Among others, recognizing Georgian surnames is quite easy. They are distinguished by characteristic structuring and, of course, famous endings. Surnames are formed by merging two parts: the root and the ending (suffix). For example, a person who is well versed in this topic can easily determine in which area certain Georgian surnames are common.
Origin
The history of the country has several millennia. In antiquity, it had no name, and Georgia was divided into 2 regions: Colchis (western) and Iberia (eastern). The latter interacted more with its neighbors - Iran and Syria - and practically did not contact Greece. If in the 5th century Georgia adopted Christianity, then by the 13th century they were talking about it as a powerful country with reliable ties with the European continent and the East.
The history of the country is saturated with the struggle for sovereignty, but, despite the difficulties, the people were able to create their own culture and customs.
It is generally accepted that real Georgian surnames should end in "-dze", and they come from the parental case. But a person with a surname ending in "-shvili" (translated from Georgian - "son") was added to the list of those who did not have Kartvelian roots.
If the interlocutor's generic name ended in "-ani", people knew that in front of them was a representative of a noble family. By the way, Armenians have surnames with a similar suffix, but it sounds like "-uni".
Georgian surnames (male) ending in "-ua" and "-ia" have Mingrelian roots. There are many such suffixes, but they are rarely used now.
List by region
Like it or not, but still in Georgia, the most common are surnames ending in "-shvili" and "-dze". Moreover, the last suffix is the most common. Often people with a surname ending in "-dze" can be found in Imereti, Guria and Adjara. But in the eastern region there are practically none.
At the moment, surnames on "-dze" are attributed to old pedigrees, respectively, "-shvili" - to modern or young ones. The latter (the suffix also translates as "born") are widespread in Kakheti and Kartli (eastern regions of the country).
The meaning of some surnames
A special group of generic names are those that have the following endings:
- - children;
- -ati;
- -iti;
- -ate.
For example, Rustaveli, Tsereteli. Also, the list of the most common surnames in Georgia includes Khvarbeti, Chinati and Dzimiti.
Another group consists of surnames ending in "-ani": Dadiani, Chikovani, Akhvelidiani. It is believed that their roots belong to the famous Migrelian rulers.
Surnames ending in:
- -uli;
- -uri;
- -ava;
By the way, among them there are many famous, stellar ones: Okudzhava, Danelia, etc.
The suffix "-nti" with Chan or Svan origin is considered a rare specimen. For example, Glonti. They also include surnames containing the participial prefix "me-" and the name of the profession.
Translated from the Persian nodivan - "council", and Mdivani means "clerk", Mebuke - "bugler", and Menabde - "making cloaks". The surname Amilakhvari is of the greatest interest. Having a Persian origin, it is a non-suffix formation.
Building
Georgian surnames are built according to certain rules. During the baptism of a newborn child, he is usually given a name. Most of the surnames begin with him, and the necessary suffix is subsequently added to it. For example, Nikoladze, Tamaridze, Matiashvili or Davitashvili. There are many such examples.
But there are also surnames formed from Muslim (more often Persian) words. For example, let's study the roots of the surname Japaridze. It comes from the common Muslim name Jafar. Dzapar means "postman" in Persian.
Quite often, Georgian surnames are tied to a specific area. Indeed, often their first carriers became at the origins of the princely family. Tsereteli is one of them. This surname comes from the name of the village and the fortress of the same name, Tsereti, located in the northern region of Zemo.
Russification of some Georgian surnames
Despite the length and unusual combination of letters and sounds, Georgian surnames that penetrated into Russian linguistics (in particular, onomastics) were not distorted. But, as practice shows, sometimes, albeit very rarely, there are cases when Russification occurred: Muskhelishvili turned into Muskheli.
Some surnames have suffixes uncharacteristic for Georgia: -ev, -ov and -в. For example, Panulidzev or Sulakadzev.
Also, when Russifying some surnames into "shvili", a reduction often occurs. Thus, Avalishvili turns into Avals, Baratov - Baratashvili, Sumbatashvili - Sumbatov, etc. There are many other options that we are used to taking for Russians.
Declension of Georgian surnames
Inclination or non-inclination depends on the form in which it is borrowed. For example, a surname ending in -ia is inflected, but in -ia it is not.
But today there are no rigid frameworks in relation. Although 3 rules can be distinguished, according to which declination is impossible:
- The male form is similar to the female.
- The surname ends in unstressed vowels (-а, -я).
- Has suffixes -ia, -ia.
Only in these three cases, neither the male nor the female surname is subject to declension. Examples: Garcia, Heredia.
It should also be noted that it is undesirable to decline surnames with the ending -я. Suppose there is a man Georgy Gurtskaya, who received a document that says: "Issued to citizen Georgy Gurtsky." Thus, it turns out that the surname of a person is Gurtskaya, which is not entirely typical for Georgia, and the name loses its flavor.
Thus, linguists do not recommend inflecting Georgian surnames and recommend writing the endings correctly. There are frequent cases when, when filling out documents, there was a change of letters at the end. For example, instead of Gulia they wrote Gulia, and this surname has nothing to do with Georgia.
