home
Psychosomatics
Name of surnames. The oldest surnames

Name of surnames. The oldest surnames

12.02.2019

It is not so easy to answer the question of when Russians got surnames. The fact is that surnames in Rus' were formed mainly from patronymics, nicknames or generic names, and this process was gradual.

It is believed that the first in Rus' to bear the names of citizens of Veliky Novgorod, which was then a republic, as well as residents of the Novgorod possessions, stretching across the north from the Baltic to the Urals. It happened presumably in the XIII century. So, in the annals for 1240, the names of the Novgorodians who fell in the Battle of the Neva are mentioned: “Kostyantin Lugotinits, Guryata Pineshchinich”. In the annals of 1268, there are the names of "Tverdislav Chermny, Nikifor Radiatinich, Tverdislav Moisievich, Mikhail Krivtsevich, Boris Ildyatinich ... Vasil Voiborzovich, Zhiroslav Dorogomilovich, Poroman Podvoisky." In 1270, according to the chronicler, Prince Vasily Yaroslavich went on a campaign against the Tatars, taking with him "Petril Lever and Mikhail Pineshchinich." As you can see, these surnames had little resemblance to modern ones and were formed, most likely, by patronymics, family or baptismal names, nicknames or place of residence.

Come from the North

Perhaps the most ancient surnames should still be considered surnames ending in the suffixes -ih and -ih. According to experts, they appeared at the turn of I-II millennia and originated mainly from family nicknames. For example, members of the same family could be given nicknames such as Short, White, Red, Black, and their descendants were called in the genitive or prepositional: "Whose will you be?" “Short, White, Red, Black.” Doctor philological sciences A.V. Superanskaya writes: “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.

Historians suggest that these surnames were born in the north, and subsequently spread to central regions Rus' and the Urals. Many such surnames are found among Siberians: this was associated with the beginning of the conquest of Siberia in the second half of XVI century. By the way, according to the rules of the Russian language, such surnames are not inclined.

Surnames from Slavic names and nicknames

There were also surnames that arose from ancient Russian secular names. For example, the surnames Zhdanov and Lyubimov later came from the Slavic proper names Zhdan and Lyubim. Many surnames are formed from the so-called "security" names: it was believed that if you give a baby a name with a negative connotation, it will scare him away dark forces and failure. So from the names-nicknames Nekras, Dur, Chertan, Malice, Neustroy, Hunger came the names Nekrasov, Durov, Chertanov, Zlobin, Neustroev, Golodov.

Noble families

One of the most ancient noble families - Golitsyn - originates from old word"galitsy" ("galitsy"), which meant leather mittens used in various works. Another ancient noble family is Morozov. The first to wear it was Misha Prushanin, who distinguished himself in 1240 in the battle with the Swedes: his name was glorified in the Life of Alexander Nevsky. This clan also became known thanks to the famous schismatic - boyar Fedosya Morozova.

Merchant surnames

In the XVIII-XIX centuries, service people, clergy and merchants began to bear surnames. However, the richest merchants acquired surnames even earlier, in XV-XVI centuries. They were mostly residents northern regions Russia - say, the Kalinnikovs, the Stroganovs, the Perminovs, the Ryazantsevs. Kuzma Minin, the son of the salt-worker Mina Ankudinov from Balakhna, received his own surname already at the turn of the 16th-17th centuries. Often, merchant surnames reflected the occupation of their owner. So, the Rybnikovs traded fish.

Peasant surnames

The peasants did not have surnames for a long time, with the exception of the population of the northern part of Russia, which once belonged to Novgorod, since there was no serfdom there. Take, for example, the "Arkhangelsk peasant" Mikhail Lomonosov or Pushkin's nanny, the Novgorod peasant woman Arina Rodionovna Yakovleva.

Subscribe to our Yandex Zen channel!

They had surnames and Cossacks, as well as the population of the lands that were formerly part of the Commonwealth: the territory of present-day Belarus to Smolensk and Vyazma, Little Russia. Most of the indigenous inhabitants of the black earth provinces had surnames.

Massively assigning surnames to peasants began only after the abolition of serfdom. And some even received surnames only during the years of Soviet power.

Why do some Russian surnames end with "-in", while others end with "-ov"?

Originally Russian surnames are those that end in "-ov", "-ev" or "-in" ("-yn"). Why are they most often worn by Russians?

Surnames with the suffixes "-ov" or "-ev" are, according to various sources, 60-70% of the indigenous people of Russia. It is believed that most of these surnames have a generic origin. At first they came from patronymics. For example, Peter, the son of Ivan, was called Peter Ivanov. After surnames entered official use (and this happened in Rus' in the 13th century), surnames began to be given by the name of the eldest in the family. That is, Ivan's son, grandson, and great-grandson of Ivan were already becoming Ivanovs.

But surnames were also given by nicknames. So, if a person, for example, was called Bezborodov, then his descendants received the name Bezborodov.

