10 famous surnames. The most common surnames

The list of popular genus names is endless, because as many people as there are so many opinions. Each person will point to beautiful surnames that he personally likes. But, according to the majority, the most popular are the aristocratic designations of family names. Let's see which surnames are more common and respected, and where they came from.

List of the most beautiful Russian surnames in the world

The word "surname" is translated from Latin, how is the family". This means that this indicates that a person belongs to the genus from which he originated. The emergence of family nicknames was often associated with the profession that the clan was engaged in from generation to generation, or with the name of the area in which the family lived, or the family name indicated character traits, specific appearance, nickname. No wonder there is a saying “not in the eyebrow, but in the eye” - the people have always hung labels very accurately.

In Russia, at first there was only a first name and patronymic, and the first surnames appeared only in the 14th century. Naturally, noble people received them: princes, boyars, nobles. Peasants received official family names only at the end of the 19th century, when they canceled serfdom. The first names of dynasties came from the names of places of residence, birth or possessions: Tver, Arkhangelsk, Zvenigorod, Moskvin.

1. Sobolev
2. Morozov
3. Gromov
4. Diamonds
5. Derzhavin
6. Bogatyrev
7. Mayorov
8. Admirals
9. Lyubimov
10. Vorontsov

List of the most beautiful surnames for girls:

1. Resurrection
2. Lebedev
3. Alexandrova
4. Serebryanskaya
5. Korolkova
6. Vinogradova
7. Talnikova
8. Generous
9. Zolotareva
10. Tsvetaeva

A selection of the most beautiful foreign surnames

Foreigners believe that a beautiful surname helps the family, brings good luck and happiness. But, it’s true, a person with or a family nickname has been teased by peers since childhood, and later he grows up insecure with a whole baggage of complexes. So it turns out that family name brought failure. For people with a beautiful ancestral heritage, everything is different. They know from childhood that they can do everything in this world, so they walk with their heads held high.

Each country has its own beautiful surnames, which are unusual for the Russian ear. But the origin of family designations is the same all over the world. Someone took the name of their city, and someone took the nickname of the founder of the family, the occupation of the family, belonging to the status. Among foreign surnames also often you can find the names of plants, birds, animals. If a Russian person chooses foreign name, then, as a rule, does not delve into its meaning, but makes a choice according to euphony.

For example, Spaniards have beautiful surnames - not uncommon. The most common are:

• Rodriguez
• Fernandez
• Gonzalez
• Perez
• Martinez
• Sanchez

Russian girls often choose generic names of Spanish origin:

• Alvarez
• Torres
• Romero
• Flores
• Castillo
• Garcia
• Pascual

French surnames

All variants of French surnames are endowed with special beauty and charm. This language is very different from other European counterparts. If it is always pronounced correctly, then French is pronounced differently. For example, the popular Le Pen may sound like "Le Pen", "Le Pen", "De Le Pen". First French names families were granted to the highest circle of nobility in the 11th century. And only in the 16th century, by royal decree, was it ordered to give every citizen of France a hereditary nickname.

Since french surnames from generation to generation are included in the church metrics. The most beautiful family nicknames in France came from proper names, from occupations of the family or from geographical names in which the family was born. French male family names are widespread:

• Robert
• Richard
• Bernard
• Duran
• Lefebvre

Women's generic names are not much different from men's. French history ordered that there are no differences and other endings, as in Russian, between surnames, therefore beautiful generic names of women also bear a proper name, for example:

• Leroy
• Bonn
• Francois

German

The generic names of Germany arose in the same way as in other countries: first they were received by the nobility, then by the feudal lords and small landowners, and then by the lower strata of the population. The whole process of forming hereditary nicknames took about 8 centuries, and the first surnames appeared on the basis of proper names. Vivid examples are German male generic nicknames:

1. Werner
2. Hermann
3. Jacobi
4. Peters

Beautiful family designations in Germany appeared from the names of rivers, mountains and other words associated with nature: Bern, Vogelweid. But the most popular generic names came from the occupations of their ancestors. For example, Muller in translation means "miller", and Schmidt - "blacksmith". Rare ones sound beautiful: Wagner, Zimmerman. Women in Germany, as a rule, leave their mother's surname, and the most beautiful are:

