History of the Georgian surname. Georgian surname rules

Georgian surnames

Georgian surnames were all formed one by one general rule: by attaching a second component to the base, which has gradually lost its independence lexical meaning and turned into a suffix. And there are about a dozen such suffixes.

Surnames starting with “-shvili” often, but not always, belong to people with not entirely Kartvelian roots. This suffix comes from the Georgian word for "son".

Surnames starting with “-ani” and “-oni” belong to people of VERY noble origin. These are very ancient surnames in origin, and Armenians have similar ones (with “-uni”).

Surnames starting with “-ia” and “-ua” are of Mingrelian origin.
There are also a number of family suffixes, but they are used much less frequently.

All Georgian surnames consist of 2 parts - the root and the ending. At the end of the test, in 70% of cases, you can understand what part of Georgia the person is from. There are 13 types of endings:

1. Dze - a total of 1,649,222 people (data taken from the book “Surnames of Georgia” for 1997).
This ending is the most common, found almost everywhere, less often in the east. Basically, such surnames are common in Imereti, Guria, Adjara, and are also found in Kartli and Racha-Lechkhumi. Translated, the ending means Son.
Examples: Gongadze (Imereti), Dumbadze (Guria), Silagadze (Lechkhumi), Archuadze (Racha). Due to the wide distribution of this ending, it is difficult to determine the origin; in this case, you need to pay attention to the root of the surname.

2. Shvili - a total of 1,303,723 people. In translation it means - Descendant (in Russian there is no direct analogue of this word, it is the combined concept of son and daughter, although back in the 19th century this word meant simply a son, but later the meaning of the word expanded). This ending is found mainly in eastern Georgia. In Kakheti, most surnames have this ending. There are also many such surnames in Kartli. Less common in western Georgia.
Examples: Aslanikashvili (root Aslan), Gligvashvili (this is the surname of Kistov - Ingush living in Kakheti), Peikrishvili, Kululashvili, Elerdashvili (Kakheti), etc.

3. Iya - as you noticed, this is a Megrelian ending. A total of 494,224 people. Apparently, this is the Mingrelian equivalent of Dze or Shvili.
Examples: Chanturia, Zarandia, Kvaratskhelia and so on.

4. Ava - 200,642 people. Also Mingrelian ending.
For example: Eliava, Kuprava, Lezhava and so on.

5. Iani -129204 people. This is a Svan ending, but now it is also found in other regions of western Georgia. Mainly in Lechkhumi, less often in Racha and Imereti. Not found in eastern Georgia.
Examples: Gazdeliani (Svaneti), Dadeshkeliani (Svaneti, princely surname), Mushkudiani (Lechkhumi), Akhvlediani (Lechkhumi), Gelovani (Lechkhumi, princely surname), Ioseliani (Imereti), Zhorzholiani (Imereti), Chikovani (Megrelia), Dadiani ( Megrelia is a princely family; they were the rulers of all of Megrelia). This surname, in principle, is a former title that later became a surname (I will talk about such surnames later).

There are also surnames that come from different regions at the same time.
For example: Chkhetiani - this surname is both Svan and Lechkhumi. The root of the Svan surname “Chkheti” means “Pebble” (in Georgian “Kenchi”), but in the Middle Ages part of the clan (the Svans lived in clans) went to Lechkhumi. And the family was divided. Nowadays, the halo of natural distribution of Chkhetianis (except for large cities - Tbilisi, Kutaisi) covers the Svan Chkhetianis - Mestia Region (Upper Svaneti) and our Kodori Gorge, and the Lechkhumi Chkhetianis live in the Tsageri region. Chikovani are divided in the same way - there are Megrelian Chikovani, and there are Lechkhumi ones. There are many such examples.

6. Uri - 76,044 people. This ending is found mainly among eastern highlanders, such as Khevsurs, Pshavs, Tushis, Mtiuls, Khevinians, and so on.
For example: Midelauri, Ketelauri, Patashuri (Erzo).

7. Ua - 74817 people, Mingrelian ending.
Examples: Chkadua, Todua, Gogua.

8. Eli - 55,017 people. This ending is found in Racha - Metreveli, Intskirveli. In Svaneti there is only one surname with this ending - Pirveli (translated as “first”). It is also found in Imereti and Guria. Also in Kartli, but as an exception, is the princely family of Machabeli, which I have already mentioned.