Often given surnames according to occupation. The son of a blacksmith bore the surname Kuznetsov, the son of a carpenter - Plotnikov, the son of a potter - Goncharov, the priest - Popov. The same surname was given to their children.

Surnames with the suffix "-ev" were given to those whose ancestors bore names and nicknames, as well as whose professions ended in a soft consonant - for example, the son of Ignatius was called Ignatiev, the son of a man nicknamed Bullfinch - Snegirev, the son of a cooper - Bondarev.

Where did the surnames on "-in" or "-yn" come from?

The second place in terms of prevalence in Russia is occupied by surnames with the suffix "-in", or, less often, "-yn". They are worn by about 30% of the population. These surnames could also come from the names and nicknames of ancestors, from the names of their professions, and in addition, from words ending in “-a”, “-ya” and from nouns female ending in a soft consonant. For example, the surname Minin meant: "son of Mina." Orthodox name Mina was widespread in Rus'.

The surname Semin comes from one of the forms of the name Semyon (the old form of this Russian name is Simeon, which means "heard by God"). And in our time, the surnames Ilyin, Fomin, Nikitin are common. The surname Rogozhin recalls that the ancestors of this man traded matting or made it.

Most likely nicknames or professional pursuits formed the basis of the surnames Pushkin, Gagarin, Borodin, Ptitsyn, Belkin, Korovin, Zimin.

Meanwhile, word-formation experts believe that the surname does not always unambiguously indicate the nationality of a person or his distant ancestors. To determine this with certainty, you must first find out what kind of word it is based on. published .

Irina Shlionskaya

P.S. And remember, just by changing your consciousness - together we change the world! © econet

If earlier linguists, historians and ethnographers were mainly involved in the collection and analysis of family names, now Russian geneticists. Currently, in the laboratory of human population genetics of the State Medical Genetic scientific center The Russian Academy of Medical Sciences is actively engaged in the collection and genogeographic analysis of Russian surnames. First of all, geneticists are interested in the history of the formation of the Russian gene pool, and therefore they studied the distribution of tens of thousands of Russian surnames. This work has not yet been completed, but some results have already been summed up.

Since geneticists are interested in the past of the Russian gene pool, they explore the names of the indigenous inhabitants of the "original" Russian area, that is, the territory on which the formation of the Russian people took place: Central Russia and the Russian North. In this area, they identified eight regions grouped into five regions: Northern (Arkhangelsk region), Eastern (Kostroma region), Central (Kashinsky district of Tver region), Western (Smolensk region) and Southern (Belgorod, Kursk and Voronezh region). In each region, several rural areas were selected and the names of all their adult residents were examined. In total, the names of almost a million rural residents were taken into account and 67 thousand people were found. different surnames. But this list was curtailed, due to the removal of surnames, presumably brought into the "original" area by migrants. This was done as follows: those surnames were left out of sight, the number of carriers of which was less than three. Here I would like to note that if geneticists consulted with local linguists-dialectologists, then it would be possible to leave at least those surnames in the bases of which the words of local dialects can be traced. But be that as it may, after the elimination of the "stray" surnames, 14,428 remained. About 700 thousand out of a million wear them. These names are considered by geneticists as genetic markers in their population studies.

Study of the geography of Russian surnames

During the study of genetics, they made common list all surnames, arranged in descending order of frequency for each of the five regions, as well as a general list. Then we added material for the additionally surveyed Siberian region (Kemerovo region). As it turned out, 250 surnames are used everywhere. Below is just that list. Surnames are listed in descending order of frequency.

However, it should first be noted that Russian geneticists are not pioneers in the study of the geography of Russian surnames. Priority in this area belongs to the prominent Soviet onomatologist V.A. Nikonov (1904-1988). It was he who first discovered that the most frequent surnames of Russians are Smirnov, Ivanov, Popov, Kuznetsov, and outlined the main areas in which these surnames predominate. Of course, V.A. Nikonov studied geographical distribution and many other names of more than 3 million people (he collected materials from the funds of 52 archives). You can read more about this in the book by V.A. Nikonov "Geography of Surnames" (Moscow, 1988).

The top lists of Russian surnames are also not new. The first such list was compiled by B.O. Unbegaun based on the St. Petersburg address book for 1910 ("All Petersburg"), containing almost 200 thousand names. He singled out in a separate list the 100 most frequent, the carriers of which were 31,503 people. This list reflects a mixed ethnic composition former Russian capital. In particular, the surname Schmidt is in 87th place, and Miller is in 75th. The list can be found in the Supplement to B.O. Unbegaun "Russian surnames" (Moscow, 1989).

There are two more frequency lists of Russian surnames, made on extensive material, and on the same one. First, V.A. Nikonov, and then V.A. Mitrofanov identified the frequency of surnames in the telephone directory of Moscow. Both released a list of the 100 most common surnames.