The popularity of surnames in numbers
Below is a table showing the most common endings of Georgian surnames. Let's consider them in more detail and find out in which regions they are most common.
| Ending | Number of people with similar surnames (statistics for 1997) | Region of prevalence |
| Dze | 1649222 | Adjara, Imereti, Guria, Kartli, Racha-Lechkhumi |
| -shvili | 1303723 | Kakheti, Kartli |
| -and I | 494224 | Eastern Georgia |
| -ava | 200642 | Eastern Georgia |
| -iani | 129204 | Western Georgia (Lekhumi, Rachi, Imereti) |
| -uri | 76044 | Districts: Tsageri, Mestia, Chkhetiani |
| -ya | 74817 | Found in Eastern Highlanders |
| -ate | 55017 | Imereti, Guria |
| -uli | 23763 | Occurs among the eastern highlanders (Khevsurs, Khevins, Mtiuls, carcasses and Pshavs) |
| -shi | 7263 | Adjara, Guria |
| -skiri | 2375 | Eastern Georgia |
| -chkori | 1831 | Eastern Georgia |
| -qua | 1023 | Eastern Georgia |
Endings -shvili and -dze in surnames (Georgian)
At the moment, linguists distinguish 13 main suffixes. In many areas, surnames with -jo, which means "son", are very common. For example, Kebadze, Gogitidze, Shevardnadze. According to statistics, in 1997, 1,649,222 residents of Georgia had a surname with this ending.
The second most common suffix is shvili (Kululashvili, Peikrishvili, Elerdashvili), which translates as "child", "child" or "descendant". As of 1997, there were approximately 1,303,723 surnames with this ending. They are widely spread in the regions of Kartli and Kakheti.
Among others, recognizing Georgian surnames is quite easy. They are distinguished by characteristic structuring and, of course, famous endings. Surnames are formed by merging two parts: the root and the ending (suffix). For example, a person who is well versed in this topic can easily determine in which area certain Georgian surnames are common.
Origin
The history of the country has several millennia. In antiquity, it had no name, and Georgia was divided into 2 regions: Colchis (western) and Iberia (eastern). The latter interacted more with its neighbors - Iran and Syria - and practically did not contact Greece. If in the 5th century Georgia adopted Christianity, then by the 13th century they were talking about it as a powerful country with reliable ties with the European continent and the East.
The history of the country is saturated with the struggle for sovereignty, but, despite the difficulties, the people were able to create their own culture and customs.
It is generally accepted that real Georgian surnames should end in "-dze", and they come from the parental case. But a person with a surname ending in "-shvili" (translated from Georgian - "son") was added to the list of those who did not have Kartvelian roots.
If the interlocutor's generic name ended in "-ani", people knew that in front of them was a representative of a noble family. By the way, Armenians have surnames with a similar suffix, it only sounds like “-uni”.
Georgian surnames (male) ending in "-ua" and "-ia" have Mingrelian roots. There are many such suffixes, but they are rarely used now.
List of popular surnames by region
Like it or not, but still in Georgia, the most common are surnames ending in “-shvili” and “-dze”. Moreover, the last suffix is the most common. Often people with a surname ending in "-dze" can be found in Imereti, Guria and Adjara. But in the eastern region there are practically none.
At the moment, surnames on “-dze” are attributed to old pedigrees, respectively, “-shvili” - to modern or young ones. The latter (the suffix also translates as "born") are widespread in Kakheti and Kartli (eastern regions of the country).
The meaning of some surnames
A special group of generic names are those that have the following endings:
For example, Rustaveli, Tsereteli. Also, the list of the most common surnames in Georgia includes Khvarbeti, Chinati and Dzimiti.
Another group consists of surnames ending in "-ani": Dadiani, Chikovani, Akhvelidiani. It is believed that their roots belong to the famous Migrelian rulers.
Surnames ending in:
By the way, among them there are many famous, stellar ones: Okudzhava, Danelia, etc.
The suffix "-nti" with Chan or Svan origin is considered a rare specimen. For example, Glonti. They also include surnames containing the participial prefix "me-" and the name of the profession.
Translated from Persian, nodivan means “council”, and Mdivani means “clerk”, Mebuke means “bugler”, and Menabde means “cloak-maker”. The surname Amilakhvari is of the greatest interest. Having a Persian origin, it is a non-suffix formation.
Building
Georgian surnames are built according to certain rules. During the baptism of a newborn child, he is usually given a name. Most of the surnames begin with him, and the necessary suffix is subsequently added to it. For example, Nikoladze, Tamaridze, Matiashvili or Davitashvili. There are many such examples.
But there are also surnames formed from Muslim (more often Persian) words. For example, let's study the roots of the surname Japaridze. It comes from the common Muslim name Jafar. Dzapar means "postman" in Persian.
Quite often, Georgian surnames are tied to a specific area. Indeed, often their first carriers became at the origins of the princely family. Tsereteli is one of them. This surname comes from the name of the village and the fortress of the same name, Tsereti, located in the northern region of Zemo.
Russification of some Georgian surnames
Despite the length and unusual combination of letters and sounds, Georgian surnames that penetrated into Russian linguistics (in particular, onomastics) were not distorted. But, as practice shows, sometimes, albeit very rarely, there are cases when Russification occurred: Muskhelishvili turned into Muskheli.
Some surnames have suffixes uncharacteristic for Georgia: -ev, -ov and -в. For example, Panulidzev or Sulakadzev.
Also, when Russifying some surnames into “shvili”, a reduction often occurs. Thus, Avalishvili turns into Avals, Baratov - Baratashvili, Sumbatashvili - Sumbatov, etc. There are many other options that we are used to taking for Russians.
Declension of Georgian surnames
Inclination or non-inclination depends on the form in which it is borrowed. For example, a surname ending in -ia is inflected, but in -ia it is not.
But today there is no rigid framework regarding the declension of surnames. Although 3 rules can be distinguished, according to which declination is impossible:
- The male form is similar to the female.
- The surname ends in unstressed vowels (-а, -я).
- Has suffixes -ia, -ia.
Only in these three cases, neither the male nor the female surname is subject to declension. Examples: Garcia, Heredia.
