Beautiful Georgian surnames.

Among all the others, Georgian surnames are recognized quite easily. They have a characteristic structure and are easy to identify at the end. Georgian surnames are made up of two parts: the ending and the root. If you look into this a little, then in more than half of the cases you can tell which region of Georgia a given genus comes from. There are 13 types of endings in total Georgian surnames.

General description of Georgian surnames and possible options

The most common endings are “-shvili” and “-dze”. “-dze” can be found almost throughout the entire territory of Georgia, especially in Adjara, Guria and Imereti, less often in the eastern part. But “-shvili”, on the contrary, is found mainly in the eastern part of Georgia: in Kakheti and Kartli. In Russian this can be translated as “son” or “born”, respectively. Currently, it is generally accepted that “dze” is the ending for the oldest genealogies, and “shvili” is the ending for more modern ones. According to unofficial statistics, there are about three million people with such surnames.

Some Georgian surnames originate from the names that a newborn receives at baptism. For example: Matiashvili, Davitashvili, Nikoladze, Georgadze, Tamaridze and many others. Another part of the surnames comes from Muslim or Persian words. A controversial point arises when studying the roots of the Japaridze surname. Perhaps it comes from Muslim name Jafar, and possibly from the Persian name of the profession - postman - dzapar. Apart from these two main types of Georgian surnames special group represent surnames ending in “-ate”, “-iti”, “-eti”, “-ati”. For example, we can cite the well-known people of this world: Tsereteli, Rustaveli, and simply common Georgian surnames: Dzimiti, Khvarbeti, Chinati.

The next group of Georgian surnames are represented by surnames ending in “-ani”: Chikovani, Akhvelediani, Dadiani. These genealogies originate from the rulers of Megrelia. Less common, but still existing surnames of this group have the endings “-uri”, “-uli”, “-ava”, “-ua”, “-aya” and “-iya”. There are even more representatives of this group of “star” surnames: Danelia, Beria, Okudzhava.

Many roots of Georgian surnames, as in the anthroponymy of other peoples of the world, carry a certain semantic load. From them it is often possible to trace centuries-old ethnic processes that actively took place in the context of contacts between Georgians and neighboring peoples. For example, the roots of the surnames Khurtsidze and Sturua are clearly Ossetian origin(respectively the Ossetian khurts “hot” and styr “big”, “great”); among Georgian surnames of Abkhaz origin, one can indicate not only one like Abkhazava, which does not need etymology, but also Machabeli from the Abkhaz surname Achba; surnames of Adyghe origin include Abzianidze, Kashibadze and some others. In Eastern Georgia there are many surnames of Dagestani origin, for example Lekiashvili from Leki - the common name for Dagestanis in the Georgian language; Vainakh - Malsagashvili, Kistiauri; Azerbaijani - Tatarishvili; Armenian - Somkhishvili from Somekha - the Georgian name of the Armenians.

Georgian male middle names are formed by adding the word dze “son” to the father’s name in the genitive case: Ivan Petresdze. Female middle names in Georgian they also retained an archaic form in the form of adding to the father's name in the genitive case an ancient Georgian word, almost out of use in modern speech, -asuli (adequate to the old Russian daughter): Marina Kostasasuli. However, patronymic names are practically excluded in live communication between Georgians. They are usually used in official documents. In party and Soviet institutions, often in official business situations they refer to the word amkhanagi “comrade”, calling the person only by his last name. In family and everyday communication, as well as in academic circles, the address predominantly contains the word batono (most equivalent to the Russian sir and the Polish pan) in combination exclusively with the name, regardless of age, rank, position and the person being addressed.

Ossetian and Abkhaz groups and the Russian-speaking environment

In the 90s of the last century, some Ossetians who were on the territory of Georgia were forced to change their surnames in the Georgian manner. In remote villages and settlements, not particularly literate officials did not know how to correctly write down Ossetian surnames, so they wrote them in the Georgian way. And there were also those among the Ossetians who wanted to get lost among the local population, and changed their surnames to more harmonious ones for Georgians. This is how new Georgian surnames appeared, with some accent: Mardzhanov, Tseretelev, Tsitsianov, Tsitsianov. Enormous changes were taking place. For example, the Driaevs were registered as Meladzes.

In Georgian “mela” means fox, in Russian it would be the surname Lisitsin.

The population of Abkhazia, and only about 15% of them are blood Abkhazians, have surnames ending in “-ba”: Eshba, Lakoba, Agzhba. These surnames belong to North Caucasian Mingrelian group.

When entering the Russian-speaking environment, Georgian surnames, as a rule, are not subject to distortion, even despite the complex combination of sounds and significant length. But in some cases there is still an influence of the Russian language: Sumbatov came from Sumbatashvili, Bagration from Bagrationi, Orbeli from Orbeliani, Baratov from Baratashvili, Tsitsianov from Tsitsishvili, Tseretelev from the well-known Tsereteli.

It is quite easy to recognize Georgian surnames among others. They are distinguished by their characteristic structuring and, of course, famous endings. Surnames are formed by merging two parts: the root and the ending (suffix). For example, a person well versed in this topic will be able to easily determine in which area certain Georgian surnames are common.

Origin

The history of the country goes back several thousand years. In ancient times, it did not have a name, and Georgia was divided into 2 regions: Colchis (western) and Iberia (eastern). The latter interacted more with its neighbors - Iran and Syria - and had virtually no contact with Greece. If in the 5th century Georgia adopted Christianity, then by the 13th century they were talking about it as a powerful country with reliable ties with the European continent and the East.