The results of V.A. Nikonov can be found in his article: Nikonov V.A. Russian surnames: Moscow XVI-XX centuries. // ethnic groups in the cities of the European part of the USSR (formation, settlement, dynamics of culture), Moscow, 1987, pp. 5-15.

The results of V. A. Mitrofanov are contained in a much less accessible source, in his Ph.D. thesis: Modern Russian surnames as an object of linguistics, onomastics and lexicography, Moscow, 1995.

So, the list of surnames compiled by Russian geneticists:

1. Smirnov
2. Ivanov
3. Kuznetsov
4. Popov
5. Sokolov
6. Lebedev
7. Kozlov
8. Novikov
9. Morozov
10. Petrov
11. Volkov
12. Solovyov
13. Vasiliev
14. Zaitsev
15. Pavlov
16. Semenov
17. Golubev
18. Vinogradov
19. Bogdanov
20. Sparrows
21. Fedorov
22. Mikhailov
23. Belyaev
24. Tarasov
25. Belov
26. Mosquitoes
27. Orlov
28. Kiselev
29. Makarov
30. Andreev
31. Kovalev
32. Gusev
33. Titov
34. Kuzmin
35. Kudryavtsev
36. Baranov
37. Kulikov
38. Alekseev
39. Stepanov
40. Yakovlev
41. Sorokin
42. Sergeev
43. Romanov
44. Zakharov
45. Borisov
46. Queens
47. Gerasimov
48. Ponomarev
49. Grigoriev
50. Lazarev
51. Medvedev
52. Ershov
53. Nikitin
54. Sobolev
55. Ryabov
56. Polyakov
57. Flowers
58. Danilov
59. Zhukov
60. Frolov
61. Zhuravlev
62. Nikolaev
63. Krylov
64. Maksimov
65. Sidorov
66. Osipov
67. Belousov
68. Fedotov
69. Dorofeev
70. Egorov
71. Matveev
72. Bobrov
73. Dmitriev
74. Kalinin
75. Anisimov
76. Roosters
77. Antonov
78. Timofeev
79. Nikiforov
80. Veselov
81. Filippov
82. Markov
83. Bolshakov
84. Sukhanov
85. Mironov
86. Shiryaev
87. Alexandrov
88. Konovalov
89. Shestakov
90. Kazakov
91. Efimov
92. Denisov
93. Gromov
94. Fomin
95. Davydov
96. Melnikov
97. Shcherbakov
98. Pancakes
99. Kolesnikov
100. Karpov
101. Afanasiev
102. Vlasov
103. Maslov
104. Isakov
105. Tikhonov
106. Aksenov
107. Gavrilov
108. Rodionov
109. Cats
110. Gorbunov
111. Kudryashov
112. Bulls
113. Zuev
114. Tretyakov
115. Saveliev
116. Panov
117. Rybakov
118. Suvorov
119. Abramov
120. Ravens
121. Mukhin
122. Arkhipov
123. Trofimov
124. Martynov
125. Emelyanov
126. Gorshkov
127. Chernov
128. Ovchinnikov
129. Seleznev
130. Panfilov
131. Kopylov
132. Mikheev
133. Galkin
134. Nazarov
135. Lobanov
136. Lukin
137. Belyakov
138. Potapov
139. Nekrasov
140. Khokhlov
141. Zhdanov
142. Naumov
143. Shilov
144. Vorontsov
145. Ermakov
146. Drozdov
147. Ignatiev
148. Savin
149. Logins
150. Safonov
151. Kapustin
152. Kirillov
153. Moiseev
154. Eliseev
155. Koshelev
156. Costin
157. Gorbachev
158. Nuts
159. Efremov
160. Isaev
161. Evdokimov
162. Kalashnikov
163. Kabanov
164. Socks
165. Yudin
166. Kulagin
167. Lapin
168. Prokhorov
169. Nesterov
170. Kharitonov
171. Agafonov
172. Ants
173. Larionov
174. Fedoseev
175. Zimin
176. Pakhomov
177. Shubin
178. Ignatov
179. Filatov
180. Kryukov
181. Horns
182. Fists
183. Terentyev
184. Molchanov
185. Vladimirov
186. Artemiev
187. Guryev
188. Zinoviev
189. Grishin
190. Kononov
191. Dementiev
192. Sitnikov
193. Simonov
194. Mishin
195. Fadeev
196. Komissarov
197. Mammoths
198. Nosov
199. Gulyaev
200. Balls
201. Ustinov
202. Vishnyakov
203. Evseev
204. Lavrentiev
205. Bragin
206. Konstantinov
207. Kornilov
208. Avdeev
209. Zykov
210. Biryukov
211. Sharapov
212. Nikonov
213. Schukin
214. Dyachkov
215. Odintsov
216. Sazonov
217. Yakushev
218. Krasilnikov
219. Gordeev
220. Samoilov
221. Knyazev
222. Bespalov
223. Uvarov
224. Checkers
225. Bobylev
226. Doronin
227. Belozerov
228. Rozhkov
229. Samsonov
230. Butchers
231. Likhachev
232. Burov
233. Sysoev
234. Fomichev
235. Rusakov
236. Strelkov
237. Gushchin
238. Teterin
239. Kolobov
240. Subbotin
241. Fokin
242. Blokhin
243. Seliverstov
244. Pestov
245. Kondratiev
246. Silin
247. Merkushev
248. Lytkin
249. Turov