1. Lehmann
2. Mayer
3. Peters
4. Fisher
5. Weiss

American

Beautiful American generic names compare favorably with other foreign ones - they are very consonant, and the owners wear them with pride. If surnames are not inherited, then any citizen of the United States can change his family name to a more harmonious one. So, the 10 most beautiful surnames of American men:

1. Robinson
2. Harris
3. Evans
4. Gilmour
5. Florence
6. Stone
7. Lambert
8. Newman

Concerning american women, then, as in the whole world, they take the family name of the father at birth, and at marriage - the husband. Even if a girl wants to leave her family name, after marriage she will have double surname, for example, Maria Goldman Mrs. Roberts (by her husband). Beautiful generic names for American women:

1. Bellows
2. Houston
3. Taylor
4. Davis
5. Foster

Video: the most common surnames in the world

The most common surnames in the world seem beautiful, because their carriers are popular people and therefore happy. For example, there are about one hundred million people on the planet who have the family name Lee. In second place in polarity is the surname Wang (about 93 million people). In third place is family name Garcia, common in South America(about 10 million people).

The most common surnames and their history of origin:

Kuznetsov Surname from the name of the father by occupation. Since the blacksmith was the most necessary and well-known person in the village, naming on this basis was universal. Therefore, the surname Kuznetsov is one of the most frequent in Russia;
thousand Kuznetsovs lived in Moscow (yielding in number only to the Ivanovs, of which there are thousands. In some areas, the surname Kuznetsov ranked first in frequency (for example, in the volosts of the Kerensky and Chembarsky districts of the Penza province, out of the thousands of Russians covered by calculations, the Kuznetsovs) Throughout the country as a whole, the spread of the surname Kuznetsov is somewhat limited by the use of the Ukrainian, Belarusian and Russian dialect word koval in the same meaning "blacksmith", therefore, surnames with this stem spread from the west and south-west. Other nations also have very frequent surnames with the stem , meaning "blacksmith" for example the most common english surname Smith, German Schmidt. (N) Kovalev is one of the most widespread Russians; surnames, although the words "koval" in Russian literary language no. In the south of Russia and Ukraine, a farrier is called a blacksmith. “If you don’t fart, don’t trash your hands” (that is, don’t get dirty) advises folk wisdom; don't take on a job you don't know. (F) Kovalenya. One of the suffixes forming Belarusian surnames-enya. Kowalski is a Polish or Ukrainian surname. Kovalikhin and Kuznechikhin, metronymic surnames, are formed from the name of a woman, the wife of a blacksmith. Kovalkov, Kovankov ruchified Ukrainian or Belarusian surnames.

2. Smirnov Smirnov is one of the most common Russian surnames. In Moscow alone there are seventy thousand Smirnovs. Why? In a large peasant family the quiet, unvoiced children were a great relief to the parents. This quality, rare for small children, was imprinted in the worldly name Smirnaya, it often became the main name of a person for life ( church name others forgot) From the Smirnys came the Smirnovs. (F) The most common Russian surname in an extensive strip covering everything Northern Volga region, most often in the Yaroslavl, Kostroma, Ivanovo regions and adjacent areas of neighboring regions, to the east this zone extends to the Kirov region. As you move away from this zone, the frequency decreases. In Moscow, in the city, the surname Smirnov ranked fifth in thousands of people) By origin, she is a patronymic from a Russian non-church male name Smirnaya, i.e. "meek, quiet, obedient" Early examples of a patronymic in the Vladimir tithe, "ivan smirnovo son of samarin" "stepan of the meek son of kuchukov" common noun changed the vowel and the place of stress, and the surname retained an archaic form (similarly: tolstoy Tolstoy is thick) (N) The surnames Smirnin, Smirenkin from the ancient Slavic names Smirena, Smirenka. Smirensky, Smirnitsky seminary surnames from the same root.

