How to find out the history of your last name. Surnames that originated from the profession of a distant ancestor Write the surnames that originated from the name of your ancestors

Many people are interested in the question of how to find out their family and family history for free. In fact, there is nothing complicated about this, since there are various services, mainly open databases. The information contained in them is enough to “find” your distant relatives and find out when they lived and what they did.

You can find information about your ancestors on the Internet.

The origin of the surname can also be found using the Internet. The most important thing is to have clear instructions to guide you during your search. It is necessary to take into account that many sites contain simply unreliable information, so not every source can be trusted.

Also, when searching independently You might run into scammers. A user who is interested in the history of his surname and the origin of his ancestors may be asked for a phone number, to which an “activation code” will subsequently be sent. This is a basic scheme that helps withdraw money from the accounts of gullible people.

Fraudsters are capable of creating duplicate sites (i.e., one-page copies of real-life resources). Some browsers have built-in protection that deliberately warns the user if they try to access an unsafe site.

How to find out your family tree: simple ways

Certainly, the easiest option is to ask older and distant relatives, If there are any. As a rule, every family has its own secrets or simply understatements.

Another option is to delve into documents, old photographs, which are usually stored in the attic or on a dresser. Almost every home has dusty drawers containing various things that were “hundred” years old. The documents and photographs may contain the names of distant relatives, which will greatly facilitate further searches.

Such photographs are often a treasure trove of valuable information. If you have the opportunity to access family archives, feel free to use it.

Data received from family members should be recorded in a notebook or notebook. Any information will be useful - dates of birth, number of children, full names, job titles. Subsequently, it will be possible to conduct a small investigation using not only electronic but also paper archives.

Of course, this is all quite tedious. But sometimes, knowing only the profession and name of a person, you can establish his identity. It’s elementary - go to an enterprise where a relative was listed as an employee, and look up old archives.

Finding the Roots of the Family Tree

A free way to find out your family tree via the Internet

Digital archives often provide comprehensive information, but you need to know how to use them. As a rule, effective websites are created by individual organizations (for example - family tree center). They are absolutely safe and reliable.

The first site that will be considered: http://rosgenea.ru/ - TsGI. The resource was created for those who want to find their relatives. It has several significant advantages:

In this case, the surname “Volkov” was entered, but the filter was “inaccurate”, so the result was a whole list of the same root and similar surnames.

It was said earlier that absolutely any information about a relative will be useful. And this is true, since it is the small details of the biography that help well in the search.

Instructions for the site

First you need to enter your last name in the search bar. As previously shown on the screen, if the filter is “inaccurate”, the service provides a lot of options. And here you need to remember or try to establish the surname of the relative, since otherwise the search will take a lot of time.

So now on a specific example We will look at how to use the site and what tricks you can use:

Press the combination on the keyboard CTRL + V, after which a new window appears. With his help we will look for the right person. Simply enter additional information.

In this case, we entered “Perm” as a place of residence, and already received the result on page 1 - Full name and address of the person who is someone's relative.

Unfortunately, the site itself does not provide the ability to enter additional information (besides the last name) in the search bar in order to immediately get the desired results. Therefore, you will have to examine all the pages.

It’s very strange, but few people know about this method, so the portal is considered relatively useless - after all, finding the right person takes too much time. This instruction shows how to reduce this time several times. In this case, enter after the combinationCTRL + Vyou can do anything: address, year of birth, name, and even everything combined.

If you are looking for several people at once, it is better to draw a family tree in advance. This "school trick" actually works great because it helps keep the genealogical "threads" clearly traced.

Make your own family tree!

There are several ways to create a family tree. This video describes the most effective methods.

Family history

It is at least interesting to know the history of your own surname. But, alas, this information is provided mainly by controversial sources. The biggest problem is that literally on every corner of the user scammers are waiting. Since the format “send us your last name via SMS and we will tell its story” very popular among small Internet pests.

The history of a surname, or rather its meaning, can be calculated independently using logic. The main meaning lies in the prefix. For example: Volkov - Wolf, belongs to the group of so-called “animal” surnames. The same can be said about Medvedev. Sometimes you need to choose words that are consonant with the surname, since this also has a special meaning.

It is the history of the surname that is not only the totality of the meaning invested in it, but also the origin, and the presence of great ancestors - commanders, rulers, heroes. Often people attach some significance to the characteristics of the surname and look for parallels with their own character.

Many are interested in finding out how their surname came about, the secret of which is hidden behind the antiquity of years. By visiting our website, you can find out the origin of the surname in general, and also find out how it appeared in Rus'.

Why look for the origin of a surname?

For a person, the surname plays an important role, which is comparable to the name and date of birth. Human character and destiny are influenced by the history of the family name, as the wheel of fortune turns in different directions, driven by family vibrations and energy.