What are the oldest surnames? Very interest Ask, I'll tell you. With the development of the economy, in certain countries there was a need for surnames. First of all, in order to recognize one or another person among the many names. Merchants with different countries, could look for a person who wanted to purchase a product for many years. In order to speed up the search, surnames were invented. Each person had his own individual surname (each person had the right to choose a surname that he liked), by which he could be found! Despite the fact that many people assumed that each person would have their own last name, the number of people with the same last name increased every year. Some managed to convey their surname to our times, others have lost this value forever.
Today I am going to talk to you about the oldest surnames that were thought out many centuries earlier ...
According to historians, the most ancient surnames are Vyatsky. This merchant land became the founder of surnames. Here people first gave themselves surnames. Despite the fact that the first mention of surnames there dates back to the seventeenth century, the surnames themselves appeared much earlier. In ancient libraries, manuscripts of chroniclers were found, who wrote the words that every person in his family has a surname. From Vyatka, in turn, people left for other countries. The first people who have one of the most ancient surnames are Cheosim Perminov and Alexander Ryazantsev. People different nationality were in this country. To compile lists of people who lived in the city, special people were recruited. It was their responsibility to constantly update information about new names. These people enjoyed great respect, for which they received the name "Tolmachev".
One of the most ancient surnames is considered to be Golitsyn. Her roots, latest information grew in the fifteenth century. According to scientists, it originated from ancient word- "Galitsy", which then meant - "Leather mittens for work." It is still considered one of the oldest in the world. This surname has survived to this day. Many famous people now they bear the surname Golitsyn (for example, the editor of textbooks Yuri Golitsyn). The surname belonged to the noble family for a long time, but was soon borrowed by the boyars. Later, with the abolition of "serfdom", the surname was assigned to many peasants. After this moment, it spread greatly in Rus'.
There are a lot of surnames that happened a very long time ago. Most of the ancestors were from noble family. Now there is approximately one third of the number of surnames that was from the very beginning. Gradually, the surnames moved to the countries of Europe, Asia, and after a few years and New World was under their control.
Another one ancient surname, originated in China. Min. It was this surname that most Chinese and Koreans had. It is very common in Asia only because of this fact. In the libraries of ancient Korea, information was found that the ancient emperor of the Ming dynasty had this surname as early as the sixteenth century.
One Russian surname is also one of the most ancient in the whole world. Kalita. Back in the seventeenth century given surname was known to most of the illiterate laborers. In ancient Rus' it has long been customary to celebrate winter holiday"Kalyatu". Men rode on sleighs, shouting "Kalyata-Kalyata", and women baked pies in order to appease the hard workers passing by. For diligence and kindness, many men called women the affectionate name "Kalyata". As a result, it became boring, and even later it became a surname.
Ancient surnames came to us from Italy. Some surnames are said to have existed there as early as the eleventh century. How reliable these data are, we do not know. The economic spheres of the country developed at a breakneck pace and all this prompted Italy to start giving people surnames. They made it clear what man goes speech. One of the oldest surnames in Italy is Rossi. Scientists say that the surname came from the word "Rose", which meant faith, renunciation of hell, etc. Later, this surname began to gain momentum, and by our time, about a million people bear this surname. According to historians, back in the twelfth century there were quite a lot of "Rossi". The surname was rapidly gaining momentum and went beyond the borders of the state.
One of the oldest surnames originated in Denmark. "Dani" - that's how they called people who from time immemorial lived and worshiped the country. approximate date family origin, seventeenth century. Although some scientists do not agree with this belief. There is unofficial information that a certain Albama Dani ( major figure countries), lived as far back as the fifteenth century! But these data are not considered reliable, because there are no facts that given literature may be true from a scientific point of view.
One of the oldest surnames in Russia is Morozov. If you believe historical literature then, the Morozovs existed as early as the seventeenth century. This surname happened due to Russian frosts. Since it was the frosts that bothered the inhabitants most of all ancient Rus', and this gave rise to the surname. The seventeenth centuries were especially cold, because then the well-known Issyrian global cooling occurred. Despite the fact that many scientists refute this theory, the fact is a fact. The surname Morozov appeared in the mid-thirties of the 17th century.
As one work colleague (Vladimir Kuvshinin) told me, according to Nizhny Novgorod historians, one of the oldest surnames is Konovalov and its derivatives. In ancient Rus' - approximately the twelfth century - there were estates that fiercely and violently discussed economic development countries. There was a so-called "irreligious" community that strongly rejected the version that our earth came into existence thanks to a being (God) whom we had never even seen. According to them, the reconstruction of the earth with the help of a heavenly spirit is not possible, and in order to take a step to a new stage of development, we had to immediately abandon stereotypes. They gave themselves the "surname" Konovalov (or rather Konvalov), which then meant "Renunciation of God." All members of this estate were later burned at the stake, so that the ideas that they propagated would slow down spiritual development countries. And the surname Konovalov in the process remained in Rus'. That's just for a long time no one dared to wear it (for obvious reasons).