3. Ivanov Patronymic from the common form Ivan from the canonical male personal name John. Ivanov is the most common surname of Russians, since the name for several centuries (from to the century remained the most frequent among Russians: among the peasantry it covered from to all men. In Moscow, thousands of Ivanovs (of which Ivan Ivanovichi) It is characteristic that in this territory the surname Ivanov is usually not too frequent, yielding to many others, but it is widespread everywhere and therefore takes first place in large centers and throughout the country.Relative rarity in some localities is due to the fact that the name was used in many different forms, patronymics from which they became surnames.These forms are much more than a hundred, respectively, the surnames from patronymics formed from these forms are numerous.(N) The most common male name in Russia, Ivan "Ivanov, like filthy mushrooms" joked the people) gave rise to dozens of derivative forms. I confidently add the surname Ivin to this list, since most of the Ivins are not from the name of the tree, but from Iva, an abbreviated form of the name Ivan. Ivsha is also one of the forms of this name. Itsko, Ishko diminutive forms of the name Ivan. Itzko is more peculiar Belarusian language and Smolensk dialects, Ishko Ukrainian language and South Russian dialects. Ishunya, Ishuta are ancient diminutive forms of the name Ivan. (F) In c. the surname was used with an accent on a. Now it is more often used with the stress on the last syllable. It is characteristic that some bearers of the surname insist on a form with an accent on a, which seems to them more noble than the usual one with an accent on the last syllable.

4. Popov Not all Popovs and Popkovs are descendants of priests. As a personal name, Pop (Popko) was quite common among lay people. Religious parents willingly called their children the names of Drank Popko. Example: landowner Popko (near Senka Pop, peasant Popko Efimov, peasant) thousand people. In Moscow, thousands of Popovs. Initially, priests meant: patronymic "son of a priest" patronymic "son of Pop" from the nickname Pop; from the documents of centuries, the peasant Senka Pop, Don Cossack Mikhailo Pop, etc. worker at the priest's priests worker. As an assumption of the spread of this surname in the north of Russia, one can assume the election of the clergy in these areas: up to c. priests were not appointed there, but the inhabitants themselves elected from among themselves. (H)

5. Sokolov The names of animals and birds are one of the main sources of nicknames and surnames derived from them. "Bird" surnames occupy positions in the first hundred Russian surnames. Sokolov is the most common among the "bird" and is in seventh position in the frequency list of all Russian surnames. (U) Sokolov. Patronymic from the Russian non-church male name Sokol. One of the ten most common Russian surnames. According to B. Unbegaun, in St. Petersburg in the city, she ranked seventh in frequency, and of all the surnames formed from non-canonical names, she was second only to Smirnov. The unusually high frequency of Russian surnames based on the names of birds was noted by a major foreign Slavist V.R. Kiparsky, proving in his articles that this was dictated by the cult of birds among the Russians. My calculations confirmed that Russian surnames are indeed associated with birds more often than with animals or, for example, fish. But this phenomenon cannot be explained by the cult of birds, since the surnames in most of the later origin of centuries. only a minority is older) and we can talk about the origin not of surnames, but of those names from which they are formed. However, in this case, the main reason is not the cult of the bird, but the huge economic and everyday role of birds in the life of Russians: extensive industrial hunting, poultry farming in every family, grandiose falconry and much more (for more details, see Nikonov V.A. Name and society. M. (N) Sokolikha wife of Sokol. Surnames in -sky may be of Ukrainian Polish origin. Possibly from the geographical names Sokol, Sokolovo. Similarly, Sokologorsky Sokolinaya Gora. Similarly, Russian Sokoltsov
next in the rankings are:

6. Lebedev
7. Kozlov
8. Novikov
9. Morozov
10. Petrov
11. Volkov
12. Solovyov
13. Vasiliev
14. Zaitsev
15. Pavlov
16. Semenov
17. Golubev
18. Vinogradov
19. Bogdanov
20. Sparrows
21. Fedorov
22. Mikhailov
23. Belyaev
24. Tarasov
25. Belov
26. Mosquitoes
27. Orlov
28. Kiselev
29. Makarov
30. Andreev
31. Kovalev
32. Ilyin
33. Gusev
34. Titov
35. Kuzmin
36. Kudryavtsev
37. Baranov
38. Kulikov
39. Alekseev
40. Stepanov
41. Yakovlev
42. Sorokin
43. Sergeev
44. Romanov
45. Zakharov
46. ​​Borisov
47. Queens
48. Gerasimov
49. Ponomarev
50. Grigoriev
51. Lazarev
52. Medvedev (from Layola: remember the president of the Russian Federation)
53. Ershov
54. Nikitin
55. Sobolev
56. Ryabov
57. Polyakov
58. Flowers
59. Danilov
60. Zhukov
61. Frolov
62. Zhuravlev
63. Nikolaev
64. Krylov
65. Maksimov
66. Sidorov
67. Osipov
68. Belousov
69. Fedotov
70. Dorofeev
71. Egorov
72. Matveev
73. Bobrov
74. Dmitriev
75. Kalinin
76. Anisimov
77. Roosters
78. Antonov
79. Timofeev
80. Nikiforov
81. Veselov
82. Filippov
83. Markov
84. Bolshakov
85. Sukhanov
86. Mironov
87. Shiryaev
88. Alexandrov
89. Konovalov
90. Shestakov
91. Kazakov
92. Efimov
93. Denisov
94. Gromov
95. Fomin
96. Davydov
97. Melnikov
98. Shcherbakov
99. Blinov
100. Kolesnikov