The history of the country is steeped in the struggle for sovereignty, but, despite the difficulties, the people were able to create their own culture and customs.

It is generally accepted that real Georgian surnames should end in “-dze”, and they come from the parent case. But a person with a surname ending in “-shvili” (translated from Georgian as “son”) was added to the list of those who do not have Kartvelian roots.

If the interlocutor’s family name ended in “-ani,” people knew that in front of them was a representative of a noble family. By the way, Armenians have surnames with a similar suffix, only it sounds like “-uni”.

Georgian surnames (for men) ending in “-ua” and “-ia” have Mingrelian roots. There are many such suffixes, but they are rarely used now.

List of popular surnames by region

Whatever one may say, the most common surnames in Georgia are those ending in “-shvili” and “-dze”. Moreover, the last suffix is ​​the most common. Often people with a surname ending in “-dze” can be found in Imereti, Guria and Adjara. But in the eastern region there are practically no such people.

On this moment surnames starting with “-dze” are attributed to old genealogies, respectively, “-shvili” - to modern or young ones. The latter (the suffix is ​​also translated as “born”) are widespread in Kakheti and Kartli ( eastern regions countries).

The meaning of some surnames

A special group of generic names are those that have the following endings:

For example, Rustaveli, Tsereteli. Also on the list of the most common surnames in Georgia are Khvarbeti, Chinati and Dzimiti.

Another group consists of surnames ending in “-ani”: Dadiani, Chikovani, Akhvelidiani. It is believed that their roots belong to famous Migrelian rulers.

Surnames ending in:

By the way, among them there are many famous stars: Okudzhava, Danelia, etc.

The suffix “-nti” with Chan or Svan origin is considered a rare example. For example, Glonti. These also include surnames containing the participial prefix “me-” and the name of the profession.

Translated from Persian, nodivan means “advice,” and Mdivani means “scribe,” Mebuke means “bugler,” and Menabde means “burok-making.” The surname Amilakhvari is of greatest interest. Having Persian origin, it is a non-suffixed formation.

Construction

Georgian surnames are built according to certain rules. During the baptism of a newborn child, he is usually given a name. Most of surnames begin with it, and the necessary suffix is ​​subsequently added to it. For example, Nikoladze, Tamaridze, Matiashvili or Davitashvili. A considerable number of such examples can be cited.

But there are also surnames formed from Muslim (usually Persian) words. For example, let's study the roots of the surname Japaridze. It comes from the common Muslim name Jafar. Translated from Persian dzapar means “postman”.

Quite often, Georgian surnames are tied to a specific area. Indeed, often their first bearers became the origins of the princely family. Tsereteli is one of them. This surname comes from the name of the village and fortress of the same name, Tsereti, located in the northern region of Zemo.

Russification of some Georgian surnames

Despite the length and unusual combination of letters and sounds, Georgian surnames that have penetrated into Russian linguistics(in particular, onomastics) were not distorted. But, as practice shows, sometimes, albeit very rarely, there are cases when Russification occurred: Muskhelishvili turned into Muskheli.

Some surnames now have suffixes that are uncharacteristic for Georgia: -ev, -ov and -v. For example, Panulidzev or Sulakadzev.

Also, when Russifying some surnames into “shvili”, shortening very often occurs. Thus, Avalishvili turns into Avalov, Baratov - Baratashvili, Sumbatashvili - Sumbatov, etc. We can name many other options that we are accustomed to taking for Russians.

Declension of Georgian surnames

Inclination or indeclinability depends on the form in which it is borrowed. For example, a surname ending in -iya is inflected, but a surname ending in -ia is not.

But today there are no strict rules regarding the declination of surnames. Although there are 3 rules according to which declension is impossible:

1. The male form is similar to the female one.
2. The surname ends in unstressed vowels (-а, -я).
3. Has the suffixes -ia, -ia.

Only in these three cases is neither male nor female surname are not subject to inclination. Examples: Garcia, Heredia.

It should also be noted that it is undesirable to decline surnames ending in -ya. Let’s say there is a person named Georgy Gurtskaya who received a document that says: “issued to citizen Georgy Gurtsky.” Thus, it turns out that the person’s last name is Gurtskoy, which is not entirely typical for Georgia, and the name also loses its flavor.

Thus, linguists do not advise inflecting Georgian surnames and recommend writing the endings correctly. There are often cases when, when filling out documents, the letters at the end changed. For example, instead of Gulia they wrote Gulia, and this surname no longer has anything to do with Georgia.

Popularity of surnames in numbers

Below is a table showing the most common endings of Georgian surnames. Let's look at them in more detail and find out in which regions they are most often found.

Georgian surnames: origin, meaning, popular male and female surnames

Among all the others, Georgian surnames are recognized quite easily. They have a characteristic structure and are easy to identify at the end. Georgian surnames are made up of two parts: the ending and the root. If you look into this a little, then in more than half of the cases you can tell which region of Georgia a given genus comes from. There are a total of 13 types of endings for Georgian surnames.

General description of Georgian surnames and possible options

The most common endings are “-shvili” and “-dze”. “-dze” can be found almost throughout the entire territory of Georgia, especially in Adjara, Guria and Imereti, less often in the eastern part. But “-shvili”, on the contrary, is found mainly in the eastern part of Georgia: in Kakheti and Kartli. In Russian this can be translated as “son” or “born”, respectively. Currently, it is generally accepted that “dze” is the ending for the oldest genealogies, and “shvili” is the ending for more modern ones. According to unofficial statistics, there are about three million people with such surnames.