One Italian last name, Ferrari, very old. It appeared around the thirteenth century (the exact date is being specified by historians). Until the eighteenth century, it was not very common, but later, almost all the people of Italy bore this surname. The roots have grown since the very times when Italy was a powerful power, with a powerful domestic market and army. Scientists still cannot say how this surname came about. Some argue that "Fera" is a spherical space (that is, our land), others generally say that this surname was formed from the nickname "Iferan", which then meant a tyrant. But such a version is almost impossible, rack given nickname It was only for a very small circle of people. Subsequently, memories of this nickname generally evaporated. Few knew about the existence of the nickname, which once again proves that the surname "Ferrari" originated in a different way.
Kuznetsov, oddly enough, is also an old surname. Still would! This surname originated in ancient Rus', when working men were held in high esteem not only by the poor, but also by princes in general. The oldest profession that many men have tried to comprehend. The blacksmiths were masters of their craft. Their history goes back about five thousand years. Yes, don't be surprised. The times when people already forged iron, made fire-resistant swords and maces, have been known for a long time. The old and sought-after profession was always in fashion and enjoyed wild popularity. All this was enough to recreate the name Kuznetsov. The first data about this surname were available in the seventeenth century! For more than three hundred and fifty years the Kuznetsovs have been walking on our planet! It is still considered one of the oldest in all of Rus'. Historians will also agree with this fact - for many facts prove the depth of the growth of the roots of the surname - both from low level, and up to the highest level knowledge.
Do you all know the famous Shapir uprising? These were people who fought for the freedom and ideals of their country. This story is as deep as the earth. More than one thousand five hundred years have already passed since the Shapirovites accepted the uprising. One could easily call her the oldest surname, if not for one thing! Is it even a surname? It is possible that the Protestants chose a certain indefinite nickname "Shapir" as their posthumous nickname, but can it be correlated with the surname? Perhaps, but it’s hardly possible to name a specific date from which the countdown to surnames began. If you choose that time, then the surnames are already more than one and a half thousand years old! True, scientists reject this version, because there are very few facts that would confirm the veracity of this theory.
In the annals of one thousand six hundred and thirty-three years, much attention was paid to the names of Fedorov. This year is considered the beginning of this family name. Why is this name so old? According to various sources, at that time in Rus' the nickname “Fedor” was widespread. At that time, this name was wildly popular. Many saints bore this surname, which gave rise to the formation of the Fedorov surname. It began to gain momentum in 1901, when the number of Fedorovs almost doubled in ten years! The roots of this surname grew almost four hundred years ago! Why not call this last name the oldest?
The surname Dzhunkovsky has very long roots. It was first mentioned in Mongolia. In the sixteenth century, a certain Khan "Junga" first laid the roots of this surname. This surname is very interesting story. Later, from Khan Jungi, the surname was passed on to his son. For people to grow up rich family who didn't need the money. Calling the court ladies to him, the khan quickly replenished his family. Later, this surname was mentioned on the territory of Ukraine (it did not exist directly then) in the seventeenth century. A few years later - in Slovenia, Yugoslavia, etc. Around the nineteenth century, the surname also appeared in Russia. These people were from a noble family, but not as cruel as the rest of the serfs. The Dzhunkovskys are creative people, which is why they were known. In the twentieth century, Sergiy Dzhunkovsky wrote a book about the "First World War", for which he was awarded a military award. Now there are very, very few people with this surname. There is evidence that people with this surname live on the territory of the Kazakh SSR. Despite such deep roots (fifteenth century), the surname did not spread widely enough. One might even say that it did not spread at all.
The concept of the meaning of the surname developed in the seventeenth century. Here is what was found in one of the libraries of Rus'. It talked about "The meaning of a different surname" ...
This is the surname, there is the generic name of the baby at his birth into the light of day. Passed down through hereditary blood from generation to generation.
Now it is difficult to imagine a world without surnames. A surname is something that will always be with you, from death itself. Like any value, it must be loved and respected, and most importantly, know about it!
Now let's talk about the surname, Gavrilov. People have long said a lot about people with this surname. Scientists believe that this surname appeared already in the seventeenth century. And, despite not belonging to any kind, type of activity, it was very popular. The first mention of this surname is set out in the annals, which speaks of one thousand seven hundred and twenty-second. And this is even earlier than, say, the surname Morozov or Kalyata. The surname Gavrilov appeared thanks to the name "Gavrila". Thanks to the common name, a patronymic appeared, and then, in turn, a surname. If you do not find reliable facts that the surname "Kalyata" was invented precisely at the beginning of the seventeenth century, then this surname can rightly be considered the oldest one that exists in Russia today.
