In Rus', a person could often be called by occupation. Some forgotten and unknown professions are still found in various modern surnames.
The most common surnames of this type are - Kuznetsovs, Melnikovs, Rybakovs. But there are also less clear ones, the origin of which has been forgotten: some indicate a clear specialization and even individual stages of the technological process of past centuries.
Let's take, for example, in modern terms, textile and clothing production. The descendants of the ancient masters bear the surnames Tkachevs, Krasheninnikovs, Krasilnikovs, Sinelnikovs, Shevtsovs and Shvetsovs (from the word “shvets”, or “shevets”; Ukrainian version - Shevchenko), Kravtsovs (kravets - cutter; Ukrainian surname Kravchenko), Epaneshnikovs (epancha - a type of cloak), Shubnikovs, Rukavishnikovs, Golic-nikovs (golitsy - also mittens), Skaterschikovs, Tulupnikovs, etc.
Curious surname Pustovalov. Its original root is Don word "fat", that is, a felter of woolen bedspreads - half. This word was simplified into “postoval”, which formed the surname Postovalov. But the meaning of the word “posted” is beyond Don regions it was incomprehensible, and the surname Postovalov was rethought, or rather, made meaningless - they began to say and write Pustovalov.
The craftsman who made the “berda” (combs on looms) was called a berdnik - hence the Berdnikovs.
Leatherwork and saddlery The ancestors of the Kozhevnikovs, Kozhemyakins, Syromyatnikovs, Ovchinnikovs, Shornikovs, Rymarevs, Sedelytsikovs, and Remennikovs were engaged in this activity.
Headwear specialists were the founders of the Kolpashnikovs, Shaposhnikovs, Shapovalovs, Shlyapnikovs.
Potters, pots, skulls engaged in ceramics. However, the inhabitants of Cherepovets were also called skulls!
Cooperage products made by the ancestors of the Kadochnikovs, Bondarevs, Bocharovs, Bocharnikovs, Bochkarevs.
There is a wide range of “flour millers” and “bakers” names. These are first of all the Melnikovs, then the Miroshnikovs, Prudnikovs, Sukhomlinovs, Khlebnikovs, Kalashnikovs, Pryanishnikovs, Blinnikovs, Proskurnikovs and Prosvirins (from proskur, prosvir or prosphora - a specially shaped loaf of bread used in Orthodox worship). It is curious that the surnames Pekarev and Bulochnikov are relatively rare: both original words entered our language later, only in the 18th century.
In the surname Sveshnikov no longer everyone guesses about the original - a candle; The ancestors of the Voskoboinikovs also made candles and other products from wax.
Production and sale of oil The ancestors of not only the Maslennikovs, but also the Oleynikovs or Aleynikovs, were engaged in: oley - vegetable oil.
Hardly any of us have met medical or veterinarians. In ancient times, our ancestors treated people Lekarevs and Balievs(baliy – doctor, healer), treatment of animals - the ancestors of the Konovalovs.
Many Russian surnames are formed from various names "trading people": Prasols and Shibais traded livestock; kramari, mosols, scrupulos and peddlers - small goods; horse dealers, maklaks and lighthouses walked around the villages as buyers, bourgeois sold old clothes, etc. The surname Rastorguev speaks for itself. But the Tarkhanovs seem to be descendants of the Tatars. Meanwhile, “Tarkhan” is a word, although Tatar origin, but at one time widely prevalent in the Russian environment. Tarkhans were the name given to traveling traders, usually Muscovites and Kolomna residents, and a hundred years ago on the Volga one could hear the following song:
Is it from someone else's side?
The Tarkhans have arrived,
Moscow region merchants,
All the guys are great.
The surname Tselovalnikov is also a “trade” name. Tselovalniks were people who were engaged in the government or private sale of wine at retail. It is natural to hear the question: what does the kiss have to do with it? But here’s the thing: when receiving the right to this very profitable trade, the kissers were obliged to “kiss the cross,” swearing that they would trade honestly and give the treasury the required percentage.
