to modern surnames (this is preserved in the Bulgarian language).
• Surname- inherited from generation to generation through the male line (or through the female). Usually, the original Russian surname ends in -ov / -ev / -ev (from the bases of the second declension: Petrov, Konev, Zhuravlev) or -in / -yn (from the bases of the first declension: Fomin, Sinitsyn); -sky / -sky (Christmas, Vysotsky); -th (Tolstoy, Yarovaya, Lanovoy); less often - them / - x (Russians, Petrovs); less typical for Russians (unlike other Eastern Slavs) are surnames with a zero ending (Beaver, Sparrow, etc.).
• Nickname- an individual name that is not given at birth and is associated with certain characteristic features or events. Ancient times are characterized by a very stable and almost official use of many nicknames (for example, Ivan Kalita, Vasily Esifovich Nos - Novgorod mayor), but even now nicknames are informally widely used, especially in youth social groups, where they can actually act as the main means of nominating a person.

Models [ | ]

In the most complete form (full name), the Russian name, like the full names of other peoples, is not used in oral speech, but is used in official documents. In Russia, for its citizens (not only ethnic Russians), these three elements of the anthroponym are mandatory indicated in official documents. For residents, patronymic is not indicated (in the absence of such), and in the column Name both personal and middle names are indicated. In most cases, a two-component model is used. different forms show different degrees of respect when communicating:

The previous options refer to people you know (with the exception of pseudonyms, for example, Dima Bilan, Natasha Koroleva). The following are more commonly used when we are talking about third parties:

• name + nickname + surname- the American version, popularized by the Comedy Club show and the way of writing the nickname VKontakte ( Timur Kashtan Batrudinov, Dmitry Goblin Puchkov)
• first name + patronymic + last name- respectfully calls a person who has not been mentioned before (for example, introduces him to the audience) ( Alexander Isaevich Solzhenitsyn, Sergei Yurievich Belyakov)
• surname + first name + patronymic- similar to the previous version, but sounds more formal and is used mainly in official documents and alphabetical lists (for example, telephone directories or encyclopedias)

personal name [ | ]

The name given to a person at birth and by which he is known in society. In ancient Rus', canonical and non-canonical names were distinguished.

In the pre-Christian era, that is, almost until the end of the 10th century, among the Eastern Slavs (ancestors of modern Russians, Ukrainians and Belarusians), only personal names were used that were given to children at birth.

The correct name was given great importance. Wrong or derogatory spelling of "someone's name or nickname" could lead to a charge of inflicting "disgrace". In 1675, by royal decree, it was clarified that a mistake in spelling names due to ignorance of “the nature of those peoples in which one was born” is not a crime, and therefore “do not give or seek courts”, however, the guilty could not avoid punishment: for this they were subjected to "commercial execution".

Surname [ | ]

The patronymic as part of the nominal formula performed a triple function: it supplemented the name, distinguishing its owner (in addition to the surname) from the namesake, clarified kinship in the family circle (father - son) and expressed respect (a form of politeness).

The name-patronymic arose as a sign of respect, honoring the worthy; first in relation to the princes (in the annals from the 11th century), then to eminent boyars, nobles, and under Peter I - to distinguished merchants. In the 19th century, representatives of the upper strata of society acquired a uniform for -vich. Patronymics on "ev", "ov", "in" - were received by merchants, on "ets" - the youngest in the family. Along with this, there are entries such as: “gunner Timoshka Kuzmin son of Strelkin”, “inmate Ivashka Grigoriev”, “walking Timoshka Ivanov”; where forms Grigoriev And Ivanov- not yet surnames (so-called semi-patronymics).

Patronymics, formed from both Russian and non-Russian names, were found in the oldest Russian written monuments - cf. Burchevich". During numerous censuses, it was required to write down everyone "by name with fathers and nicknames."