Some Georgian surnames originate from the names that a newborn receives at baptism. For example: Matiashvili, Davitashvili, Nikoladze, Georgadze, Tamaridze and many others. Another part of the surnames comes from Muslim or Persian words. A controversial point arises when studying the roots of the Japaridze surname. Perhaps it comes from the Muslim name Jafar, and perhaps from the Persian name for the profession - postman - dzapar. In addition to these two main types of Georgian surnames, a special group is represented by surnames ending in “-eli”, “-iti”, “-eti”, “-ati”. For example, we can cite the well-known people of this world: Tsereteli, Rustaveli, and simply common Georgian surnames: Dzimiti, Khvarbeti, Chinati.

The next group of Georgian surnames are represented by surnames ending in “-ani”: Chikovani, Akhvelediani, Dadiani. These genealogies originate from the rulers of Megrelia. Less common, but still existing surnames of this group have the endings “-uri”, “-uli”, “-ava”, “-ua”, “-aya” and “-iya”. There are even more representatives of this group of “star” surnames: Danelia, Beria, Okudzhava.

Many roots of Georgian surnames, as in the anthroponymy of other peoples of the world, carry a certain semantic load. From them it is often possible to trace centuries-old ethnic processes that actively took place in the context of contacts between Georgians and neighboring peoples. For example, the roots of the surnames Khurtsidze and Sturua are clearly of Ossetian origin (respectively, the Ossetian khurts “hot” and styr “big”, “great”); among Georgian surnames of Abkhaz origin, one can indicate not only one like Abkhazava, which does not need etymology, but also Machabeli from the Abkhaz surname Achba; surnames of Adyghe origin include Abzianidze, Kashibadze and some others. In Eastern Georgia there are many surnames of Dagestani origin, for example Lekiashvili from Leki - the common name for Dagestanis in the Georgian language; Vainakh - Malsagashvili, Kistiauri; Azerbaijani - Tatarishvili; Armenian - Somkhishvili from Somekha - the Georgian name of the Armenians.

Georgian male patronymics are formed by adding the word dze "son" to the father's name in the genitive case: Ivana Petresdze. Female patronymics in Georgian also retained an archaic form in the form of joining to the father's name in the genitive case an ancient Georgian word that has almost fallen out of use in modern speech - asuli (adequate to the old Russian daughter): Marina Kostasasuli. However, patronymic names are practically excluded in live communication between Georgians. They are usually used in official documents. In party and Soviet institutions, often in official business situations they refer to the word amkhanagi “comrade”, calling the person only by his last name. In family and everyday communication, as well as in academic circles, the address predominantly contains the word batono (most equivalent to the Russian sir and the Polish pan) in combination exclusively with the name, regardless of age, rank, position and the person being addressed.

Ossetian and Abkhaz groups and the Russian-speaking environment

In the 90s of the last century, some Ossetians who were on the territory of Georgia were forced to change their surnames in the Georgian manner. In remote villages and settlements, not particularly literate officials did not know how to correctly write down Ossetian surnames, so they wrote them in the Georgian way. And there were also those among the Ossetians who wanted to get lost among the local population, and changed their surnames to more harmonious ones for Georgians. This is how new Georgian surnames appeared, with some accent: Mardzhanov, Tseretelev, Tsitsianov, Tsitsianov. Enormous changes were taking place. For example, the Driaevs were registered as Meladzes.

In Georgian “mela” means fox, in Russian it would be the surname Lisitsin.

The population of Abkhazia, and only about 15% of them are blood Abkhazians, have surnames ending in “-ba”: Eshba, Lakoba, Agzhba. These surnames belong to the North Caucasian Mingrelian group.

When entering the Russian-speaking environment, Georgian surnames, as a rule, are not subject to distortion, even despite the complex combination of sounds and significant length. But in some cases there is still an influence of the Russian language: Sumbatov came from Sumbatashvili, Bagration from Bagrationi, Orbeli from Orbeliani, Baratov from Baratashvili, Tsitsianov from Tsitsishvili, Tseretelev from the well-known Tsereteli.

Georgian surnames

Georgian surnames usually formed from nominal categories: titled surnames, on behalf of the parent, by geographical location, by occupation or by distinctive feature person. Georgian surnames began to emerge and be assigned to people during the Middle Ages. It is believed that true Georgian surnames end in the suffixes “dze” (descendant) and “shvili” (child).
We present a list of popular Georgian male and female surnames.

Georgian surname for a girl and a guy:

Beridze
Kapanadze
Mamedov
Gelashvili
Maisuradze
Giorgadze
Lomidze
Tsiklauri
Bolkvadze
Aliyev
Antadze
Berdznishvili
Vachianidze
Sguladze
Miladze
Dzhugashvili
Kikabidze
Parkaya
Mtsituridze
Gigauri

Abazadze
Gabunia
Saakashvili
Davitashvili
Jabadari
Chavadze
Kalantarishvili
Gverdtsiteli
Andronikashvili
Japaridze
Gedevanishvili
Chakvetadze
Onashvili
Lolua
Chiaureli
Surguladze
Nizharadze
Satine
Diakonidze
Tsirgvava

Gogniashvili
Guladze
Darakhvelidze
Asatiani
Kapanadze
Asmogulia
Kilasonia
Kavzharadze
Makharadze
Ninidze
Kalatozashvili
Butskhrikidze
Chogovadze
Tsiklauri
Kerdikoshvili
Japaridze
Kobalia
Vachnadze
Badurashvili
Shervashidze

Duduchava
Baraashvili
Minassali
Chapchavadze
Dzidziguri
Metreveli
Kandelaki
Gvantsa
Shevardnadze
Kaladze
Tsereteli
Parkatatsishvili
Bendukidze
Jokhtaberidze
Mirilashvili
Karchava
Nogaideli
Bezhuashvili
Okruashvili
Sheradze

Georgian surnames declension:

Georgian surnames in Russian can be inflected or indeclinable, depending on the form in which a particular surname is borrowed: surnames in -iya are indeclinable (Daneliya), in -ia - indeclinable (Gulia).

