Names in Russian Empire, Soviet Union and CIS countries
Encyclopedia
The Eastern Slavic naming customs are the traditions for determining a person's name in countries influenced by East Slavic linguistic
tradition. This relates to modern Russia
, Ukraine
, Belarus
, Bulgaria
and Kazakhstan
. For exact rules, differences and historical changes, see respective languages and linguistics-related articles.
In such locations, it is obligatory for people to have three names: a given name
, a patronymic
, and a family name
(surname
). They are generally presented in that order, e.g. Владимир Семёнович Высоцкий (Vladimir Semyonovich Vysotsky
), where "Vladimir" is a first name, "Semyonovich" is a patronymic (after his father's name Semyon), and "Vysotsky" is a family name. The ordering is not as strict in languages other than Russian.
chosen by the parents. First names in East-Slavic languages
mostly originate from two sources: Orthodox
church tradition (which is itself of Greek
origin) and native pre-Christian Slavic lexicons e.g. Vladimir
.
Common male first names
If two variants of a name are given, generally the first variant is Russian, and the second is Ukrainian.
Non-Slavic/Christian male first names
Common female first names
Most names have several diminutive forms (e.g. Aleksey — Alyosha or Lyosha). Some diminutive forms can include colloquial variants (e.g.: Vanya — Van'ka, Alyosha — Lyokha or Alyoshka, Sasha — Sashka, etc.). Diminutive forms of feminine names mainly have either an "a" or "я" ("ya") ending (e.g.: Kseniya — Ksyusha, Mariya — Masha, Yekaterina — Katya, Ol'ga — Olya). The distinguishing feature of diminutive forms of Russian names is the affectionate suffix "-еньк" ("-yen'k") or "-юн" ("-yun") (e.g. Kolya — Kolen'ka, Kolyunya, Sasha — Sashen'ka, Masha — Mashen'ka).
of a person is based on the first name of the father and is written in all documents. If it is mentioned, it always follows the first name. As an example, the patronymic name of Soviet
leader Никита Сергеевич Хрущёв (Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev
) indicates that his father was named Сергей (Sergey).
A suffix (meaning either "son of" or "daughter of") is added to the father's given name—in modern times, males use -ович -ovich, while females use -овна -ovna. If the suffix is being appended to a name ending in й (y) or a soft consonant
, the initial o becomes a ye (-евич -yevich and -евна -yevna). There are also a few exceptions to this pattern; for example, the son of Ilya is always Ilyich, not Ilyevich (likewise the daughter of Ilya is Ilyinichna).
Historically, the -ovich (-ovna) form was reserved for the Russian aristocracy, while commoners had to use -in, -yn, -ov, -ev, etc. (for a son; e.g., Boris Alekseev, Dmitri Kuzmin) and -eva, -ova, -ina, etc. (for a daughter; e.g., Sofiya Alekseeva, Anastasiya Kuzmina). Over time, the -ovich (-ovna) form spread to commoners favored by the tsar
, high-ranking bureaucrats, and during the 19th century, to all segments of Russian society.
In Ukrainian language
the female patronymic always ends with -ivna and the male always ends with -ovych. Example: the Ukrainian patronymic for Ilya is Illich.
When translating Russian-style names into English
, it is important to remember that the patronymic is not equivalent to an English middle name
and follows different abbreviation conventions. The patronymic can be omitted (e.g. Vladimir Putin
or V. Putin); both the first name and the patronymic can be written out in full (Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin); or both the first name and the patronymic can be abbreviated (V. V. Putin). However, writing out the first name and abbreviating the patronymic (e.g. Vladimir V. Putin), although something that one occasionally encounters in translations, is incorrect.
s, like Путин (Putin), Ельцин (Yel'tsin) or Горбачёв (Gorbachyov), generally function in the same manner that English family names do. They are generally inherited from one's parents. On marriage, women usually adopt the surname of their husband (as with English names), or (very rarely) vice versa; both choices are voluntary. Another uncommon practice for married women is creating a double surname (for example, Mr. Ivanov and Miss Petrova in their marriage may take family names Ivanov-Petrov and Ivanova-Petrova, respectively).
Grammatically, most Russian surnames are possessive adjective
s; the surname-nouns (Lebed' - literally "the swan") or attributive adjectives (Tolstoy
- literally "fat" in an archaic form) are infrequent, and they are mainly adopted from other languages. The surnames ending in -ov, -ev, -in are short forms of possessive adjectives, the ones ending in -sky are full forms.
The ending -enko is of Ukrainian
origin, and used in both genders. The Ukrainian politician Yulia Tymoshenko
is an example.
As all Russian adjectives, they have different forms depending on gender—for example, the wife of Борис Ельцин (Boris Yel'tsin
) is Наина Ельцина (Naina Yel'tsina). Note that this change of grammatical gender
is a characteristic of Slavic languages, and is not considered to be changing the name received from a woman's father or husband (compare the equivalent rule in Czech or Polish
). The correct transliteration of such feminine names in English
is debated: sometimes women's names are given in their original form, sometimes in the masculine form (technically incorrect but now more widely recognized).
Russian surnames usually end in -ov (-ova for female); -ev (-eva); -in (-ina). Ukrainian surnames generally end with -enko, -ko, -uk, and -ych (these endings do not change based on gender). The ending -skiy or -sky (-skaya) is common in both Russia and Ukraine.
The majority of Russian surnames are produced from personal names (Sergeyev — Sergey's son; Vasilyev — Vasiliy's son; etc.). Many surnames originate from names of animals and birds (Lebedev — Swan's Son; Korovin — Cow's Son; etc.), which have long ago been used as additional personal names or nicknames. Many other surnames have their origin in people's professions and crafts (Kuznetsov — Smith's son). In the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries -off has been commonly used in place of -ov when spelling Russian surnames in foreign languages such as French
(e.g., the Smirnoff
brand).