It should also be noted that it is undesirable to decline surnames with the ending -я. Let's say there is a man Georgy Gurtskaya, who received a document that says: "Issued to citizen Georgy Gurtsky." Thus, it turns out that the surname of a person is Gurtskaya, which is not entirely typical for Georgia, and the name loses its flavor.
Thus, linguists do not recommend inflecting Georgian surnames and recommend writing the endings correctly. There are frequent cases when, when filling out documents, there was a change of letters at the end. For example, instead of Gulia they wrote Gulia, and this surname has nothing to do with Georgia.
The popularity of surnames in numbers
Below is a table showing the most common endings of Georgian surnames. Let's consider them in more detail and find out in which regions they are most common.
Georgian surnames: origin, meaning, popular male and female surnames
Among all others, Georgian surnames are recognized quite easily. They have a characteristic structure and are easy to identify by the end. The surnames of Georgians are made up of two parts: the ending and the root. If you orient yourself a little in this, then in most cases you can tell from which region of Georgia this genus originates. In total, there are 13 types of endings for Georgian surnames.
General description of Georgian surnames and possible variants
The most common endings are "-shvili" and "-dze". "-dze" can be found in almost the entire territory of Georgia, especially in Adjara, Guria and Imereti, less often in the eastern part. But “-shvili”, on the contrary, is found mainly in the eastern part of Georgia: in Kakheti and Kartli. In Russian, this can be translated as "son" or "born", respectively. At present, it is generally accepted that “jo” is the ending of the oldest pedigrees, and “shvili” is more modern. According to unofficial statistics of people with such surnames, there are about three million people.
Some of the Georgian surnames originate from the names that a newborn receives at baptism. For example: Matiashvili, Davitashvili, Nikoladze, Georgadze, Tamaridze and many others. Another part of the surnames comes from Muslim or Persian words. A controversial moment arises when studying the roots of the Dzhaparidze surname. Perhaps it comes from the Muslim name Jafar, and perhaps from the Persian name of the profession - the postman - dzapar. In addition to these two main types of Georgian surnames, a special group is represented by surnames ending in "-eli", "-iti", "-eti", "-ati". For example, we can cite the notorious of this world: Tsereteli, Rustaveli, and simply common Georgian surnames: Dzimiti, Khvarbeti, Chinati.
The next group of Georgian surnames is represented by surnames ending in "-ani": Chikovani, Akhvelediani, Dadiani. These genealogies originate from the rulers of Megrelia. Less common, but still existing, surnames of this group have the endings "-uri", "-uli", "-ava", "-ua", "-aya" and "-iya". There are even more representatives of this group of "star" surnames: Danelia, Beria, Okudzhava.
Many roots of Georgian surnames, as well as in the anthroponymy of other peoples of the world, carry a certain semantic load. They can often be used to trace the centuries-old ethnic processes that actively took place in the context of contacts between Georgians and neighboring peoples. For example, the roots of the surnames Khurtsidze and Sturua are clearly of Ossetian origin (respectively, Ossetian khurts “hot” and styr “big”, “great”); among the Georgian surnames of Abkhazian origin, one can indicate not only such as Abkhazava, which does not need etymology, but also Machabeli from the Abkhazian surname Achba; Surnames of Adyghe origin include Abzianidze, Kashibadze and some others. In Eastern Georgia, there are many surnames of Dagestan origin, for example, Lekiashvili from Leki - the common name for Dagestanis in the Georgian language; Vainakh - Malsagashvili, Kistiauri; Azeri - Tatarishvili; Armenian - Somkhishvili from Somekhi - Georgian name for Armenians.
Georgian male patronymics are formed by adding the word dze "son" to the father's name in the genitive case: Ivan Petresdze. Female patronymics in Georgian also retained an archaic form in the form of joining the father's name in the genitive case of the ancient Georgian word, almost obsolete in modern speech, -asuli (adequately for the old Russian daughter): Marina Kostasasuli. However, patronymics in live communication of Georgians are practically excluded. They are usually used in official documents. In party and Soviet institutions, often in official business situations, they use the word amkhanagi "comrade", while calling a person only by his last name. In family and everyday communication, as well as in academic circles, the appeal mainly contains the word batono (most of all equivalent to the Russian sudar and Polish pan) in combination exclusively with the name, regardless of age, rank, position and the person they are addressing.
Ossetian and Abkhazian groups and the Russian-speaking environment
In the 90s of the last century, part of the Ossetians who were on the territory of Georgia were forced to change their surnames to the Georgian manner. In remote villages and settlements, not very literate officials did not know how to correctly write Ossetian surnames, so they wrote them in the Georgian way. And there were those who wanted to among the Ossetians, who wanted to get lost among the local population, and changed their surnames to more harmonious for the Georgians. This is how new Georgian surnames appeared, with some accent: Mardzhanov, Tseretelev, Tsitsianov, Tsitsianov. The changes were enormous. For example, the Driaevs were registered as Meladze.
In Georgian "mela" means fox, in Russian it would be the surname Lisitsin.
The population of Abkhazia, and only about 15% of them are born Abkhazians, have surnames ending in "-ba": Eshba, Lakoba, Agzhba. These surnames belong to the North Caucasian Megrelian group.
Getting into the Russian-speaking environment, Georgian surnames, as a rule, are not subject to distortion, even despite the complex combination of sounds and significant length. But the influence of the Russian language in some cases is still there: Sumbatov came from Sumbatashvili, Bagration - from Bagrationi, Orbeli from Orbeliani, Baratov - from Baratashvili, Tsitsianov - from Tsitsishvili, Tseretelev - from the notorious Tsereteli.
Georgian surnames
Georgian surnames usually formed from nominal categories: titled surnames, on behalf of a parent, by geographical location, by occupation, or by a distinctive feature of a person. The surnames of Georgians began to emerge and be assigned to people during the Middle Ages. It is believed that true Georgian surnames end in the suffixes "dze" (descendant) and "shvili" (child).