Are you interested in the history of its origin and want to remove the veil of mystery? Do you want to know what exactly your last name means? Or maybe you want to find out where your family's ancestral roots came from?

By contacting us, you can find out all the secrets concerning your family’s family tree. If you have to change your last name, then you need to keep in mind that this can radically change your fate. Our experts will help you determine the history of the origin of your family’s ancestral roots in various ways, as well as find out what secret is hidden from you.

What does a pedigree search allow you to do? You will be able to find out:

• your family history;
• what characteristics did your family have?
• where did the ancestors live?
• what they did and were interested in;
• where distant relatives live with whom contact has been lost;
• all information about ancestors;
• what family traditions and legends exist in the family.

What does the surname mean and when was it formed?

When a person is born, he is given a name, but the surname is inherited. Our names are chosen by our fathers and mothers, and our ancestors (great-grandfathers and grandfathers) became the people from whom our surnames originated. Who was your ancestor? What secrets does the surname hide? Maybe your ancestors were noble people, but you don’t know about it yet, since after the revolution it was not customary to openly talk about your noble origins.

Therefore, the history of the origin of the surname is now considered a very relevant topic for all citizens not only of the Russian Federation, but also of the world. We will help you solve the mystery of your surname, its formation and distribution throughout the earth.

The word "surname" is of ancient Roman origin, according to many researchers. They claim that another concept was hidden behind this word. This is how the inhabitants of Ancient Rome called a group of people, a community, which included people belonging to a rich and respected class, as well as their slaves.

The unification of people and their formation into certain group communities occurred thanks to the word Familia, even with this meaning. A simple solution to any financial and political issues on the territory of a large state took place on the basis of this definition. In addition, the lower strata of the population were easily controlled.

When the Great Roman Empire collapsed, information about surnames was hidden under cover of secrecy for many centuries. How did the formation of surnames proceed in the Middle Ages?

Let's look at the history of this phenomenon by country:

1. The terminology becomes widespread in various Italian regions only at the end of the 10th century. The country was at that time the most powerful and influential European power. What is the reason for this? Scientists are still hotly arguing about this. The emergence of the institution of inheritance in Italy is the most plausible and reasonable variation of the answer to the question of the origin of the surname. This is due to the fact that borders began to expand and citizens of neighboring countries began to communicate closely. The surnames could also have arisen due to the political claims of Italy, which considered itself the most powerful state, and therefore wanted citizens of other countries to obey its subjects.
2. After some time, the French residents also picked up a new trend, a number of special institutions were created that specialized in compiling pedigrees. In those days, this service was provided only by wealthy noble families.
3. The adoption of surnames in England continued for a longer period of time. The end of this process occurs in the 15th century. In remote Scottish and Welsh regions, the formation of surnames continued for many more decades.
4. Citizens of Germany, Denmark and Sweden their own family institutions were organized at the end of the 16th century, as they were forced to play the game according to general rules, because in that time period a person who did not have a surname was considered an inferior member of society.
5. Authorities of Central European States a definition such as “surname” was forcibly introduced. But after some time, people quickly seized on new opportunities, although for several centuries the surname had only a nominal designation.

Surnames became widespread at the end of the 18th century.

What does the meaning of surnames depend on?

It is difficult to overestimate what a surname means to a person. From the time a child enters the 1st grade of school, they no longer call him simply Katya, Sasha or Sonya, but also begin to call him Volkova, Belov, Romanova. This important “gain” becomes the starting point that leads to human maturation. The differentiation of people by surname has been happening since this time. The exception is close relatives, friends and acquaintances.

The first impression about a person comes from their last name. For example, hearing a surname, you can almost accurately determine the nationality of its bearer. If you know the meaning of a surname, you can gain a lot of knowledge about your ancestors and ancestors. Where a person lived, whether he was tall or small, noisy or quiet, his occupation can be determined by his last name. The root of the surname is hidden in the personal name or nickname, professional skills, and place of residence.

History of the origin of the surname in Rus'

Surnames in Rus' began to appear in the 12th-13th centuries. This process became widespread in the 16th century, and its completion occurred at the end of the 19th - beginning of the 20th century. Experts can determine for certain where this or that surname came from, but they distinguish several variations that unite several hundred surnames.

Nicknames led to the origin of the surname:

1. Begin to form at the turn of the 12th-13th centuries. The names of the parents, where the person was born, and what he did were contained in the root part of the resulting word. What can be traced in the family ending -ich or -ov. For example, Petrovich, Popov.
2. During the 14-15 century period, numerous boyar and noble families began to be named. It was during this time period that the appearance of noble family names occurred: Shuiskys, Gorbatovs, Travins, Trusovs, Kobylins.
3. At the same time, surnames appeared, derived from nicknames which are characterized by negative traits of appearance or character. For example, Kosoy, Krivosheev and others.
4. Peasant surnames begin their formation from family nicknames. For example, Lyubimov, Zhdanov.
5. Since ancient times, the name has been considered a kind of amulet that guides a person’s destiny in the right direction.. Therefore, surnames came from given names in order to correct human karma. For example, from the name Nekras the Nekrasov family appeared, Golod - the Golodovs.
6. Surnames derived from the father's name have become widespread. For example, the descendant of Vasily began to be called Vasilyev, the descendant of Peter - Petrov, the descendant of Sidor - Sidorov.