Historically, the patronymic was divided into several categories. Kholops did not have it at all. Just noble people received a semi-patronymic: "Pyotr Osipov Vasilyev." As for the patronymic in -ich, it became, as it were, a sign that the person wearing it belonged to the class, aristocratic elite. Thus, -ich stood out from the patronymic, ceased to be a suffix in full measure and began to be used independently, turning into a special term of privilege, nobleness of persons or estates. -ich began to be perceived as a title, as the words “de” (in French), “von” (in German), “van” (in Dutch) indicate the generosity. In accordance with this provision, vich could be awarded, which was what the Russian tsars did.

Starting from the reign of Peter I - the count "Patronymic" becomes mandatory in all documents.

However, patronymic forms in -ov / -ev in the 19th century were used only in clerical speech, in official documents. In informal situations, in everyday life, Russian people called each other by their first names and patronymics in the form that is familiar to us now: the magnificence on -ovich, -evich, -ovna, -evna, -ych, -ich, -inichna is not limited. Sometimes it was even used instead of a name (as sometimes it is now), when the speaker wanted to emphasize special respect for a person, to show a shade of affection, love.

An archaic feature that has survived to this day is patronymics formed by the direct addition of the suffix -ych / -ich ( Silych, Titych etc.). The same form is present in the colloquial simplified version (Nikolaich, Mikhalych). Similarly, in a colloquial version, they can simplify female patronymics: Nikolaevna, And bath (Mary Ivanna).

Surname [ | ]

Russian surnames are inherited official names indicating that a person belongs to a certain genus.

The surname, undoubtedly, was the main component of the nominal formula, since it served, in particular, to a clearer awareness of the family affiliation, its expression. As a rule, Russian surnames were single and passed only through the male line (although there were exceptions).

Surnames were usually formed with the help of suffixes from proper and common names, and most of them - from possessive adjectives with suffixes -ov (-ev, -ev), -in (Ivan - Ivanov, Sergey - Sergeev, Kuzma - Kuzmin and so on.).

In Rus', surnames were formed from the name of the ancestor and patronymic (Ivanov, Petrov); from the place or from the epithet at the place of residence of the ancestor ( Zadorozhny, Zarechny); from the name of the city or locality from which the person came ( Moskvitin, Tveritin, Permitin); from the occupation or position of the ancestor ( Sapozhnikov, Laptev, clerks, Bondarev); from the birth order of the ancestor ( Druzhinin , Tretyakov, Shestakov); from the ethnic origin of the ancestor ( Khokhlov, Litvinov, Polyakov, Tatarinov, Moskalev). Most often, surnames were based on the nickname or patronymic of a member of the family, who distinguished himself in some way, moved to another area, became the owner of an estate or the head of a particularly large family.

In different social strata, surnames appeared at different times. The first in the XIV-XV centuries acquired the names of princes and boyars. Usually they were given by the names of their patrimonial possessions: Tverskoy, Zvenigorodsky, Vyazemsky. Among them are many surnames of foreign, especially eastern origin, since many nobles arrived to serve the king from foreign lands. The methods of formation of noble families (surnames of ancient noble families and families that served the nobility as ranks after the introduction of the Table of Ranks) were diverse. A small group consisted of the names of ancient princely families, derived from the names of their principalities. Until the end of the 19th century, five of these clans, which originated from Rurik, survived: Mosalsky, Yelets, Zvenigorodsky, Rostov (the latter usually had double surnames) and Vyazemsky. The surnames of Baryatinsky, Beloselsky, Volkonsky, Obolensky, Prozorovsky, Ukhtomsky and some others came from the name of the estates.

IN XVIII-XIX centuries surnames began to appear among servicemen and merchants. They often reflected geographical concepts on the fact of birth. The clergy began to acquire surnames only from the middle of the 18th century, usually formed from the names of parishes ( Preobrazhensky, Nikolsky, Pokrovsky and so on.).

However, even at the moment, people can get a semi-official nickname, or come up with one for themselves.