The choice of a name and a surname according to the law of the Russian Federation is a personal right of a person. This means that every citizen of the country can at any time be renamed as he pleases, having gone through the established procedure for this. Tempting? Very, because there are so many beautiful, interesting, noble and majestic-sounding Russian surnames. Lists of the most common and pleasant to the ear, as well as the rarest and funniest of them are given below.

Analysis of the origin of Russian surnames

There are a lot of beautiful Russian surnames - Voznesensky, Ushansky, Mironov, Bogolyubov, Rasskazov, Gorgeous, Zlatovlasov, Wise, Admiral, Aristocrats, Vasilevsky. It is impossible to list all options. Many of them are completely unexpected origin. There is even a separate science - anthroponymy, which studies how this or that particular surname was formed. For example, the surname Krivoshchekin appeared thanks to real person, who lived in the 15th century by the name of Guba, who was born to Mikifor and has the nickname Crooked cheeks. This fact is reflected in ancient documents (acts) - the record is dated 1495. If he lived today, then his name would be Krivoshchekin Guba Mikiforovich. Interesting, isn't it? Back in the same year there were records about the peasants Danilo Sople (in the modern sounding Daniil Soplin) and Efimko Sparrow (Yefim Vorobyov). In 1568, all in the same acts, there is a note about Mikitin's son Ivan, nicknamed Menshchik (Menshchikov Ivan Mikitovich), and in 1590 - about Mikiforov's offspring named Onton, nicknamed Zhdan (Zhdanov Anton Mikiforovich).

This is how the names came about:

1. Mostly from the nicknames common among the people, which were given to people by their relatives and neighbors.. People were nicknamed according to their personality differences - Chernovolosov (black hair), Ostronosov (sharp nose), Vereshchagin (often squealed), Toropygin (constantly in a hurry), Rumyantsev (had rosy cheeks), Udaltsov, Razumnik, Ostroumov.
2. Often the names of animals, fish and birds became nicknames, later transformed into surnames - Medvedev, Kotov, Sobolev, Solovyov (perhaps the person sang well), Lisitsin, Volkov, Zaitsev, Voronin, Tsaplin (as an option, had long legs), Dyatlov, Sinitsyn, Karpov.
3. For certain estates, it was typical to supplement the name with belonging to the occupation, which also left its mark on family history - Goncharov (Gonchar), Tokarev (Turner), Stolyarov (carpenter), Pastukhov (shepherd), Kozhemyakin, Kuznetsov, Rybakov, Myasnikov (judging by according to the number of nicknames reflected in the found act of 1335, in the 14th century this skill was especially appreciated in people).
4. If a person did not have any pronounced nickname, then the name of the father served as the surname, which indicated that the person belonged to a particular genus. This is how the Maximovs, Ivanovs, Vasyutins, Mishins, Stepanovs, Fedorovs, Sergeevs and so on appeared. By the way, if there were several Ivanov, Vasiliev, Fedorov and so on in one village, then the names were changed - Ivanov, Ivanko, Ivanchenko, Vasilenko, Vasileev, Vaskin, Fedorov, Fedorkin, Fedorchuk.
5. The surnames of the princely family were most often given by the name of the area where the noble family lived or, based on the possessions of the latter. Almost always they had the endings -sky or -tsky - Ozersky (he had a lake in his possession), Gorsky (mountain), Shuisky (the Shuisky family lived near the river and the city of Shuya), Vyazemsky (near the Vyazma river). The following surnames are formed in the same way: Tulsky, Tverskoy, Yeletsky, Amursky, Belozersky.
6. A huge number of surnames owe their sonority to Orthodoxy - Blagoveshchensky, Voznesensky, Byzantine, Pokrovsky, Trinity, Spassky, Preobrazhensky and others.