The most common Georgian surnames. Here you can find a truly Georgian surname. Surnames of Georgian origin, list popular surnames. The oldest Georgian surnames. List of famous Georgian surnames. Beautiful surnames Georgian for girls and boys.

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Discussions

▬ Georgian surnames

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Most Georgian surnames come from patronymics, less often from local names, with the addition various suffixes. Georgian surnames tend to vary depending on the part of the country. Thus, many surnames from western Georgia end with the suffix “–dze” (Georgian ძე), literally meaning “son,” while from time to time surnames from eastern Georgia end in “–shvili” (Georgian შვილი), which means “child " Surnames from the mountainous regions of eastern Georgia may end with the suffix “–uri” (Georgian ური), or “–uli” (Georgian ული). Most Svan surnames usually end in “–ani” (Georgian ანი), Mingrelians - in “–ia” (Georgian ია), “–ua” (Georgian უა), or “–ava” (Georgian ავა) , and Lazov - to “–shi” (Georgian ში).

The first mention of Georgian surnames dates back to the 7th-8th centuries. For the most part, they were associated with the names of localities (for example, Pavneli, Surameli, Orbeli), with patronymics, or were obtained from professions, social status or the title traditionally borne by the clan (for example: Amilakhvari, Amirejibi, Eristavi, Dekanozishvili). Beginning in the 13th century, surnames were more often based on local names. This tradition has spread almost everywhere in XVII-XVIII centuries. Some Georgian surnames indicate the ethnic or regional origin of the family, but are formed according to the patronymic principle. For example: Kartvelishvili (“son of Kartvel,” that is, Georgian), Megrelishvili (“son of Mingrelian,” that is, Mingrelian), Cherkezishvili (Circassian), Abkhazishvili (Abkhazian), Somkhishvili (Armenian).

As of 2008, the most common Georgian surnames in Georgia are:

1. Beridze (ბერიძე) - 19,765,
2. Kapanadze (კაპანაძე) - 13,914,
3. Gelashvili (გელაშვილი) - 13,505,
4. Maisuradze (მაისურაძე) - 12,542,
5. Giorgadze (გიორგაძე) - 10,710,
6. Lomidze (ლომიძე) - 9581,
7. Tsiklauri (წიკლაური) - 9499,
8. Kvaratskhelia (კვარაცხელია) - 8815.

Georgian surname rules

Georgian surnames are quite easy to recognize among all others. They are distinguished by their characteristic structure and noticeable ending. Georgian surnames are formed using two parts. They are the root and the ending. With good orientation in this topic, you can accurately say in most of the cases presented which region of Georgia this or that surname belongs to. There are only thirteen known types of different endings belonging to Georgian surnames.

Georgian surnames - origin of Georgian surnames

The history of Georgia goes back several thousand years. In ancient times, the country did not have a common name, but was divided into two parts. Western Georgia was called Colchis, and Eastern Georgia was called Iberia. Iveria was in contact with Iran and Syria, it had weak connections with ancient world. In the fifth century AD, Georgia became a Christian country. By the thirteenth century, Georgia had become a powerful state in the region, with reliable trade links with both the East and Europe. The entire history of Georgia is filled with the struggle for independence. At the same time, the population of Georgia created a unique and high culture.
It is believed that true Georgian surnames end in “dze”. Such surnames come from genitive case. People whose last name ends with “shvili” often belong to those people who do not have entirely Kartvelian roots. From the Georgian language this suffix means “son”. If a person’s Georgian surname ends with “ani,” then you have a person with a very noble origin. Such surnames are very ancient in origin. Armenians also have such surnames. Only theirs ends in “uni”. Georgian surnames that end in “ua” and “ia” are of Mingrelian origin. There are many more family suffixes, but they are rarely used.

Georgian surnames - list of Georgian surnames

Still, the most common among Georgian surnames are those that end in “dze” and “shvili”. Throughout almost the entire territory of Georgia you can find surnames with “dze”. They are very often found in Guria, Adjara and Imereti. They are rarely found in the eastern part of the country. Surnames ending in “shvili” are predominantly found in Kartli and Kakheti, which are located in the eastern part of Georgia. Translated from Georgian into Russian, these endings mean “born” or “son”, respectively. Now in modern times, it is generally accepted that the ending “dze” belongs to the oldest genealogies. The ending “shvili” is considered to belong to more modern genealogies. Unofficial statistics number about three million people with such surnames.
When a newborn is baptized, he is given a name. The beginning of some Georgian surnames begins with this name. Several similar examples can be given. These are Matiashvili, and Davitashvili, and Nikoladze, and Georgadze, and Tamaridze. There are many examples. Another part of Georgian surnames takes its origins from Persian and Muslim words. When studying the roots of surnames, small controversial issues arise. For example. If you study the roots of the Japaridze surname. This surname can be derived from both the Muslim name Jafar and the Persian dzapar, which means “postman” in that language.

