Western Ukrainian surnames. Ukrainian surnames

Where did such surnames as Yushchenko, Khmelnitsky, Gavrilyuk and Shevchenko come from? What do Tyagnibok and Zhuiboroda have in common?

This unique "-enko"

Surnames ending in the suffix "-enko" are considered the most typical for Ukrainians, and not because they are largest group, but because practical ones are not found in others Slavic peoples. The fact that such surnames became widespread in Russia is explained by the fact that the Ukrainians, after joining the Muscovite state in 1654, constituted the second largest ethnic group after the Russians.

It should be noted that Ukrainian surnames came into use earlier than Russian ones. The very first mention of a surname with the suffix "-enko" refers to XVI century. Their localization was typical for Podolia, a little less often for the Kiev region, Zhytomyr region and Galicia. Later, they began to actively spread to Eastern Ukraine.

Researcher Stepan Bevzenko, who studied the register of the Kyiv regiment of the middle XVII century, notes that surnames ending in "-enko" accounted for approximately 60% of the entire list of family names of the regiment. The suffix "-enko" is a diminutive, emphasizing the connection with the father, which literally meant "small", "young man", "son". For example, Petrenko is the son of Peter or Yushchenko is the son of Yusk.

Later, the ancient suffix lost its direct meaning and began to be used as a family component. In particular, it became an addition not only for patronymics, but also for nicknames and professions - Zubchenko, Melnichenko.

Polish influence

For a long time most of today's Ukraine was part of the Commonwealth, which left its mark on the process of forming surnames. Surnames in the form of adjectives ending in "-sky" and "-tsky" were especially popular. They were mainly based on toponyms - the names of territories, settlements, water objects.

Initially, surnames with similar endings were worn exclusively by the Polish aristocracy, as a designation of the rights to own a particular territory - Potocki, Zamoyski. Later, such suffixes also spread to Ukrainian surnames, adding to the names and nicknames - Artemovsky, Khmelnitsky.

Historian Valentin Bendyug notes that with early XVIII centuries, "noble families" began to be assigned to those who had an education, first of all, this concerned priests. Thus, according to the researcher's calculations, over 70% of the clergy of the Volyn diocese bore surnames with the suffixes "-tsky" and "-sky".

Appearance in Western Ukraine surnames with endings in "-uk", "-chuk", "-yuk", "-ak" also occurred during the period of the Commonwealth. Baptismal names became the basis for such surnames, but later any others. This helped to solve the problem of identification - the isolation of a particular person from society and the separation of a Ukrainian from a gentry. This is how Gavrilyuk, Ivanyuk, Zakharchuk, Kondratyuk appeared, although over time these suffixes became more widely used - Popelnyuk, Kostelnyuk.

Eastern trail

Linguists have established that there are at least 4,000 Turkic words in the Ukrainian language. This is due to the active resettlement of some Turkic and other Eastern peoples in the area of ​​the Black Sea and the Dnieper region due to the increased Islamization of the Caucasus and Central Asian regions.
All this directly affected the formation of Ukrainian surnames. In particular, the Russian ethnologist L. G. Lopatinsky argued that common in Ukraine family ending"-ko" comes from the Adyghe "ko" ("kue"), meaning "descendant" or "son".

For example, the frequently encountered surname Shevchenko, according to the researcher, goes back to the word "sheudzhen", which the Circassians called Christian priests. The descendants of the “sheudzhen” who moved to the Ukrainian lands began to add the ending “-ko” - this is how they turned into Shevchenko.
It is curious that surnames ending in "-ko" are still found among some Caucasian peoples and Tatars, and many of them are very similar to Ukrainian ones: Gerko, Zanko, Kushko, Khatko.

Ukrainian surnames with the ending in "-uk" and "-yuk" Lopatinsky also refers to the Turkic roots. So, as evidence, he cites the names of the Tatar khans - Kuchuk, Tayuk, Payuk. The researcher of Ukrainian onomastics G. A. Borisenko supplements the list with Ukrainian surnames with a wide variety of endings, which, in his opinion, are of Adyghe origin - Babiy, Bogma, Zigura, Kekukh, Legeza, Prykhno, Shakhray.