9. Uli - 23,763 people. This ending is found mainly among eastern highlanders, such as Khevsurs, Pshavs, Tushis, Mtiuls, Khevinians, and so on.
For example: Chincharauli, Iarajuli, etc.

10. Shi - 7263 people in total. Mainly found in Adjara and Guria.
For example: Khalvashi (Adjara), Tugushi (Adjara-Guria).

11. Skiri - total 2375, Mingrelian ending. I know only one such surname, Tsuleiskiri, maybe there is more, but I don’t remember.

12. Chkori - total 1831, Mingrelian ending.
For example: Gegechkori.

13. Kva - total 1023, Mingrelian ending.
For example: Ingorokva.

Dze
1,649,222 people
The ending corresponds to the Russian ending -ov. Most common in Western Georgia (Guria, Imereti, Adjara). As a result of migration, their speakers appeared in Racha-Lechkhumi and Kartli. Gongadze (Imereti), Dumbadze (Guria), Silagadze (Lechkhumi), Archuadze (Racha). If you pay attention to the root of the surname, then by some signs you can determine its exact origin. Excl.: Japaridzes are mainly Svans. The surname Beridze is most often borne by Georgian Jews.

Shvili
1,303,723 people
Translated as child, child. It is usually found in Eastern Georgia (Kartliya, Kakheti, Meskheti, Javakheti). The surname Maharashvili is found mainly among Kakhetians. In frequent cases, bearers of surnames in -Shvili (especially in -Ashvili) are of non-Kartvelian (including Jewish) origin: Aslanikashvili (root Aslan), Gligvashvili (this surname is found among Chechens living in Kakheti), Saakashvili (from Armenian name Sahak), Dzhugashvili (from the Ossetian surname Dzhugaity).

Eeyore(s)
-aia (-aya)
494,224 people
Diminutive endings for nouns. Distributed in Megrelia and Abkhazia. Often found in Abkhazia. Example: Beria, Gulia, Gurtskaya, Tsviritskaya.

Ava(s)
200,642 people
Also, the Mingrelian ending probably corresponds to the Slavic -skiy, but it is usually not pronounced by Mingrelians. Example: Girgolava, Girgola.

Ani(s)
129,204 people
Svan ending (analogous to -skiy), now common in Svaneti, Lechkhumi, Imereti and Racha.

In Eastern Georgia, the consonant Georgian ending -ani is found, indicating a very noble origin. The difference can only be determined by knowing equally the Svan and Georgian languages ​​based on an analysis of the root of the surname.
Armenian surnames in -yan in Georgian transcription are read with the ending -iani. Petrosiani.

Examples: Gordesiani (Svaneti), Dadeshkeliani (Svaneti, princely surname), Mushkudiani (Lechkhumi), Akhvlediani (Lechkhumi), Gelovani (Lechkhumi, princely surname), Ioseliani (Imereti), Zhorzholiani (Imereti), Chikovani (Megrelia), Dadiani ( Megrelia, a princely family, they were the rulers of the entire region), Orbeliani (princely family), Kitovani.

Uri
76,044 people
This ending is common in Mountainous Georgia among the peoples of the Pkhov group (Khevsurs, Mokhevians, Tushins). For example: Dzidziguri, Apkhazuri.

Ua (-uya)
74,817 people
Megrelian ending, most often found in Abkhazia and, less commonly, in Georgia. For example: Chkaduya, Gogua.

Ate (-ate)
55,017 people
The endings are usually found in Racha; outside its borders only Pirveli (Svaneti) and Machabeli (Kartliya) are known. They are a form used to form participles, for example, Mkidveli (from kidva - to buy). Pr: Pshavel, Rustaveli.

Uli
23,763 people
The phonetic variant is Uri, common among the peoples of the Mtiul-Pshavian group (Mtiuls, Gudamakarians, Pshavs) in Mountainous Georgia.

Shi (-sh)
7,263 people
Laz ending. Found in Adjara and Guria. Plural view numbers.
For example: Khalvashi, Tugushi.

Ba
Quantity unknown
Laz analogue of Mingrelian -ava. A very rare ending. Not to be confused with Abkhazian -ba

Skiri (-skiria)
2,375 people
Rare Mingrelian ending. For example: Tsuleiskiri.