, the three-name form could be used for highly respected persons (e.g. leaders of the Soviet Union and Russia). In most circumstances, one or two names are usually omitted. Different combinations of names denote varying levels of respect. In speech, common forms of address include:
The third person in speech can be referred to in all the previous ways. Naturally, the first four are used only for persons who are present or well-known in a group (one exception is modern performers, such as Dima Bilan
and Natasha Koroleva
, who often adopt a diminutive form of their first name as part of their stage name
). There are several additional forms which can be used to refer to third persons:
Finally, there is the <Last name > <First name > <Patronymic> (sometimes without patronymic) form, which is used for alphabetical
sorting
purpose in legal and official documents, data bases, government paperwork, and the like. Such form is commonly referred to as FIO (short for familiya, imya, otchestvo, i.e. "last name, first name, patronymic").
patronymics and family names may also be changed according to the above-mentioned rules. This is widespread in naming people of ethnic minorities and citizens of Central Asian or Caucasian
republics of the former Soviet Union
, especially if a person is a permanent resident and speaks the local language. For example, Irina Hakamada
, a popular Russian politician whose father was Japanese
, has a patronymic "Mutsuovna" (strange-sounding in Russian) since her father's first name was Mutsuo.
Bruno Pontecorvo
, after he emigrated to the USSR, was known as Бруно Максимович Понтекорво (Bruno Maksimovich Pontekorvo) in the Russian scientific community, because his father's given name was Massimo (corresponding to Russian Максим (Maksim)). Pontecorvo's sons have been known by names Джиль Брунович Понтекорво, Антонио Брунович Понтекорво
and Тито Брунович Понтекорво (Dzhil/Gil Brunovich, Antonio Brunovich, Tito Brunovich Pontekorvo).
In several Tom Clancy
novels, Sergei Nicolayevich Golovko calls his American counterpart, John Patrick Ryan
, "Ivan Emmetovich," because his father was Emmet Ryan: as an Irish-American, Ryan had not had a patronymic before.
Such conversion of foreign names is unofficial and optional in many cases of communication and translation.
CIS
countries, Russian rules for patronymics were either never used or abandoned after gaining independence. Some Turkic languages
, however, also use patronimics, formed using the Turkic word meaning 'son' or 'daughter'. For example, Kazakh
ұлы (ûlâ; transcribed into English as -uly, as in
Nursultan Abishuly Nazarbayev
) or Azeri oğlu (as in Heydər Əlirza oğlu Əliyev); Kazakh қызы (transcribed into English as -qyzy, as in Dariga Nursultanqyzy Nazarbayeva
). Such kinds of patronymic for Turkic peoples were officially allowed in the Soviet times.
Some surnames in those languages have been russified
since the 19th century and remain so; e.g. the surname of Kazakh
president
Nursultan Nazarbayev
has a Russian "-yev" suffix
, which literally means "of Nazar-bay" (where "bay" is a Turkic native noble
rank - compare Turkish
"bey
", Uzbek
"beg", and Kyrghyz "bek"). This surname russification practice is not common, varying greatly by country.
Some ethnic groups use more than one name, one official, another unofficial. Official names are made with Russian patronymics, unofficial names are noble or tribal names, which were prohibited after the revolution. After the fall of the Soviet Union, some people returned to using these tribal or noble names as surnames (e.g. Sarah Naiman — a Kazakhstan
singer, whose surname means that she is from Naimans
). Some Muslim people changed their surnames to an Arabic style (e.g. Tungyshbay Zhamankulov — famous Kazakhstan
actor who often plays role of Khans
in movies, changed his name to Tungyshbay al-Tarazy).
News and other information regarding CIS states is frequently written in Russian (and then translated to English) with names using the Russian patronymics, regardless of the person's preference or common usage.
ary enthusiasm, as part of the campaign to get rid of "bourgeois culture" (and, specifically, of religious heritage, manifest in many Russian first names), there was a drive to invent new, "revolutionary" names. This produced a large number of Soviet people with bizarre names. Commonly the source were initialisms, as "Vil", "Vilen(a)", "Vladlen(a)" and "Vladilen(a)" for Vladimir Ilyich Lenin. A common suffix was -or, after the October Revolution as seen in "Vilor(a)" or "Melor(a)" (Marx Engels Lenin). Sometimes children were given names after aspects as Barrikada ("barricade
") or Revolutsiya ("revolution
"). Some of these names have survived into the 21st century.
This tendency was referenced in Polar Star
, the second book of the Arkady Renko
series by Martin Cruz Smith
. The character Dynama (from dynamo
) was so named by her father to celebrate the 1950s electrification of her native Uzbekistan
. By the 1980s, however, this name was colloquially used refer to opportunistic women who cultivated serial lovers for financial gain - a practice utterly alien to the faithfully married and traditionally-minded Dynama of the novel.
A number of books about this tendency mention some other unusual names such as Dazdrapertrak for Da Zdravstvuet Pervy Traktor ('Hail The First Tractor
!'), Dazdraperma Da Zdravstvuet Pervoe Maya ('Hail May Day
!') (May Day - International Workers' Day
), Revmir(a), for Revolutsiya Mirovaya ('World Revolution
') and Oyushminald, for Otto Yulyevich Shmidt na Ldine" (Otto Schmidt
on the ice floe
').
Some parents called their children the German
female names "Gertrud(a)" (Gertrude
), reanalyzing it as "Geroy/Geroinya Truda" ('Hero of Labour
'), "Marlen(a)" (Marlene
), reanalyzing it as "Marx and Lenin", or "Sten" (Stan), reanalyzing it as "Stalin and Engels".
A number of Russians with the name "Kim", were not of Korean descent, but rather were named after the "Kommunistichesky International Molodyozhi" ('Youth Communist International').
East Slavic languages
The East Slavic languages constitute one of three regional subgroups of Slavic languages, currently spoken in Eastern Europe. It is the group with the largest numbers of speakers, far out-numbering the Western and Southern Slavic groups. Current East Slavic languages are Belarusian, Russian,...
tradition. This relates to modern Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
, Belarus
Belarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
, Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
and Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan , officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Ranked as the ninth largest country in the world, it is also the world's largest landlocked country; its territory of is greater than Western Europe...
. For exact rules, differences and historical changes, see respective languages and linguistics-related articles.
In such locations, it is obligatory for people to have three names: a given name
Given name
A given name, in Western contexts often referred to as a first name, is a personal name that specifies and differentiates between members of a group of individuals, especially in a family, all of whose members usually share the same family name...
, a patronymic
Patronymic
A patronym, or patronymic, is a component of a personal name based on the name of one's father, grandfather or an even earlier male ancestor. A component of a name based on the name of one's mother or a female ancestor is a matronymic. Each is a means of conveying lineage.In many areas patronyms...
, and a family name
Family name
A family name is a type of surname and part of a person's name indicating the family to which the person belongs. The use of family names is widespread in cultures around the world...
(surname
Surname
A surname is a name added to a given name and is part of a personal name. In many cases, a surname is a family name. Many dictionaries define "surname" as a synonym of "family name"...