The close contact between Western and Eastern countries that occurred towards the end of the 15th century marked the beginning of the formation of foreign surnames. At the same time, Turkic borrowings occurred in Rus'. Similar surnames appeared until the beginning of the 20th century. Thus, the tribal communities of the Yusupovs, Karamzins, and Baskakovs arose.

At the beginning of the 18th century, Peter the Great introduced “travelling letters” indicating the first and last name (or nickname), that is, from that time on, almost everyone living in Russian territories had a surname, albeit unofficially. But this phenomenon was widespread only in the central Russian regions. On the outskirts, citizens did not have a last name until the mid-30s of the 20th century, when residents of the country began to be given passports.

What a person did and where he lived also contributed to the appearance of the surname. In the 16th-19th centuries, surnames appeared based on what a person did. This is how the Rybins, Kovalevs, and Goncharovs appeared. Surnames appear according to the place where the person was born or currently resided. In particular, many surnames appeared at the moment when the lands beyond the Ural Mountains were settled. For example, the Ustyugovs, Verkhoturtsevs.

Among the clergy, the appearance of surnames occurred in the mid-18th century.

Their education often depended on which parish or church the priest served in. For example, Pokrovsky, Kosmodemyansky, Blagoveshchensky and others. Until this time, they were called Father Vasily, Father or Priest Ivan. Their children were called Popovs when necessary. Some clergy acquired surnames when they graduated from the seminary.

They became Athenian, Palminovsky, Cypress, Myagkovsky, Gilyarovsky. If students excelled in their studies, they received euphonious surnames with a positive connotation. They were called Brilliantovs, Dobromyslovs, Speranskys, Dobrolyubovs. If a student received bad grades, then he received a dissonant surname. For example, it was called Gibraltar. In addition, the student could receive a surname that was formed on behalf of a negative biblical character, including he could be called Saulov, Pharaoh.

How to find out the history of your surname: simple and professional ways

First, each person can make an attempt to find his roots. Parents, grandparents and other older relatives can help you with this matter. You can write down all the data on your ancestors in a notepad. You can find out about relatives on both the maternal and paternal side. When a large amount of information has been accumulated, you can put everything on a piece of Whatman paper.

In the upper part, indicate the data that you were able to find out by first names, patronymics, and last names, indicating when they were born and where their oldest ancestors lived. In addition, it is worth recording the number of marriages of the grandparents with the names of their wives and husbands, as well as the number of children they have and the dates of their birth.

The type of activity of your ancestors will provide a lot of information. For example, your ancestor was a shoemaker, so you are Sapozhnikov. Or there was a service person in the family, so you, for example, are Bombardiers. If your ancestor was a fisherman, then now you are called Sturgeon. Or maybe you are the bearer of a family trait, obtained due to the peculiarity of your appearance, which is why you began to be called Ears, Nosovs.

If there is insufficient information collected from relatives, you can turn to the World Wide Web. On various sites you can find out the essence of the origin of your family name. If resources ask you to enter any amount of money, this may lead to funds being withdrawn from you, and no assistance will be provided. On our website you can find out where your family branch came from. Here you can find distant relatives; by writing a message to them, you can find out information about where the family began.

Our experts will help you find out everything about rare family data. Having previously learned information from historical and archival information, our employees will professionally draw up a family tree.

Professional research into the origin of the surname

If your independent searches could not help you find out the history of the origin of the surname, feel free to contact our specialists who will help resolve all your questions regarding this problem.

We provide the following services:

1. At the first stage, professionals will be able to verify all the data you have collected by talking with your relatives, as well as filling in the missing information. This stage is carried out within 2 to 4 weeks.
2. At the same time as the first stage, specialists systematize the information received, enter the data into a special program and build a prototype family tree.
3. Conducting a genealogical examination of the information received, including DNA, during which it is determined whether there is enough information for research, as well as where to find the missing data. This stage takes place over a 2-4 week period.
4. Searching for information in archives.
5. Analysis of the information received and drawing up an estimate.
6. Drawing up reporting information, as well as creating a family tree with subsequent registration of the results of the work performed. This stage takes place within 2-3 months.

How to use the information

After receiving and processing all the information by our specialists, a report can be presented in the form:

• compiled family tree;
• compiled genealogy book;
• a movie about the history of the origin of your family's name.

Let's look at each point in more detail.