We present a list of popular Georgian male and female surnames.
Georgian surname for a girl and a guy:
Beridze
Kapanadze
Mammadov
Gelashvili
Maisuradze
Giorgadze
Lomidze
Tsiklauri
Bolkvadze
Aliyev
Antadze
Berdznishvili
Vachianidze
Sguladze
Miladze
Dzhugashvili
Kikabidze
Parkaya
Mtsituridze
Gigauri
Abazadze
Gabunia
Saakashvili
Davitashvili
Jabadari
Chavadze
Kalantarishvili
Gverdtsiteli
Andronikashvili
Japaridze
Gedevanishvili
Chakvetadze
Onashvili
Lolua
Chiaureli
Surguladze
Nizharadze
satin
Diakonidze
Cirgvava
Gogniashvili
Guladze
Darakhvelidze
Asatiani
Kapanadze
asmogulia
Kilasonia
Kavzharadze
Makharadze
Ninidze
Kalatozashvili
Butskhrikidze
Chogovadze
Tsiklauri
Kerdikoshvili
Japaridze
Kobalia
Vachnadze
Badurashvili
Shervashidze
Duduchava
Baraashvili
Minassali
Chapchavadze
Dzidziguri
Metreveli
Kandelaki
Gvantsa
Shevardnadze
Kaladze
Tsereteli
Parkatatsishvili
Bendukidze
Jokhtaberidze
Mirilashvili
Karchava
Nogaideli
Bezhuashvili
Okruashvili
Sheradze
Georgian last names declension:
Georgian surnames in Russian can be inflected or indeclinable, depending on the form in which the particular surname is borrowed: surnames in -ia are inflected (Danelia), in -ia are indeclinable (Gulia).
The most common Georgian surnames. Here you can find a true Georgian surname. Surnames of Georgian origin, list of popular surnames. The oldest Georgian surnames. Famous Georgian surnames list. Beautiful surnames for girls and a guy are Georgian.
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▬ Georgian Surnames
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Most Georgian surnames come from patronymics, less often from local names, with the addition of various suffixes. Georgian surnames, as a rule, differ depending on one or another part of the country. So, many surnames from western Georgia end in the suffix “–dze” (Georgian ძე), literally meaning “son”, while from time to time, surnames from eastern Georgia end in “–shvili” (Georgian შვილი), which means “child ". Surnames from the mountainous regions of eastern Georgia may end with the suffix "-uri" (Georgian ური), or "-uli" (Georgian ული). Most Svan surnames usually end in “–ani” (Georgian ანი), Megrelians end in “–ia” (Georgian ია), “–ua” (Georgian უა), or “–ava” (Georgian ავა) , and Lazov - on "-shi" (Georgian ში).
The first mention of Georgian surnames dates back to the 7th-8th centuries. For the most part, they were associated with the names of localities (for example, Pavneli, Surameli, Orbeli), with patronymics, or they were obtained from professions, social status or the title that the family traditionally bore (for example: Amilakhvari, Amirejibi, Eristavi, Dekanozishvili). Beginning in the 13th century, surnames more often began to be based on the names of localities. This tradition spread almost everywhere in the XVII-XVIII centuries. Some Georgian surnames indicate the ethnic or regional origin of the family, but are formed according to the principle of patronymics. For example: Kartvelishvili (“son of Kartvel”, that is, Georgian), Megrelishvili (“son of Megrel”, that is, Megrel), Cherkezishvili (Circassian), Abkhazishvili (Abkhaz), Somkhishvili (Armenian).
As of 2008, the most common Georgian surnames in Georgia are:
1. Beridze (ბერიძე) - 19 765,
2. Kapanadze (კაპანაძე) - 13 914,
3. Gelashvili (გელაშვილი) - 13,505,
4. Maisuradze (მაისურაძე) - 12 542,
5. Giorgadze (გიორგაძე) - 10 710,
6. Lomidze (ლომიძე) - 9581,
7. Tsiklauri (წიკლაური) - 9499,
8. Kvaratskhelia (კვარაცხელია) - 8815.
Georgian surnames rules
Georgian surnames among all others are quite easy to recognize. They differ in their characteristic structure and conspicuous ending. Georgian surnames are formed using two parts. They are root and ending. With a good orientation in this topic, in most of the cases presented, it is possible to say exactly which region of Georgia this or that surname belongs to. Only thirteen types of different endings belonging to Georgian surnames are known.
Georgian surnames - the origin of Georgian surnames
The history of Georgia has several millennia. When there were times of antiquity, the country did not have a common name, but was divided into two parts. Western Georgia was called Colchis, and Eastern Georgia was called Iberia. Iberia was in contact with Iran and Syria, it had little contact with the ancient world. In the fifth century AD, Georgia turned into a Christian country. By the thirteenth century, Georgia had become a powerful state in the region, it had reliable trade relations with both the East and Europe. The whole history of Georgia is filled with the struggle for independence. At the same time, the population of Georgia created a unique and high culture.
It is believed that true Georgian surnames end in "dze". Such surnames occur with the help of the genitive case. People whose last name ends in "shvili" often belong to people who do not have quite Kartvelian roots. From the Georgian language, this suffix means "son". If the Georgian surname of a person ends with "ani", then you have a person with a very noble origin. Such surnames by origin are very ancient. Armenians also have such surnames. Only they end in "uni". Georgian surnames that end in "ua" and "ia" are of Mingrelian origin. There are many more family suffixes, but they are rarely used.