Georgian surnames - endings of Georgian surnames, the meaning of Georgian surnames

A special group of surnames includes Georgian surnames that end in “eti”, “eli”, “ati” and “iti”. You've probably heard such Georgian surnames as Rustaveli and Tsereteli. The most common Georgian surnames are Khvarbeti, Dzimiti, Chinati. Another group of Georgian surnames includes surnames that end in “ani”. Many examples can also be given. These are Dadiani, Akhvelediani, and Chikovani. The pedigrees to which these surnames belong start from famous rulers Megrelia. Not so common, but there are still surnames belonging to this group that end in “uli”, “uri”, “ava”, “aya”, “ua” and “iya”. Among them are many representatives of star families, such as Beria, Danelia and Okudzhava.
It is very rare to find Georgian surnames that end in “nti”. They are of Chan or Svan origin. For example, such surnames as Zhgenti, Glonti. Among such surnames you can find surnames that contain the name of the profession and the participial prefix “me”. Examples: Mdivani. This surname comes from the Persian word nodivan, which translates to advice. Mdivani means clerk. The surname Amilakhvari is of interest. It is of Persian origin and is a familiar suffixless formation. The Georgian surname Mebuke is translated from Persian as a bugler, and the surname Menabde is a burka maker.

Georgian surnames - Russification of Georgian surnames

When Georgian surnames penetrated Russian onomastics, they were not distorted, even despite the unusual combination of sounds and their length. But you can find isolated cases of Russification of Georgian surnames. For example, the Georgian surname turned into the surname Orbeli, and the surname Muskhelishvili into the surname Muskheli. Some Georgian surnames contain the suffixes “ev”, “ov” and “v” appended to them. There are many examples of such surnames: Sulakadzev, Panchulidzev. During Russification, Georgian surnames that end in “shvili” are very often shortened. The surname Avalov is derived from the Georgian surname Avalishvili, Andronnikov - Andronikashvili, Sumbatov - Sumbatoshvili, Tsitsianov - Tsitsishvili, Baratov - Baratashvili, Manvelov - Manvelishvili and many other surnames that we are accustomed to consider Russian.
It is worth adding Abkhaz surnames to the Kartvelian surnames that were considered. The Abkhaz language belongs to the North Caucasian group. In modern times, fifteen percent of the population of all Abkhazia are Abkhazians. This is in most cases due to the fact that larger number Abkhazians have Mingrelian or Georgian surnames. There are also specific Abkhaz surnames, the final element of which is “ba”. This is Eshba, and Lakoba, and Agzhba.

Many people don’t even realize how many different endings Georgian surnames have, because everyone is used to the fact that a Georgian surname should end in -DZE or -SHVILI. However, this is not the case:)

Dze - the ending corresponds to the Russian ending “-ov”. Most common in Western Georgia (Guria, Imereti, Adjara). As a result of migration, their speakers appeared in Racha-Lechkhumi and Kartli. Gongadze (Imereti), Dumbadze (Guria), Silagadze (Lechkhumi), Archuadze (Racha) - if you pay attention to the root of the surname, then by some signs you can determine it exact origin. Excl.: Japaridzes are mainly Svans.

-shvili - translated as “child, child.” It is usually found in Eastern Georgia (Kartliya, Kakheti, Meskheti, Javakheti). The surname Maharashvili is found mainly among Kakhetians. In frequent cases, bearers of surnames starting with “-shvili” (especially with “-ashvili”) are of non-Kartvelian (including Jewish) origin: Aslanikashvili (root “Aslan”), Gligvashvili (this surname is found among the Kists - Vainakhs living in Kakheti ), Saakashvili (from Jewish name Isaac, or from the Armenian Sahak). Georgianized surnames were formed using this suffix.

Ia (-iya), -aia (-aya) - diminutive ending of nouns. Distributed in Megrelia and Abkhazia. Often found in Abkhazia. Example: Beria, Gulia, Gurtskaya, Tsviritskaya, Chanturia, Kvaratskhelia. Excl.: Jewish surname Luria (Loria), originating from the name Italian. cities. It is possible to distinguish between Abkhaz and Mingrelian surnames with these endings only by the origin of the root of the surname.
The ending comes from the complex suffix /-i-an-i/, which was reduced to /-ia-/

Ava (-va) is also a Mingrelian ending, probably corresponding to the Slavic “-sky”, but it is usually not pronounced by Mingrelians. Example: Girgolava - Girgola, Okudzhava, Lemonjava, Eliava.

Ani(s)
The Svan ending (analogous to “-ski”), now common in Svaneti, Lechkhumi, Imereti and Racha.
In Eastern Georgia, the consonant Georgian ending “-iani” is found, indicating a very noble origin. The difference can only be determined by knowing equally the Svan and Georgian languages ​​based on an analysis of the root of the surname.
Armenian surnames on “-yan” in Georgian transcription they are read with the ending “-iani” - Petrosiani.
Examples: Gordesiani (Svaneti), Dadeshkeliani (Svaneti, princely surname), Mushkudiani (Lechkhumi), Akhvlediani (Lechkhumi), Gelovani (Lechkhumi, princely surname), Ioseliani (Imereti), Zhorzholiani (Imereti), Chikovani (Megrelia), Dadiani (Megrelia, princely surname, they were the rulers of the entire region), Orbeliani (princely surname), Kitovani.