). They are generally presented in that order, e.g. Владимир Семёнович Высоцкий (Vladimir Semyonovich Vysotsky
Vladimir Vysotsky
Vladimir Semyonovich Vysotsky was a Soviet singer, songwriter, poet, and actor whose career had an immense and enduring effect on Russian culture. He became widely known for his unique singing style and for his lyrics, which featured social and political commentary in often humorous street...
), where "Vladimir" is a first name, "Semyonovich" is a patronymic (after his father's name Semyon), and "Vysotsky" is a family name. The ordering is not as strict in languages other than Russian.
Given first name
As with most cultures, a person has a given nameRussian personal name
Russian personal name in Russian naming tradition is a first name that is given to a person at birth or name change. Russian personal names do not amount to orthodox christian names, though the latter constitute a fair proportion of Russian names...
chosen by the parents. First names in East-Slavic languages
Slavic languages
The Slavic languages , a group of closely related languages of the Slavic peoples and a subgroup of Indo-European languages, have speakers in most of Eastern Europe, in much of the Balkans, in parts of Central Europe, and in the northern part of Asia.-Branches:Scholars traditionally divide Slavic...
mostly originate from two sources: Orthodox
Eastern Orthodox Church
The Orthodox Church, officially called the Orthodox Catholic Church and commonly referred to as the Eastern Orthodox Church, is the second largest Christian denomination in the world, with an estimated 300 million adherents mainly in the countries of Belarus, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece,...
church tradition (which is itself of Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
origin) and native pre-Christian Slavic lexicons e.g. Vladimir
Vladimir (name)
Vladimir is a male Slavic given name of Church Slavonic and Old Slavic origin, now widespread throughout all Slavic nations...
.
Common male first names
If two variants of a name are given, generally the first variant is Russian, and the second is Ukrainian.
- Иван/Іван (IvanIvan (name)Ivan is a Christian male given name that is primarily associated with Slavic languages.-Etymology:Ivan is the common Slavic Latin spelling, while Cyrillic spelling is two-fold: in Bulgarian, Russian, Macedonian, Serbian it is Иван, while in Belarusian and Ukrainian it is Iван.It is the Slavic...
, equivalent to John, of Hebrew origin) - Николай/Микола (Nikolay/Mykola, equivalent to Nicholas, of Greek origin meaning "victory of the people")
- Борис (Boris/Borys, a pre-Christian Slavic diminutive of Borislav, meaning "Fighter for Glory")
- Владимир/Володимир (VladimirVladimir (name)Vladimir is a male Slavic given name of Church Slavonic and Old Slavic origin, now widespread throughout all Slavic nations...
/Volodymyr, a pre-Christian name of Slavic origin that can be interpreted as "The Lord of the World" in Russian)
- Пётр/Петро (Pyotr/Petro, equivalent to Peter, of Greek origin)
- Андрей/Андрій (Andrey/Andriy, equivalent to Andrew, of Greek origin)
- Александр/Олександр/Олекса (Aleksandr/Oleksandr, equivalent to Alexander, of Greek origin)
- Дмитрий/Дмитро (Dmitry/Dmytro, of Greek origin)
- Сергей/Сергій (SergeySerge (first name)Serge is a male given name, particularly common in France, Belgium; as Sérgio in Portugal and Brazil; and as Sergio in Italy, Spain and Spanish-speaking Latin America. The less common female version is Sergine...
/Serhiy, of Latin origin) - Леонид/Леонід (Leonid, from Leonidas, of Greek origin)
- Алексей/Олексій (Aleksey/Oleksy, of Greek origin)
- Виктор/Віктор (Viktor, of Latin origin)
- Юрий/Юрій, Георгий/Георгій (Yuri, Georgy, equivalent to George, of Greek origin)
- Павел/Павло (Pavel/Pavlo, equivalent to Paul, of Latin origin)
- Константин/Костянтин (Konstantin/Kostyantyn, of Latin origin)
- Кирилл/Кирило (Kirill/Kyrylo, of Greek origin)
- Василий/Василь (Vasily/Vasyl, equivalent to Ваsіl, of Greek origin)
- Poмaн (Roman, of Latin origins)
- Cтaниcлaв/Станіслав (Stanislav, of Slav origin)
- Михаил (Mikhail, equivalent to Michael, of Hebrew origin)
- Игорь/Ігор, Егор/Єгор (Igor/Ihor, or Yegor, from IngvarIngvar (name)The name Ingvar is an Norse first name for males, common in Scandinavia, meaning protected by Ing . Many notable Scandinavians have had this name, for example Ingvar Kamprad, and the legendary Swedish king Ingvar....
, old Norse) - Максим (MaximMaxim (given name)Maxim , sometimes romanized as Maksim, Maksym or Maksum, is a male first name of Roman origin which is relatively common in Slavic-speaking countries, mainly in Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine. According to the register of the General Directorate of Moscow, "Maxim" was the second most popular male...
/Maksym, from Latin, meaning "greatest")
Non-Slavic/Christian male first names
- Булат (Bulat, of Turkish (Tatar) origin, originally from Persian, means "steel")
- Тимyр (Timur, of Turkish Tatar origin, means "iron")
- Рycлан (Ruslan, of Turkish Tatar origin, means "lion")
Common female first names
- Анна (Anna, equivalent to Ann, of Hebrew origin)
- Елена/Алёна (Yelena/Alëna, equivalent to Helen, of Greek origin)
- Наталья/Наталія (Natalya/Nataliya, equivalent to Natalie, of Latin origin)
- Мария/Марія (Mariya, equivalent to Mary, of Hebrew origin)
- Ольга (Ol'ga, a pre-Christian name derived from Varangian Helga)
- Александра/Олександра (Aleksandra/Oleksandra, equivalent to Alexandra, of Greek origin)
- Ксения/Оксана (Kseniya/Oksana, Oksana is the most common UkrainianUkrainiansUkrainians are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Ukraine, which is the sixth-largest nation in Europe. The Constitution of Ukraine applies the term 'Ukrainians' to all its citizens...
female name, Kseniya is from Greek Xenia) - Екатерина/Катерина (Yekaterina/Kateryna, equivalent to Catherine, of Greek origin)
- Татьяна/Тетяна (Tatyana/Tetiana, of Latin origin)
- Анастасия/Анастасія (Anastasiya, of Greek origin)
- Светлана/Світлана (Svetlana/Svitlana, meaning "Shining One;" although it looks like a pre-Christian Slavic name, it was invented by Alexander VostokovAlexander VostokovAlexander Khristoforovich Vostokov was one of the first Russian philologists.He was born in Arensburg, Governorate of Livonia, and studied at the Imperial Academy of Arts. As a natural son of Baron von Osten-Sacken, he received the name Osteneck, which he later chose to render into Russian as...
in 1802 and became popular when Vasily ZhukovskyVasily ZhukovskyVasily Andreyevich Zhukovsky was the foremost Russian poet of the 1810s and a leading figure in Russian literature in the first half of the 19th century...
published his ballad Svetlana in 1813). - Юлия/Юлія (Yulia, equivalent to Julia or Julie, of Latin origin)
- Вера/Віра (Vera/Vira, means "Faith," calqueCalqueIn linguistics, a calque or loan translation is a word or phrase borrowed from another language by literal, word-for-word or root-for-root translation.-Calque:...
from Greek Πίστη) - Надежда/Надия (Nadezhda/Nadiya, means"Hope," calqueCalqueIn linguistics, a calque or loan translation is a word or phrase borrowed from another language by literal, word-for-word or root-for-root translation.-Calque:...
from Greek Ελπίς) - Любовь/Любов (Lyubov (or Luba), means "Charity" or "Love," calqueCalqueIn linguistics, a calque or loan translation is a word or phrase borrowed from another language by literal, word-for-word or root-for-root translation.-Calque:...
from Greek Αγάπη) - Софья/Софія (Sof'ya/Sofiya, means "Wisdom," equivalent to Sophia, of Greek origin)
Diminutive forms
Diminutive forms (e.g. Danny for Daniel in English) exist for almost every popular name. Some common names and their diminutive forms are:- Aleksandr (Александр) - Sasha (Саша), Sanya (Саня), Sashok (Сашок), Shura (Шура), Shurik (Шурик), Sashko (Сашко, Ukr.), Sanyok (Санёк), Oles (Олесь, Ukr.)
- Aleksandra (Александрa) - Sasha (Саша), Sanya (Саня), Shura (Шура), Olesia (Олеся, Ukr.)
- Aleksey (Алексей) - Alyosha (Алёша), Lyosha (Лёша), Lyokha (Лёха)
- Anastasiya (Анастасия) - Nastya (Настя), Asya (Ася), Stasya (Стася)
- Anatoliy (Анатолий) - Tolya (Толя), Tolik (Толик), Tolyan (Толян)
- Anna (Анна) - Anya (Аня), Nyura (Нюра), Nyusya (Нюся), Anyuta (Анюта)
- Boris (Борис) - Borya (Боря)
- Dar'ya (Дарья) - Dasha (Даша)
- Dmitriy (Дмитрий) - Dima (Дима), Mitya (Митя)
- Galina (Галина) - Galya (Галя)
- Gennadiy (Геннадий) - Gena (Гена)
- Georgiy (Георгий) - Gosha (Гоша), Goga (Гога), Zhora (Жора)
- Grigoriy (Григорий) - Grisha (Гриша), Hryts (Гриць, Ukr.)
- Il'ya (Илья) - Ilyusha (Илюша), Ilyukha (Илюха)
- Irina (Ирина) - Ira (Ира)
- Ivan (Иван) - Vanya (Ваня)
- Konstantin (Константин) - Kostya (Костя), Kostik (Костик)
- Kseniya (Ксения), Oksana (Оксана) - Ksyusha (Ксюша)
- Larisa (Лариса) - Lara (Лара)
- Leonid (Леонид) - Lyonya (Лёня)
- Lev (Лев) - Lyova (Лёва)
- Lidiya (Лидия) - Lida (Лида)
- Lyubov' (Любовь) - Lyuba (Люба)
- Lyudmila (Людмила) - Lyuda (Люда), Lyusya (Люся), Meela (Мила)
- Mariya (Мария) - Masha (Маша), Marusya (Маруся) , Manya (Маня)
- Mikhail (Михаил) - Misha (Миша)
- Nadezhda (Надежда) - Nadya (Надя)
- Natal'ya (Наталья) - Natasha (Наташа), Nata (Ната)
- Nikolay (Николай) - Kolya (Коля)
- Ol'ga (Ольга) - Olya (Оля)
- Pavel (Павел) - Pasha (Паша)
- Polina (Полина) - Polya (Поля)
- Pyotr (Пётр) - Petya (Петя)
- Roman (Роман) - Roma (Рома)
- Sergey (Сергей) - Seryozha (Серёжа)
- Sof'ya (Софья) - Sonya (Соня)
- Svetlana (Светлана) - Sveta (Света), Lana (Лана)
- Stanislav (Станислав) - Stas (Стас), Slava (Слава)
- Tamara (Тамара) - Toma (Тома)
- Tat'yana (Татьяна) - Tanya (Таня)
- Valentin/Valentina (Валентин/Валентина) - Valya (Валя)
- Valeriya (Валерия) - Lera (Лера)
- Vasiliy (Василий) - Vasya (Вася)
- Viktor (Виктор) - Vitya (Витя)
- Viktoriya (Виктория) - Vika (Вика)
- Vladimir (Владимир) - Volodya (Володя), Vova (Вова)
- Vyacheslav (Вячеслав) - Slava (Слава)
- Yakov (Яков) - Yasha (Яша)
- Yelena (Елена) - Lena (Лена)
- Yelizaveta (Елизавета) - Liza (Лиза)
- Yekaterina (Екатерина) - Katya (Катя), Katyusha (Катюша)
- Yevdokiya (Евдокия) - Dusya (Дуся), Dunia (Дуня)
- Yevgeniy/Yevgeniya (Евгений/Евгения) - Zhenya (Женя)
- Yuliya (Юлия) - Yulya (Юля)
- Yuri (Юрий) - Yura (Юра), Zhora (Жора)
Most names have several diminutive forms (e.g. Aleksey — Alyosha or Lyosha). Some diminutive forms can include colloquial variants (e.g.: Vanya — Van'ka, Alyosha — Lyokha or Alyoshka, Sasha — Sashka, etc.). Diminutive forms of feminine names mainly have either an "a" or "я" ("ya") ending (e.g.: Kseniya — Ksyusha, Mariya — Masha, Yekaterina — Katya, Ol'ga — Olya). The distinguishing feature of diminutive forms of Russian names is the affectionate suffix "-еньк" ("-yen'k") or "-юн" ("-yun") (e.g. Kolya — Kolen'ka, Kolyunya, Sasha — Sashen'ka, Masha — Mashen'ka).
Patronymic
The patronymicPatronymic
A patronym, or patronymic, is a component of a personal name based on the name of one's father, grandfather or an even earlier male ancestor. A component of a name based on the name of one's mother or a female ancestor is a matronymic. Each is a means of conveying lineage.In many areas patronyms...
of a person is based on the first name of the father and is written in all documents. If it is mentioned, it always follows the first name. As an example, the patronymic name of Soviet
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
leader Никита Сергеевич Хрущёв (Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev
Nikita Khrushchev
Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev led the Soviet Union during part of the Cold War. He served as First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1953 to 1964, and as Chairman of the Council of Ministers, or Premier, from 1958 to 1964...
) indicates that his father was named Сергей (Sergey).
A suffix (meaning either "son of" or "daughter of") is added to the father's given name—in modern times, males use -ович -ovich, while females use -овна -ovna. If the suffix is being appended to a name ending in й (y) or a soft consonant
Consonant
In articulatory phonetics, a consonant is a speech sound that is articulated with complete or partial closure of the vocal tract. Examples are , pronounced with the lips; , pronounced with the front of the tongue; , pronounced with the back of the tongue; , pronounced in the throat; and ,...
, the initial o becomes a ye (-евич -yevich and -евна -yevna). There are also a few exceptions to this pattern; for example, the son of Ilya is always Ilyich, not Ilyevich (likewise the daughter of Ilya is Ilyinichna).
Historically, the -ovich (-ovna) form was reserved for the Russian aristocracy, while commoners had to use -in, -yn, -ov, -ev, etc. (for a son; e.g., Boris Alekseev, Dmitri Kuzmin) and -eva, -ova, -ina, etc. (for a daughter; e.g., Sofiya Alekseeva, Anastasiya Kuzmina). Over time, the -ovich (-ovna) form spread to commoners favored by the tsar
Tsar
Tsar is a title used to designate certain European Slavic monarchs or supreme rulers. As a system of government in the Tsardom of Russia and Russian Empire, it is known as Tsarist autocracy, or Tsarism...
, high-ranking bureaucrats, and during the 19th century, to all segments of Russian society.
In Ukrainian language
Ukrainian language
Ukrainian is a language of the East Slavic subgroup of the Slavic languages. It is the official state language of Ukraine. Written Ukrainian uses a variant of the Cyrillic alphabet....
the female patronymic always ends with -ivna and the male always ends with -ovych. Example: the Ukrainian patronymic for Ilya is Illich.
When translating Russian-style names into English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, it is important to remember that the patronymic is not equivalent to an English middle name
Middle name
People's names in several cultures include one or more additional names placed between the first given name and the surname. In Canada and the United States all such names are specifically referred to as middle name; in most European countries they would simply be regarded as second, third, etc....
and follows different abbreviation conventions. The patronymic can be omitted (e.g. Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin served as the second President of the Russian Federation and is the current Prime Minister of Russia, as well as chairman of United Russia and Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Union of Russia and Belarus. He became acting President on 31 December 1999, when...
or V. Putin); both the first name and the patronymic can be written out in full (Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin); or both the first name and the patronymic can be abbreviated (V. V. Putin). However, writing out the first name and abbreviating the patronymic (e.g. Vladimir V. Putin), although something that one occasionally encounters in translations, is incorrect.
Family name (surname)
Family nameFamily name
A family name is a type of surname and part of a person's name indicating the family to which the person belongs. The use of family names is widespread in cultures around the world...
s, like Путин (Putin), Ельцин (Yel'tsin) or Горбачёв (Gorbachyov), generally function in the same manner that English family names do. They are generally inherited from one's parents. On marriage, women usually adopt the surname of their husband (as with English names), or (very rarely) vice versa; both choices are voluntary. Another uncommon practice for married women is creating a double surname (for example, Mr. Ivanov and Miss Petrova in their marriage may take family names Ivanov-Petrov and Ivanova-Petrova, respectively).
Grammatically, most Russian surnames are possessive adjective
Possessive adjective
Possessive adjectives, also known as possessive determiners, are a part of speech that modifies a noun by attributing possession to someone or something...
s; the surname-nouns (Lebed' - literally "the swan") or attributive adjectives (Tolstoy
Leo Tolstoy
Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy was a Russian writer who primarily wrote novels and short stories. Later in life, he also wrote plays and essays. His two most famous works, the novels War and Peace and Anna Karenina, are acknowledged as two of the greatest novels of all time and a pinnacle of realist...
- literally "fat" in an archaic form) are infrequent, and they are mainly adopted from other languages. The surnames ending in -ov, -ev, -in are short forms of possessive adjectives, the ones ending in -sky are full forms.
The ending -enko is of Ukrainian
Ukrainian name
A modern Ukrainian name of a person consists of three parts: given name, patronymic, and family name, similarly to names in other East Slavic cultures: Russian names and Belarusian names.-Ukrainian given names:...
origin, and used in both genders. The Ukrainian politician Yulia Tymoshenko
Yulia Tymoshenko
Yulia Volodymyrivna Tymoshenko , née Grigyan , born 27 November 1960, is a Ukrainian politician. She was the Prime Minister of Ukraine from 24 January to 8 September 2005, and again from 18 December 2007 to 4 March 2010. She placed third in Forbes Magazine's List of The World's 100 Most Powerful...
is an example.
As all Russian adjectives, they have different forms depending on gender—for example, the wife of Борис Ельцин (Boris Yel'tsin
Boris Yeltsin
Boris Nikolayevich Yeltsin was the first President of the Russian Federation, serving from 1991 to 1999.Originally a supporter of Mikhail Gorbachev, Yeltsin emerged under the perestroika reforms as one of Gorbachev's most powerful political opponents. On 29 May 1990 he was elected the chairman of...
) is Наина Ельцина (Naina Yel'tsina). Note that this change of grammatical gender
Grammatical gender
Grammatical gender is defined linguistically as a system of classes of nouns which trigger specific types of inflections in associated words, such as adjectives, verbs and others. For a system of noun classes to be a gender system, every noun must belong to one of the classes and there should be...
is a characteristic of Slavic languages, and is not considered to be changing the name received from a woman's father or husband (compare the equivalent rule in Czech or Polish
Polish name
A Polish personal name, like names in most European cultures, consists of two main elements: imię, the first name, or given name, followed by nazwisko, the last name, surname, or family name....
). The correct transliteration of such feminine names in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
is debated: sometimes women's names are given in their original form, sometimes in the masculine form (technically incorrect but now more widely recognized).
Russian surnames usually end in -ov (-ova for female); -ev (-eva); -in (-ina). Ukrainian surnames generally end with -enko, -ko, -uk, and -ych (these endings do not change based on gender). The ending -skiy or -sky (-skaya) is common in both Russia and Ukraine.
The majority of Russian surnames are produced from personal names (Sergeyev — Sergey's son; Vasilyev — Vasiliy's son; etc.). Many surnames originate from names of animals and birds (Lebedev — Swan's Son; Korovin — Cow's Son; etc.), which have long ago been used as additional personal names or nicknames. Many other surnames have their origin in people's professions and crafts (Kuznetsov — Smith's son). In the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries -off has been commonly used in place of -ov when spelling Russian surnames in foreign languages such as French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
(e.g., the Smirnoff
Smirnoff
Smirnoff is a brand of vodka owned and produced by the British company Diageo. The Smirnoff brand began with a vodka distillery founded in Moscow by Pyotr Arsenievich Smirnov , the son of illiterate Russian peasants. It is now distributed in 130 countries.Smirnoff products include vodka, flavored...
brand).
Forms of address
Although everyone in Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus is required to have three names, the full three-name form is virtually never used in direct communication and is generally reserved for documents and public speeches. In the mediaMass media
Mass media refers collectively to all media technologies which are intended to reach a large audience via mass communication. Broadcast media transmit their information electronically and comprise of television, film and radio, movies, CDs, DVDs and some other gadgets like cameras or video consoles...
, the three-name form could be used for highly respected persons (e.g. leaders of the Soviet Union and Russia). In most circumstances, one or two names are usually omitted. Different combinations of names denote varying levels of respect. In speech, common forms of address include:
- <First name, diminutive form> — familiar.
- <Patronymic, diminutive form> — can be used to refer to men among close friends. The diminutive is formed by turning -ovich into -ych. For example, if Vasiliy Ivanovich ChapayevVasily ChapayevVasily Ivanovich Chapayev or Chapaev was a celebrated Russian soldier and Red Army commander during the Russian Civil War.-Biography:...
is a good friend, one can call him just Ivanych (from Ivan[ov]ich). Some patronymics are abbreviated even further: Pavlovich becomes Palych and Aleksandrovich turns into Sanych. - <Patronymic> — familiar but respectful. Could only be used to address a well-known adult (esp. aged) person.
- <First name, full form> — formal. This form emerged in last 20 years due to Western influence; it is now gradually superseding the next one, especially in business practice.
- <First name> <Patronymic> — formal and respectful, could be used to address an older colleague or a mentor.
- <Prefix> <Last name> — highly formal. During the Soviet era, a prefix 'tovarishch' (comrade) was universally used. Nowadays, common prefixes are gospodín (господин, Rus.) or pan (пан, Ukr.) for sir, and gospozhá (госпожа, Rus.), or páni (пані, Ukr.) for ma'am. In some situations (e.g. by police officers) grazhdanín/grazhdánka (citizen) has been used since Soviet time.
The third person in speech can be referred to in all the previous ways. Naturally, the first four are used only for persons who are present or well-known in a group (one exception is modern performers, such as Dima Bilan
Dima Bilan
' is a Russian actor and pop singer . Bilan represented Russia at the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 with "Never Let You Go", finishing second, and he won the contest in 2008 in Belgrade, with the song "Believe". He has had several Russian no. 1 hits....
and Natasha Koroleva
Natasha Koroleva
Natalia Vladimirovna Porivay , well known as Natasha Koroleva , is a Russian singer of Ukrainian origin.-Early career:...
, who often adopt a diminutive form of their first name as part of their stage name
Stage name
A stage name, also called a showbiz name or screen name, is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers such as actors, wrestlers, comedians, and musicians.-Motivation to use a stage name:...
). There are several additional forms which can be used to refer to third persons:
- <First name > <Last name> — formal.
- <First name > <Patronymic> <Last name > — used either to provide full name of not previously mentioned person (e.g. to introduce him/her to the auditory), or to show very high respect (this is quite rare now even for President of Russia).
Finally, there is the <Last name > <First name > <Patronymic> (sometimes without patronymic) form, which is used for alphabetical
Alphabet
An alphabet is a standard set of letters—basic written symbols or graphemes—each of which represents a phoneme in a spoken language, either as it exists now or as it was in the past. There are other systems, such as logographies, in which each character represents a word, morpheme, or semantic...
sorting
Sorting
Sorting is any process of arranging items in some sequence and/or in different sets, and accordingly, it has two common, yet distinct meanings:# ordering: arranging items of the same kind, class, nature, etc...
purpose in legal and official documents, data bases, government paperwork, and the like. Such form is commonly referred to as FIO (short for familiya, imya, otchestvo, i.e. "last name, first name, patronymic").
Comparison between Russian and other names
In the Russian, Ukrainian and Belarusian languages, non-SlavicSlavic languages
The Slavic languages , a group of closely related languages of the Slavic peoples and a subgroup of Indo-European languages, have speakers in most of Eastern Europe, in much of the Balkans, in parts of Central Europe, and in the northern part of Asia.-Branches:Scholars traditionally divide Slavic...
patronymics and family names may also be changed according to the above-mentioned rules. This is widespread in naming people of ethnic minorities and citizens of Central Asian or Caucasian
Caucasus
The Caucasus, also Caucas or Caucasia , is a geopolitical region at the border of Europe and Asia, and situated between the Black and the Caspian sea...
republics of the former Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, especially if a person is a permanent resident and speaks the local language. For example, Irina Hakamada
Irina Hakamada
Irina Mutsuovna Khakamada is a Russian politician who ran in the Russian presidential election, 2004. She is a member of The Other Russia coalition.-Biography:...
, a popular Russian politician whose father was Japanese
Japanese people
The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...
, has a patronymic "Mutsuovna" (strange-sounding in Russian) since her father's first name was Mutsuo.
Bruno Pontecorvo
Bruno Pontecorvo
Bruno Pontecorvo was an Italian-born nuclear physicist, an early assistant of Enrico Fermi and then the author of numerous studies in high energy physics, especially on neutrinos. According to Oleg Gordievsky and Pavel Sudoplatov , Pontecorvo was also a Soviet agent...
, after he emigrated to the USSR, was known as Бруно Максимович Понтекорво (Bruno Maksimovich Pontekorvo) in the Russian scientific community, because his father's given name was Massimo (corresponding to Russian Максим (Maksim)). Pontecorvo's sons have been known by names Джиль Брунович Понтекорво, Антонио Брунович Понтекорво
and Тито Брунович Понтекорво (Dzhil/Gil Brunovich, Antonio Brunovich, Tito Brunovich Pontekorvo).
In several Tom Clancy
Tom Clancy
Thomas Leo "Tom" Clancy, Jr. is an American author, best known for his technically detailed espionage, military science, and techno thriller storylines set during and in the aftermath of the Cold War, along with video games on which he did not work, but which bear his name for licensing and...
novels, Sergei Nicolayevich Golovko calls his American counterpart, John Patrick Ryan
Jack Ryan (Tom Clancy)
John Patrick "Jack" Ryan, Sr. is a fictional character created by Tom Clancy who appears in many of his novels.-Backstory:Born in 1950, Ryan's background is established in Patriot Games and Red Rabbit. His father was Emmet William Ryan , a police homicide lieutenant in Baltimore, and World War II...
, "Ivan Emmetovich," because his father was Emmet Ryan: as an Irish-American, Ryan had not had a patronymic before.
Such conversion of foreign names is unofficial and optional in many cases of communication and translation.
Exceptions for some post-Soviet countries
In the local languages of the non-SlavicSlavic peoples
The Slavic people are an Indo-European panethnicity living in Eastern Europe, Southeast Europe, North Asia and Central Asia. The term Slavic represents a broad ethno-linguistic group of people, who speak languages belonging to the Slavic language family and share, to varying degrees, certain...
CIS
Commonwealth of Independent States
The Commonwealth of Independent States is a regional organization whose participating countries are former Soviet Republics, formed during the breakup of the Soviet Union....
countries, Russian rules for patronymics were either never used or abandoned after gaining independence. Some Turkic languages
Turkic languages
The Turkic languages constitute a language family of at least thirty five languages, spoken by Turkic peoples across a vast area from Eastern Europe and the Mediterranean to Siberia and Western China, and are considered to be part of the proposed Altaic language family.Turkic languages are spoken...
, however, also use patronimics, formed using the Turkic word meaning 'son' or 'daughter'. For example, Kazakh
Kazakh language
Kazakh is a Turkic language which belongs to the Kipchak branch of the Turkic languages, closely related to Nogai and Karakalpak....
ұлы (ûlâ; transcribed into English as -uly, as in
Nursultan Abishuly Nazarbayev
Nursultan Nazarbayev
Nursultan Abishuly Nazarbayev has served as the President of Kazakhstan since the nation received its independence in 1991, after the fall of the Soviet Union...
) or Azeri oğlu (as in Heydər Əlirza oğlu Əliyev); Kazakh қызы (transcribed into English as -qyzy, as in Dariga Nursultanqyzy Nazarbayeva
Dariga Nazarbayeva
Dariga Nursultanqyzy Nazarbayeva is a Kazakh lawmaker and daughter of Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev....
). Such kinds of patronymic for Turkic peoples were officially allowed in the Soviet times.
Some surnames in those languages have been russified
Russification
Russification is an adoption of the Russian language or some other Russian attributes by non-Russian communities...
since the 19th century and remain so; e.g. the surname of Kazakh
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan , officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Ranked as the ninth largest country in the world, it is also the world's largest landlocked country; its territory of is greater than Western Europe...
president
President
A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
Nursultan Nazarbayev
Nursultan Nazarbayev
Nursultan Abishuly Nazarbayev has served as the President of Kazakhstan since the nation received its independence in 1991, after the fall of the Soviet Union...
has a Russian "-yev" suffix
Suffix
In linguistics, a suffix is an affix which is placed after the stem of a word. Common examples are case endings, which indicate the grammatical case of nouns or adjectives, and verb endings, which form the conjugation of verbs...
, which literally means "of Nazar-bay" (where "bay" is a Turkic native noble
Nobility
Nobility is a social class which possesses more acknowledged privileges or eminence than members of most other classes in a society, membership therein typically being hereditary. The privileges associated with nobility may constitute substantial advantages over or relative to non-nobles, or may be...
rank - compare Turkish
Turkish people
Turkish people, also known as the "Turks" , are an ethnic group primarily living in Turkey and in the former lands of the Ottoman Empire where Turkish minorities had been established in Bulgaria, Cyprus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Greece, Kosovo, Macedonia, and Romania...
"bey
Bey
Bey is a title for chieftain, traditionally applied to the leaders of small tribal groups. Accoding to some sources, the word "Bey" is of Turkish language In historical accounts, many Turkish, other Turkic and Persian leaders are titled Bey, Beg, Bek, Bay, Baig or Beigh. They are all the same word...
", Uzbek
Uzbeks
The Uzbeks are a Turkic ethnic group in Central Asia. They comprise the majority population of Uzbekistan, and large populations can also be found in Afghanistan, Tajikstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Russia, Pakistan, Mongolia and the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China...
"beg", and Kyrghyz "bek"). This surname russification practice is not common, varying greatly by country.
Some ethnic groups use more than one name, one official, another unofficial. Official names are made with Russian patronymics, unofficial names are noble or tribal names, which were prohibited after the revolution. After the fall of the Soviet Union, some people returned to using these tribal or noble names as surnames (e.g. Sarah Naiman — a Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan , officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Ranked as the ninth largest country in the world, it is also the world's largest landlocked country; its territory of is greater than Western Europe...
singer, whose surname means that she is from Naimans
Naimans
The Naimans, also Naiman Turks or Naiman Mongols, was a Mongolian name given to a group of people dwelling on the steppe of Central Asia, having diplomatic relations with the Kara-Khitan, and subservient to them until 1177...
). Some Muslim people changed their surnames to an Arabic style (e.g. Tungyshbay Zhamankulov — famous Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan , officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Ranked as the ninth largest country in the world, it is also the world's largest landlocked country; its territory of is greater than Western Europe...
actor who often plays role of Khans
Khan (title)
Khan is an originally Altaic and subsequently Central Asian title for a sovereign or military ruler, widely used by medieval nomadic Turko-Mongol tribes living to the north of China. 'Khan' is also seen as a title in the Xianbei confederation for their chief between 283 and 289...
in movies, changed his name to Tungyshbay al-Tarazy).
News and other information regarding CIS states is frequently written in Russian (and then translated to English) with names using the Russian patronymics, regardless of the person's preference or common usage.
Early Soviet Union
During the days of revolutionRevolution
A revolution is a fundamental change in power or organizational structures that takes place in a relatively short period of time.Aristotle described two types of political revolution:...
ary enthusiasm, as part of the campaign to get rid of "bourgeois culture" (and, specifically, of religious heritage, manifest in many Russian first names), there was a drive to invent new, "revolutionary" names. This produced a large number of Soviet people with bizarre names. Commonly the source were initialisms, as "Vil", "Vilen(a)", "Vladlen(a)" and "Vladilen(a)" for Vladimir Ilyich Lenin. A common suffix was -or, after the October Revolution as seen in "Vilor(a)" or "Melor(a)" (Marx Engels Lenin). Sometimes children were given names after aspects as Barrikada ("barricade
Barricade
Barricade, from the French barrique , is any object or structure that creates a barrier or obstacle to control, block passage or force the flow of traffic in the desired direction...
") or Revolutsiya ("revolution
Revolution
A revolution is a fundamental change in power or organizational structures that takes place in a relatively short period of time.Aristotle described two types of political revolution:...
"). Some of these names have survived into the 21st century.
This tendency was referenced in Polar Star
Polar Star (novel)
Polar Star is a 1989 crime novel by Martin Cruz Smith, set in the Soviet Union in the late 1980s. It is a sequel to Gorky Park and features former militsiya investigator Arkady Renko, taking place during the period of Perestroika.-Background:...
, the second book of the Arkady Renko
Arkady Renko
Arkady Renko is a fictional detective who is the central character of seven novels by the American writer Martin Cruz Smith.-Character timeline:...
series by Martin Cruz Smith
Martin Cruz Smith
Martin Cruz Smith is an American mystery novelist.-Early life and education:Born Martin William Smith in Reading, Pennsylvania, he was educated at the University of Pennsylvania, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in creative writing in 1964...
. The character Dynama (from dynamo
Dynamo
- Engineering :* Dynamo, a magnetic device originally used as an electric generator* Dynamo theory, a theory relating to magnetic fields of celestial bodies* Solar dynamo, the physical process that generates the Sun's magnetic field- Software :...
) was so named by her father to celebrate the 1950s electrification of her native Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan , officially the Republic of Uzbekistan is a doubly landlocked country in Central Asia and one of the six independent Turkic states. It shares borders with Kazakhstan to the west and to the north, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to the east, and Afghanistan and Turkmenistan to the south....
. By the 1980s, however, this name was colloquially used refer to opportunistic women who cultivated serial lovers for financial gain - a practice utterly alien to the faithfully married and traditionally-minded Dynama of the novel.
A number of books about this tendency mention some other unusual names such as Dazdrapertrak for Da Zdravstvuet Pervy Traktor ('Hail The First Tractor
The First Tractor
The First Tractor is the name of several Socialist realist paintings and other works of art that portray the beginning of collectivisation in the USSR....
!'), Dazdraperma Da Zdravstvuet Pervoe Maya ('Hail May Day
May Day
May Day on May 1 is an ancient northern hemisphere spring festival and usually a public holiday; it is also a traditional spring holiday in many cultures....
!') (May Day - International Workers' Day
International Workers' Day
International Workers' Day is a celebration of the international labour movement and left-wing movements. It commonly sees organized street demonstrations and marches by working people and their labour unions throughout most of the world. May 1 is a national holiday in more than 80 countries...
), Revmir(a), for Revolutsiya Mirovaya ('World Revolution
World revolution
World revolution is the Marxist concept of overthrowing capitalism in all countries through the conscious revolutionary action of the organized working class...
') and Oyushminald, for Otto Yulyevich Shmidt na Ldine" (Otto Schmidt
Otto Schmidt
Otto Yulyevich Schmidt was a Soviet scientist, mathematician, astronomer, geophysicist, statesman, academician, Hero of the USSR , and member of the Communist Party.-Biography:He was born in Mogilev, Russian Empire...
on the ice floe
Drift ice
Drift ice is ice that floats on the surface of the water in cold regions, as opposed to fast ice, which is attached to a shore. Usually drift ice is carried along by winds and sea currents, hence its name, "drift ice"....
').
Some parents called their children the German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
female names "Gertrud(a)" (Gertrude
Gertrude (given name)
Gertrude is a female given name which is derived from Germanic roots that meant "spear" and "strength". "Trudi", originally a diminutive of "Gertrude", has developed into a name in its own right....
), reanalyzing it as "Geroy/Geroinya Truda" ('Hero of Labour
Hero of Socialist Labor
Hero of Socialist Labour was an honorary title in the Soviet Union and other Warsaw Pact countries. It was the highest degree of distinction for exceptional achievements in national economy and culture...
'), "Marlen(a)" (Marlene
Marlene (given name)
Marlene is a female German given name. It is derived from the female given names Maria and Magdalene. People with this name include:-In politics:*Marlene Cowling*Marlene Johnson*Marlene Catterall*Marlene Graham*Marlene Jennings-In academia:...
), reanalyzing it as "Marx and Lenin", or "Sten" (Stan), reanalyzing it as "Stalin and Engels".
A number of Russians with the name "Kim", were not of Korean descent, but rather were named after the "Kommunistichesky International Molodyozhi" ('Youth Communist International').
See also
- List of surnames in Russia
- Romanization of RussianRomanization of RussianRomanization of the Russian alphabet is the process of transliterating the Russian language from the Cyrillic alphabet into the Latin alphabet...
- Russian own name
- Slavic names
- Slavic surnames
- Ukrainian nameUkrainian nameA modern Ukrainian name of a person consists of three parts: given name, patronymic, and family name, similarly to names in other East Slavic cultures: Russian names and Belarusian names.-Ukrainian given names:...
Further reading (in Russian)
- Балановская Е. В., Соловьева Д. С., Балановский О. П. и др. «Фамильные портреты» пяти русских регионов / Медицинская генетика. 2005.№ 1. С. 2-10.
- Таблицы и рисунки к статье «Фамильные портреты» пяти русских регионов
- Подробный популярный пересказ Report in the journal «Химия и жизнь»
- Article in «Коммерсантъ ВЛАСТЬ» № 38 от 26 сентября 2005 г. и реакция на нее авторов работы.