The surname Marta originated about four hundred years ago. The country where this surname originates is France. This surname was given to all girls who were born in March. According to the latest data, people with this surname walked the earth at the very end of the fifteenth century, and to be precise, in the year 1598. After the country's economy developed strongly, France decided to follow the example of Italy. After this point, France already had its own surnames. But according to the latest data, as soon as the first hint of a surname appeared in Italy in the eleventh century, immediately after that, close countries received the right to choose their own surname. That's just where the gap of three hundred years came from, we do not know. If you dig a little more precisely into the information, then this question can be more accurately answered. But only France is not particularly open to other countries, and scientists are in no hurry to talk too much on this topic (although they offer solid money, new cooperation). There is an assumption that the surname Rossi, which was formed in Italy, was borrowed by Spain and France in particular. Later, Rossi in France became Rosy, with the accent on the second syllable. But after one internal crisis, all carriers of this surname were destroyed. Even if someone remained alive, they soon died of poverty and hunger. Recall that then this strange "crisis" almost undermined the French economy as a whole!
Even despite the fact that most of the Smiths live in America (and this is more than two million people), this does not at all prevent the surname from being old. After all, if you delve into history, then this surname was more likely invented in England than the colonies of America. If, nevertheless, the Americans became the founders of such a surname, then it will be difficult to attribute it to the old one, but if you trust the majority, then we can say with confidence that the roots of this surname grew in the seventeenth century. To be precise, in the seventies. If you find a couple of facts that confirmed the veracity of this theory, then you can safely attribute the name "Smith" to one of the oldest in the whole world.
The well-known surname Chan (which is carried by one hundred million people) occurred a very long time ago. Still, it's no wonder she's so popular. This surname appeared in the Sochuan province of China "Africa" (not to be confused with the mainland!). Being in the fourteenth century, Mr. "Chen", he thought that it would be nice to spread this nickname among the rest of the inhabitants of the province (so that he then sold clothes, but did not receive much). After he posted special flyers of their rice paper all over the area, his name became known as your ocean. This store was popular, and the name "Chen" wished to carry other residents of the province. After the thirties (the date may be slightly inaccurate) of the fourteenth century, the surname "Chan" became fashionable. Even then, the surname itself could not exist in principle, but there were more and more people who wanted to. The country's economy last years increased greatly. The export of goods to Europe also increased. China has become one of the leading places in the world. The economy was growing, which required an immediate decision to introduce surnames. One of the first surnames was "Chan". The approximate date is the fifteenth century, the beginning of the sixteenth. The surname is considered one of the oldest in the world. Despite this achievement, the surname is also the most common.
The surname "Li" was also very popular in Southeast Asia. Once the government decreed that every Chinese citizen should have their own last name, most people chose that last name. First, because of its simplicity and ease of pronunciation. Secondly, the meaning of the surname itself. Let me remind you that most scientists are inclined to the version that this surname was formed from the word "Lin", which meant cotton fabric. As a rule, people who worked on the creation of this fabric have always been held in high esteem, which made this surname very, very promising. After the sixteenth century, the surname became very popular, according to the Nizhny Novgorod historical club. But who knows when the very person who first decided to take this surname lived? Perhaps a hundred years earlier? Maybe more? It is a pity that many scientists cannot find the answer to this question.
As you have already noticed, the oldest surnames were usually worn by residents of East Asia and South-East Asia. But the next surname, which, according to the latest data, happened back in the seventeenth century, was born in the land of the rising sun. Japanese surname- "Jin". If you believe the chronicle of Igor Zlatoumov, written in the eighteenth century, then some residents invaded the possessions of the Russian principality. They were merchants from Japan. They were treated appropriately. Having learned that they crossed the sea and passed the entire border of China, our countrymen decided to keep the data about the merchants forever. This is how the first data about the surname "Jin" appeared. One of the main merchants just bore this interesting surname. Perhaps the surname occurred earlier, but it is impossible to say for sure, because there are very, very few facts.
And the last surname that we will talk about is Zakharov. Can you imagine, this surname appeared even earlier than the surname - Romanov! The Zakharov dynasty, of course, was a very long time ago, and many historians from all over the world can confirm this fact. If we consider that the surname Romanov occurred in the seventeenth century, then the surname Zakharov occurred much earlier. Maybe three generations, maybe even four. The surname Zakharov - which has been living for more than four hundred years, came from the word "Witch Doctor". At that time in Rus' she was extremely famous. Thanks to many chronicles and information that scientists have collected, it can be said with confidence that the surname Zakharov is one of the oldest not only in Russia, but throughout the world.