And, for example, the surname Dzhigurda - an example of the Ukrainian-Circassian anthroponymic correspondence - consists of two words: Dzhikur - the name of the Zikh governor of Georgia and David - the Georgian king. In other words, Dzhigurda is Dzhikur under David.

Cossack nicknames

The environment of the Zaporizhzhya Cossacks contributed to the formation a large number a wide variety of nicknames, behind which serfs and representatives of other classes who had escaped from dependence hid their origin for security reasons.
“According to the rules of the Sich, the newcomers had to leave their names behind the outer walls and enter the Cossack world with the name that would best describe them,” writes researcher V. Sorokopud.
Many of the bright and colorful nicknames, consisting of two parts - a verb in the imperative mood and a noun, subsequently turned into surnames without any suffixes: Zaderykhvist, Zhuiboroda, Lupybatko, Nezdiiminoga.
Some of the surnames can be found even now - Tyagnibok, Sorokopud, Vernigora, Krivonos. Whole line modern surnames went from one-part Cossack nicknames - Mace, Gorobets, Birch.

ethnic diversity

The diversity of Ukrainian surnames is the result of the influence of those states and peoples, under whose influence Ukraine has been for centuries. It is interesting that for a long time Ukrainian surnames were the product of free word creation and could change several times. Only at the end XVIII century in connection with the decree of the Austrian Empress Maria Theresa, all surnames acquired a legal status, including in the territories of Ukraine that were part of Austria-Hungary.

Professor Pavel Chuchka points out that one should distinguish between a “Ukrainian surname” and a surname belonging to a Ukrainian. For example, the surname Schwartz, which is still found in Ukraine, has German roots, but its derivative Shvartsyuk (son of Schwartz) is already typically Ukrainian.

Due to foreign influence, Ukrainian surnames often acquire a very specific sound. So, for example, the surname Yovban, according to Chuchka, has always been prestigious, since it comes from the name of St. Job, which is pronounced Yovb in Hungarian. But the researcher sees the surname Penzenik in the Polish word “penzit”, which translates as to scare.

Surnames, as well as given names, in ancient times always carried a certain semantic load - they provided an additional important information about the origin of each individual person: what kind he is, what class he belongs to, what trade he or his relatives trades in ...

Common Ukrainian surnames are no exception. It is worth talking about Ukrainian surnames, as the first to emerge from the subconscious are such as Shevchenko, Petrenko, Doroshenko, Tymoshenko, Shinkarenko, Klimashenko.

Indeed, this is a typical family form for the Ukrainian people, the most common.

The lists of registered Cossacks of the 17th century studied by historians show 60% of the presence of people with a surname in -enko.

It arose more often from the names, nicknames, professions of the fathers of young Cossacks:

• "Stepanenko" - the offspring of Stepan, "Klimenko" - Klim, "Romanenko" - Roman;
• "Tkachenko" - from his father with the profession of a weaver, "Skotarenko" - the son of a cattleman, "Goncharenko" - the son of a potter;
• "Chubenko" - Chub's heir (most likely the owner of such a nickname was endowed with noble hair);
• "Leshchenko" - from a bream fish (perhaps the carrier came from a fishing family or the people awarded him such a nickname for their characteristic similarity with this fish);
• "Plushenko" - from the liana plant ivy.

Astrologers and numerologists have long been studying the influence of the name and surname on human destiny. What can be said about the nation? If the dictionary of Ukrainian surnames is full of semantic form, which is, as it were, a derivative for younger generation, then we can safely say, and you can’t argue with this: the Ukrainian people are a young, strong nation.

Flexible, free-spirited easy temper, ready to change (if you say - Butenko, Goncharenko, Pisarenko, Guzenko - it seems as if the ball is bouncing). But at the same time with their personalities, heroes and military acumen (Podoprigora, Vyrvidub). And also very musical (Music, Kobzar, Violin, Skripko, Sopilka, Sopilnyak).