Uri - this ending is common in Mountainous Georgia among the peoples of the Pkhov group (Khevsurs, Mokhevians, Tushins). For example: Dzidziguri, Apkhazuri, Patashuri.

Ua (-uya) is a Mingrelian ending most often found in Abkhazia and, less frequently, in the rest of Georgia. For example: Gogua, Todua. By origin - Abkhazian ending.

Eli (-el) - endings are usually found in Racha; outside its borders only Pirveli (Svaneti) and Machabeli (Kartliya) are known. Example: Rustaveli, Tsereteli, Mitreveli. The surname Gverd-tsiteli is compound and may not be related to Racha

Uli is a phonetic variant of “-uri”, common among the peoples of the Aragvi group (Mtiuls, Gudamakarians, Pshavs) in Mountainous Georgia.

Shi (-sh) is a Laz ending. Found in Adjara, Guria and Abkhazia. Plural view numbers. For example: Khalvashi, Tugushi.

Balaz is the analogue of Mingrelian “-ava”. A very rare ending. Not to be confused with the Abkhazian “-ba”.

Skiri (-skiria) is a rare Mingrelian ending. For example: Tsuleiskiri, Panaskiri, Kvekveskiri.

Chkori is a rare Mingrelian ending. For example: Gegechkori ("Servant of Gege")

Kva is a rare Mingrelian and Gurian ending. For example: Ingorokva, Helekva, Rokva. “Kva” – “stone” (Georgian), “son” (Cherc.). There is a version that the bearers of these surnames are of non-Georgian origin

Enti (-onti) is a Laz and Adjarian suffix. For example: Glonti, Zhgenti

Skua (-skaya) is the Megrelian version of “-shvili” (son). Found in Megrelia. Uchascua, Curascua

Ari is a rare ending for any term to become a surname. Example: Amilakhvari (military position), Emukhvari.

Ki, -zi, -avi, -bi, -asi, -esi, -iri are very rare Georgian endings. For example: Abameliki, Abkhazi, Eristavi, Amirejibi, Khavtasi, Megvinetukhutsesi, Mujiri.

There are also Georgian surnames ending in “-ovi”, “-evi”, “-ski” (Tarkhanovi, Barataevi, Gruzinski). The endings have Russian origin, and this means that once they tried to Russify surnames, that is, they added to surnames of Georgian origin Russian ending, however, over time, the surnames still switched to the Georgian way. It should not be confused with Russian or Russified surnames, which in Georgian transcription are read with the ending “i”.

Surnames are often considered Georgian Pontic Greeks to “-go”, “-adi”, “-iki” and “-aki” (Romanidi, Andriadi, Khomeriki, Kandelaki).

Among the many generic names in the world, Georgian ones are one of the most recognizable. In any case, they are rarely confused with others. In the USSR, when everyone received a surname, nothing changed in Georgia. Georgian surnames are several centuries older than Russian ones, and no one thought of changing them or remaking them by analogy with Russian ones, as happened in the autonomous regions. But if you dig deeper, not everything is so simple.

People who have no idea about the ethnogenesis of the Georgian people imagine it as something monolithic. In fact, it became united politically after the adoption of Christianity, but the division into three groups within the Kartvelian language family still exists, especially in rural areas, and this is reflected in the composition of anthroponyms.

Linguistic information

Writing in Georgia appeared in the 5th century; in any case, no earlier sources of Georgian writing have been found. Before this, Greek, Aramaic, and Persian documents were known in the territory, but they did not reflect the local languages. Therefore, all information about the ancestors of modern Kartvelians can be gleaned either from foreign sources (of which, by the way, there are many), or on the basis of glottochronological data.

Thus, according to linguists, the Svans separated from the general Kartvelian community in the 2nd millennium BC. e., and the Iberian and Megrelian branches separated a thousand years later. The first surnames that were recorded in the 8th century reflect this difference. Initially, the names of professions were used as them, but XIII century Toponymy and patronymics began to predominate.

Foreign influence on root composition

It so happened that the ancestors of the Kartvels lived somewhat away from the migration routes, although Hurrians, Caucasian Albanians, and Greeks took part in their ethnogenesis. At a later time, the territory of Georgia was under Persian and Turkish influence, which greatly affected the culture of the people. Abkhaz, Ossetian, Nakh and Dagestan peoples live near Georgia. Immigrants from these territories at one time acquired Georgian surnames for convenience, but the root of foreign origin remained.

Thus, the surname Sturua is Mingrelian in structure, but its root is Abkhazian; Dzhugashvili's ancestors came from Ossetia; The surname Khananashvili is based on a Persian root, and Bagrationi is based on an Armenian one. Lekiashvili have an ancestor in Dagestan, and Kistauri - in Chechnya or Ingushetia. But such anthroponyms are few in percentage terms; most often the root is of Kartvelian origin.

Classification of generic names

The first thing that catches your eye when talking about Georgian family names is their suffixes. Thus, -shvili and -dze in the surnames of Georgian celebrities are considered something of a marker of nationality (although these suffixes are also characteristic of local Jews). Some may recall other characteristic family endings in Georgia, but few people understand what they mean.

However, by looking at the suffix and root, one can learn about the origin of a person. Firstly, in each region preference was given certain types surnames, and secondly, Georgians have a high proportion of toponymic family names.

