Thursday, 9 June 2011

Russian Last Names

Russian last names or surnames were earlier known as 'nicknames'. In the census of 1897, the Russians received last names. It would also be interesting to know, how the last names were assigned to people. The father's name was modified to make it the surname. For example, if the father's name was Peter, the surname assigned to the family would be 'Petrov'. This fact can be understood in a better manner, if we take a look at some of the popular Russian surnames: Vasiliev, Ivanov, Fedoseev, Titov, Nikitin, Sidorov, Fedorov, Egorov, Alekseev, etc. In Russia, the name of a person is formed of three components i.e. 'given name', a 'patronymic' and 'last name'. These components should be arranged in sequence. The component of name which is derived from father's name is generally known as patronymic. The patronym can have origins in the name of one's grandfather or even earlier ancestors.

Russian Last Names

In Russia, the last names are inherited from parents. Women have last names/surnames that are inherited either from parents or husbands. Russian surnames can also be formed by combining two separate names. For example, the names, Ms. Zetseva and Mr. Smirnov can be combined together to form the last name, Smirnov-Zetseva. To identify Russian last names for girls, one should see whether the suffix, 'a', 'aya' or 'ina' is attached to them. Apart from this fact, there is not much difference between girls' names and Russian last names for boys.

Most Russian last names are in the form of possessive adjectives. The surnames in the form of attributive adjectives and nouns are very less. Last names that end with an '-enko' are originally from Ukraine. Russian last names take different forms on the basis of gender. The following example would explain it in a better manner. The last name of Mr. Boris Yel'tsin's wife is written as Yel'tsina. It is sometimes difficult to translate female last names from Russian language to English. Thus, last names of females in many cases, get translated into the same form (Russian). Last names produced from personal names are considerably high in Russia. Examples of such name formations are as follows: the names Sergeyev can be translated as Sergey's son. Likewise, Vasilyev means Vasil's son. Few Russian last names originate from names of birds and animals. For example, the name Korovin means Cow's son, while Lebedev can be translated as Swan's son.


Averbukh Astyafyeva Astapkovich Aznabaev
Asimov Artamova Arsov Apraxin
Aparina Antyuhin Antsyforov Antipova
Anissina Andropov Anchova Alyabyev
Alliluyeva Bzowski Bytchkov Bykovsky
Byko Bychovskaya Butyrskaya Butkovsky
Buteyko Bushmanov Burlachenko Bure
Bulygina Czartoryska Chzov Chuikov
Chugainov Chuchnova Chubais Chtgheglovski
Chorkina Chmil Chistyakova Chistiakov
Chikachev Dzhamgerchinov Dyalov Dyakov
Dyachenko Dunayevskaya Duchovny Dubrovskiy
Dubnikov Dubkova Drygin Drevnerussky
Dratshev Erin Erikeev Eltsov
Ekomov Ekk Eghove Fortunatov
Fokine Flerko Filischkin Filipov
Fibingerova Feofanova Fedyushhyna Fedotova
Faustin Guznishcheva Gutionov Gusyeva
Gusev Guseinov Guseinev Gurov
Gurina Gurevich Gurdjieff Gulyayeva
Hvorostovsky Harkov Ivelitsch Ivanski
Ivakina Itsov Isyanov Ipatiev
Instinsky Ilyukhin Iltchenko Illich-Svitych
Jiganov Jidkova Jeloudov Jelavich
Jakov Kuznetsova Kuzmenko Kuzenkova
Kutzow Kutuzov Kutaisov Kusovlfa
Kursinska Kurennoy Kuptchenko Kupetsky
Kupchenko Kulikovskaya Lyapunov Lyakhova
Lyakhov Lvov Luzhkov Lutrova
Lupandin Lukyanov Lounaeva Loginov
Mushailov Murin Mullova Mravinsky
Mozarov Moujoukine Motova Motorina
Motkova Mostovoi Moskvina Moskalets
Morozova Morozov Novosi Novokov
Novokoff Novakovsky Nosova Nosov
Nizovtseva Nizienko Nikulina Nikonov
Nikolin Nikolaevsky Ovsiannikov Ovinko
Ovchinnikov Ovcharova Ovcharenko Otkupshchikov
Ostrovsky Ostrogorsky Ostaltsov Ortoff
Putyatin Putin Purishkevitch Pudovkin
Puchkina Pshenichny Protopopov Pronin
Proniakin Prokourorov Prokouriakof Rzaev
Ryzhkov Ryumin Ryndenko Rybkin
Rybin Ryashkina Ryaov Ryabov
Rusayev Rumiantseva Rumiantsev Sytsov
Sviridov Svetlanov Svatkowski Svartsevich
Superanskaia Sudnik Sudakov Strogolev
Strizhakov Stolypin Stoljarov Stolin
Tyurin Tyukhay Tverskaya Tverdokhleb
Turov Turabiev Tupolev Tupikov
Tumanova Tukhbatulin Tsymbaler Tsyganova
Uvarova Uritski Ulyanov Ukhtomsky
Uijanov Udovin Udalov Vyshinsky
Vyrubova Vydrina Vostrikova Vorotaev
Voroshilov Voropaev Voronova Voronov
Vorobyov Volsky Volosheninov Wowk
Woloshyn Witte Winogradski Wakina
Yusupov Yuran Yumashev Yudina
Yiyakova Yevteushenko Yevdokimov Yemelyanev
Yeltsin Yegupov Yefrimov Yavlinsky
Yatskaya Zuibimov Zubov Zotkin
Zolkin Zjukovski Zinoviev Zinovieff
Zimyatov Zhuvova Zhukov Zhivanevskaya






Last Names Meanings
Morozov Frost's
Solovyov Nightingale's
Volkov Wolf's
Novikov Novik's
Kozlov He-goat's
Lebedev Swan's
Sokolov Falcon's
Popov Priest's
Kuznetsov Smith's
Ivanov John's
Smirnov Quiet Man's
Vorobyov Sparrow's
Bogdanov Bogdan's - The word bogdan means a slavic man.
Vinogradov Grape's
Golubev Pigeon's
Semyonov Simeon's
Pavlov Paul's
Zaytsev Hare's
Vasilyev's Basil's

The information about last names in Russia give us a rough idea about the Russian language and culture. The evolution of last names in Russia is much similar to that in other parts of the world. The practice of assigning the last name on the basis of father's or husband's name too is found in different parts of the world. One should thus find this article about Russian last names informative.

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