According to scientists, the family forms of that time were not clearly defined, and therefore, in the genus, the successive generations could well have other (in form) surnames, or, on the contrary, the whole village could have one surname.

Since the prehistory of the Ukrainian people was born during the existence Eastern Slavs, as well as the prehistory of Belarusians and Russians, then the many family forms that exist among these three peoples coincide.

The most popular and common after -enko are the following forms:

Suffix -eyk-: Koreiko, Lomeiko, Buteyko, Geiko.
Suffix -chk-: Burlachko, Klitschko, Skachko, Batechko.
Suffixes -ey, -ey, -ay: Paliy, Heletey, Galai, Parubiy, Kalatay.

Suffixes -tsk-, -sk-: were originally common among the Polish gentry, more such surnames among noble nobles, officials: Kirovsky, Vishnevetsky, Koritsky, Skoropadsky, Zagorsky. But they could also indicate the attitude of a commoner to one or another owner (until serfdom was abolished) - Barsky, Boyarsky, or territorial affiliation - Galitsky, Polovtsy, Rovno.

Endings -la, -lo: Zamula, Minyaylo, Prytula, Shatailo.
Endings -uk, -uk: Serdyuk, Pavlyuk, Bondarchuk, Sklyaruk.
Suffixes -nick, -ar (-ar), characteristic for the definition of professional affiliation: Bortnik, Miller, Potter, Kobzar, Sexton.
Endings - yes, -ba, -ta: Lagoda, Palivoda, Dziuba, Zhuleba, Golota.
Suffixes -ich, -ych: Kuzmich, Shufrich, Zvarych, Yanukovych.
Suffixes -ak, -yak, -yk, -ik: Gopak, Tretyak, Bryk, Kulik.

Separately, one can distinguish among Ukrainian surnames those that simply convey the common name of something, whether it be a thing or an animal, the name natural phenomenon: Scoop, Skovoroda, Gogol (bird), Babak (marmot), Frost, Barabolya, Gorobets (sparrow), Khmara (cloud), Zozulya (cuckoo).

Male (Cossack) surnames

If we talk about memorable and historically valuable surnames for the Ukrainian people, then these are undoubtedly the “callings” that were called at one time the Cossacks who fell on the Sich (Sich - Russian.). Usually these are double words, very harsh, sometimes offensive: Tyagnibok, Netudykhata, Kuybida, Stodolia, Likhoded, Sorokopud, Pidiprigora, Golota, Perederiy, Novokhatko, Krivoruchko, Skorobogatko, Zadripailo, Neizhsalo, Tovchigrechka.

Such funny nicknames characterize the Cossacks as strong and fearless warriors, but with a sense of humor and the ability to laugh at themselves.

Versatility and diversity historical events, which influenced the origin of Ukrainian surnames, can also be traced in such surnames: Pshigovsky, Vygotsky, Voznesensky, Miloradovich, Zarevich, Khorunzhiy, Sahaidachny, Khmelnitsky, Uspensky. Here are the princely royal families with a long pedigree, and the names of church subjects, and the names of famous recalcitrant Sich chieftains. They contain a huge layer historical era associated with wars, captivity, revolutions. There are ways of word formation not only of the Russian people, but also of Poles, Tatars, Germans, Austrians.

Famous male surnames: Khmelnitsky, Shevchenko, Skovoroda, Grushevsky, Kvitka-Osnovyanenko, Dovzhenko, Klitschko, Poroshenko.

Women's surnames

In the Ukrainian language, there are not so many modifications of surnames on a female basis. These are surnames that can be attributed in a morphological context to the adjectives –sky, -ensky: Mogilevskaya, Vishnevetskaya; also surnames with the Russian suffix -ov, -ev, -in: Dubova, Zvereva, Spirin.