All surnames in Georgia can be divided into several groups:

• actually Georgian;
• Mingrelian;
• Laz and Adjarian;
• Svan

Moreover, some suffixes are common Georgian, so you will need to judge the origin by the root. If we do not take into account the Mingrelian, Svan and Laz surnames, then the Georgian ones themselves can be divided in more detail into:

• West Georgian;
• East Georgian;
• Pkhovskie;
• Rachinsky;
• pshavskie.

Family suffixes

Georgian generic names include about 28 different suffixes. Their meaning and examples of beautiful Georgian surnames with them can be presented in the following table:

Suffixless construction of surnames

Georgian family names are based on a certain rule - they consist of a root and a suffix. But not all of them correspond to it, although sometimes it may seem that there is a correspondence. For example, the surname Gverdtsiteli is formed not by a suffix, but by adding the stems: “gverd” - side and “tsiteli” - “red”.

An interesting group are anthroponyms Greek origin, which do not have typically Georgian endings. Greeks have lived in western Georgia since ancient times; in any case, the port cities of Colchis were Greek. This connection did not stop later, since the Georgian Orthodox Church was closely connected with Byzantium. After Georgia became part of Russia, Greek migrants from Turkish territories settled in coastal cities.

Since that period, such surnames as Kandelaki, Kazanzaki, Romanidi, Khomeriki, Savvidi have remained in Georgia, but their carriers can be both Greeks and Georgians, since no one has canceled the assimilation process.

Distribution and some facts

Statistics show that the vast majority of Georgians have surnames ending in -dze. As of 2011, the number of their carriers was 1,649,222 people. In second place is the ending -shvili - 1303723. Over 700 thousand people bear Mingrelian family names, the remaining endings are much less common. The most common surnames in Georgia today are:

Only the names of citizens of the country are taken into account. If we consider the entire population, then Mamedov will be in second place - an Azerbaijani or Dagestan surname. Male labor migration from the eastern borders existed before, and some migrants settle in Georgia permanently. Diversity of family roots in eastern Caucasus less, so the share of the Aliyevs, Mamedovs and Huseynovs turns out to be high.

Famous representatives of the people

People are little interested in the origin of surnames in general, but they may be interested in a specific person. Celebrities are often asked where their roots come from and what the entry in their passport means. You can try to help those interested and present some well-known family names of people from Georgia:

1. Georgian director Georgiy Danelia bears a Mingrelian surname. It is based on male name Danel (in Russian - Daniil).
2. Basilashvili contains the baptismal name Basilius (Vasily).
3. Hero of the War of 1812 Bagration had the original surname Bagrationi. Its ending is typically princely, since it belonged to royal dynasty. But its roots go back to Armenia, and in times before our era.
4. Vakhtang Kikabidze on his father’s side he descends from the Imeretian princes, but information about the root of the surname cannot be found, and the number of its bearers is small.

It is not always possible to establish the roots of some family names the first time. The first reason for this is the antiquity of the surname: the language has changed over the centuries, but the root has remained. The second reason is the presence of foreign roots adapted to the phonetics of the Kartvelian languages. This is especially evident in Abkhazia and among the Mingrelians. Abkhazian anthroponyms may have a Mingrelian model due to the long proximity of the two peoples, and, on the contrary, Mingrelian may not differ from the Abkhazian one.

Many noble families, including princely ones, are of foreign origin - Armenian, Ossetian, Abkhazian, Nakh. In view of this literal translation the root of the surname is difficult, especially if there is no information about ethnic composition population of a particular region in the Middle Ages. There are many similar surnames - for example, Chavchavadze, Chkheidze, Ordzhonikidze.

Georgian anthroponymy in Russian

There is still debate about whether it is possible to incline Georgian anthroponyms. There is no declension in the Georgian language itself, so the question is not worth it. But some insist that the Mingrelian ending -IA, which is written down in Russian documents as -IA, should not be declined.

Of course, a native Russian speaker himself is able to figure out whether to incline someone else’s name or not. Everything depends solely on how its ending fits into the paradigm of the Russian declension. As a rule, generic names in -iya are declined according to the model of adjectival declension, but as soon as “a” is written instead of “I”, the number of people willing to engage in inflection decreases. Some cases are tricky, especially if there is an -aya at the end.

Thus, singer Diana Gurtskaya has a Megrelian surname, which does not change in masculine: her father wore the same one, not Gurtskaya. Nevertheless, it can be declined, but according to the model of nouns ending in -я. It doesn’t sound very familiar to the Russian ear, but there is a possibility. And surnames in -dze and -shvili are pronounced and written the same in all cases.

Attention, TODAY only!

Before the revolution, due to the prevailing circumstances, Ossetian surnames in South Ossetia, with rare exceptions, were written with Georgian endings (“-shvili”, “-dze”, “-uri” (*), etc.), moreover, they were often deformed beyond recognition . This is confirmed by many historical documents, as well as inscriptions on gravestones. For employees of the Georgian diocese, such distortions of Ossetian surnames were in the order of things.

This is what historian G. Togoshvili writes in the book “Georgian-Ossetian relations in the 15th-18th centuries”: “On the territory of Georgia, especially in regions where the plain prevailed, the Christian religion of the Ossetians was one of the reasons for their settlement on these lands. Salary books often emphasize the fact that this or that Ossetian is “ new Christian", "naosari" (who came from Ossetians) or "oskhopila" (former Ossetians). In all three cases, this means that the Ossetian to whom these concepts refer belongs to the Christian faith. This also means that the residence of such an Ossetian among the Christian Georgian population is natural and very desirable, because if he is a Christian, then he is no longer an Ossetian in the full sense of the word, he is already considered a Georgian (Sabchota Sakartvelo Publishing House, Tbilisi, 1969, p. 205).