Compiling a family tree

In our company, a family tree of a surname can be ordered in the form of paintings, diagrams, panels, as well as shezhere. The customer can decide how the report should look. It can be depicted schematically, drawn on canvas, or carved on a wooden board and look like a panel. In addition, the coat of arms, local attractions, cartographic fragments, photographs can be presented, and the report can also be decorated with various ornaments.

If the client wishes, LED lighting can be installed inside the frame. All materials undergo processing to prevent their premature failure. A family tree can be kept in your family for a long time.

Compiling a genealogy book

All collected information can be formatted as a genealogy book. In addition to information about the surname, it will contain family legends, family traditions, documentary photocopies, as well as photographs covering the history of the origin of the surname.

This book, which includes the most precious information, will be an invaluable encyclopedic storehouse of knowledge passed on from generation to generation.

Making a film about the history of the origin of your family's name

For every family, a film in which all its members play the main roles is important. Our company can offer a film based on events that actually happened to you and your family.

We offer documentary films in the form of:

• family portrait film;
• dedication to one person or a married couple;
• a movie that explores the essence of the origin of the surname;
• narratives about the hard times of war or about events occurring in the hero’s childhood;
• a fascinating genre documentary story covering the events that happened to the hero;
• documentary reconstruction of past events;
• modern life events.

During the work on the film, professionals will be involved. The film will be shot by directors, screenwriters, cameramen, editors, sound engineers, composers and recorded on the highest quality media. The finished masterpiece will be recorded onto your hard drive. Your personal life will become a source for filming an exciting, exclusive film.

Full value of family pedigree

Before all work is carried out, our specialists will be able to calculate the full cost of the services provided. Conducting a genealogical examination costs 95 thousand rubles. If DNA examination is carried out by specialists, then its cost is 85 thousand rubles.

Contact our company, and in just 2-3 months you can find out all the information about the history of your family name!

In Russia, Ukraine and Belarus, it is customary to call people by their personal name, patronymic and surname. The reason for this phenomenon becomes clear if we consider the long history of the emergence of Russian patronymics.

In almost all European countries, it is customary to name people using a pair of names: a personal name and a family name (surname). This tradition dates back to the times of Ancient Rome. An exception is Iceland, where instead of a family name, a patronymic is used, that is, the name of the parents, father (patronym) or mother (matronym). The famous Icelandic singer Björk, for example, is actually called Björk Gvüdmündsdóttir (daughter of Gvüdmünd).

Thus, Icelanders do not have surnames.

But in the East Slavic states there is a different tradition. In Russia, Ukraine and Belarus, a person’s full name consists of a personal name, patronymic and surname: Philip Bedrosovich Kirkorov, Alla Borisovna Pugacheva. This custom is a little surprising to other Europeans, but seems quite reasonable to people in the Middle East, where the father's name is often added to the personal name. The mighty genie Hasan-Abdurakhman ibn Hottab (that is, the son of Hottab) in Soviet Moscow simply became Hasan Hottabovich, old man Hottabych.

In Slavic languages, the role of the Arabic word “ibn” is played by the suffixes “-vich” (for men) and “-ovna/-evna/-ichna” (for women). Therefore, for example, Serbian and Bosnian surnames are very similar to Russian patronymics: Bregovich, Voinovich, Vukovich and even Karageorgievich. During the times of Kievan Rus, honoring by patronymic was the privilege of only noble people: princes and their squads.

There are a lot of examples in Russian epics: Dobrynya Nikitich, Alyosha Popovich, Nastasya Mikulichna. Even Tugarin’s enemy is called by his patronymic: Tugarin Zmeevich. Yes, and Nightingale the Robber, although a damned bastard, is also Odikhmantiev’s son. That is, Odikhmantievich. Perhaps the only exception is when the plowman is called by his patronymic in epics - Mikula Silyaninovich. Well, yes, Mikula is an exception in many respects.

Veliky Novgorod was an exception to the general order. Rich and, by the standards of that time, a completely European free city, it loved to live independently, according to its own laws.

So the Novgorodians introduced a special order: to address each other by patronymic, that is, in a princely manner. Even when Tsar Ivan III destroyed the Novgorod Republic and resettled the proud Novgorodians in different cities, they preserved this custom, expressing mutual respect. Moreover, they passed it on to others.

The fashion for surnames came to Rus' from the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Back in the 12th century, Veliky Novgorod established close contacts with this state. Noble Novgorodians can be considered the first official owners of surnames in Rus'.

The earliest known list of the dead with the names: “Novgorodets that fall: Kostyantin Lugotinits, Gyuryata Pineshchinich, Namst, Drochilo Nezdylov, son of a tanner...” (First Novgorod chronicle of the older edition, 1240). Surnames helped in diplomacy and in recording troops. This made it easier to distinguish one Ivan from another.