Ladies who decide to change should pay attention to the following female surnames and their meanings:

• Amur;
• Angelic;
• Annenskaya;
• Afanasiev;
• Athenian;
• Babochkin;
• Bagirov;
• Bazhenov;
• Belogradskaya;
• Belozerskaya;
• Berezina;
• Berkutov;
• Blagoveshchenskaya;
• Theological;
• Brilliant/Brilliant;
• Vasilkova/Vasilkovskaya;
• Byzantine;
• Voskresenskaya;
• Hyacinth;
• Goncharova;
• Gorodetskaya;
• Danilova/Danilevskaya;
• Donskaya;
• Zhemchugov/Zhemchuzhnikov;
• Zalesskaya;
• Eliseeva;
• Zlatovlasova;
• Zlatopolskaya;
• Znamenskaya;
• Zorin;
• Ignatiev;
• Istomin;
• Kamenskaya;
• Kolosovskaya;
• Lavrentiev;
• Lugovaya
• Luchinskaya;
• Mayskaya;
• Malinovskaya;
• Nagornaya;
• Nikitin;
• Ozerov;
• Ostrovskaya;
• Rasskazova;
• Rodionova;
• Ryabinin;
• Rumyantsev;
• Sapphirov;
• Serebryanskaya;
• Solntseva;
• Ushanskaya;
• Tsvetkova.

Male surnames in Russia: list

People have different tastes, and therefore everyone chooses the ideal surname for himself.

Further, an impressive selection of rare Russian male surnames:

• diamonds;
• Andreev;
• Bogatyrev;
• Belinsky;
• Bolkonsky;
• Warsaw;
• Vasilevsky;
• Velichansky;
• Vetrogradov;
• Vorontsov;
• Glinsky;
• Gradov;
• Demin;
• Dmitriev;
• Doronin;
• Dubrovsky;
• Dorofeev;
• Yezhevsky;
• Yelsky;
• Zadonsky;
• Zarnitsky;
• Zvezdinsky;
• Zlatoumov;
• Ignatov/Ignatiev;
• Kakhovskiy;
• Kirsanov;
• Knyazev/Knyazhin;
• Kovalevsky;
• Kondratiev;
• Lavrov/Lavrovsky;
• Larin/Larsky;
• Lazarev;
• Lebedinsky;
• Levitanov;
• Loginov;
• Mayorov;
• Makarov;
• Maksimov;
• Medvedev;
• Mikhailov;
• Melnikov;
• Mitropolsky;
• Mozhaisky;
• Moskvin;
• Muromov/Muromtsev;
• Narcissists;
• Nikolsky;
• Nemirov;
• Novgorod;
• Nezhinsky;
• Orlov/Orlovsky;
• Ostroumov;
• Obolensky;
• Ozhigov / Ozhegov;
• Paustovsky;
• Petrovsky;
• Pogodin;
• Polyansky;
• Rzhevsky;
• Romanov/Romanovsky;
• Sadovsky;
• Sakharov;
• Samoilov;
• Safronov;
• Saltevsky;
• Streltsov / Streltsy;
• Trinity;
• Tarasov;
• Titov;
• Filatov;
• Fedorov;
• Fonvizin;
• Khmelnitsky;
• Kharitonov;
• Chernyshevsky;
• Cherkasov;
• Cheryomushkin;
• Shestakov;
• Sheremetiev;
• Shustrov;
• Elinsky;
• Elbrus;
• Yuriev;
• Yakhontov;
• Yasensky.

What are the most common surnames in Russia today? Which one is the most common? Probably, you will say that the most common surname is Ivanov. And you can't go wrong. We have prepared a list for you, which includes the most common surnames in Russia. Also, we will give some examples of the origin of the most common surnames in Russia.

List of Balanovskaya

A group of researchers led by Elena Balanovskaya published in 2005 in the journal "Medical Genetics" a work entitled "Family Portraits" of five Russian regions.

The criterion for inclusion in the list of a surname was as follows: it was included if, within three generations at least five carriers of this surname lived in the region. First, lists were compiled for five conditional regions - Northern, Central, Central-Western, Central-Eastern and Southern.