Georgian clerical officials also contributed to the transformation of Ossetian surnames into Georgian ones, in order to speed up the process of assimilation of Ossetians. To this should be added the lack of necessary literacy of some deacons and registrar officials in remote Ossetian villages, who simply did not know how to adequately write this or that Ossetian surname in Georgian, since the phonetic laws of these languages ​​differ significantly from each other. And another important reason for the transformation of Ossetian surnames is the desire of a certain part of the Ossetians, who found themselves as a result of migration processes among Georgians, to be recorded under Georgian surnames. Perhaps they believed that the Georgian sound of their surnames would give them certain privileges and would be more honorable. This is tantamount to how it seemed to the Georgians themselves Russian sound their surnames (Tsitsianov, Tseretelev, Andronnikov, Mardzhanov, etc.) are more honorable.

There is information that as a result of the tragic events of the early 1990s in South Ossetia, some Ossetians who remained in Georgia were also forced to change their surnames. All this has led to the fact that many Ossetian surnames today are so distorted in the Georgian nomenclature that it is difficult to establish their authenticity. The Driaevs' surname was especially affected - more than half of them were recorded as “Meladze” (Georgian “mela” - “fox”, i.e. translated into Russian the surname means “Lisitsins”). (See also “Okroperidze” and others).

Georgian surnames have a characteristic structure and are easily recognized due to their final elements. In most cases, the etymology is unclear. The most common elements are “-dze” and “-shvili”. The first of them originally meant “born”, the second - “son”. Nowadays, however, the semantic differences between them have been erased, and both of them play the role of patronymic suffixes. There is also a chronological difference between them: “dze” is found in more ancient surnames, “-shvili” - in more modern ones. In general, we can say that surnames with “-dze” and “-shvili” are not formed in parallel from the same roots.

Some surnames are formed from baptismal names, that is, given at birth: Nikoladze, Tamaridze, Georgadze, Davitashvili, Matiashvili, Ninoshvili, etc. There are surnames formed from Muslim names of various origins: Japaridze (“jafar”, unless this surname is derived from the Persian dzapar - “postman”), Narimanidze, etc. Most surnames (especially with “-dze”) are derived from other less clear roots: Vachnadze, Kavtaradze, Chkheidze, Enukidze, Ordzhonikidze, Chavchavadze, Svanidze (from “Svan”), Lominadze (lomi- “lion”), Gaprindashvili, Khananashvili Kalandarishvili (from Persian kalantar - “first person in the city”), Dzugashvili (“dzug” - “flock” , “flock” /Oset./ G. Kolodaev, Ch. Bagaev. “Who are you, Stalin?”, 1995, p. 5) In addition to these two main types (patronymic in origin), there are others, less common, but so and very fully represented types of surnames, indicating the place or family from which their bearer comes. One of these types are surnames ending in “-eli” (rarely “-ali”): Rustaveli, Tsereteli, etc. A number of surnames end in “-eti”. “-ati”, “-iti”: Dzimiti, Oseti, Khvarbeti, Chinati, etc.

Another type consists of surnames starting with “-ani”: Dadiani (rulers of Megrelia), Akhvelediani, Chikovani, etc. Megrelian surnames are characterized by specific endings “-iya”, “-aya”, “-ua”, “-ava”, “-uri” "(-uli): Beria, Kvirkelia, Danelia, Zhordania, Gulia, Shengelaya, Dondua, Sturua, Khuchua, Okudzhava, Lezhava, Eliava, Tsiklauri, Sulakauri.

Surnames starting with “-nti”, quite rare, are of Svan or Chan origin: Glonti, Zhgenti. Among them, a group of profession names with the participial prefix “me-” (“m-”) stands out: Mdivani
- “scribe” (from the Persian “divan” - “advice”); Mebuke - “bugler” (“buki” - “horn”); Menabde - “burka maker” (“nabadi” - “burqa”). The surname "Amilakhvari" - "horsemaster", Persian
origin, is also a suffixless formation.

Penetrating into Russian onomastics, Georgian surnames usually did not undergo distortions, despite their length and unusual combinations sounds. However, individual cases of their “Russification” still occur: Orbeliani - Orbeli; Shengelaya (Shengelia) - Shengeli; Muskhelishvili - Muskheli; Bagrationi - Bagration; Iashvili - Yashvili; Eristavi (literally “head of the people”) - Eristovs. Some Georgian surnames were appended with the suffixes “-ov”, “-ev”, “-v”: Panchulidzev, Sulakadzev, In surnames, “-shvili” is often abbreviated during Russification: Avalishvili - Avalov, Andronikashvili - Andronnikov, Javakhishvili - Javakhov, Sumbatoshvili - Sumbatov, Tsitsishvili - Tsitsianov, Manvelishvili - Manvelov, Shalikoshvili - Shalikov, Baratashvili - Baratov. Examples with a different type of surname: Gamrekeli - Gamrekelov, Tsereteli - Tseretelev.

To the considered Kartvelian surnames, Abkhaz surnames should be added. The Abkhaz language belongs to the North Caucasian group. Currently, Abkhazians make up only about 15% of the population of Abkhazia. This is probably explained by the fact that many Abkhazians have Georgian or Mingrelian surnames. There are, however, specifically Abkhaz surnames with the final element “-ba”: Lakoba, Eshba, Agzhba.