Georgian Surnames - List of Georgian Surnames
Still, the most common among Georgian surnames are those that end in “dze” and “shvili”. On almost the entire territory of Georgia, you can find surnames with "dze". Very often they are found in Guria, Adjara and Imereti. Rarely they are found in the eastern part of the country. Surnames ending in "shvili" are predominantly found in Kartli and Kakheti, which are located in the eastern part of Georgia. Translated from Georgian into Russian, these endings mean "born" or "son", respectively. Now, in modern times, it is customary to consider the ending “jo” as belonging to the oldest genealogies. The ending "shvili" is considered to belong to more modern genealogies. Unofficial statistics number about three million people with such surnames.
When a newborn is baptized, he is given a name. The beginning of some part of Georgian surnames begins with this name. Several such examples can be given. These are Matiashvili, and Davitashvili, and Nikoladze, and Georgadze, and Tamaridze. There are many examples. Another part of Georgian surnames takes its origins from Persian and Muslim words. When studying the roots of surnames, small controversial points arise. For example. If you study the roots of the name Japaridze. This surname can come from both the Muslim name Jafar and the Persian dzapar, which means "postman" in this language.
Georgian surnames - endings of Georgian surnames, meaning of Georgian surnames
A special group of surnames includes Georgian surnames that end in "hit", "ate", "ati" and "iti". You have probably heard such Georgian surnames as Rustaveli and Tsereteli. The most common Georgian surnames are Khvarbeti, Dzimiti, Chinati. Another group of Georgian surnames includes surnames that end in "ani". Many examples can also be given. These are Dadiani, and Akhvelediani, and Chikovani. The pedigrees to which these surnames belong begin from the famous rulers of Megrelia. Not so common, but still there are surnames belonging to this group, which end in "uli", "uri", "ava", "aya", "ua" and "iya". Among them are many representatives of star families, such as Beria, Danelia and Okudzhava.
Very rarely there are Georgian surnames that end in "nti". They are of Chan or Svan origin. For example, such surnames as Zhgenti, Glonti. Among such surnames, one can find surnames that contain the name of the profession and the participial prefix "me". Examples: Mdivani. This surname comes from the Persian word nodivan, translated as advice. Mdivani means clerk. The surname Amilakhvari is of interest. It is of Persian origin and is a familiar non-suffixal formation. The Georgian surname Mebuke is translated from Persian as a bugler, and the surname Menabde is a burka maker.
Georgian surnames - Russification of Georgian surnames
When Georgian surnames penetrated into Russian onomastics, they were not distorted, even despite the unusual combination of sounds and their length. But you can meet individual cases of Russification of Georgian surnames. For example, the Georgian surname turned into the surname Orbeli, and the surname Muskhelishvili into the surname Muskheli. Some Georgian surnames contain the suffixes "ev", "ov" and "v" attached to them. There are many examples of such surnames: Sulakadzev, Panchulidzev. During Russification, Georgian surnames are often abbreviated, which end in "shvili". The surname Avalov is formed from the Georgian surname Avalishvili, Andronnikov - Andronikashvili, Sumbatov - Sumbatoshvili, Tsitsianov - Tsitsishvili, Baratov - Baratashvili, Manvelov - Manvelishvili and many other surnames that we used to consider Russian.
It is worth adding the Abkhaz surnames to the Kartvelian surnames that were considered. The Abkhazian language belongs to the North Caucasian group. In modern times, fifteen percent of the population of all of Abkhazia are Abkhazians. This is in most cases due to the fact that a greater number of Abkhazians have Megrelian or Georgian surnames. There are also specific Abkhaz surnames, the final element of which is “ba”. This is Eshba, and Lakoba, and Agzhba.
Georgian surnames
Georgian surnames were all formed according to one general rule: by adding a second component to the stem, which gradually lost its independent lexical meaning and turned into a suffix. And there are about a dozen such suffixes.
Surnames beginning with "-shvili" often, but not always, belong to people with not quite Kartvelian roots. This suffix comes from the Georgian word for "son".
Surnames beginning with "-ani", "-oni" belong to people of VERY noble origin. These are very ancient surnames in origin, and Armenians have similar ones (in “-uni”).
Surnames beginning with "-ia", "-ua" are of Mingrelian origin.
There are a number of family suffixes, but they are used much less often.
All Georgian surnames consist of 2 parts - a root and an ending. At the end, in 70% of cases, you can understand from which part of Georgia a person is from. There are 13 types of endings:
1. Dze - a total of 1649222 people (data taken from the book "Surnames of Georgia" for 1997).
This ending is the most common, found almost everywhere, less often in the east. Basically, such surnames are common in Imereti, Guria, Adjara, they are also found in Kartli and Racha-Lechkhumi. In translation, the ending means - Son.
Examples: Gongadze (Imereti), Dumbadze (Guria), Silagadze (Lechkhumi), Archuadze (Racha). Due to the wide distribution of this ending, it is difficult to determine the origin; in this case, one must pay attention to the root of the surname.
2. Shvili - a total of 1303723 people. In translation, it means - Descendant (in Russian there is no direct analogue of this word, this is the combined concept of son and daughter, although back in the 19th century this word had the meaning of simply a son, but later the meaning of the word expanded). This ending is found mainly in eastern Georgia. In Kakheti, most surnames bear exactly what this ending is. There are also many such surnames in Kartli. Less common in western Georgia.
Examples: Aslanikashvili (the root is Aslan), Gligvashvili (this is the surname of the Kists - the Ingush living in Kakheti), Peikrishvili, Kululashvili, Elerdashvili (Kakheti), etc.
3. Iya - as you noticed, this is a Megrelian ending. A total of 494224 people. Apparently, this is the Megrelian equivalent of Dze or Shvili.
Examples: Chanturia, Zarandia, Kvaratskhelia and so on.
4. Ava - 200642 people. Same Mingrelian ending.
For example: Eliava, Kuprava, Lezhava and so on.
5. Iani - 129204 people. This is a Svan ending, but now it is also found in other regions of western Georgia. Mostly in Lechkhumi, less often in Racha and Imereti. Not found in eastern Georgia.
Examples: Gazdeliani (Svaneti), Dadeshkeliani (Svaneti, princely surname), Mushkudiani (Lechkhumi), Akhvlediani (Lechkhumi), Gelovani (Lechkhumi, princely surname), Ioseliani (Imereti), Zhorzholiani (Imereti), Chikovani (Megrelia), Dadiani ( Megrelia - a princely family, they were the rulers of all Megrelia). This surname, in principle, is a former title that later became a surname (I will talk about such surnames later).
There are also surnames that come from different regions at the same time.
For example: Chkhetiani - this surname is both Svan and Lechkhumi. The root of the Svan surname "Chkheti" means "Stone" (in Georgian "Kenchi"), but in the Middle Ages part of the clan (the Svans lived in clans) went to Lechkhumi. And the race was divided. Now the halo of the natural distribution of Chkhetian (except for large cities - Tbilisi, Kutaisi) covers the Svan Chkhetian - the Mestia District (Upper Svaneti) and our Kodori Gorge, and the Lechkhumi Chkhetian live in the Tsageri region. Chikovani are divided in the same way - there are Megrelian Chikovani, and there are also Lechkhumi. There are many such examples.
6. Uri - 76044 people. This ending is found mainly among the eastern highlanders, such as Khevsurs, Pshavs, carcasses, Mtiuls, Khevins and so on.
For example: Midelauri, Ketelauri, Patashuri (Ertso).
7. Wa - 74817 people, Megrelian ending.
Examples: Chkadua, Todua, Gogua.
8. Ate - 55017 people. This ending is found in Racha - Metreveli, Intskirveli. In Svaneti, there is only one surname with such an ending - Pirveli (in translation it means “first”). It is also found in Imereti and Guria. Also in Kartli, but as an exception, the princely surname Machabeli, which I have already mentioned.
9. Uli - 23763 people. This ending is found mainly among the eastern highlanders, such as Khevsurs, Pshavs, carcasses, Mtiuls, Khevins and so on.
For example: Chincharauli, Iarajuli, etc.
10. Shi - a total of 7263 people. It is mainly found in Adjara and Guria.
For example: Khalvashi (Adjara), Tugushi (Adjara-Guria).
11. Skiri - total 2375, Megrelian ending. I know only one such surname Tsuleiskiri, maybe there are more, but I don't remember.
12. Chkori - total 1831, Megrelian ending.
For example: Gegechkori.
13. Kva - total 1023, Megrelian ending.
For example: Ingorokva.
Georgians (3 million 670 thousand people; self-name Kartveli) belong to the South Caucasian (Kartvelian) group of the Iberian-Caucasian family of peoples; make up the main population of Georgia; also live in other regions of the former USSR; several thousand Muslim Georgians live in Turkey and Iran.
The formation of the Georgian people began in ancient times. In the early Middle Ages, based on the merger of mainly three related tribal groups: the Karts, who inhabited Eastern and Southwestern Georgia; Megrelo-chans (Megrelo-Lazis) - the main population of the South-Eastern and Eastern Black Sea coast and Svans - mountaineers of Central Georgia - the Georgian nationality was formed. In the 5th century in Eastern Georgia, writing is born and literature arises. Since that time, all the Kartvelian tribes began to take an active part in the development of the Georgian literary language. The formation of the modern Georgian nation began in the 19th century. in an era of intensive development of bourgeois relations on the territory of the Russian Empire.
The anthroponymy of the Georgians reflected all the difficulties of their historical path. The sources of the Georgian personal name are very diverse. In the conditions of close and long-term communication of Georgians with the peoples of neighboring regions and state formations (the North Caucasus, Armenia, Iran, Byzantium, the Arab Caliphate, etc.), foreign names were included in the Georgian anthroponymic "repertoire" in the traditions of local cultural and linguistic features. The early adoption of Christianity from Byzantium brought church names that became mandatory.
Names dating back to oral folk art were distributed mainly among the masses of the people and, as a rule, were not canonized, for example: husband. Mghelika wolf cub, Dzaglika puppy, dog, wives. Mzekala sun-maiden. The names of this type also include such as the still popular husband. Badri, Mindia, female Dali, Tsiala. Most of them are the product of the actual Georgian (Kartvelian) word formation. Especially numerous is the fund of Georgian anthroponyms that existed in the past in separate ethnographic groups of the Georgian people (Khevsurs, Pshavs, Imeretins, Gurians, Mingrelians, Svans, etc.); over time, these names gained nationwide distribution.
A feature of Georgian anthroponyms of foreign origin can be considered that they sometimes exist exclusively among Georgians. Such is, for example, the history of the name Vakhtang, originated in the 5th century. and associated with the Iranian cultural world, although it is completely unfamiliar to Iranians. In the period of the developed Middle Ages, when close cultural contacts were established between the peoples of Transcaucasia and Iran, old Iranian names began to revive in Georgia and new ones began to penetrate. And in this case, we are faced with the peculiarities of borrowing names by Georgians. For example, husband. Rostom, Bezhan, Givi - Georgian forms of Iranian names Rustam, Bizhan, Giv, which are the names of the heroes of the Iranian epic "Shah-name". These names, unusual for the Iranians themselves, became widespread among the Georgians, since that part of the famous Iranian epic, in which the named heroes act, was especially popular among the Georgians and even became part of their folklore (“Rostomiani”). With the penetration of Perso-Arabic literature into Georgia, still popular female names of Persian and Arabic origin began to be borrowed from it: Leila, Turpa and etc.