Boyar and princely families

In the XIV-XV centuries, Russian princes and boyars began to take surnames. Surnames were often formed from the names of the lands. Thus, the owners of the estate on the Shuya River became the Shuiskys, on Vyazma - the Vyazemskys, on Meshchera - the Meshcherskys, the same story with the Tverskys, Obolenskys, Vorotynskys and other -skys.

It must be said that -sk- is a common Slavic suffix; it can be found in Czech surnames (Komensky), and in Polish (Zapototsky), and in Ukrainian (Artemovsky).

Boyars also often received their surnames from the baptismal name of the ancestor or his nickname: such surnames literally answered the question “whose?” (implied “whose son?”, “what kind?”) and included possessive suffixes.

The suffix -ov- was added to worldly names ending in hard consonants: Smirnoy - Smirnov, Ignat - Ignatov, Petr - Petrov.

The suffix -Ev- was added to names and nicknames that had a soft sign at the end, -iy, -ey or h: Bear - Medvedev, Yuri - Yuryev, Begich - Begichev.

The suffix -in- was given to surnames formed from given names with the vowels “a” and “ya”: Apukhta -Apukhtin, Gavrila - Gavrilin, Ilya -Ilyin.

Meanwhile, the granting of patronymic names to people from low classes turned into a royal reward. Starting from the 15th century, the title of “eminent people” appeared, who, for special merits, were allowed by royal decree to be called by their patronymic. The honor was great. In the 17th century, for example, the only merchant family awarded a patronymic was the Stroganov merchants.

For other humble people (or, as they said then, people of “vile rank”), patronymics, if necessary, were formed according to the model “Ivan son of Sidorov” or even simpler “Ivan Sidorov.” Thus, a significant part of Russian surnames were formed from patronymics. By the way, it is precisely according to this model that, if necessary, patronymics are formed in the Bulgarian language: Philip Bedrosov Kirkorov.

And now let’s remember about Peter Alekseevich, that is, about Tsar Peter I. Among his other merits is the reform of the sovereign service. Instead of the loose system of orders that existed during the time of his father, Alexei Mikhailovich, the emperor introduced a European-style slender pyramid of service hierarchy, a “table of ranks.” He, of course, did not invent it himself, but “copied” it from the Prussian civil service system. The Prussian origin of the “report card” is evidenced by the “assessors”, “fendricks” and “equipmen” who settled in it.

Without a doubt, the famous Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz pointed out the power of the “table of ranks” to Peter I. Leibniz was delighted with the “Prussian project,” during which a shabby kingdom, dependent on its powerful neighbor Poland, became a prominent state in Europe in just a few years. And at the same time, Prussia did not have any resources other than human ones.

But all the people were assigned to the place and together performed their service, military or civilian. Each was an inconspicuous cog or gear, and together they made up a smoothly working state mechanism. Naturally, the mind of a mathematician and philosopher could not help but admire such perfection. The emperor's mind too.

Among other bonuses, the “table of ranks” guaranteed service people, after reaching a certain rank, nobility, first personal and then hereditary. As a result of the expansion of the base of the nobility, people with suspiciously “mean” surnames began to appear among the serving nobles: Ivanovs, Mikhalkovs, Ilyins. How to distinguish them from the bourgeois Ivanovs, the merchants Mikhalkovs or the peasants Ilyins?

Catherine II tried to do this.

According to her decree, it was proposed to introduce different spellings of patronymics for officials or officers of different classes.

Officers and officials of low classes, from 14 to 9 inclusive, were recorded in official documents without a patronymic - Nikita Mikhalkov. (Class 9 corresponded to the military rank of captain or the civil rank of titular councilor).

Officers and officials from grades 8 to 5 inclusive were to be called: Nikita Sergeev Mikhalkov. (The 5th class ranks were state councilor and brigadier - although high ranks, they were not yet generals.)

Finally, officials and officers who held general ranks (4th grade and above) were called in official documents by their patronymic: Nikita Sergeevich Mikhalkov. It seems that it was precisely in those years that a phenomenon arose that led to the prevalence of patronymic names in Russian anthroponyms. In official correspondence, everything was written as Catherine II ordered.

But in unofficial correspondence, every nobleman referred to himself as a general, with a patronymic: Staff Captain Konstantin Aleksandrovich Bagration-Mukhransky.

A bad example is contagious. Patronymic naming was picked up by other classes, burghers, merchants and even rich peasants. By the time of the fall of the Russian Empire, in February 1917, almost all of its inhabitants had patronymics in their passports.

Why are the Romanovs - Romanovs?

The most famous surname in Russian history is the Romanovs. Their ancestor Andrei Kobyla (a boyar from the time of Ivan Kalita) had three sons: Semyon Zherebets, Alexander Elka Kobylin and Fyodor Koshka. From them descended the Zherebtsovs, Kobylins and Koshkins, respectively.