Chkori
1,831 people
Rare Mingrelian ending. For example: Gegechkori.

Kwa
1,023 people
Rare Mingrelian ending. For example: Ingorokva. Kva - stone.

Enti (-onti)
Quantity unknown
Lazian and Adjarian suffix. For example: Glonti, Zhgenti.

Skua (-skua)
Quantity unknown
Megrelian version - shvili. Found in Megrelia.

Ari
Quantity unknown
Rare ending. Example: Amilakhvari.

The surnames of Pontic Greeks starting with -idi, -adi and -aki are often considered Georgian.
(Savvidi, Kivelidi, Romanidi, Kandelaki, Andriadi, Kazanzaki).

The surname Marr is found in Georgia, whose bearers also live in Europe.

Chechen origin have the following genera: Chopikashvili, Kazbegi, Tsiklauri, Tsitskashvili.

Megrelian endings: -ia, -iya, -aia, -aya, -ava, -va, -ua, -uya, -skiri, -skiria, -chkori, -kva, -skua, -skaya.
Laz and Adjarian endings: -enti, -onti, -ba, -shi, -sh.
West Georgian ending: -dze.
Without territory bindings: -ari.
East Georgian ending: -shvili.
Svan endings: -ani, -oni.
Rachin endings: -ate, -ate.
Pkhov ending: -uri.
Mtiulo-Pshava ending: -uli.

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

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

Linguistic information

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

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

Foreign influence on root composition

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

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

Classification of generic names

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

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

All surnames in Georgia can be divided into several groups:

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

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

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

Family suffixes

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

Suffixless construction of surnames

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

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

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

Distribution and some facts

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

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

Famous representatives of the people

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

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

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

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

Georgian anthroponymy in Russian

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

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

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

Attention, TODAY only!

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

Origin

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

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

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

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

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

List of popular surnames by region

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

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

The meaning of some surnames

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

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

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

Surnames ending in:

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

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

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

Construction

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

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

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

Russification of some Georgian surnames

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

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

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

Declension of Georgian surnames

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

But today rigid framework There is no such thing as declension of surnames. Although there are 3 rules according to which declension is impossible:

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

Only in these three cases, neither the male nor female surname is subject to declension. Examples: Garcia, Heredia.

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

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

Popularity of surnames in numbers

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

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

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

General description of Georgian surnames and possible options

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

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

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

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

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

Ossetian and Abkhaz groups and the Russian-speaking environment

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

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

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

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

Georgian surnames

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

Georgian surname for a girl and a guy:

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

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

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

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

Georgian surnames declension:

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

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

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▬ Georgian surnames

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

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

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

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

Georgian surname rules

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

Georgian surnames - origin of Georgian surnames

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

Georgian surnames - list of Georgian surnames

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

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

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

Georgian surnames - Russification of Georgian surnames

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

V. A. Nikonov among colleagues from
Azerbaijan (Frunze, September
1986)

About the author: Nikonov, Vladimir Andreevich(1904–1988). A famous scientist, one of the largest specialists in onomastics. Author of numerous works on a wide variety of areas and problems of this science: toponymy, anthroponymics, cosmonymy, zoonymics, etc. For more than 20 years he led the onomastics group at the Institute of Ethnography of the USSR Academy of Sciences. He was the initiator and organizer of several conferences on onomastics in the Volga region (the first took place in 1967).

The work shows the versatility of V. A. Nikonov’s scientific interests and is dedicated to Georgian surnames and the geography of their distribution. Known to a narrow circle of onomasts, this work is practically unknown to a wide circle of people interested in Georgian surnames.

The red number in square brackets marks the beginning of the page in the printed version of the article. See the output data after the text of the article.

[page 150] Although Georgian surnames are several centuries older than Russian ones, the first of them arose in the 13th century. or even earlier. The bulk of the surnames appeared, probably, when Georgia was fragmented into disunited and feudal fiefdoms. Political, economic, cultural processes they proceeded differently, and language developed differently. These differences gave rise to a diversity of surname forms. But still linguistic relationship and similar historical features united all Kartvelian ethnographic groups into certain family groups: they are formed by adding a second component, which gradually turns into a suffix (i.e., losing its independent lexical meaning). A total of 7–8 such formants form the surnames of 3.5 million Georgians, repeating themselves in enormous numbers[p. 151] wah, each in a certain territory. Their statistical and geographical relationships show the historical formation of the Georgian nation. All calculations provided were carried out by the author and are published for the first time*.