Sometimes the nickname is still used officially today, becoming a surname (for example, Alexander Pankratov-Bely and Alexander Pankratov-Cherny).

see also [ | ]

Literature [ | ]

• Bondaletov V.D. Russian name list, its composition, statistical structure and features of change (male and female) female names) / V. D. Bondaletov // Onomastics and norm. - M.: Nauka, 1976. - S. 12-46.
• Yu. A. Rylov. Romance and Russian anthroponymy
• N. I. Sheiko. Russian names and surnames
• V. P. Berkov. 2005. Russian names, patronymics and surnames. Usage rules.
• N. I. Formanovskaya. Sociocultural space of the Russian personal name and modern mass media.
• N. M. Tupikov.// Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron: in 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional). - St. Petersburg. , 1890-1907.
• N. M. Tupikov. Dictionary of Old Russian proper names. - St. Petersburg, 1903.
• A. V. Superanskaya. Dictionary of Russian names.
• M. Moroshkin. Slavic name book or a collection of Slavic personal names in alphabetical order. - St. Petersburg, 1867.
• B. O. Unbegaun. Russian surnames / Per. from English. / Common ed. B. A. Uspensky. - M., 1989; 2nd ed. 1995; the same: Unbegaun B. O. Russian surnames. Oxford, 1972.

Russian name is complex formula, in the history of which far from everything is unambiguous. How were names given in Rus', what is the “half-name” phenomenon, and what were the real names of Russian tsars? We'll figure out.

Nicknames

The tradition of giving names in Rus' has developed in pre-Christian times. Any word associated with custom, habits, appearance, environment, could "stick" to a person and become his name. There were several thousand such nicknames, but there were no more than a hundred in wide use. Conventionally, they can be divided into a dozen groups.

Here are some of them. Numerical names - First, Vtorak, Tretiak. Connected with outward signs- Chernyava, Belyak, Malyuta. With character traits - Molchan, Smeyana, Istoma. With wildlife - Bull, Pike, Oak. Or with a craft - Spoon, Blacksmith, Fur Coat. However, with age, such names could be replaced by others - more suitable for a person.

As a special category of nicknames, it is worth highlighting defensive names. In order to avoid the harmful influence of evil spirits or other people, a person was often given a middle name that everyone knew - Nekras, Malice, Kriv. Such an unsightly name, according to popular belief, protected its bearer from the evil eye or damage.

After the appearance of Christian names in Rus', the nicknames did not disappear, but became an addition to the main name. They were used both among the low class, and among well-born people. As an example, we can name Alexander Nevsky, Simeon Polotsky or Ivan Kalita.
Nicknames in Russia were in circulation up to XVIII century, until they were completely banned by Peter I. However, from the 15th century, another process was actively gaining momentum, in which nicknames began to be transformed into surnames.

direct name

In the XIV- XVI centuries in Russia, at birth, it was customary to give direct names in honor of the saint, whose memory was celebrated on this day. Unlike a public Christian name, a direct name was usually used in a narrow circle of close and dear people. So, Vasily III bore the direct name of Gabriel, and his son Ivan the Terrible - Titus.

Sometimes there was a paradoxical situation when siblings could be full namesakes - have the same public and direct name. For example, senior and younger sons Ivan the Terrible was publicly called Dmitry, and in a close circle - Uarami.

The tradition of a direct name originates in the early Rurik family tree, when the Grand Dukes wore both pagan and Christian name: Yaroslav-George (Wise) or Vladimir-Vasily (Monomakh).

The names of the Rurikovich

There were two categories of names in the Rurik dynasty: Slavic two-base names - Yaropolk, Svyatoslav, Ostromir and Scandinavian ones - Olga, Gleb, Igor. Attached to the names high status, and therefore they could belong exclusively to the grand ducal person. It was not until the 14th century that such names came into general use.