After several generations, descendants decided that a surname from a nickname was not noble. Then they first became the Yakovlevs (after the great-grandson of Fyodor Koshka) and the Zakharyins-Yuryevs (after the names of his grandson and another great-grandson), and remained in history as the Romanovs (after the great-great-grandson of Fyodor Koshka).

Aristocratic surnames

The Russian aristocracy initially had noble roots, and among the nobles there were many people who came to Russian service from abroad. It all started with surnames of Greek and Polish-Lithuanian origin at the end of the 15th century, and in the 17th century they were joined by the Fonvizins (German von Wiesen), the Lermontovs (Scottish Lermont) and other surnames with Western roots.

Also, the surnames that were given to illegitimate children of noble people have foreign language bases: Sherov (French cher “dear”), Amantov (French amant “beloved”), Oksov (German Ochs “bull”), Herzen (German Herz “heart” ").

By-product children generally “suffered” a lot from their parents’ imagination. Some of them did not bother to come up with a new surname, but simply shortened the old one: this is how Pnin was born from Repnin, Betskoy from Trubetskoy, Agin from Elagin, and the “Koreans” Go and Te came from Golitsyn and Tenishev. The Tatars also left a significant mark on Russian surnames. This is exactly how the Yusupovs (descendants of Murza Yusup), the Akhmatovs (Khan Akhmat), the Karamzins (Tatar punishment “black”, Murza “lord, prince”), the Kudinovs (distorted Kaz.-Tatar. Kudai “God, Allah”) and other.

Surnames of servicemen

Following the nobility, ordinary service people began to receive surnames. They, like the princes, were also often called by their place of residence, only with “simpler” suffixes: families living in Tambov became Tambovtsevs, in Vologda - Vologzhaninovs, in Moscow - Moskvichevs and Moskvitinovs. Some were satisfied with the “non-family” suffix, denoting a resident of a given territory in general: Belomorets, Kostromich, Chernomorets, while others received the nickname without any changes - hence Tatyana Dunay, Alexander Galich, Olga Poltava and others.

Surnames of clergy

The surnames of the priests were formed from the names of churches and Christian holidays (Rozhdestvensky, Uspensky), and were also artificially formed from Church Slavonic, Latin and Greek words. The most interesting of them were those that were translated from Russian into Latin and received the “princely” suffix -sk-. Thus, Bobrov became Kastorsky (Latin castor “beaver”), Skvortsov became Sturnitsky (Latin sturnus “starling”), and Orlov became Aquilev (Latin aquila “eagle”).

Peasant surnames

Until the end of the 19th century, peasant surnames were rare. The exceptions were non-serf peasants in the north of Russia and in the Novgorod province - hence Mikhailo Lomonosov and Arina Rodionovna Yakovleva.

After the abolition of serfdom in 1861, the situation began to improve, and by the time of universal passportization in the 1930s, every resident of the USSR had a surname.

They were formed according to already proven models: the suffixes -ov-, -ev-, -in- were added to names, nicknames, places of residence, and professions.

Why and when did they change their names?

When the peasants began to acquire surnames, for superstitious reasons, from the evil eye, they gave their children surnames that were not the most pleasant: Nelyub, Nenash, Nekhoroshiy, Blockhead, Kruchina. After the revolution, queues began to form at passport offices from those who wanted to change their surname to a more euphonious one.

Russian surnames that indicate noble origin

Some surnames are said to be “noble”. Is this really true? And is it possible to determine by surname that a person has noble roots?

How did the nobility appear in Russia?

The word “nobleman” itself means: “courtier” or “person from the princely court.” The nobility was the highest class of society.
In Russia, the nobility was formed in the XII-XIII centuries, mainly from representatives of the military service class. Starting from the 14th century, nobles received land plots for their service, and family surnames most often came from their names - Shuisky, Vorotynsky, Obolensky, Vyazemsky, Meshchersky, Ryazan, Galitsky, Smolensky, Yaroslavl, Rostov, Belozersky, Suzdal, Smolensky, Moscow, Tver... Other noble surnames came from the nicknames of their bearers: Gagarins, Humpbacks, Glazatyes, Lykovs. Some princely surnames were a combination of the name of the appanage and a nickname: for example, Lobanov-Rostovsky.
At the end of the 15th century, surnames of foreign origin began to appear in the lists of the Russian nobility - they belonged to immigrants from Greece, Poland, Lithuania, Asia and Western Europe who had aristocratic origins and moved to Russia. Here we can mention such names as Fonvizins, Lermontovs, Yusupovs, Akhmatovs, Kara-Murzas, Karamzins, Kudinovs.
Boyars often received surnames from the baptismal name or nickname of the ancestor and included possessive suffixes. Such boyar surnames include the Petrovs, Smirnovs, Ignatovs, Yuryevs, Medvedevs, Apukhtins, Gavrilins, Ilyins.

The royal family of the Romanovs is of the same origin. Their ancestor was a boyar from the time of Ivan Kalita, Andrei Kobyla. He had three sons: Semyon Zherebets, Alexander Elka
Kobylin and Fedor Koshka. Their descendants received the surnames Zherebtsov, Kobylin and Koshkin, respectively. One of the great-grandsons of Fyodor Koshka, Yakov Zakharovich Koshkin, became the founder of the noble family of the Yakovlevs, and his brother Yuri Zakharovich began to be called Zakharyin-Koshkin. The latter’s son’s name was Roman Zakharyin-Yuryev. His son Nikita Romanovich and his daughter Anastasia, the first wife of Ivan the Terrible, bore the same surname. However, the children and grandchildren of Nikita Romanovich became the Romanovs after their grandfather. This surname was borne by his son Fyodor Nikitich (Patriarch Filaret) and the founder of the last Russian royal dynasty, Mikhail Fedorovich.
During the Peter the Great era, the nobility was replenished with representatives of the non-military classes, who received their titles as a result of promotion in public service. One of them was, for example, an associate of Peter I, Alexander Menshikov, who from birth had a “low” origin, but was awarded the princely title by the tsar. In 1785, by decree of Catherine II, special privileges were established for nobles.

Categories of nobility in Russia

The nobility in Russia was divided into several categories. The first group included representatives of ancient boyar and princely families who received the title of nobility before 1685. These are the Scriabins, Travins, Eropkins and many others.
Titled nobles are counts, princes and barons, whose families were listed in genealogical books. Among them are the Alabyshevs, Urusovs, Zotovs, Sheremetyevs, and Golovkins.
Hereditary nobility was awarded mainly for service (for example, military merits) and could be inherited. Personal nobility was granted for special merits in military and civil service to people of the lower and middle class, but it was not inherited and was not entered in genealogical books.

Is it possible to identify a nobleman by his last name?

In 1886 V.V. Rummel and V.V. Golubtsov compiled the “Genealogical Collection of Russian Noble Families,” which included the genealogies of 136 families of the Russian nobility.
There are hundreds of noble family surnames in Russia. Among the most famous are the Aksenovs, Anichkovs, Arakcheevs, Bestuzhevs, Velyaminovs, Vorontsovs, Golenishchevs, Demidovs, Derzhavins, Dolgorukys, Durovs, Kurbatovs, Kutuzovs, Nekrasovs, Pozharskys, Razumovskys, Saburovs, Saltykovs, Trubetskoys, Uvarovs, Cherkasovs, Chernyshevs, Shcherbatovs.
Meanwhile, it is very difficult to determine for sure the noble origin of this or that surname these days. The fact is that surnames from names or nicknames could be given not only to representatives of the nobility. Also, serf peasants of one or another landowner often received surnames based on the name of the land ownership that belonged to this landowner, or bore the master’s own surname. With the exception of some particularly rare surnames, only an official pedigree can confirm noble roots.

The science of the origin of people's names and surnames. Anthroponymy Genealogy The science that elucidates the origin of clans, families and individuals, their family ties. There are many sciences that help historians explore the past development of society. And among them, two are related to human family relationships.

What can a person's name tell you? When in ancient times people lived in small groups of relatives of several dozen people, names were not needed. Everyone knew each other well by sight and in conversation called familiar people by generally accepted nicknames that were assigned to each person.

What can a person's name tell you? As clans united into tribes, tribes into unions, people appeared whom everyone should have known. Such people were leaders, high priests and their close assistants. Not everyone could already know them by sight. Therefore, the orders of the leader or the predictions of the priest were transmitted on their behalf. Such people were called noble - that is, known to everyone.

What can a person's name tell you? It happened not very long ago by historical standards. For a long time, only a few people per large group had them. The appearance of names is associated with serious changes occurring in society with the formation of large groups from many tribes. Noble people stand out and begin to manage public affairs.

What can a person's name tell you? Male names appear earlier. When female names later appeared, they were often derived from earlier male ones. This was the case, for example, with the ancient Romans. Think about what male names the female names Victoria Yulia Valeria Victor Julius Valery came from. This suggests that in conditions when the survival of society depended on hard physical labor and successful war, men in society played a leading role. Such a society is called patriarchal (from the Latin word pater - father)

What can a person's name tell you? 988 Vasily Georgy Dmitry Alexander They were often given to princes - the children of princes, as they meaningfully suited their role in society. In Rus', names appear that were given at the baptism of a child in honor of Christian saints. They were often Greek, because came to us from Byzantium. - ruler - awake - from Demeter - protector

What can a person's name tell you? There were also names that sounded alien to the Russian language; Russian people remade them in their own way. Ioannikiy (in Rus' - Anikey), Polievkt (in Rus' - Poluekt), Falaley (in Rus' - Faley). For more than two centuries, it was typical for Russian princes to have two names - one Christian, Greek, and the other - Old Russian, rooted in pre-Christian times. Moreover, it was the latter that was used more often. This tells us that the Christian faith was established in ancient Russian society not immediately, but for quite a long time.

Ordinary people - peasants and city dwellers, also received foreign names of Christian saints at baptism, but in life they called each other by nicknames. What can a person’s name tell about? The boyars and nobles also usually had two names: one was Christian, and the other, the common one, was Old Russian. Such names are found even in historical documents. Menshik Tretyak (third child) Zamyatnya (restless) Molchan Sample Not good Anokha (simple, not very smart) Vereshchaga (talker) Lie down (sloth) Fly (fast, agile) Kokor (stingy, thrifty).

Patronymic A nickname could be added to the name and patronymic, indicating appearance, character traits, and accomplished deeds, Prince Ivan Danilovich “Kalita.” Do you know why they received such nicknames? Prince Alexander Yaroslavich Nevsky Prince Dmitry Ivanovich Donskoy

Patronymic In official documents, petitions and other non-noble people: merchants, townspeople, service people were named with the addition of the father's name, but without the prefix -vich Ivashka, son Danilov Nikitka Trofimov son Scriabin Olena Timofeeva daughter Naming with the prefix -vich was granted to such people by royal decree for special merits The surname in the modern sense appeared among ordinary people after the abolition of serfdom in 1861.

In Iceland, to this day, a named person is limited to his first and patronymic names. For example, if a man is named Svein, and his father's name was Bjorn, then the full name will sound like Svein Bjornson, which literally means “Svein, son of Bjorn.” In Icelandic society, surnames as we understand them never arose. Surname

Surname In Rus', surnames began to appear: 500 years ago, in the 16th century - among noble people (boyars and nobles). is no longer enough. In order to perform service and receive an inheritance, it was necessary to accurately determine whether a serving person belonged to a certain family. This affiliation, that is, the presence of one male ancestor for all its bearers, is indicated by the surname, which, unlike names and patronymics, passed from fathers to children unchanged. That is, remembering your male ancestors - father, male grandfather, and so on, you could find the person who first began to bear this surname. Surnames could arise from given names, patronymics, nicknames associated with appearance, character or occupation, or position in society. So, for example, the princely families of Shuisky (once the owners of the city of Shuya), Belsky (who owned the city of Belev), Vorotynsky (from the city of Vorotynsk) appeared. The boyars often had not only a patronymic, but also an indication of the grandfather’s name. For example, Nikita Romanovich Yuryev: Nikita is a first name, Romanovich is a patronymic, Yuryev is an indication of the grandfather’s name. His son was already styled as Fedor Nikitich Romanov, but his son was no longer called Mikhail Fedorovich Nikitin, but as Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov. So the indication of the grandfather’s name became a surname.

Surname In Rus', surnames began to appear: 350 years ago, in the 17th century - among townspeople and peasants. Derived from professions, occupations, place of residence, owner (among serfs): Kuznetsovs (from the profession of blacksmiths), Shaposhnikovs (craftsmen who made hats), Kravtsovs (from the word “kravets” - tailor), Rybakovs (engaged in fishing)

Surname In Rus', surnames began to appear: 200 years ago, at the end of the 18th century - among church ministers. Often they were derived from the names of church holidays or names of saints: Rozhdestvensky (in honor of the Nativity of Christ) Nikolsky (in honor of St. Nicholas of Myra) Peter and Paul (in honor of the apostles Peter and Paul)

Genealogy Genealogy is the history of a family, the origin of clans, families and individuals, their family ties. Connections are depicted in the form of a family tree (tree), in which family members who lived earlier are located above those who lived later, and lines connecting names (possibly with portraits or photographs) indicate a direct relationship between them (that is, people's names are connected who were in a parent-child relationship).

Genealogy Genealogy as a special occupation and field of knowledge in Russia arose more than 500 years ago. Boyars and nobles enjoyed honor and respect, received higher and more profitable positions in the service of the great princes and kings, depending on the antiquity of the family, belonging to one or another of its branches - this was called localism.

Materials used 1. Film “Peter the Great” dir. V. Petrov 2. Module “Study of names and genealogy” Republican Multimedia Center 3. Final document of the September “search” of 1698. Moscow “pandemonium” of the end of the 17th century // Archive of Russian History, Vol. 2, From the first petition of Semyon Dezhnev (1662) Reader on the history of the Middle Ages. T. 3. M Interrogation speeches of captured Razinites (years) 6. Encyclopedia for children. T. 5, part 1. History of Russia and its closest neighbors / Comp. S. T. Ismailova. M.: Avanta+, Non-historical disciplines