*Valuable assistance was provided by G. S. Chitaya, Sh. V. Dzidziguri, A. V. Glonti, I. N. Bakradze, S. A. Arutyunov, V. T. Totsuriya, A. K. Chkaduya, G. V. Tsulaya, P. A. Tskhadia, as well as Sh. T. Apridonidze, M. Chabashvili, N. G. Volkova, R. Topchishvili, R. M. Shamedashvili, M. S. Mikadze, L. M. Chkhenkeli and the team of the Republican registry office archive.

Sources: 1) complete census of 1886, documents of which are stored in the Central historical archive Georgia 1 (located in Tbilisi); 2) acts of registry offices; 3) voter lists; 4) telephone and other directories; 5) lists of names in studies 2, articles 3, dissertations 4. It is clear that they are not all summarized in a single statistical table. The calculations covered half a million Georgians in all regions (the eastern part of Georgia - completely, except for cities; in the western regions there are fewer materials - the census fund was lost in the Kutaisi branch of the archive) in a volume sufficient for statistically reliable indicators.

Two forms of surnames absolutely predominate both in terms of the number of speakers and territorial coverage: with components -dze in the western part of the republic and -shvili- in the east. The original meaning of both formants is similar: -dze– “son, descendant”; -shvili- “child”, “born”. They are typologically identical to the surnames of other peoples: in Germanic languages Sep (son, son, zone) - "son"; in Turkic -ogly- "son", -kyz– “daughter, girl”; all formants added to the stem meaning father indicate “whose son.”

Surnames from canonical names - Giorgadze, Leonidze, Nikolaishvili, etc. - cover only a minority; more often surnames come from non-church names: Mgeladze, Mchedlishvili, etc. However, these surnames cannot be directly associated with common nouns mgeli- "wolf"; mchedli- “blacksmith”. The first bearer of the surname Mgeladze, like his Russian “namesake” Volkov, was the son not of a wolf, but of Volk, the bearer of the personal name Mgela.

One more necessary caution. Surnames with an ethnonym at their core (Svanidze, Javakhidze, Javakhishvili) are especially attractive to historians and ethnographers, but it is dangerous to forget the principle of relative negative proper names: these surnames could not have arisen among the Sa[p. 152] between Svans or Javakhs (where everyone was a Svan or Javakh), but only outside it. Their basis could not even designate a Svan or a Javakh, but only a person somewhat similar to them (in clothing or in some other way) who visited them or traded with them.

Surnames formed with -dze(connected with the base vowel a or and depending on the vowels of the base) are assumed to have arisen in the 13th century. They absolutely dominate in Imereti. In the Ordzhonikidze and Terzhola districts, surnames -dze cover more than 70% of all residents. As they move away from this core, their frequency decreases. On the southwestern border of Imereti, in the Vani region, more than 2/3 of the population belongs to them (1961), to the west, in Guria (Makharadze, Lanchkhuti districts), more than half. On the opposite northeastern flank, in Lechkhumi, almost half of the population wears them, as well as further - in Racha (now the Oni district). Only in the northwest, in Upper Megrelia, formant -dze infrequent: in the Gegechkori region - only 7%; it is in the minority on the northwest coast. In Svaneti, surnames with formant -dze are less than 1/10. Where is the line to the west of which the predominant -dze, to the east – -shvili? The border between western and eastern Georgia is considered to be the Suram (Likh) ridge, transverse to the ridges of the Greater and Lesser Caucasus; it crosses Georgia at its narrowest point. But dialectologists had to make an amendment, discovering that in the south, eastern dialects sound much further west than Borjomi. And the names I collected showed that the predominance of Western -dze north of Kura advanced “toward”, east of Surami. In the south, data for 1886 is scarce; there were few Georgians in Borjomi and Bakuriani at that time. There are only 573 Georgians in Chobiskhevi, of which 435 have “Western” surnames -dze. Even further southwest, in the Akhalkalaki region, according to documents from 1970–1971. (in Baraleti, Vachiani, Gogesheni, Diliska, Chunchkha), surnames in -dze cover even ¾ of the Georgian population. In a strip stretched along the middle reaches of the Kura (formerly part of Kartli), the formant -dze prevails only in the west - in the Khashursky district and then cuts into a deep pointed wedge to the east through the Kareli region (they also prevailed in the villages of Abisi, Arabulani, Arekheti, etc. in 1886) into the Gori district (villages of Shertli and Arashenda ), where the surname with this formant ends (93 bearers of surnames lived in the village of Araskhevi -dze and 91 – on -shvili).