• The first 25 surnames from this list, the so-called "all-Russian surnames":

Smirnov, Ivanov, Kuznetsov, Sokolov, Popov, Lebedev
Kozlov, Novikov, Morozov, Petrov, Volkov, Solovyov
Vasiliev, Zaitsev, Pavlov, Semyonov, Golubev, Vinogradov
Bogdanov, Vorobyov, Fedorov, Mikhailov, Belyaev, Tarasov, Belov

A similar list was compiled by V. A. Nikonov on the basis of the telephone directory of Moscow in the 80s of the XX century. He, on the basis of extensive material (surnames of about 3 million people), identified the most common Russian surnames (according to his data, Smirnov, Ivanov, Popov and Kuznetsov) and compiled a map of the distribution of these and other most common surnames.

At the end of the 20th century, Nazarov A.I. compiled new list 100 most frequent surnames of residents of St. Petersburg, in which there are 17 new surnames compared to the previous list. Also, many surnames in it are not in the same places as at the beginning of the 20th century. The most popular: Ivanov, Vasiliev, Smirnov, Petrov, Mikhailov.

Zhuravlev's list is a modern edition.

Another list of the most popular Russian surnames (500 surnames), but more modern, was compiled in early XXI century, a team of employees of the Department of Etymology and Onomastics of the Institute of the Russian Language of the Russian Academy of Sciences under the leadership of A.F. Zhuravlev.

• The first 25 surnames from this list:

Ivanov, Smirnov, Kuznetsov, Popov, Vasiliev, Petrov, Sokolov, Mikhailov, Novikov, Fedorov, Morozov, Volkov, Alekseev, Lebedev, Semyonov, Egorov, Pavlov, Kozlov, Stepanov, Nikolaev, Orlov, Andreev, Makarov, Nikitin, Zakharov

Curious origin and meaning of some of them

The most common surname in Russia is Ivanov.

Initially, this is a patronymic from the form Ivan from the male name John. Ivanov is a primordially Russian surname, since the derivative name has been in use for several centuries, among the peasantry it captured literally all men.

There are now thousands of Ivanovs in the Russian capital, among them there are even Ivan Ivanovichs. And this is despite the fact that the name Ivanov is not very typical for Moscow. But it is common in large centers. However, in some areas its absence, although not complete, is due to the fact that the name Ivan was used in other forms, patronymics from which they became the progenitors of surnames.

There are over a hundred of these forms. For example, the surname Ivin can be attributed here, since almost all Ivins got their surname not from the name of the Iva tree, but from Iva, a diminutive form of the popular male name. Another form of the name is Ivsha. So are the diminutive forms of Ivan - Ishko and Itsko. The latter is more characteristic of Smolensk dialects or the Belarusian language. Ishko is a South Russian dialect or Ukrainian language.

Same way vintage forms the name Ivan is Ishunya and Ishuta. Former surname Ivanov used with an emphasis on the letter a. Now more often the stress is placed on the last syllable. It is worth noting that some carriers of this surname often insist on the accent on a. This seems to them nobler than the second pronunciation.

In Moscow, the number of Ivanovs is relatively small. Many more live in regional centers. It should also be noted great amount forms of this surname: Ivanchikov, Ivankovy and many others. By the way, other surnames were formed in exactly the same way, which have names at their core: Sidorovs, Egorovs, Sergeevs, Semenovs and many others.

No less common is the surname Smirnov.

Only in Moscow there are about seventy thousand owners of such a surname. Why so much? Everything is simple. Earlier in large family peasant parents sighed with relief if quiet, not noisy children were born. This is a rather rare quality and is captured in the name of Smyrna. It, therefore, was often the main name of a person in life, since the church name was immediately forgotten.

The Smirnovs came from the Smirnys. Researchers note that this is the most common surname over a vast territory that covers the entire Northern Volga region, but most often the Smirnovs are found in the Kostroma, Yaroslavl, Ivanovo and neighboring regions. When moving away from this zone, the surname is less common. The earliest references to this surname refer to the Vladimir tithe, when the following was written on birch bark: “Ivan Smirnov, son of Samarin” or “Stepan, the humble son of the Kuchuks.” Gradually, the noun meek changed the emphasis. In addition to the familiar surname, there are other derivatives that are less common, these are Smirenkin, Smirnitsky, Sminin, Smirensky.

It should also be added that the surname Smirnov is the ninth among the most common in the world. Today it is worn by more than 2.5 million people. In Russia, most people have such a surname in the Volga region and the central regions: Kostroma, Ivanovo and Yaroslavl.