Known female surnames: Kosach-Kvitka (Lesya Ukrainka), Lisovskaya (Roksolana), Pysanka, Lyzhychko, Klochkova, Prikhodko.

There is linguistic feature in writing male and female surnames with endings -o, -ko, -chko when declining. Male surnames- they bow, but women do not: Ivan Fedko - Ivan Fedka, but Maria Fedko - Maria Fedko. It also happens with the endings -iy, -ich, -ych, -ik, -uk. (Sergey Petrik, but Nastya Petrik, Svyatoslav Vakarchuk, but Alevtina Vakarchuk).

Beautiful Ukrainian surnames

Separately, I would like to mention the beauty and melodiousness of proper names. The dictionary of Ukrainian surnames can be read in a singsong voice: Nalivaiko, Nightingale, Lastivka (swallow), Pysarenko, Kotlyarevsky, Kotsyubinsky, Lyzhychko, Pysanka (from easter egg- Krashanki), Lysenko, Kulchitsky, Dovzhenko, Stupka, Malvinets, Ognevich.

The list of Ukrainian surnames is rich in unusual, mystical surnames: Wiit, Stus, Mavka, Veleten, Bogatyrev, Prisuha, Lyubich, Yarilo. There are many beautiful double family combinations: Nechuy-Levitsky, Kvitka-Osnovyanenko, Dobryvecher.

As you can see, the vocabulary of Ukrainian surnames has been created and transformed over the centuries, absorbing the acquired wisdom of its people. It can tell a lot about people, their culture, traditions and beliefs.

By their origin and meaning, most Ukrainian surnames are closely related to Russian ones. There is nothing surprising in this, since both those and other surnames take their roots in the history of the Slavic peoples. At the same time, Ukrainian surnames are noticeably different from typical Russian surnames.

Surnames formed with suffixes.

The most typical suffix for the surnames of the inhabitants of the Dnieper Ukraine is the suffix -enk-. According to historical documents, the first mention of such surnames dates back to the 16th century. According to historians, the suffix and the ending –enko are of Turkic origin. Over the following centuries, surnames ending in -enko became widespread (more than half of total number surnames) among the Cossacks from the Left Bank of the Dnieper, in the Kiev region and some other areas. It was not uncommon to switch from a surname without a suffix to a surname with a suffix. For example, Komar - Komarenko.

Other similar ways of changing surnames into the Ukrainian way are the addition of suffixes -eyk- (Bateyko), -ochk- (Marochko), -ko (Andreiko).

Some suffixes, with which Ukrainian surnames are formed, belong to the category of toponymic suffixes and are common not only among Ukrainians, but also among Poles, Czechs, Slovaks, Bulgarians and other Slavic peoples. So, the suffix -sk- or -tsk- was often found among representatives of the Ukrainian nobility, whose surnames were formed according to the name of the family estate. For example, Gorodets - Gorodetsky. Other varieties of toponymic suffixes are -ovsk- (-ivsky), -evsk-. Examples of surnames: Baranovsky, Grinevsky.

Characteristic for Ukrainian surnames are the patronymic suffixes -ich- (-ych-) and -uk- (-yuk-). The latter denote "someone's servant, disciple or son." For example, the meaning of the surname Tarasyuk may sound like "son of Taras." In addition, among those from different areas Ukraine, there may be various suffixes characteristic of these regions. For example, in the regions that were once part of Little Russia, Russian and related endings -ov, -ev and -iv are common. With the help of these suffixes, Ukrainian surnames were Russified and took on the form, for example, like this: Porechenko - Porechenkov.

You can also list surnames with suffixes found mainly among Ukrainians: Paliy (the suffix -y, in Transcarpathia is more common -ey), Shcherbak (suffix -ak), Pasichnyk (suffix -nick) and others.

Surnames formed from other words

The origin of many Ukrainian surnames can be easily traced if you pay attention to what words they are formed from. Often, young people were given surnames according to the occupation of their parents, the name of the father or his nickname. So, for example, the surname Kovalenko comes from the word "forger", the translation of which sounds like "blacksmith". Also, surnames formed from the names of professions include Grabar (digger), Kravets (tailor), Rybalko (fisherman), etc.