[page 153] Having placed the data of 1886 on the map according to the modern administrative division, we get a strikingly clear profile of this strip from west to east (calculations based on registry office documents of 1970–1971 are given in brackets), in%:

Registry office acts, unlike the census, cover only part of the population, but a clearly uniform trend with a fairly large volume of counting suggests that the quantitative expression of “rivalry” -dze And -shvili It was captured basically correctly: the border of eastern and western Georgia, according to the forms of surnames, passes east of the Surami ridge.

Thus, about the statistical vibration zone -dze/-shvili we can speak in the language of numbers, but we have to make a diachronic comparison.

East of the Suramsky ridge -dze It is much less common: in Kakheti - only 3–7%. They are somewhat more common between Tianeti and Telavi. In northeastern Georgia, surnames on -dze constituted only individual nests; several such nests gravitated towards the Georgian Military Road, between Kazbegi and Mtskheta.

But two large “islands” of surnames with formant -dze need to be looked at separately. In the extreme northeast of Georgia, in the gorges of the Main Caucasian ridge near the borders with Checheno-Ingushetia and Dagestan, on a territory completely cut off from the entire zone of formant predominance -dze(former Omalo district, later included in Akhmeta), Tushins live. Almost 2/3 of them (1886) had surnames with the formant -dze, only 23% - -shvili and 10% – -uli, uri. The centuries-old isolation of Tusheti, all ties with which were interrupted annually for 6 months 5, was reflected in everything, and the isolation is understandable. Formant penetration -shvili from neighboring Kakheti [p. 154] is also natural: the tushins, whose basis of life was sheep breeding, could not exist without the summer driving of sheep to the valleys of Alazani and its tributaries, supplying the king of Kakheti with 500 warriors and 600 sheep annually for this. But where, how and when could the West Georgian formant become dominant? -dze? Carcasses arrived from the west. Model of surnames on -dze not Kartlian, but Imeretian, but researchers do not know such a remote center of carcasses. Some pre-revolutionary researchers even suggested that the Tushis originated outside of Georgia, but science has no basis for this 6 . Dating is also difficult: the origin of surnames cannot be traced back to the depths of centuries, and therefore it was difficult for the long-distance migration of an entire people to escape historians. Carcass on your own modern territory could have brought with them not their surnames, but their future basis -dze.

A characteristic detail remained not only unexplained, but also unnoticed: in contrast to the different frequencies of connecting vowels ( -and, and) in the surnames of Tushins only appeared And. For example, in the village. Gogrulti are all eight surnames (81 people - Bukuridze, Dzhokharidze, etc.), in the village. Given – 82 people with -idze(Tataridze, Cherpeidze, etc.) and not a single surname with -adze. In 1886, 2660 tushins bore surnames from -idze and only 162 – with -adze. This relationship, excluding chance, requires the attention of researchers - it is essential for the history of the Tushins and their language. Is it connected with the Mingrelian-Imeretian law of appearance And after the basics with the final -A(Tushino surnames Bgardaidze, Tsaidze, Gochilaidze, etc.). Or are there other reasons? Perhaps this feature will help researchers in their search for a long-standing source of carcasses. But still, the majority of Tushino surnames do not have a connecting -A-: Bakhoridze, Khutidze, etc. And one more detail that no one pointed out: the combination -ai-(often written -ouch-: Omaidze, Idaidze, Tsaidze and others - census forms are written in Russian) - Tushin surnames retained the ancient Georgian form. This was noticed by L.M. Chkhenkeli, to whom the author is grateful.

Another "island" of surnames on -dze- Tbilisi. Although the city is located in an area where surnames predominate -shvili However, each capital absorbs the features of all parts of the country. There is a curious paradox: in Tbilisi there are no surnames -dze less than -shvili, and the number of their carriers is opposite: -dze about 45% at 30% -shvili. The most common surnames in the capital: Japaridze (there are more than 4 thousand [page 155] there), Dolidze, Kalandadze, Lordkipanidze.