The surname Kuznetsov is the third most popular

It is easy to guess that the surname came from the kind of human activity. In ancient times, the blacksmith was quite respected and wealthy man. Moreover, blacksmiths were often considered almost sorcerers and were a little afraid. Still: this man knew the secrets of fire, he could make a plow, a sword or a horseshoe out of a piece of ore.

The surname Kuznetsov comes from the naming of his father by occupation. The blacksmith used to be a necessary and famous person in his village, so they called such a surname everywhere. By the way, there are thousands of Kuznetsovs in Moscow, however, they are inferior in number to the Ivanovs.

Most often, the surname was found in the Penza province. Well, in the whole country, the distribution of the Kuznetsovs is limited due to the use of the Belarusian, Ukrainian and Russian dialects, but from the west to the south-west the surname with the basis “blacksmith” still spreads. It is worth noting that other peoples also have very frequent surnames, where the base means "blacksmith". The British have the surname Smith, and the Germans have Schmidt.

Here it is worth noting such a fairly common Russian surname as Kovalev. Although the word "koval" is not in the Russian literary language. But in Ukraine and in the south of Russia, a blacksmith was called that.

But Kuznechikhin and Kovalikhin are formed from the name of a woman - the wife of a blacksmith. Kovankov and Kovalkov are Russified Belarusian and Ukrainian surnames. The names of birds and animals are also one of the sources of surnames and nicknames.

It is quite obvious and the origin of the surname - Popov.

Initially, Popov meant "son of a priest", "son of Pop". And here it is worth noting that not all Popovs or Popkovs are descendants of priests. Pop (or Popko) as a personal name was quite common among the laity. Religious parents gladly named their children Popili and Popko. However, sometimes the name Popov was given to an employee of the priest, a farm laborer.

This surname is common especially in the north of Russia. The calculation of the Popovs showed that in the Arkhangelsk province quite often there is a person with such a surname per thousand people.

Thousands of Popovs and in the Russian capital. Researchers suggest that in the north of Russia the surname spread due to the fact that the election of the clergy there, including priests, took place among the inhabitants.

The basis of the surname Vasiliev was the church name Vasily.

The male baptismal name Basil goes back to the Greek word basileus - "ruler, king." Among the patrons of the name are the holy martyr Basil the Athenian, the holy martyr of the 4th century Basil of Ankiria, the Novgorod saint Basil the Blessed, who performed the feat of foolishness and tirelessly denounced lies and hypocrisy.

It should be noted that surnames formed from full form name, had mainly the social elite, nobility, or families who enjoyed great authority in the area, whose representatives the neighbors respectfully called full name, in contrast to people from other classes, who were called, as a rule, diminutive, derivative, everyday names.

In addition, some Vasilievs have noble origin. In the history of Russia, several noble families of Vasiliev are known.

No less interesting is the origin of the surname - Petrov.

The surname Petrov goes back to the canonical male name Peter (translated from other Greek - “stone, rock”). Peter was one of the apostles of Christ, he founded christian church and was considered a very strong patron for a person.

The surname Petrov is one of the 10 most frequent in Russia (in some territories up to 6-7 people per thousand).

The name Peter became especially widespread in the 18th century, when this name began to be given in honor of Emperor Peter I. Surnames formed from the full form of the name had mainly the social elite, to know, or families that enjoyed great authority in the area, whose representatives were respectfully neighbors called by the full name, unlike other classes, which were called, as a rule, diminutive, derivative, everyday names.

The patron of the name Peter was a Christian saint, one of the twelve apostles of Jesus Christ - Peter. In Catholicism, it is believed that the apostle Peter was the first bishop of Rome, that is, the first pope. He was canonized in both the Catholic and Orthodox churches.

In Rome, the feast of Saints Peter and Paul was introduced, as the two most revered apostles, called the chief holy apostles for their especially zealous service to the Lord and the spread of the faith of Christ.

In Russia, they believed that if you give a child the name of a saint or great martyr, then his life will be bright, good or difficult, because there is an invisible connection between the name and the fate of a person. Peter, eventually received the name Petrov.

The surname Mikhailov is no less popular.

The basis of the surname was the church name Michael. The male baptismal name Michael, translated from Hebrew, means "equal, like God." The basis of the surname Mikhailov was his old everyday form - Mikhailo.

Among the patrons of this name is the most revered biblical character. The Revelation of John the Theologian tells of the heavenly battle of the archangel Michael and his angels with the seven-headed and ten-horned dragon, as a result of which the great dragon, the ancient serpent, called the devil and Satan, was cast down to earth.