Novgorod surnames

So, in the annals for 1240, the names of the Novgorodians who fell in the Battle of the Neva are mentioned: “Kostyantin Lugotinits, Guryata Pineshchinich”. In the annals of 1268, there are the names of "Tverdislav Chermny, Nikifor Radiatinich, Tverdislav Moisievich, Mikhail Krivtsevich, Boris Ildyatinich ... Vasil Voiborzovich, Zhiroslav Dorogomilovich, Poroman Podvoisky." In 1270, according to the chronicler, Prince Vasily Yaroslavich went on a campaign against the Tatars, taking with him "Petril Lever and Mikhail Pineshchinich."

As you can see, these surnames had little resemblance to modern ones and were formed, most likely, by patronymics, family or baptismal names, nicknames or place of residence.

Come from the North

Perhaps the most ancient surnames should still be considered surnames ending in the suffixes -ih and -ih. According to experts, they appeared at the turn of the 1st-2nd millennia and originated mainly from family nicknames. For example, members of the same family could be given nicknames such as Short, White, Red, Black, and their descendants were called in the genitive or prepositional case: “Whose will you be?” “Short, White, Red, Black.” Doctor of Philology A.V. Superanskaya writes: “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.

Historians suggest that these surnames were born in the north, and subsequently spread in the central regions of Rus' and the Urals. Many such surnames are found among Siberians: this was associated with the beginning of the conquest of Siberia in the second half of the 16th century. By the way, according to the rules of the Russian language, such surnames are not inclined.

Surnames from Slavic names and nicknames

There were also surnames that arose from ancient Russian secular names. For example, the surnames Zhdanov and Lyubimov later came from the Slavic proper names Zhdan and Lyubim. Many surnames are formed from the so-called "security" names: it was believed that if you give a baby a name with a negative connotation, this will scare away dark forces and failures from him. So from the names-nicknames Nekras, Dur, Chertan, Malice, Neustroy, Hunger came the names Nekrasov, Durov, Chertanov, Zlobin, Neustroev, Golodov.

Noble families

Only later, in the XIV-XV centuries, surnames began to appear among princes and boyars. Most often they were formed from the name of the inheritance owned by the prince or boyar, and subsequently passed on to his descendants: Shuisky, Vorotynsky, Obolensky, Vyazemsky. Some of the noble families came from nicknames: Gagarins, Humpbacked, Eyed, Lykovs, Scriabins. Sometimes the surname combined the name of the inheritance with the nickname, such as Lobanov-Rostovsky. One of the most ancient noble families - Golitsyn - originates from the ancient word "golitsy" ("galitsy"), which meant leather gloves used in various works. Another ancient noble family is Morozov. The first to wear it was Misha Prushanin, who distinguished himself in 1240 in the battle with the Swedes: his name was glorified in the Life of Alexander Nevsky. This clan also became known thanks to the famous schismatic - boyar Fedosya Morozova.

Merchant surnames

In the XVIII-XIX centuries, service people, clergy and merchants began to bear surnames. However, the richest merchants acquired surnames even earlier, in the 15th-16th centuries. Basically, these were again residents of the northern regions of Russia - say, the Kalinnikovs, Stroganovs, Perminovs, Ryazantsevs. Kuzma Minin, the son of the salt-worker Mina Ankudinov from Balakhna, received his own surname already at the turn of the 16th-17th centuries. Often, merchant surnames reflected the occupation of their owner. So, the Rybnikovs traded fish.

Peasant surnames

Massively assigning surnames to peasants began only after the abolition of serfdom. And some even received surnames only during the years of Soviet power.

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

Russian names and surnames

To determine the origin of a person's genus, his passport data is used. The key points are the root of the word, which forms Russian names and surnames. They differ in prevalence. By sound, you can determine the eminence of the family or the belonging of ancestors to different social groups and castes of society: peasants, boyars, clergy. The etymology of some includes archaisms and strange foundations; you can use the reference book to determine these yourself.

Origin

Derivatives and roots can originate from the nicknames of ancestors, funny nicknames, names, activities. The origin of Russian surnames, in most cases, is unraveled in its etymology. You should be interested in this clue, because through it you can find out about an outstanding ancestor or eminent family. For those who want to determine the origins of their family nickname, there are alphabetical collections that are replenished and updated annually; on their pages, almost everyone can find out the history of their name.

The most popular derivatives:

On behalf of the ancestor (whose? whose will you be?) - Ivanov, Sidorov, Kuzmin, Petrov.
From geographical names - Vyazemsky, Stroganov, Smolensky.
From the nicknames of the representatives of the clergy - Rozhdestvensky, Preobrazhensky, Assumption.
From the names of plants and animals - Sokolova, Orlova, Hare, Lebedev, Golubev.
From count and boyar titles - Minin, Tikhomirov, Tikhonravov, Godunov.