Even in the early Middle Ages, the now popular names of biblical and Greek-Byzantine origin were also widely used among Georgians: David, Isak (Isaac), Mose (Moses), Ekvtime (Evfimy), Ioane (John), Giorgi (George), Grigoli (Grigory) etc. However, here we again encounter the peculiarities of Georgian borrowings. For example, a common female name Eteri comes from the Greek word aither ether. This word in Georgian form is eteri - as a colorful epithet, it is also found in ancient Georgian literature. Thus, the name arose from "foreign material", but received a purely local national coloring. (Eteri- the heroine of the famous medieval Georgian love epic "Eteriani".)
Georgian names, especially male half-names, are often used in the form of the vocative case developed in the Georgian language, for example: Andro(from Andria), Dato(from David) etc. Nicknames have long been popular in Georgia: husband. Bichiko boy, chichico little man; female Gogol girl, cira“beautiful girl”, etc.; metaphorical type names Raindy“Knight”, etc. You can even set the time of occurrence of some of them. For example, the first carrier of the now popular name importance courageous man was a famous Georgian poet Luka Razikashvili, pseudonymous Vazha Pshavela(1861 - 1915). It is noteworthy that for the first time among Georgians named And copper“Hope” was named by King Erekle II (1748-1796) the grandfather of Vazha Pshavela, who initiated the popularity of this name among Georgians.
With the accession of Georgia to Russia (1801), the penetration into Georgian anthroponymy of Russian names and names popular in Russia began. And the newly borrowed anthroponyms receive a purely Georgian design. For example, the name that has become widespread in Georgia Vladimir(cargo. Vladimir) in half name Volodya in Georgian began to sound like flado. By some names, one can also judge the conditions of contact between Georgians and Russians at the time of borrowing one or another name. Yes, Georgian name Jagora penetrated into Georgia through live communication from South Russia, where it sounded in the form Yagor(from Egor- Russian variant George).
Among the Georgian names there are many that testify to the ties of Georgians with neighboring peoples at various stages of their history - the names of the ancient Ossetian, ancient Vainakh (Vainakhs are the ancestors of modern Chechens and Ingush) origin, these include: Zaire from Saurmag blackhand, Tatash from Tatraz- one of the heroes of the Ossetian Nart epic, jokola from the anthroponymic fund of the Ingush, etc. Many names of Turkish origin are included in the Georgian name book, however, it must be borne in mind that Turkish names among Georgians were not distributed by the Turks themselves, but by the Laz, who from the beginning of modern times took the path of “turkification” and who were called in Georgia usually "Turks".
Since the end of the XIX and especially in the XX century. As a result of Georgia's familiarization with European culture, the names of the heroes of Western European literature are gaining wide popularity among Georgians: Albert, Maurice, John, Carlo etc. After the victory of Soviet power in Georgia (1921), the Georgians paid tribute to the general trend of that time: artificial anthroponyms appeared, which, in essence, never took root: Dictatorship, Communards etc. In the process of the struggle for peace, which took on a particularly massive character after the Second World War, names like Omismtery enemy of war, etc.
It is extremely rare that men and women bear the same name (cf. Rus. Vasily - Vasilisa, Valentine - Valentine and so on.). A rare, if not the only, exception is the name Suliko darling (there is no category of grammatical gender in the Georgian language), which entered Georgian anthroponymy thanks to the well-known song of the same name to the words of A. Tsereteli (1840 - 1915).
The ethno-tribal diversity of the Kartvelians was first of all reflected in the Georgian families. For example, the Georgian surnames of the plain zone, as a rule, end in its western half with -jo and in the east -shvili. These anthroponymic formants are known even in the earliest period of ancient Georgian writing and are translated as son, descendant. For the surnames of the mountainous regions of Eastern Georgia - Pshavia, Tusheti, Khevsureti and some others, the ending -uri, -uli. This formant, which generally plays an active role in the Georgian language, indicates a territorial or clan affiliation. In Western Georgia, and especially in such regions as Guria, Imereti, Adjara, the same -jo And - shvili, and -ate, playing the same role as in Eastern Georgia -uri, -uli. The Megrelo-Chan subgroup has so far retained three anthroponymic formants - - ishi(performing the same functions as -uri, -uli, -eli), -ava And -ia, For example: Jashi, Tandilava, Kiria etc. The last two suffixes are probably of late origin, and their anthroponymic functions are not entirely clear. A typical ending for Svan surnames is -iani And -ani, For example: Kopaliani, Gulbani and so on.; the functions of these formants are the same as -uri, -ate, i.e., they indicate territorial or tribal affiliation.
Many roots of Georgian surnames, as well as in the anthroponymy of other peoples of the world, carry a certain semantic load. They can often be used to trace the centuries-old ethnic processes that actively took place in the context of contacts between Georgians and neighboring peoples. For example, family roots Khurtsidze And Sturua obviously of Ossetian origin (cf., respectively, Osset. khurts hot and styr big, great); among the Georgian surnames of Abkhazian origin, one can indicate not only such as Abkhazava, which needs no etymology, but also Machabeli from an Abkhaz surname Achba; surnames of Adyghe origin include Abzianidze, Kashibadze and some others. In Eastern Georgia, there are many surnames of Dagestan origin, for example Lekiashvili from leki- the general name of the Dagestanis in the Georgian language; Vainakh - Malsagashvili, Kistiauri and so on.; Azerbaijani - Tatarishvili; Armenian - Somkhishvili from some-hee- Georgian name of Armenians, etc.
Georgian male patronymics are formed by adding the word to the father's name in the genitive case. jo son: Ivane Petres-dze etc. Female patronymics in Georgian also retained an archaic form in the form of joining the father's name in the genitive case of the ancient Georgian word, which is almost out of use in modern speech, -asuli(adequate to old Russian daughter): Marina Costas Azuli etc. However, patronymics in live communication of Georgians are practically excluded. They are usually used in official documents. In party and Soviet institutions, often in official business situations, they use the word amhanagi“comrade”, while calling a person only by his last name. In family and everyday communication, as well as in academic circles, the appeal mainly contains the word batono(equivalent most of all to Russian sir and Polish pan) in combination exclusively with the name, regardless of the age, rank, position, etc. of the person being addressed.
Georgian surnames among all others are quite easy to recognize. They differ in their characteristic structure and conspicuous ending. Georgian surnames are formed using two parts. They are root and ending. With a good orientation in this topic, in most of the cases presented, it is possible to say exactly which region of Georgia this or that surname belongs to. Only thirteen types of different endings belonging to Georgian surnames are known.
Georgian surnames - the origin of Georgian surnames
The history of Georgia has several millennia. When there were times of antiquity, the country did not have a common name, but was divided into two parts. Western Georgia was called Colchis, and Eastern Georgia was called Iberia. Iberia was in contact with Iran and Syria, it had little contact with the ancient world. In the fifth century AD, Georgia turned into a Christian country. By the thirteenth century, Georgia had become a powerful state in the region, it had reliable trade relations with both the East and Europe. The whole history of Georgia is filled with the struggle for independence. At the same time, the population of Georgia created a unique and high culture.
It is believed that true Georgian surnames end in "dze". Such surnames occur with the help of the genitive case. People whose last name ends in "shvili" often belong to people who do not have quite Kartvelian roots. From the Georgian language, this suffix means "son". If the Georgian surname of a person ends with "ani", then you have a person with a very noble origin. Such surnames by origin are very ancient. Armenians also have such surnames. Only they end in "uni". Georgian surnames that end in "ua" and "ia" are of Mingrelian origin. There are many more family suffixes, but they are rarely used.
Georgian Surnames - List of Georgian Surnames
Still, the most common among Georgian surnames are those that end in “dze” and “shvili”. On almost the entire territory of Georgia, you can find surnames with "dze". Very often they are found in Guria, Adjara and Imereti. Rarely they are found in the eastern part of the country. Surnames ending in "shvili" are predominantly found in Kartli and Kakheti, which are located in the eastern part of Georgia. Translated from Georgian into Russian, these endings mean "born" or "son", respectively. Now, in modern times, it is customary to consider the ending “jo” as belonging to the oldest genealogies. The ending "shvili" is considered to belong to more modern genealogies. Unofficial statistics number about three million people with such surnames.
When a newborn is baptized, he is given a name. The beginning of some part of Georgian surnames begins with this name. Several such examples can be given. These are Matiashvili, and Davitashvili, and Nikoladze, and Georgadze, and Tamaridze. There are many examples. Another part of Georgian surnames takes its origins from Persian and Muslim words. When studying the roots of surnames, small controversial points arise. For example. If you study the roots of the name Japaridze. This surname can come from both the Muslim name Jafar and the Persian dzapar, which means "postman" in this language.
Georgian surnames - endings of Georgian surnames, meaning of Georgian surnames
A special group of surnames includes Georgian surnames that end in "hit", "ate", "ati" and "iti". You have probably heard such Georgian surnames as Rustaveli and Tsereteli. The most common Georgian surnames are Khvarbeti, Dzimiti, Chinati. Another group of Georgian surnames includes surnames that end in "ani". Many examples can also be given. These are Dadiani, and Akhvelediani, and Chikovani. The pedigrees to which these surnames belong begin from the famous rulers of Megrelia. Not so common, but still there are surnames belonging to this group, which end in "uli", "uri", "ava", "aya", "ua" and "iya". Among them are many representatives of star families, such as Beria, Danelia and Okudzhava.
Very rarely there are Georgian surnames that end in "nti". They are of Chan or Svan origin. For example, such surnames as Zhgenti, Glonti. Among such surnames, one can find surnames that contain the name of the profession and the participial prefix "me". Examples: Mdivani. This surname comes from the Persian word nodivan, translated as advice. Mdivani means clerk. The surname Amilakhvari is of interest. It is of Persian origin and is a familiar non-suffixal formation. The Georgian surname Mebuke is translated from Persian as a bugler, and the surname Menabde is a burka maker.
Georgian surnames - Russification of Georgian surnames
When Georgian surnames penetrated into Russian onomastics, they were not distorted, even despite the unusual combination of sounds and their length. But you can meet individual cases of Russification of Georgian surnames. For example, the Georgian surname turned into the surname Orbeli, and the surname Muskhelishvili into the surname Muskheli. Some Georgian surnames contain the suffixes "ev", "ov" and "v" attached to them. There are many examples of such surnames: Sulakadzev, Panchulidzev. During Russification, Georgian surnames are often abbreviated, which end in "shvili". The surname Avalov is formed from the Georgian surname Avalishvili, Andronnikov - Andronikashvili, Sumbatov - Sumbatoshvili, Tsitsianov - Tsitsishvili, Baratov - Baratashvili, Manvelov - Manvelishvili and many other surnames that we used to consider Russian.
It is worth adding the Abkhaz surnames to the Kartvelian surnames that were considered. The Abkhazian language belongs to the North Caucasian group. In modern times, fifteen percent of the population of all of Abkhazia are Abkhazians. This is in most cases due to the fact that a greater number of Abkhazians have Megrelian or Georgian surnames. There are also specific Abkhaz surnames, the final element of which is “ba”. This is Eshba, and Lakoba, and Agzhba.