Surnames formed from first names are very popular among Ukrainians. Usually such surnames appeared when young Cossacks were recorded by the name of their father - Zakharchenko, Yushchenko, Vasyuchenko. It is not uncommon for surnames formed from nouns, from the names of animals, and also made up of several words. For example, Share (fate), Koshara (flock of sheep), Gogol (bird), Shchur (rat), Krasnoshapka (red hat), Ryabokon (speckled horse), etc.

Cossack Sich surnames

These Ukrainian surnames should be taken out in a separate paragraph for their unusualness. As a rule, they consist of two parts - a verb and a noun, and have a pronounced emotional coloring. Surnames such as Zaderikhvist or Lupybatko are designed to tune in a certain way, giving rise to many images in the mind.

These flowery surnames owe their appearance to the tradition, according to which those who arrived in the Sich had to leave the old name outside its borders and pick up a new one that would correspond to their character.

Female Ukrainian surnames

Feminine forms in Ukrainian do not exist for all surnames. As a rule, they are used for those surnames that are morphologically identified as adjectives ending in –sky (Khovansky - Khovanskaya), as well as for surnames that sound close to Russians (Shugaev - Shugaeva).

Other surnames common among Ukrainians do not have a separate female form. As an exception, Western Ukrainian surnames ending in -iv or -ishin can be cited. Sometimes you can find female variants of these surnames (for example, Pavliv - Pavliva). In addition, in a colloquial conversation, one can hear how from a surname ending in -yuk, they form a female form ending in -yuchka (Serdyuk - Serduchka). However, this is not a literary norm.

Each person is special in their own way. Some have unusual appearance, other - beautiful voice, and some interesting last name. The surname is part of a person's life. She can be admired by others, but at the same time be an occasion for ridicule. It is very easy to determine the roots by the surname, it is enough to hear the ending. In the past, people chose their surname according to their profession, so most surnames are consonant with the types of work.

Every nation has its own characteristics own culture, as well as the difference in the suffixes of the surname. A few examples of different nationalities:

• Russians have the endings -ev, -ov. Popular types: Smirnov, Ivanov.
• Ukrainian ones end in -ko, -uk, -yuk. Popular: Shevchenko, Nazarchuk, Serdyuk.
• Belarusians differ in the ending -ov, -ko, -ich. Examples: Rabkov, Kuzmich, Vladyko.
• Moldovans use the ending -u, -an. For example, Rotaru, Marian.

You can list nationalities for a long time, but each will have its own special approach. Slavic surnames may have the same ending, but will sound completely different.

Ukrainian Cossacks

The Cossacks played a huge role in the way of life of the Ukrainian people. It was in the 15th century that the emergence of the Cossacks led to the strengthening of the national spirit.

Most of the surnames found their origin precisely from the Cossack times. Men's options gained great success, since the Cossacks meant only the presence of men. Women's options have not gained due popularity.

There was the Don Cossacks, where the nobles were present. Surname options:

In addition to Ukrainian surnames, there were many other Slavic variants in the Don Cossacks.

Dictionary of Ukrainian surnames

The Ukrainian language is famous for its pleasant sound, as well as unusualness. It is closely related to Russian and Polish so some words are easy to remember.

Surnames are completely different. The list is filled with some fun options. For Ukrainian language this is a common thing. Except funny options, there are popular female surnames such as:

• Timoshenko.
• Tkachenko.
• Avramenko.
• Kornienko.

The country is famous for its Cossack traditions, as well as the beauty of Ukrainian women. Some of the surnames have a patronymic root:

• Grigorenko.
• Panasenko.
• Romanchenko.

Khokhlyatsky language can be spread in any field. It sounds nice and is unusual to use. If a person wants to change his surname to Ukrainian, then this list will help you find out approximate options.

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