Meaning

Etymology and the formation of a proper genus name are of interest to an increasing number of people. The meaning of Russian surnames is found out when determining the root part of the word, it indicates the meaning. The meaning of family names like Bondarev, Kovalev, Shevtsov - indicate the craft that someone from the family was engaged in. Muzzle, Stoyan, Brave - on external or internal characteristics individual person. All members of the family were called by the nickname of the head of the family, and this was passed down from generation to generation.

When did surnames appear in Russia

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

How many surnames in Russia

The study of these data is still in question. An absolutely correct numerical value has not been deduced that could answer exactly the question of how many surnames exist in Russia today. Researchers undertook such a difficult task only a few times, about 250 thousand meanings are officially included in the collection, and these lists are constantly updated with new forms of nicknames once given.

Declension of surnames in Russian

Rules Russian language strictly determine the spelling and pronunciation of passport data. The declension of surnames in Russian occurs according to the following basic rules: standard ones are declined as adjectives, and foreign origin- as nouns. Do not bend over zero ending, or ending in a consonant (Bondar, Nitsevich, Ponomar), ending in -o (Petrenko, Shevchenko, Kovalenko), foreign ones in -a, -ya (Varnava, Okidzhava, Zola).

The most common surname in Russia

Boris Ubenhaun was the first to start compiling a directory that lists the names of Russia. There are collected various variations due to the transformation process. folk nicknames. Each position has an explanation (highlighted parts of word formation that explain the essence of a particular word). There are positions that can be found more often, there are those that are very rare. The data were taken on the basis of the census of the population of the city of St. Petersburg.

Common surnames in Russia:

Vladimirov;
Sergeev;
Petrov;
Ivanov.

Beautiful Russian surnames

There are people whose generic nicknames enchant with their sound. These include those derived from place names or long nicknames given to church officials. Such an etymology is rare, it sounds aristocratically melodious. Many people change the birth data in the passport in order to get a beautiful name that stands out from the crowd. Lucky among the people are those to whom it was inherited.

Most beautiful surnames in Russia:

Preobrazhensky;
Caesar;
Christmas;
Vyazemsky;
Uspensky.

Slavic

There are genus names that originated from the ancient Slavs. These nicknames are very rare and therefore valuable to historians. Their small number is due to the fact that derivatives originate from the names pagan gods or old Slavic names. With the advent of Christianity, such nicknames were categorically banned, people were massively baptized and renamed, because those who still have them to this day are a godsend, a prime example pagan culture.

Old Slavic surnames, examples:

Yarilo;
Dovbush;
Putyata;
Lada;
Saint;
Dobrynin;
Peaceful.

According to a population census conducted in the 1980s, former USSR, about 50% of the rural and 35% of the urban population have generic nicknames formed on the basis of patronymics with the addition of suffixes. This study is recognized as the highest quality and most detailed up to our times. Popular Russian surnames: Sidorov, Smirnov, Kuzmin, Vasiliev. The second place in frequency is occupied by nicknames that indicate the type of activity: Kuznetsov, Bondarev, Reznikov, Khlebnikov, etc.

Rare Russian surnames

It is difficult to compile a reliable list that includes all positions. But the main ones have been selected. It is not often possible to meet people who have a family nickname that coincides completely with a geographical name or is formed from a combination of two words. Few of those who were lucky enough to become the namesake of famous historical figures and heroes literary novels.

Rare surnames in Russia:

Astrakhan;
Kamchatka;
Eibogin;
Krutiperets;
Crusoe;
Karenin.

funny

Sometimes among acquaintances there are family nicknames that involuntarily cause a smile with their comicality. They surprise fellow citizens, and especially foreigners, with their pronunciation, they consist of the addition of the foundations of any nouns or verbs, they can denote a funny or strange action, name objects whose name sounds strange in human name. A person who has to wear them can hardly be called lucky.

Funny Russian surnames:

Kostogryzov;
Mozgoedov;
Popkin;
Rzhach;
Login;
Khachapuri;
Govnodedov;
Snot.

Russian noble families

Their owners can be sure of high title someone of their kind, they were assigned exclusively to nobles, boyars, high-ranking officials. People close to high positions and ruling power. They can also be merchants. The presence of such titular nicknames among the peasantry, a worker from the common population or artisans is excluded, their mere presence spoke of a high social status its owner.

Russians noble families:

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

Old Russian

This term denotes not only Old Slavonic nicknames from the times of paganism, but also those that, by their etymology, denote obsolete concepts and words. ancient usage eradicated from current speech. Interesting to consider generic nicknames that call the old monetary units, household items, crafts not found in modern world. All these signs indicate the prescription of the genus and the roots that go far.

Old Russian surnames:

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

Rating of surnames in Russia

The top 100 items have been compiled, which can often be found in the passports of fellow citizens. All of them were selected based on the directory and ordered during the census during the year. This information will be especially interesting for girls, because everyone wants to meet her man and get married. Statistics show that 89% of women switch to a male generic nickname when they get married. Such a top will clearly show the most likely options that everyone can face. The section includes 10 first positions.

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

Famous Russian surnames

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

Famous Russian surnames: