What letters do Armenian surnames end with? Armenian surnames. Armenian male surnames

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Among the many factors that determine belonging to a particular people or nationality, Armenian surnames arouse great interest and numerous discussions. Their origin, history, and peculiarities of use are of concern to many native speakers and Russian-speaking representatives of the diaspora.

Origin and varieties

The process of the appearance of a surname is varied, entertaining and educational, and also contains details by which one can determine a representative of a particular nationality.

Excursion into the past

The history of the name is always confusing. It is impossible to say with absolute certainty what was the impetus. In ancient times, groups of Armenians living compactly were small in number. Everyone knew each other. In principle, there was no need for surnames; a first name was enough. If they coincided, characteristic nicknames were given.

The formation of surnames dates back to the Middle Ages. This is the time of development of trade and crafts. Names and local nicknames were no longer enough. To understand, I had to add a place of residence, type of activity or external signs.

Surnames familiar to the ear with a modern sound arose at the turn of the 19th century. The suffix -yan, borrowed from Persian, indicates a relationship:

• Abazyan (from the Abaza family).
• Aramyan (family of Aram).
• Bagdasaryan.
• Karapetyan.
• Mirzoyan.
• Manukyan et al.

That is why among Armenians surnames ending in -yan prevail.

The same applies to the suffixes -an and -yants, -ents and -onts. And if -yan expresses a close relationship, then -yants - a common clan affiliation. Due to their relationship with their family, many Armenian girls, when entering into a marriage, leave their maiden name.

There are also surnames that indicate where a person is from: Artikyan (city of Artik), Masisyan (Masis), Gavaryan (Gavar); or by professional affiliation: Alekyan - artist, Nalbandyan - blacksmith, Dallakyan - hairdresser, Ekimyan - doctor, Azoyan - healer, Balavyan - shepherd, Vanikyan - merchant.

There are borrowings from Turkish- Mumjyan (candlemaker - mumji), Demirchyan (blacksmith - demirchi), Bardakchyan (potter - bardakchi), as well as with Turkic, Iranian and Hebrew roots: Kocharyan, Shahinyan, Kaputikyan, Kardashyan, Parajanov, Gyulbekyan, Dolukhanov, Yedigaryan, Arshakuni, Artashesyan, Pakhlavuni, Ozanyan and others. The advantages and disadvantages were taken into account: Shishmanyan - fat, Gamburyan - hunchbacked, Barseghyan - fertile.

When Armenia became part of the Russian state, many surnames became Russified, acquired the ending -ov and began to be pronounced like this: Arutyunov, Sarkisov, Oganesov, Simonov, Petrosov, Bagdasarov, Akopov, Karapetov, Aivazov.

Class characteristics

Names carry certain information. From them it is possible to find out to which layer of society a person belongs. The suffixes -uni, -unts and others indicated belonging to the nobility e:

This also includes what the prefix “ter” means in Armenian surnames. It, like “melik”, was used at the end of the 17th - beginning of the 19th centuries. The first indicated the attitude towards the clergy, the second - towards the nobility (Ter - Oganesyan, Melik - Kazaryan). They were avoided during the Soviet era, but are now coming back into use.

Beautiful and funny

If we consider Armenian surnames in alphabetical order, then among the funny ones the following stand out::

• Aveyan - fish.
• Adaryan is a bachelor.
• Andoyan - egg.
• Babasyan is a glutton.
• Gadzhiyan - elephant, female elephant (for girls).
• Kokiyan is a cuckoo.
• Longuryan - tailed.
• Makaryan is a crocodile.
• Ushanyan - pepper.
• Khatlamajyan is a chubby guy.

There are too many beautiful ones too. Here are some of them:

Famous and Famous

There are many talented, widely known and outstanding representatives among Armenians. Their names are polyphonic. They have the following meanings:

1. Hakobyan - God bless.
2. Galustyan - coming to the house.
3. Dzhigarkhanyan - glory to the winners.
4. Martirosyan - one who accepts torment.
5. Petrosyan is fatherly.
6. Khachaturian is a crusader.

Rules of use in Russian

There are no differences by gender. If the men's is Mkrtchyan, then the women's is Mkrtchyan. The only difference is in the case forms. The declension of Armenian masculine surnames into -yan and other endings is subject to general laws: Gagik Atunyan, Gagik Atunyan, Gagiku Atunyan, but Anna Atunyan, Anna Atunyan, Anne Atunyan. That is, in males the first and last names are declined, which ends in a consonant, and in females - only the first name. This is the declension of Armenian surnames into -yan.

Of course, the culture of this wonderful people is not limited only to names. The ethnos takes good care of its own history and has preserved religion, traditions and identity. It continues to develop and plays an important role in global society.

Attention, TODAY only!

In a conversation you can come across the following statement: “Here, his last name ends with -in, which means he is a Jew.” Are Susanin, Repin and even Pushkin really Jewish surnames? It’s some kind of strange idea among the people, where did it come from? After all, the suffix -in- is often found in possessive adjectives formed from first declension nouns: cat, mother. While adjectives from words of the second declension are formed using the suffix -ov-: grandfathers, crocodiles. Is it really true that only Jews chose words of the first declension as the basis for their surname? It would be very strange. But probably everything that is on people’s tongues has some basis, even if it has been distorted over time. Let's figure out how to determine nationality by last name.

Ending or suffix?

Calling the familiar -ov/-ev endings is not entirely correct. The ending in Russian is the variable part of the word. Let's see what inclines in surnames: Ivanov - Ivanova - Ivanov. It can be concluded that -ov is a suffix and is followed by a zero ending, as in most masculine nouns. And only in cases or when changing gender and number (Ivanova, Ivanovy) endings are heard. But there is also a folk, and not linguistic, concept of “ending” - what it ends with. In that case, this word is applicable here. And then we can safely determine the ending of surnames by nationality!

Russian surnames

The range of Russian surnames is much wider than those ending in -ov. They are characterized by the suffixes -in, -yn, -ov, -ev, -skoy, -tskoy, -ih, -yh (Lapin, Ptitsyn, Sokolov, Soloviev, Donskoy, Trubetskoy, Moskovskikh, Sedykh).

There are actually as many as 60-70% of Russian surnames with -ov, -ev, but only about 30% with -in, -yn, which is also quite a lot. What is the reason for this ratio? As already mentioned, the suffixes -ov, -ev are added to second declension nouns, most of which are masculine. And since in Russian surnames often originate from the name or occupation of the father (Ivanov, Bondarev), such a suffix is ​​very logical. But there are also male names ending in -a, -ya, and it was from them that the surnames Ilyin and Nikitin arose, the Russianness of which we have no doubt.

What about Ukrainians?

Ukrainian ones are usually formed using the suffixes -enko, -ko, -uk, -yuk. And also without suffixes from words denoting professions (Korolenko, Spirko, Govoruk, Prizhnyuk, Bondar).

More about Jews

Jewish surnames are very diverse, because Jews have been scattered throughout the world for centuries. A sure sign of them can be the suffixes -ich, -man and -er. But even here confusion is possible. Family endings -ich, -ovich, -evich are characteristic of the Poles and Slavic peoples living in East Germany. For example, one of the most famous poets in Poland is Mickiewicz.

But the basis of a surname can sometimes immediately suggest the Jewish origin of its bearer. If the basis is Levi or Cohen/Cohan, the clan originates from the high priests - the Kohanim or his assistants - the Levites. So everything is clear with Levi, the Levitans, and the Kaganovichs.

What do surnames in -sky and -tsky tell you?

It is incorrect to assume that surnames ending in -sky or -tsky are necessarily Jewish. This stereotype developed because they were common in Poland and Ukraine. In these places there were many family estates; the surnames of the noble owners were formed from the name of the estate. For example, the ancestors of the famous revolutionary Dzerzhinsky owned the Dzerzhinovo estate on the territory of modern Belarus, and then Poland.

Many Jews lived in these areas, so many took local surnames. But Russian nobles also have such surnames; for example, the noble surname Dubrovsky from Pushkin’s work is quite real. There is another interesting fact. In seminaries they often gave a surname derived from church holidays - Preobrazhensky, Rozhdestvensky. In this case, determining nationality by the end of surnames can lead to errors. Seminaries also served as the birthplace of surnames with a root unusual for the Russian ear, because they were formed from the Latin words: Formozov, Kastorov. By the way, clerk Ivan Velosipedov served under Ivan the Terrible. But the bicycle had not yet been invented! How can it be that there is no object, but there is a surname? The solution was this: it turned out to be a tracing paper from the Latin “swift-footed”, only with the original Russian suffix.

Last name starting with -in: revealing the secret!

So what about ending your last name with -in? It is difficult to determine nationality on this basis. Indeed, some Jewish surnames end like this. It turns out that in some of them this is just an external coincidence with the Russian suffix. For example, Khazin descends from the modified surname Khazan - this is the name in Hebrew for one of the types of servants in the temple. Literally this translates as “overseer,” since the hazan monitored the order of worship and the accuracy of the text. You can guess where the surname Khazanov comes from. But she has the “most Russian” suffix -ov!

But there are also matronyms, that is, those that are formed on behalf of the mother. Moreover, the female names from which they were formed were not Russian. For example, the Jewish surname Belkin is a homonym for a Russian surname. It is not derived from a furry animal, but from the female name Beila.

German or Jew?

Another interesting pattern has been noticed. As soon as we hear surnames like Rosenfeld, Morgenstern, we immediately confidently determine the nationality of its bearer. Definitely, this is a Jew! But not everything is so simple! After all, these are words of German origin. For example, Rosenfeld is a “field of roses”. How did this happen? It turns out that on the territory of the German Empire, as well as in the Russian and Austrian Empire, there was a decree on assigning surnames to Jews. Of course, they were formed in the language of the country in which the Jew lived. Since they were not passed down from distant ancestors from time immemorial, people chose them themselves. Sometimes this choice could be made by the registrar. This is how many artificial, bizarre surnames appeared that could not have arisen naturally.

How then can one distinguish a Jew from a German if both have German surnames? This is difficult to do. Therefore, here you should not be guided only by the origin of the word; you need to know the pedigree of a particular person. Here, you can’t just determine nationality by the end of your last name!

Georgian surnames

For Georgians, it is not difficult to guess the ending of their last names by nationality. If the Georgian is most likely -shvili, -dze, -uri, -ava, -a, -ua, -ia, -ni, -li, -si (Basilashvili, Svanidze, Pirtskhalava, Adamia, Gelovani, Tsereteli). There are also Georgian surnames that end in -tskaya. This is consonant with Russian (Trubetskaya), but this is not a suffix, and they not only do not change by gender (Diana Gurtskaya - Robert Gurtskaya), but also do not decline by case (with Diana Gurtskaya).

Ossetian surnames

Ossetian surnames are characterized by the ending -ty/-ti (Kokoyty). The ending of the surname in -ev (Abaev, Eziev) is also typical for this nationality; it is usually preceded by a vowel. Often the basis of a word is not clear to us. But sometimes it can turn out to be homonymous or almost homonymous with a Russian word, which is confusing. Among them there are also those that end in -ov: Botov, Bekurov. In fact, these are real Russian suffixes, and they are attached to the Ossetian root according to the tradition of conveying surnames in writing. These are the fruits of the Russification of Ossetian surnames. At the same time, it is stupid to think that all surnames ending in -ev are Ossetian. The ending of a surname with -ev does not determine nationality. Surnames such as Grigoriev, Polev, Gostev are Russian and they differ from similar ones ending in -ov only in that the last consonant in the noun was soft.

A few words about Armenians

Armenian surnames often end in -yan or -yants (Hakopyan, Grigoryants). Actually, -yan is a truncated -yants, which meant belonging to a clan.

Now you know how to find out your nationality by the end of your last name. Yes, it is not always easy to do this with guaranteed accuracy, even with a developed linguistic sense. But as they say, the main thing is that the person is good!

The surname, in Armenian “azganun”, means the name of the clan. In the Middle Ages, generic names practically did not exist. If there was a need for a name, it happened like this: if several Arams or several Anaits lived in one settlement, then the residents defined them in different ways: for example, Aram, the grandson of Garnik, or Aram, the grandson of Hayk. Sometimes, for nicknames, worldly nicknames were used, characterizing a recognizable feature of a person, for example, the lame Amayak or Anahit, who has twelve children.

The need to form surnames arose due to the development of society and increased migration of the population. People began to move more often from one area to another, so it became necessary to give people “stable” nicknames, which over time evolved into Armenian surnames. In those days, a tradition arose along with the name to indicate the place where the person came from, for example: Grigor Tatevatsi, Anania Shirakatsi, etc. Or, to name a person, they used his profession - Mkrtich Nakhash, Nikohayos Tsakhkarar, David Kertoh, Grigor Magistros and etc.

Over time, already in the Middle Ages, surnames began to appear in aristocratic Armenian families - Mamikonyan, Artsruni, Amatuni, Rshtuni. When mentioning noble families, the words “azg” (“clan”) or “tun” (“house”, “smoke”) were added to the surnames. For example, “Clan of Mamikonyans”, “Clan of Rshtuni”, or “House of Artsruni”, etc. Over time, family nicknames appeared among peasants and artisans. For example, Khatstukhyan (baker), Voskerchyan (jeweler), Kartashyan (mason), etc.

Armenian surnames also reflect a person’s nickname, characterizing his appearance or character traits (Chakhatyan - fox, Karchikyan - dwarf) and others. In most cases, Armenian surnames are derived from the name of the founder of the clan, to which a prefix or suffix was added to express kinship or affiliation - “yan”, “yantz”, “ents”, “unz”, “onts”, “uni”. The most common surnames ending in “yan” (Chakhalyan, Aramyan, Zhamkochyan), etc. “Yan” was formed from the form “yants” and also means “ents” (Margaryan - Margaryants - Margarents, that is, belonging to the Margara family). Armenian surnames with the suffix “uni” were characteristic of Naharar families (Bagratuni, Amatuni, Rshtuni) as a feature of belonging to a noble Armenian family. Armenian surnames with the suffixes “ents”, “unz”, “onts” are common in Zangezur, for example, Adonts, Bakunts, Mamunts, Kalvarents and also mean belonging to a noble family.

During the census and certification of the population, the surnames of some Armenians living in Russia “Russified”, the ending “ts” was sometimes discarded. This happened for two reasons: either as a result of a copyist's error, or as a result of a conscious choice. The history of each Armenian surname is interesting and original. Surnames did not just appear. Each surname is based on an interesting history of its formation with its own principles, stages of evolution; each Armenian surname has a certain meaning, the solution of which is the work of modern philological science - onomastics.

Armenian surnames are a relatively new phenomenon. Officially, surnames began to be recorded only in the 19th century, during the first population censuses, when the need arose to register people. Later, passports appeared, where along with names, surnames were also indicated.
We can say that before the 19th century there were no surnames in our current understanding. Meanwhile, the word “azganun” (surname) itself in translation means “name of the clan” (“azg” - clan, “anun” - name). Basically, the surnames of Armenians are derived from the name of an authoritative ancestral ancestor, to whose name suffixes were added to express affiliation. In ancient Armenian it was mostly the suffix "eants", which was then transformed into "ents", and in modern Armenian - into the phonetic form "yants", and then only "yan" remained. For example, if they said about someone that he was from the clan of Aram, then in order to show belonging to this clan they said Arameants or Araments. In Armenian villages this phenomenon exists to this day, that is, to the question “whose will you be?” the answer is Davidents or Ashotents.
When surnames began to be written down in the 19th century, the ending “ts” was automatically dropped. Meanwhile, some Armenians, whose ancestors left Armenia a long time ago and moved to Russia (where surnames appeared earlier than in Armenia), retained the ending “yants” in their surnames.
Until now, in the south of Armenia in the Zangezur region, a large number of surnames ending in “ents”, “unz”, “onts” have been preserved, for example, Adonts, Bakunts, Kalvarents. According to scientists, these are dialect forms of education that have been preserved in the area.
In addition to the most common form of forming surnames from given names, some Armenian surnames come from the names of certain professions. The craft, as a rule, passed from generation to generation, and the name of the craft passed on to the name of the clan or family. It also happened that one of the family or several representatives became so famous for their skill that they became famous jewelers, masons or bakers and their descendants were given the same surnames Voskerchyan ("voskerich" - jeweler), Kartashyan ("kartash" - mason) , Ekimyan (“ekim” - doctor), Zhamagortsyan (“Zhamagorts” - watchmaker), etc.
It is worth mentioning here the origin of Western Armenian surnames. For centuries, the Eastern and Western parts of Armenia developed separately from each other and were part of different empires. Eastern Armenia was under the rule of Persia and then Russia, and Western Armenia was under Ottoman Turkey. The separate existence of the two parts of the Armenian people was also reflected in the surnames. Thus, in many Western Armenian surnames, many of which are now worn by representatives of the Armenian diaspora, the ending “ean” was replaced not by “yan”, but by “ian”. In addition, very often this type of surname, which indicates a craft, has Turkic roots, and there are many such roots in Armenian surnames. This is due to the fact that the Armenians in the Ottoman Empire very thoroughly occupied the niche of artisans. Therefore, the surnames of many Armenians, whose ancestors come from Western Armenia, mean the name of crafts, and in Turkish.
For example, the surname of the former Armenian communist leader and later Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia Karen Demirchyan comes from the Turkish word “demirci”, that is, blacksmith. Most likely, the ancestors of the former Armenian leader came from Western Armenia, part of Ottoman Turkey, and were blacksmiths.
According to corresponding member of the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia, ethnographer Levon Abrahamyan, the presence of the letter “ch” in Armenian surnames, and there are a lot of them, as a rule, indicates craft, because in Turkish this ending “chi” is an indicator of craft. For example, the surname Bardakchyan comes from “bardakchi”, that is, potter.
One of the quarters of Yerevan, in which at the beginning of the century a Muslim population lived in significant numbers, is still popularly called Silachi, translated from Turkish “silachi” means dyer. Dyers once lived in this area of ​​the Armenian capital.
Some surnames were also formed from nicknames. For example, the surname Shatvoryan comes from the word “shat”. Apparently the ancestors of the current Shatvoryans got their nickname because they had many children.
But, if villagers and artisans did not have surnames until the 19th century, because it was assumed that ordinary people did not need surnames, then the situation was different with noble families. In contrast to commoners, the names of noble families went back to ancient times. But the form of education was the same, that is, belonging to one or another clan was designated, and in the case of kings, to one or another dynasty.
Already in ancient times and in the Middle Ages, noble families necessarily bore the surnames - Mamikonyan, usually representatives of this family were military leaders, Khorkhoruni - the king’s bodyguards, Gnuni were the royal butlers, etc.
Belonging to a noble family was indicated by the suffix “uni”. Thus, surnames with the suffix “uni” in ancient times and in the Middle Ages were characteristic of noble families - Amatuni, Bagratuni, Rshtuni, Artsruni, Khorkhoruni, etc.
A number of scientists believe that surnames of this type come from the Urartian language, in which affiliation was indicated by the ending “uni”. Meanwhile, the people have their own, far from scientific, but original interpretation of the origin of the names of the Armenian nobility. According to folk etymology, the ending "uni" comes from the word "unenal" - to have, in this case to have wealth. According to Levon Abrahamyan, this is an incorrect interpretation, since wealth was in no way expressed in names or surnames: “This is not typical for the formation of surnames.”
Some of the Armenian surnames were formed from the name of the locality; often such surnames were borne by ancient or medieval Armenian scientists and writers. For example, Anania Shirakatsi is an Armenian geographer, mathematician and astronomer who lived in the 7th century, Grigor Tatevatsi is a philosopher and theologian who lived in the 14th century. Other Armenian scientists also bore surnames, such as the creator of the Armenian alphabet and writing, Mesrop Mashtots, who lived in the 5th century.
Some Armenian surnames still retain the prefix “melik”, indicating noble origin, and “ter”, which was used by clergy and has the meaning of “father”, “lord”, “father”. Now many of those whose grandfathers, fearing the wrath of the Soviet regime, got rid of the prefixes “melik” and “ter” are again regaining their original surnames. Some Armenians gave their children surnames based on their grandfather's name, but this tradition later disappeared due to problems associated with paperwork. There is another tradition that remains unchanged: the vast majority of Armenian women, when married, continue to bear their maiden names as a sign of respect for their parents.