It is interesting that the family name could not remain free: if a grandfather died, a newborn grandson was named after him, however, the appearance of simultaneously living namesake brothers in the pre-Mongol period was not allowed.
Later, after the canonization of the Russian Orthodox Church carriers of both Slavic and Scandinavian names, such names began to be considered Christian, for example, Vladimir or Gleb.

Christianization of names

As Christianity strengthened in Rus', gradually Slavic names gone into the past. There were even special lists of banned names, in which a special ban was imposed on those that were associated with a pagan religion, for example, Yarilo or Lada.

The Rurikovichs also had to gradually abandon dynastic preferences in favor of Christian names. Already Vladimir Svyatoslavovich at baptism was given the name Vasily, and Princess Olga - Elena. It is interesting that the sons of Vladimir Boris and Gleb, whose names were subsequently canonized, were baptized respectively Roman and David.

With the spread of printing in Russia, great importance was attached to the spelling of names. A distorted spelling of a name could lead to an accusation of dishonor. However, by a royal decree of 1675, it was clarified that errors in the spelling of names due to ignorance of “the nature of those peoples in which one was born” are not a crime, and therefore “do not give courts and do not look for them.”

Half names

The official use of semi-names in a diminutive-pejorative tone was common in Russia from the 16th to the 18th centuries. Often so called state criminals - Stenka Razin or Emelka Pugachev. It was also obligatory to use a half-name when addressing higher authorities. So, for example, Gregory had to call himself "Grishka, the royal serf." It is known that during the "political masquerade" - the abdication of Ivan the Terrible from the throne - the "former" tsar appeared as "Ivanets Vasiliev".

The names of the Romanovs

During the reign of the Romanov dynasty, there are quite large chronological discrepancies between the birthday and the namesake - up to two months. This is due to the careful selection of the name of the saint, which was determined by genealogical and dynastic preferences.

In the process of "naming" the Romanovs, first of all, they were guided by the customs of their ancestors. This is connected, for example, with the ban on the names of Peter and Paul after the murder Peter III and Paul I. It was quite natural to give names in honor of older relatives. Following this rule, Nicholas I called his four sons the same names and in the same order as his father Paul I.
The renewal of the name of the Romanovs takes place under Catherine II. She introduces new names into the dynastic succession, naming her grandchildren Nicholas (in honor of Nicholas the Wonderworker), Constantine (in honor of Constantine the Great) and Alexander (in honor of Alexander Nevsky). True, over time, with the growth of the Romanov tree, forgotten dynastic names appear - Nikita, Olga, and even those missing in the calendar - Rostislav.

"Ivan, who does not remember kinship"

The name Ivan practically became a household name for a Russian person, and for good reason: until 1917, every fourth peasant in Russian Empire. Moreover, passportless vagrants who fell into the hands of the police often called themselves Ivans, which gave rise to stable expression"Ivan, not remembering kinship."

For a long time, having a Jewish origin, the name Ivan did not apply to ruling dynasty, however, starting with Ivan I (Kalita), four sovereigns from the Rurik dynasty are called by him. The Romanovs also use this name, but after the death of Ivan VI in 1764, it is banned.

paternal succession

The use of a patronymic in Rus' as part of a generic name is a confirmation of the relationship of a person with his father. Noble and simple people called themselves, for example, "Mikhail, Petrov's son." It was considered a special privilege to add the ending “-ich” to the patronymic, which was allowed for people with a high origin. So called Rurik, - for example, Svyatopolk Izyaslavich.

In the "table of ranks" under Peter I, and then in the "bureaucratic list" under Catherine II, various forms patronymic endings (for example, "-ovich" or "-ov"), depending on the person's belonging to a particular class.

From the 19th century, the emerging intelligentsia began to use the patronymic, and after the abolition of serfdom, it was also allowed to be worn by the peasantry. Life modern man is no longer conceivable without a patronymic, and this is not only the strength of traditions - an official respectful form of address, but also a practical necessity - distinguishing people with the same name and surname.