Also in Russia, surnames have always been popular, which were based on the name of birds and animals. Medvedevs, Volkovs, Skvortsovs, Perepelkins - this list is endless. Among the first hundred most common Russian surnames"Beasts" are very common.

According to researchers, Russian surnames are more often associated with birds than with animals or fish. This is partly justified by the cult of birds among Russians.

However, on the other hand, the main reason is not in the cult of birds, but in the domestic and economic role of birds in the life of a Russian person: this is a wide industrial hunting, and poultry farming, which was noted in every family, and much more.

Among the "bird" the most common surname in Russia is Sokolov.

This patronymic is from the non-church Russian male name Sokol. According to some estimates, in St. Petersburg, the surname ranked 7th in frequency, and of the surnames that were formed from non-canonical names, Sokolov was second only to Smirnov.

However, given surname, as mentioned above, appeared not only thanks to the name of the bird, but also thanks to the old Russian name. In honor of the beautiful and proud bird, parents often gave their sons the name Falcon. It was one of the most common non-church names. In general, it should be noted that the Russians very often used the names of birds to create names. Some scientists even believe that this is due to the cult of birds that our ancestors had.

"Bird" surname Lebedev

Another "bird" surname that made our list. Researchers argue about its origin. The most plausible version of the appearance of the name Lebedev is its origin from the non-church name Lebed.

Some scientists associate this surname with the city, which is located in the Sumy region.

There is a version that connects the origin of this surname with a special group of people - "swans". These are serfs who were supposed to deliver swans to the princely table. This was a special kind of tribute.

It is possible that this surname arose due to the admiration of a person for this beautiful bird.

There is another theory regarding the surname Lebedev: it is believed that it was given to priests because of the euphony.

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Speaking about the most common surname in our country, many will think that the surname Ivanov is in the lead. However, there will be some bewilderment here, since the most common surname in Russia is absolutely not this one.

Most popular in the world

1. Nguyen
2. Garcia
3. Gonzalez
4. Hernandez
5. Smirnov
6. Miller

So, we see that Lee is the first to be listed in the most popular surnames in the world. On our entire planet, there are over 100,000,000 people who have this. Moreover, most of them live in China, however, there are many Vietnamese with such a surname. We all know very well one of these people - a reformer in Chinese martial arts and actor Bruce Lee.

The next most common surnames in the world are Zhang and Wang. The first of them is recognized as the oldest on Earth - for the first time the name Zhang was mentioned over 4000 years ago. And twenty years ago, she was especially popular, until the name Lee bypassed her. In our time on Earth, there are approximately 100,000,000 people with this surname. Those who bear the surname Wang are somewhat smaller - approximately 93,000,000 people. In ancient times and the Middle Ages, the prefix Wang meant the title of a Chinese, Korean, or Mongol ruler.

Russian popular surnames

On the territory of our homeland, you can often meet a person with the surname Smirnov, which is located in ninth place in the world list of surnames. The surname rating of our compatriots is as follows:

1. Smirnov
2. Ivanov
3. Popov
4. Kuznetsov
5. Sokolov
6. Lebedev
7. Novikov
8. Kozlov
9. Morozov
10. Petrov

And now you will definitely be able to easily give anyone an answer to the question of which Russian surname is the most common, and you will not mislead anyone. The statistics are there. Approximately 70,000 Smirnovs live in the capital of our Motherland alone. And where did such a surname come from? Yes, everything is simple - if a quiet and calm child appeared in a large peasant family, then he was given the worldly name Smirny. So gradually from this worldly name, which was always remembered better than the church name, the surname Smirnov appeared. Today there are approximately 2,500,000 Smirnovs in our country.

Next most popular surnames in Russia it is Ivanov and Popov. The surname Ivanov was originally a patronymic from the name Ivan. The stress when pronouncing the surname used to be placed on the letter "A", but today the stress is placed on the last syllable. Popovs - not all come from families of clergy. Previously, the name Pop (Popko) was common in the world, and this surname appeared from here. Also, such a surname began to be given to employees of priests.

The Kuznetsovs went from the name of the lesson. Previously, the blacksmith was a revered and famous person in the village, so the name Kuznetsov is found everywhere. By the way, the most popular surname in America, Smith, means "blacksmith". There are about 4,000,000 Smiths around the world.