And here is the most likely explanation of some other “professional” surnames:
Argunov– Argun (as Vladimir carpenters were called)
Bortnikov– Bortnik (a person engaged in forest beekeeping)
Bronnikov– Bronnik (gunsmith who makes armor)
Bulatnikov– Bulatnik (master who makes products from damask steel)
Voitov– Voight (village elder in some provinces of Tsarist Russia)
Vorotnikov– Collar (gatekeeper, gatekeeper)
Guselnikov– Guselnik (guslar)
Zhiveynov– Live cab driver (unlike a dray driver, he carried people, not loads)
Zemtsov– Zemets (beekeeper, beekeeper)
Kologrivov– Kologriv (servant at the royal horses (stood “near the mane”) or from the city of Kologriv)
Kolomiytsev– Kolomiets (in the old days in Ukraine, a worker mined salt, but may be a resident of the city of Kolomyia)
Commissioners– Commissioner (in the old days, an official who performed police functions)
Kukhmisterov– Kukhmister (keeper of the “kukhmisterskaya”, that is, the dining room)
Mechnikov– Swordsman (warrior armed with a sword)
Reznikov– Reznik (butcher who slaughters livestock)
Reshetnikov– Reshetnik (master who makes sieves)
Ruzhnikov– Ruzhnik (priest who received special allowance from the prince or parishioners)
Sopelnikov– Sopelnik (playing the sopel – an ancient pipe)
Serdyukov– Serdyuk (Cossack from the ataman’s guard)
Sotnikov– Sotnik (commander of a military unit - hundreds)
Stolnikov– Stolnik (servant at the royal table)
Syreyshchikov– Raw material buyer (buyer of raw meat)
Trubnikov– Trubnik (trumpet player)
Furmanov– Furman (cab driver)
Chumakov– Chumak (Ukrainian peasant who transported bread to the Don and brought salt and fish from there).
It should be added: “professional” surnames can also include those that originate not from the name of the profession, but also from the object of the craft itself. Thus, a hat maker could be nicknamed simply Shapka, and his descendants became Shapkins, a potter - Pot, a tanner - Skurat (which means a flap of leather), a cooper - Lagun (barrel). Other nicknames were given based on the tool of labor: a shoemaker could be called Awl, a carpenter - Ax, etc.
From literature lessons you know that likening by similarity is called metaphor, and likening by contiguity is called metonymy. Of course, separating metaphorical surnames from metonymic ones is not an easy task. After all, Barrel could be nicknamed for a fat man or a cooper, Shilom for a shoemaker or a sharp-tongued one. And if we know that, say, the founder of the Shilovs was both a shoemaker and a wit, then we just have to guess: which of these properties led to the formation of the surname. Maybe both at once.
And in conclusion, a logical question: Why do surnames reflect the names of new professions to such an insignificant extent? Yes, very simply: in the XVIII - 19th centuries specialists, as a rule, already had their own hereditary surnames and did not need new ones. From more or less modern surnames Mashinistovs of this kind are more common than others. But these are hardly the descendants of the first locomotive drivers. At the end of the 18th century, a machinist was a person who services any machine, that is, a machine worker or mechanic.
Based on materials from the book Fedosyuk Yu. A. “What does your last name mean?”
Surnames from personal names
Most Russian surnames are formed from personal names and nicknames. They were given in the form of a possessive adjective, answering the question “whose son?”: Ivanov, Vasiliev, Romanov, Ilyin, Kuzmin. In fact, these are middle names that gradually turned into surnames. Moreover, the now common form of patronymics with the ending - ich Previously, only noble persons were allowed to use it, and the vast majority of the population used the form of patronymics with the ending - oh, - in. The most common surnames in our country are those formed from the baptismal names contained in the Saints: Ivanov, Vasiliev, Petrov, Mikhailov, Fedorov, Yakovlev, Andreev, Alekseev, Alexandrov, Grigoriev, etc.
Among the surnames formed from baptismal names, special group surnames are made up of diminutive names. The variety and abundance of diminutive names has led to a variety of forms of surnames descended from the same church name. For example, from the most common name among Russians in the 14th–19th centuries, Ivan, came more than a hundred different surnames: Ivanov, Ivashev, Ivashkin, Ivashutin, Ivankov, Vanin, Vanyushin, Vankin, Vanyutin, Vanyagin, etc. From popular name Vasily formed the surnames Vasilyev, Vasin, Vaskov, Vasyutkin, Vasishchev, Vasintsev, Vasyagin, Vasyatkin, Vaseykin, Vasechkin, as well as the Ukrainian surnames Vasilenko, Vasilyuk, Vasilchenko, Belarusian Vasilevich, Vasilenok, Bulgarian Vasilev. From the name Mikhail came the surnames Mikhailov, Mikhalev, Mikhalkov, Mikhaev, Mishkin, Mishutin, Mikhalishchev, Mishechkin, Mishin, Mishutkin and others.
In Russia in the 16th - 17th centuries, the use of derogatory forms of names formed with the suffix was widespread - k(a), who emphasized the humble origins of man: Vanka, Petka, Dunka, Timoshka, Danilka. From such names the surnames Ivankin, Timoshkin, Danilkin, etc. were formed.
Sometimes it can be difficult to figure out from what name a particular surname came from. For example, it is not immediately clear that the surnames Matov, Matyukhin and Matyushin are formed from the name Matfei, from its diminutive forms Matya, Matyanya, Matyusha, and the surnames Grinev, Grinkov - from the name Grigory, Grinya, Grinko. The surname Krysanov actually comes not from the name of the animal rat, but from the church name Chrysanthos (Greek for “golden-colored”) in its Russian form Kirsan.
Many of the church names have long gone out of use, but the surnames still remain: Tropin - from Eutropius (Greek “easily adaptable”), through the shortened form Tropa; Ostanin - from Eustathius (Greek “strong, good”) or Eustachia (Greek “blooming”) through the diminutive form Ostan; Zotov, Izotov - from the church name Zotik, Zot, Izot (Greek “life-giving”); Melekhov from Melentiy (Greek: “caring”) through the shortened form Melekh; Alferov from Greek name Eleutherium (“free”), which was used in the form of Alfer.
Very rarely, but still there are surnames formed from female church names: Anyutin, Marinin, Matrenin, Nadezhdin, Glafirin, etc. Children received a surname after their mother’s name only when the woman played main role in the family. This could be in the case of widowhood or the husband leaving for a long time military service, when the wife took on all the worries about the household and raising children. Sometimes a woman's predominant role in the family was due to the wealth or position of her parents, but all this was quite rare. Sometimes the mother's surname was given to her illegitimate children.
Let us give examples of surnames formed from female names: Susanin - from the church name Susanna, Tatyanin, Tatyanichev - from the name Tatyana, Varvarin - from Varvara. This also includes the surnames Katyushin, Marfushin, Marinin, Maryin, etc. And surnames such as Dashin, Dashkov could have been formed from female name Daria, Dasha. However, it is more likely that they originated from the male church name Darius, which was used in a diminutive form as Dashko. The surname Olenin did not come from the name of the animal, but from old name Deer, which was used as a diminutive form of the male names Alexander and Alexey. The possibility of forming this surname from the female name Olena, a diminutive of Elena, cannot be ruled out.
Along with baptismal names, until the 18th century, Old Church Slavonic secular names were used, which were given to the child in the family. These names were very diverse, and in some cases it is now difficult to determine whether the surname came from a secular name or from a nickname. Totemic worldly names, derived from the names of animals, birds, fish, and plants, were popular in Rus'. The surnames Sokolov, Lebedev, Voronin, Volkov, Soloviev, Orlov, Gusev, Kozlov, Sorokin, Sobolev are derived from the totemic personal names Sokol, Swan, Raven, etc. The surname Slonov could have been formed not only from the name of a distant exotic beast - the elephant. In the old days, any large, heavy and clumsy animal was called an elephant; for example, an elk could be called an elk elephant.
Families often gave names and nicknames with similar meanings, which later became the surnames of various branches of the family. Interesting examples archival records of the 14th–17th centuries are given by academician Veselovsky Stepan Borisovich in his book “Onomastics”: the Novgorod landowner Okun Ivan Linev, who lived in the middle of the 15th century, had sons Andrei Som and Alexei Ersh, and the Smolensk boyar Ivan Grigorievich Osoka Travin had sons Grigory Pyrey (from whom the Pyryevs' surname came), Ivan Otava (otava is the name of the grass that grew back after mowing) and Vasily Vyazel (vyazel is the name of field peas). Or another example from archival records: the sons of the Tula patrimonial owner Nikita Vasilyev were named Sophon Meshok, Ivan Sharap and Ivan Meshochek, and Sophon Meshok had a son Osip Karman. Sharap was a common worldly name, and the now forgotten meaning of the word “sharap” meant “robbery, robbery.”
So-called amulets names, which were given for the purpose of deception, were also chosen as worldly names. evil spirits": Fool, Malice, Nekras, Bad, Ugly, Nevzor (nondescript), Scoundrel (unfit for anything), Nenash (stranger), etc. From these names the now widespread surnames Nekrasov, Nevzorov, Durakov, Zlobin, Nenashev were formed etc.
Among worldly names, such names as Lyubim, Smirnoy, Bogdan, Malets, Zhdan, Nezhdan, Nechay, Nayden, Pervusha, Belyay, Veshnyak, Pozdnyak, Shumila, Potekha, Likhach, Tihomir, etc. were very popular. These names gave rise to the Lyubimov surnames , Smirnov, Bogdanov, Maltsev, Zhdanov, Belyaev, Veshnyakov, Shumilin, etc.
Worldly names could indicate some feature of a person’s appearance or character: Belyay, Bogatyr, Krasava, Chistyak, Roslyak, Ushak, Vereshchaga (chatterbox), Govorukha, Molchan, Suvora (stern, unsociable), Nesmeyan, Gloomy, Buyan. They could indicate the time of birth of the child: Veshnyak (born in the spring), Osenya (born in the fall), Nedelya (born on Sunday, which used to be called a week); weather conditions that accompanied the birth of the child: Frost, Padera (winter storm), Wind. Often worldly names reflected the order of appearance of children in the family: First, Pershak, Vtorak, Tretyak, Fifth, Pozdnyak, Poskrebysh, Mizin (the youngest in the family). From ancient worldly names the surnames Belyaev, Bogatyrev, Krasavin, Chistyakov, Ushakov, Vereshchagin, Govorukhin, Molchanov, Suvorov, Veshnyakov, Yesenin, Nedelin, Morozov, Paderin, Vetrov, Pershakov, Tretyakov, Poskrebyshev, Mizinov and many others were formed.
To the worldly names were then added nicknames that a person received during his life and which could also be passed on to descendants and give rise to new surnames. Nicknames were very diverse, often unexpected and original, and this explains huge amount our surnames. Nicknames could have been derived from distinctive features appearance or character, by some behavioral characteristics, by type of activity and everyday characteristics, but they were always associated with a certain assessment of a person.
For example, the Nashchokin nobles derived their surname from the nickname Nashchoka, which their ancestor received in the 14th century after being wounded in the cheek during the battle of the Tverites with the Khan’s army. Also, the industrialists the Stroganovs considered their ancestor an ancestor who had been in Turkish captivity and was mutilated, as they used to say “strogan.” Hero Soviet Union pilot Mikhail Mikhailovich Gromov said that he inherited his surname from an ancestor who was a singer in one of the St. Petersburg cathedrals and had a very strong, thunderous voice. Surname famous singer Lyudmila Zykina also points to an ancestor who had a loud voice, since in the past there was a fairly common nickname Zyka, which was given to a screamer, a loud-voiced person.
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In Rus', a person could often be called by occupation. Some forgotten and unknown professions are still found in various modern surnames.
The most common surnames of this type are - Kuznetsovs, Melnikovs, Rybakovs. But there are also less clear ones, the origin of which has been forgotten: some indicate a clear specialization and even individual stages of the technological process of past centuries.
Let's take, for example, in modern terms, textile and clothing production. The descendants of the ancient masters bear the surnames Tkachevs, Krasheninnikovs, Krasilnikovs, Sinelnikovs, Shevtsovs and Shvetsovs (from the word “shvets”, or “shevets”; Ukrainian version - Shevchenko), Kravtsovs (kravets - cutter; Ukrainian surname Kravchenko), Epaneshnikovs (epancha - clan raincoat), Shubnikovs, Rukavishnikovs, Golichnikovs (golitsy are also mittens), Skaterschikovs, Tulupnikovs, etc.
Curious surname Pustovalov. Its original root is Don word "fat", that is, a fuller of woolen bedspreads - half. This word was simplified into “postoval”, which formed the surname Postovalov. But the meaning of the word “postoval” outside the Don regions was unclear, and the surname Postovalov was rethought, or rather, made meaningless - they began to say and write Pustovalov.
The craftsman who made the “berda” (combs on looms) was called a berdnik - hence the Berdnikovs.
Leatherwork and saddlery The ancestors of the Kozhevnikovs, Kozhemyakins, Syromyatnikovs, Ovchinnikovs, Shornikovs, Rymarevs, Sedelytsikovs, and Remennikovs were engaged in this activity.
Headwear specialists were the founders of the Kolpashnikovs, Shaposhnikovs, Shapovalovs, Shlyapnikovs.
Potters, pots, skulls engaged in ceramics. However, the inhabitants of Cherepovets were also called skulls!
Cooperage products made by the ancestors of the Kadochnikovs, Bondarevs, Bocharovs, Bocharnikovs, Bochkarevs.
There is a wide range of “flour millers” and “bakers” names. These are first of all the Melnikovs, then the Miroshnikovs, Prudnikovs, Sukhomlinovs, Khlebnikovs, Kalashnikovs, Pryanishnikovs, Blinnikovs, Proskurnikovs and Prosvirins (from proskur, prosvir or prosphora - a specially shaped loaf of bread used in Orthodox worship). It is curious that the surnames Pekarev and Bulochnikov are relatively rare: both original words entered our language later, only in the 18th century.
In the surname Sveshnikov no longer everyone guesses about the original - a candle; The ancestors of the Voskoboinikovs also made candles and other products from wax.
Production and sale of oil The ancestors of not only the Maslennikovs, but also the Oleynikovs or Aleynikovs, were engaged in: oley - vegetable oil.
Hardly any of us have met medical or veterinarians. In ancient times, our ancestors treated people Lekarevs and Balievs(baliy – doctor, healer), treatment of animals - the ancestors of the Konovalovs.
Many Russian surnames are formed from various names "trading people": Prasols and Shibais traded livestock; kramari, mosols, scrupulos and peddlers - small goods; horse dealers, maklaks and lighthouses walked around the villages as buyers, bourgeois sold old clothes, etc. The surname Rastorguev speaks for itself. But the Tarkhanovs seem to be descendants of the Tatars. Meanwhile, “Tarkhan” is a word, although of Tatar origin, but at one time it was widely used in the Russian environment. Tarkhans were the name given to traveling traders, usually Muscovites and Kolomna residents, and a hundred years ago on the Volga one could hear the following song:
Is it from someone else's side?
The Tarkhans have arrived,
Moscow region merchants,
All the guys are great.
The surname Tselovalnikov is also a “trade” name. Tselovalniks were people who were engaged in the government or private sale of wine at retail. It is natural to hear the question: what does the kiss have to do with it? But here’s the thing: when receiving the right to this very profitable trade, the kissers were obliged to “kiss the cross,” swearing that they would trade honestly and give the treasury the required percentage.
And here is the most likely explanation of some other “professional” surnames:
Argunov– Argun (as Vladimir carpenters were called)
Bortnikov– Bortnik (a person engaged in forest beekeeping)
Bronnikov– Bronnik (gunsmith who makes armor)
Bulatnikov– Bulatnik (master who makes products from damask steel)
Voitov– Voight (village elder in some provinces of Tsarist Russia)
Vorotnikov– Collar (gatekeeper, gatekeeper)
Guselnikov– Guselnik (guslar)
Zhiveynov– Live cab driver (unlike a dray driver, he carried people, not loads)
Zemtsov– Zemets (beekeeper, beekeeper)
Kologrivov– Kologriv (servant at the royal horses (stood “near the mane”) or from the city of Kologriv)
Kolomiytsev– Kolomiets (in the old days in Ukraine, a worker mined salt, but may be a resident of the city of Kolomyia)
Commissioners– Commissioner (in the old days, an official who performed police functions)
Kukhmisterov– Kukhmister (keeper of the “kukhmisterskaya”, that is, the dining room)
Mechnikov– Swordsman (warrior armed with a sword)
Reznikov– Reznik (butcher who slaughters livestock)
Reshetnikov– Reshetnik (master who makes sieves)
Ruzhnikov– Ruzhnik (priest who received special allowance from the prince or parishioners)
Sopelnikov– Sopelnik (playing the sopel – an ancient pipe)
Serdyukov– Serdyuk (Cossack from the ataman’s guard)
Sotnikov– Sotnik (commander of a military unit - hundreds)
Stolnikov– Stolnik (servant at the royal table)
Syreyshchikov– Raw material buyer (buyer of raw meat)
Trubnikov– Trubnik (trumpet player)
Furmanov– Furman (cab driver)
Chumakov– Chumak (Ukrainian peasant who transported bread to the Don and brought salt and fish from there).
It should be added: “professional” surnames can also include those that originate not from the name of the profession, but also from the object of the craft itself. Thus, a hat maker could be nicknamed simply Shapka, and his descendants became Shapkins, a potter - Pot, a tanner - Skurat (which means a flap of leather), a cooper - Lagun (barrel). Other nicknames were given based on the tool of labor: a shoemaker could be called Awl, a carpenter - Ax, etc.
From literature lessons you know that likening by similarity is called metaphor, and likening by contiguity is called metonymy. Of course, separating metaphorical surnames from metonymic ones is not an easy task. After all, Barrel could be nicknamed for a fat man or a cooper, Shilom for a shoemaker or a sharp-tongued one. And if we know that, say, the founder of the Shilovs was both a shoemaker and a wit, then we just have to guess: which of these properties led to the formation of the surname. Maybe both at once.
And in conclusion, a logical question: Why do surnames reflect the names of new professions to such an insignificant extent? Yes, it’s very simple: in the 18th – 19th centuries, specialists, as a rule, already had their own hereditary surnames and did not need new ones. Of the more or less modern surnames of this kind, the Mashinistovs are the most common. But these are hardly the descendants of the first locomotive drivers. At the end of the 18th century, a machinist was a person who services any machine, that is, a machine worker or mechanic.
Based on materials from the book Fedosyuk Yu. A. “What does your last name mean?”
Many people are interested in the question of how to find out their family and family history for free. In fact, there is nothing complicated about this, since there are various services, mainly open databases. The information contained in them is enough to “find” your distant relatives and find out when they lived and what they did.
You can find information about your ancestors on the Internet.
The origin of the surname can also be found using the Internet. The most important thing is to have clear instructions to guide you during your search. It is necessary to take into account that many sites contain simply unreliable information, so not every source can be trusted.
Also, when searching independently You might run into scammers. A user who is interested in the history of his surname and the origin of his ancestors may be asked for a phone number, to which an “activation code” will subsequently be sent. This is a basic scheme that helps withdraw money from the accounts of gullible people.
Fraudsters are capable of creating duplicate sites (i.e., one-page copies of real-life resources). Some browsers have built-in protection that deliberately warns the user if they try to access an unsafe site.
How to find out your family tree: simple ways
Certainly, the easiest option is to ask older and distant relatives, if any. As a rule, every family has its own secrets or simply understatements.
Another option is to delve into documents, old photographs, which are usually stored in the attic or on a dresser. Almost every home has dusty drawers containing various things that were “a hundred years old” ago. The documents and photographs may contain the names of distant relatives, which will greatly facilitate further searches.
Such photographs are often a treasure trove of valuable information. If you have the opportunity to contact family archives- feel free to use it.
Data received from family members should be recorded in a notebook or notebook. Any information will be useful - dates of birth, number of children, full names, job titles. Subsequently, it will be possible to conduct a small investigation using not only electronic but also paper archives.
Of course, this is all quite tedious. But sometimes, knowing only the profession and name of a person, you can establish his identity. It’s elementary - go to an enterprise where a relative was listed as an employee and pull up old archives.
Finding the Roots of the Family Tree
A free way to find out your family tree via the Internet
Digital archives often provide comprehensive information, but you need to know how to use them. As a rule, effective websites are created by individual organizations (for example - family tree center). They are absolutely safe and reliable.
The first site that will be considered: http://rosgenea.ru/ - TsGI. The resource was created for those who want to find their relatives. It has several significant advantages:
IN in this case the surname “Volkov” was entered, but the filter was “inaccurate”, so the result was a whole list of the same root and similar surnames.
It was said earlier that absolutely any information about a relative will be useful. And this is true, since it is the small details of the biography that help well in the search.
Instructions for the site
First you need to enter your last name in the search bar. As previously shown on the screen, if the filter is “inaccurate”, the service provides a lot of options. And here you need to remember or try to establish the surname of the relative, since otherwise the search will take a lot of time.
So now on a specific example We will look at how to use the site and what tricks you can use:
Press the combination on the keyboard CTRL + V, after which a new window appears. It is with his help that we will search the right person. Simply enter additional information.
In this case, we entered “Perm” as a place of residence, and already received the result on page 1 - Full name and address of the person who is someone's relative.
Unfortunately, the site itself does not provide the ability to enter additional information (besides the last name) in the search bar in order to immediately get the desired results. Therefore, you will have to examine all the pages.
It’s very strange, but few people know about this method, so the portal is considered relatively useless - after all, finding the right person takes too much time. This instruction shows how to reduce this time several times. In this case, enter after the combinationCTRL + Vyou can do anything: address, year of birth, name, and even everything combined.
If you are looking for several people at once, it is better to draw in advance family tree. This "school trick" actually works great because it helps keep the genealogical "threads" clearly traced.
Make your own family tree!
There are several ways to create a family tree. This video describes the most effective methods.
Family history
It is at least interesting to know the history of your own surname. But, alas, this information is provided mainly by controversial sources. The most big problem- this is what is literally on every corner of the user scammers are waiting. Since the format “send us your last name via SMS and we will tell its story” very popular among small Internet pests.
The history of a surname, or rather its meaning, can be calculated independently using logic. The main meaning lies in the prefix. For example: Volkov - Wolf, belongs to the group of so-called “animal” surnames. The same can be said about Medvedev. Sometimes you need to choose words that are consonant with the surname, since this also has a special meaning.
It is the history of the surname that is not only the totality of the meaning invested in it, but also the origin, and the presence of great ancestors - commanders, rulers, heroes. Often people attach some significance to the characteristics of the surname and look for parallels with their own character.
Since ancient times, family nicknames and names have been used to emphasize a person’s belonging to his family. Previously it could mean professional activity, characteristic features appearance or personal nature of its owner. That's whyfind out the history of the origin of the surnamefor researchers it means finding out a lot of interesting and important information from its carriers. Who they were, what they did and where they lived - all this information can be hidden and encrypted in the name of your family.
If previously nicknames were used for practical purposes and could be forgotten over time or changed due to circumstances, then the surname in the modern sense has a completely different meaning. It is directly related to pedigree, family history and continuity of generations. Unfortunately, we often take it for granted. We have been wearing it since childhood, without thinking about what family secrets are hidden in it. It is rarely seen as a source of pride, since now everyone receives it from birth. But previously this was the privilege of only nobles and noble families. This was a kind of reflection of the superiority of the nobility and the unity of family members.
You can pay tribute to your ancestors, honor their memory, strengthen kinship and family ties even today. You just have to put in a little effort and find outHow to find out the history of your family by last name. Online services for freeoffer access to archives containing large lists of detailed description the supposed place, cause and approximate time of origin, down to the indication of the century. You can use them, or contact specialists who will help you calculate your roots, tell you why the genus was named that way, and even draw up a family tree.
If you have enough patience and enthusiasm, try to find out the meaning of your last name yourself. You will learn how to do this from our article, where we have collected a variety of useful tips on this topic.
How to find out the origin of your last name: freeexcursion into history
First, let's remember how the nicknames of our ancestors were formed in Ancient Rus'. We call them by nicknames because modern definition It is impossible to assign their surnames. They were given to make it easier to recognize a person or contact him, and changed over time. As for forced peasants, their family name could generally change at the whim of the master. The owners especially liked to have fun by inventing offensive and offensive nicknames. For example, someone born Ignatov (by the name of his ancestor) became Shcherbakov (by external sign - the absence of front teeth).
Find out the meaning of your last name,associated with the ancient roots themselves, easiest for those whose ancestors lived in the Veliky Novgorod region. Chronicles dating back to approximately the 13th century indicate that it was there that the very first generic nicknames originated. In ancient archives there are references to Novgorodians who died in the Battle of the Neva.
They appeared among princes and boyars in the 14th century. The loudest and most famous of them were worn by representatives of influential and ruling dynasties: Shuisky, Nevsky, Donskoy. A little later, the nobles also had borrowed from foreign languages: Fonvizin, Yusupov, Karamzin.
However, ordinary, not famous and not noble people remained with nicknames. Even the reforms of Peter the Great could not restore order to peasant families. So, it was he who introduced the word, it comes from the Latin familia - family, in everyday life. Conducted censuses of the population, including the peasant population - the so-called “audits”. Of course, it would be much more convenient for the emperor if each clan had a permanent name passed on by inheritance, but that was still a long way off. The absence of a permanent surname indicated a person’s low origins and the stigma remained among the general population throughout almost its entire existence. Russian Empire.
Remember the works of Russian classics. There are never any indications or information about the surname of the serfs. Let's take for example " Dead Souls» Gogol. There, peasants were listed by nicknames.
Naturally, the names for the families were not taken from anywhere. They were assigned according to certain characteristics. If now we don’t think about the roots and meaning, then before the generic nickname made sense. Sohow to find and find out the history of the origin of your last name - freea way to find out interesting details of the life of your ancestors, we suggest you study the most common options in Rus', which are still found in modified, and sometimes even in their original form:
- By analogy with animals: Lisitsyn, Medvedev, Khomyakov, Volkov, Kobylkin.
- By occupation: Stolyarov, Kuznetsov, Rybakov, Streltsov.
- By place of residence or geographical names: Belozersky, Kareltsev, Sibiryak, Vyazemsky, Donskoy, Bryantsev.
- By the names of ancestors: Fedotov, Ivanov, Fedorov.
- By the name of the religious holidays during which the child was born: Preobrazhensky, Assumption, Blagoveshchensky.
- By household items that a person used in his work: Shilov, Spitsyn, Molotov.
- By external characteristics: Ryzhov, Krivtsov, Krivoshein, Sleptsov, Nosov, Belousov, Sedov.
- By home nicknames: Malyshev - baby, Menshikov - youngest child in the house.
- By nationality: Tatarinov, Ordyntsev (from the word “horde”), Nemchinov.
As you can see, having determined the origin of your surname, you can find out about the profession of your ancestors, what they did, who they were or where they were born. If you are the Tolmachevs, then there were once interpreters and translators in your family. Muromov’s distant ancestors could have been born or lived in the city of Murom, while the Pobezhimovs’ ancestors probably arranged an escape. This data may be useful to you in compiling your family's pedigree.
A very interesting phenomenon are the so-called seminary surnames. They arose much later, in the 17th century among representatives of the clergy. People also called them “priestly”, since they were worn mainly by clergy. They were created artificially, the priests explained this by saying that they wanted to be closer to the people. They were specially made to be harmonious and beautiful, which emphasized the special status of the wearer. They are formed mainly with the help of the suffixes skiy/-tskiy. Here are some of them:
- Aquilev
- Blagonadezhin
- Vetrinsky
- Bethlehem
- Damascene
- Demosthenes
- Euclidean
- Zlatoumov
- Kristallevsky
Their origin lies mainly latin words. Also found are the names of birds, animals and plants, the names of philosophers, clergy and saints. Often they are also transliterations of Russian names from Latin. Such surnames sound somewhat unnatural for our language and it is almost impossible to meet them today. However, if instead of the usual Russian language suffixes ov/-ev, in/-yn you have skiy/-tskiy, then most likely your ancestors belonged to the clergy.
Where to find out family history: determine the profession of ancestors by last name
When compiling a family tree, it is very important to know what your distant relatives did many centuries ago. Perhaps they did something very important for the state: they were war heroes, saved people, and were engaged in art. This could be an impetus for future career and definition life path for yourself. Being inspired by the actions of your ancestors makes it much easier to find and understand your purpose. How to do this? Access to ancient archives, historical documents and the chronicles are not accessible to everyone. On the Internet, opportunities are also limited, since resources that offer to find out the history of a family by name for free online do not have a complete list of necessary information. In addition, it is not always reliable and there is no way to verify the data.
It is best for you to handle the task yourself. Listen to your last name, break it down into its component parts (prefix, root, suffix) and think about what word or phrase it came from. Here are the surnames that representatives of different professions and classes in Rus' bore:
Merchants
Merchants have always been a privileged class and enjoyed honor and respect. Therefore, much earlier than ordinary people, they were awarded the right to bear surnames. Initially, this opportunity was provided only to influential and noble merchants of the highest guilds. The most famous of them:
- Bakhrushins
- Mamontovs
- Shchukins
- Ryabushinsky
- Demidovs
- Tretyakovs
- Eliseevs
- Soltadenkovs
Nobles
The etymology of this word means that this is a certain person located at the princely or royal court. Members of the class passed on their status by inheritance from generation to generation, and with it the surname of their ancestors.
- Ancient nobility who received title in the period before the second half XVII centuries: Scriabins, Eropkins.
- Nobles with the title of count, baron, prince, listed in genealogical books: Urusovs, Alabyshevs.
- Foreign nobility: surnames contain foreign language elements “de”, “von”, “von dem”.
Clergy
For clergy, surnames were most often used to designate the parish in which the priest worked: Uspensky, Voznesensky, Rozhdestvensky. Those who graduated from the seminary were assigned fictitious ones. The euphony depended on how diligent the student was. For example, someone who demonstrated outstanding academic success was given the surname Diamonds.
Service people
Those who were on public service, also enjoyed a special position and privileges from the sovereign. This is especially influenced by the fact that the rank of nobility could be obtained in the service. The appearance of such surnames dates back to the XVII - XVIII. They usually reflected the location of the employee or the territory of important battles and battles. These include:
- Kazantsev
- Bryantsev
- Moskovkin
- Kareltsev
Peasants
This class officially received surnames only after the revolution and the overthrow of the monarchy in the Russian Empire, although many rulers of the state made attempts to restore order with their nicknames. The serfs' surnames emphasized their short stature social status, most often associated with crafts and physical labor, as well as household equipment that was used for this:
- Melnikov
- Khomutov
- Sokhin
- Bochkarev
- Goncharov
- Brewers
- Cab drivers
- Karetin
- Basement
- Nebogatikov
- Bosyakov
If you find your last name on this list, it will be easier for you to understand what type of activity your ancestors had. This means that you have found the answer to one of the mysteries of your ancestry.
How to find and determine the origin of your surname yourself
If you are interested in in-depth independent searches and are committed to serious investigation, then you can make significant progress in the study of your ancestry. Here are tips to help you with this:
Find out more about genealogy
Very often, reading books and studying resources on this topic becomes a source of inspiration for your own research. Devote a few days to this, and then your work will become more orderly and conscious.
Purchase the necessary materials
It's difficult to keep all the information in your head. To make it more convenient for you to draw diagrams and record data, stock up on notepads and folders. You can even make a large table on a piece of Whatman paper indicating all the names of your close and distant relatives.
Dig through family archives
You probably have old documents at home: passports, birth certificates, certificates, extracts.
Get your relatives involved
Ask your parents, grandparents, what surnames were in your family. For women, it is especially important to find out their maiden names, which they had before marriage.
Getting to know your family history is a great opportunity to get together and feel the unity of family members.