In most of eastern Georgia, formant surnames predominate -shvili. It is also ancient, known since the 14th century. (Burdiashvili in the “Monument of the Eristavis”, but it is unknown whether this is a surname or a sliding grandfather). In the surnames of Kakheti, according to the 1886 census, it has a monopoly: in the former Telavi district. formant -shvili covered more than 9/10 of all residents. In northeastern Georgia (former Dusheti and Tianet districts), except for the slopes of the Main Caucasus Range, to surnames co -shvili belonged to 2/3 of the population, as well as to the west in Kartalinia (Mtskheta and Gori districts) In the western part of Georgia, surnames with -shvili are also not isolated, in Racha and Lechkhum they are only slightly less common than with -dze. Even in the very center of dominance -dze surnames with -shvili today they cover almost ¼ of the population, and in the southwest (Guria) – about 1/5. But in the north-west they are rare: in Megrelia - about 5%, and in Svaneti they do not even reach 1%.

Formant -shvili Several surnames were formed from female names: Tamarashvili, Shushanashvili, Zhuzhanashvili, Darejanishvili, Sulikashvili. All these surnames cannot be associated with illegitimate children; perhaps they arose when the widow endured raising children and the hardships of farming on her shoulders 7 . Apparently, the regional increase in the frequency of surnames from female origins is due to the historical and everyday peculiarities of the region (among the French, according to A. Doza, it is typical in Normandy).

In western Georgia, surnames on -ia, -ua: Tskhakaia, Chitana (a combination of vowels avoided by the Russian language; in Russian the pronunciation is iotized, orthographically Tskhakaya, Chitaya). The formant comes from the Mingrelian language, which is closely related to Georgian. Researchers see this form as an earlier form -iani followed by truncation of the final part. Initially, such names apparently served as definitions, similar in meaning to Russian adjectives 8 . In the bases of surnames there are many words that are actually Mingrelian (Chkonia from Mingrelian. chkoni– “oak”, or Topyria from Mingrelians. topuri- “honey”)

In the territory between the Black Sea, Abkhazia, Svaneti and the lower reaches of the Rioni rivers and its right tributary Tskhenis-Tskali, surnames on -ia, -ua cover the majority of the population: in the Gegechkori region, according to documents from 1970–1971, they cover 61%, in the Kho region[p. 156] bi – 52%; among them there are surnames -ia(Zhvania, Tskhadaya) are found several times more often than in -wow(Dondua, Sturua). They are found in Svaneti (Chkadua) and in neighboring Abkhazia. And south of Rioni their frequency drops sharply: in Guria they do not exceed 1/10, to the east, in Imereti, even less - 3%, further they are only sporadic (except for Tbilisi, where they occupy third place after -dze And -shvili- about 9%, i.e. more than 100 thousand people). Significantly less common (both quantitatively and territorially) are surnames in -ava, also of Megrelian origin: Papava, Lezhava, Chikobava, etc. Etymologies of many surnames with -ava unclear. The words from which they arose are lost and can only be restored by historical reconstruction(in particular, with the help of the dictionary of A. S. Chikobava) 9. On the Black Sea coast, north of the mouth of the Rioni, surnames with -ava occupy second place, second only to surnames on -ia, -ua; for example, in the Khobi region they cover about 1/5 of the total Georgian population (there are especially many of them in the village of Patara-Poti on Rioni, but their range is small). Even nearby, in Guria, they own only about 3%; to the east, throughout Imereti, they do not even reach 1% everywhere, and further on they are represented only by single families, with the exception of Tbilisi, where they make up 3–4%.

Formant -ava seemed to N. Ya. Marr modified Abkhazian -ba. But such a connection (apparently inspired by territorial proximity) is illusory. It was convincingly rejected by S. Janashia, he suggested the origin -ava from Mingrelian -van with truncation of the final -n. This was supported by G.V. Rogava 10. However, later a different explanation was put forward: Mingrelian -ava comes from Georgian-Svan el-a, transition l into a semivowel V– result of labialization (enlargement) l eleven . Due to the paucity of arguments, it is too early to consider the dispute resolved.

In the living speech of Mingrelians, intervocal V often falls out and -ava pronounced long A 12, but this is not reflected in the letter.

In Svaneti, more than 4/5 of the population have surnames formed by Georgian and Svan formants -ani, -iani. He developed various shades meanings from “belonging to whom” to “possessing what”, as well as collection - Leliani- “reeds”. This formant formed many Georgian words ( Mariliani– “salty” from Marili- "salt"; tsoliani from colors- “wife”, etc.). In the inversion (“reverse”) dictionary of Georgians[p. 157] of the Russian language there are 4197 words in -ani, of which 3272 are on -iani. The original meanings of the surnames he formed: Zurabiani - “belonging to Zurab” (i.e., a descendant of Zurab); Orbeliani – “belonging to the Orbeli family”; Oniani – “arrived from Oni” (Oni is the center of the region adjacent to Svaneti).

Map 1. Zones of distribution of Georgian surnames with endings in:

1 – -dze; 2 – -shvili; 3 – -ia, -ua; 4 – -ani(-iani); 5. – -ava; 6. – -uli, -uri; 7. – -(n)ti
Solid lines indicate the predominant form, broken lines indicate a less frequent form.

The most common surname Svanov – Liparteliani. It is widespread in Lower Svaneti (villages Lentekhi, Kheledi, Khopuri, Chaluri, etc.). Its basis is evaporators(the loss of the middle and is natural due to the reduction in Svan speech), in which -ate– “suffix of origin” (cf. the surname Kutateli from the common noun cooters- “Kutaisian”, i.e. arrived from the city of Kutaisi). But the meanings of the suffix are not limited to indicating a place, but are much broader; it is attached to both personal names and common nouns. Having separated it, we find the basis liparite. Georgians have long known the male personal name Liparit and patronize him - Liparity. The oldest example is Liparity at the court of Queen Tamara (1036). In 1615, Lipartian, the ruler of Megrelia, was known. For the first time about naming with -et Georgian scholar Brosse wrote in 1849: “The form Davidet, the surname, is very archaic and is found no more than two or three times in Georgian monuments [p. 158] kah: Liparitet, son of Liparit” 14. This observation slipped by unnoticed. A hundred years later, S. Janashia casually mentioned: “The Liparity form is one of the forms of Georgian surnames” 15. But only later V. Dondua devoted a substantive note to it, collecting numerous examples from documents, mainly from the 13th century. (Cononet, Ionoset, Pavleet, etc.), rightly pointing out that they are “not noticed or interpreted incorrectly” 16. He sees in the formant -et multiplicity indicator (which is associated with the formant -eti, common in Georgian names of countries - Oseti, “country of wasps”, i.e. Ossetians). But it is doubtful to recognize these examples as surnames: perhaps these are still family names, so to speak, “proto-surnames”, in best case scenario"protosurnames". But most likely the name originated from the Svan language, in which the prefix whether- extremely frequent, forming nouns and adjectives.

Surnames formed with -ani, -iani, are very frequent in Lechkhumi - in the mountain valleys of the southern slopes of the Main Caucasus Range near the borders of Svaneti. There, surnames with -ani cover 38% of the total population (second only to surnames with -dze). Of course, this is not the path of the Svans from the valleys to the mountains; on the contrary, they came from Colchis. But the Svans did not bring their surnames with them, from the southwest, but acquired them already in their modern homeland, the southeastern flank of which was the territory of Lechkhumi.

Formant -ani– common for Georgians. It is not uncommon in surnames outside Svaneti (Abastiani, Mibchuani, etc.), but only in Tbilisi and Racha (neighboring Lechkhumi and Svaneti) reaches 4%; throughout western Georgia there are 1–3% of such surnames, and in eastern Georgia – less than 0.1%.

Other surnames are heard in the mountains and foothills in the north of eastern Georgia. Among the Khevsurs, Pshavs, and Mtiuls who inhabit it, surnames formed by the formant predominate -uli (-uri), ancient Georgian, but still alive today ( Rusuli- "Russian"). The basis of the surnames Aludauri, Tsiskariuli, Chincharauli and others are ancient Khevsur non-church ones male names, the meanings of some are lost, some are clear: Khevsur. Chinchara- “nettle”. Perhaps the surname was inspired by the formula recently pronounced by the priest at the Mtiul wedding: “So that the offspring multiply like nettles” 17. Among the bases of all surnames with -uli, -uri there is not a single church name, although Christianity among the mountaineers of the Central Caucasus is several centuries older than their surnames. This is essential [p. 159] the contradiction was not noticed by researchers. Of course, everyone received a church name, but in Everyday life the familiar, the native, prevailed, just as customs or clothing were steadily preserved.

The time of origin of mountain surnames is unknown, but there is a relative date “no later”: the hero of folk tales Aptsiauri raised the people to fight the feudal lords in early XVII V. Choice r/l in these surnames is phonetically dissimilative in relation to the stem: if the stem has l, then appears in the suffix R(Tsiklauri), and if based R, then in the suffix it’s the other way around l(Arabuli).

Among the Khevsurs, this form of surname is almost exclusive. In the northernmost mountain villages of Gudani, Guli, Shatili, it covered 95%: out of 2,600 people, only 130 had other surnames. In the area of ​​the Khevsur center of Barisakho, seven villages (800 people) consisted only of bearers of surnames in -uri (-uli), and in three smaller villages lived 202 bearers of the Likokeli surname. On the Black Aragva (Gudamakari Gorge) surnames with -uri were 85% (all data from 1886).

Map 2. Migration of part-time Pshavians and Khevsurs
Chinese surnames (according to 1886 data)

1 – Arabuli; 2 – Apuiauri; 3 – Tsiklauri; 4 – Chincharauli

To the south, among the Pshavs, who are more closely related to the Kakhetians than the Khevsurs isolated by high ridges, the pattern of surnames with -uli, -uri less frequent than in Khevsureti; it covered a third of the Pshavs, just like the Mtiuls on the river. White Aragvi. Along the Georgian Military Road from Dusheti to Kazbegi, surnames with -shvili and even -dze, but also in the Dusheti lower reaches of Aragva, surnames on -uli still amounted to 20%. They also spread to the southwest - to the Kura River: in the village. Shubati (now in the southern part of the Kaspi region), the 1886 census registered Bekauri, Tsiklauri, Aptsiauri, just like in the Black Aragva, i.e. surnames [p. 160] directly indicate where and where the migration of the highlanders was going.

The return of the mountaineers to the valleys from the high mountain gorges, where they had been pushed back by past invasions, began a long time ago. Documents report repeated resettlement in the second half of the last century. They were carried out gradually, over short distances, but there were also long-distance transitions. R. A. Topchishvili collected considerable material about them in his dissertation, indicating the literature on the issue 18. But even without a single document, it is enough to map the distribution of surnames to get a picture of migration in the lower reaches of Aragva, Iori, Alazaya, and in some places further - up and down the Kura. A story about this entire flow would take dozens of pages, but we have to limit ourselves to the example of two surnames, omitting the names of villages and the number of speakers. The surname Tsiklauri is recorded in 35 villages - from Kazbek along Aragva and Iori to the south almost to Mtskheta, to the southeast almost to Telavi; the surname Chincharauli - in 17 villages - from Shatili (near the borders with Checheno-Ingushetia) south to Dusheti and beyond Tianeti. In Tianetsky u. and the northwestern part of Telavi district. bearers of surnames with formant -uli, -uri in 1886 they constituted from 20 to 30% of the population; in Telavi and beyond they barely reached 2%. Some settled in Tbilisi.

In contrast to lowland Georgia, where villages have many families, the northeast is characterized by an extremely high concentration: sometimes not only entire villages, but also groups of them are inhabited by namesakes. According to the 1886 census, in the villages of Gveleti, Datvisi, Okherkhevi, Chirdili, all 73 households with 314 residents bore the surname Arabuli, in the village. Guro, all 220 residents were Gogochuri, in the village. Blo all 192 inhabitants are Gigauri. These are not exceptions. It is not surprising that the name of the village is often identical to the surname of the inhabitants. In the mountains, the mixing of population is difficult; the influx from outside is weaker there. A similar phenomenon in Upper Megrelia was noted by P. A. Tskhadaya 19. But another factor probably acted even more powerfully: the pressure of the communal way of life, due to which people settled and resettled not as individual families, but as whole groups of them - patronymics. Surnames form huge arrays: Arabuli were found in 20 villages - 1158 people, Chincherauli - in 17 villages - 885 people (1886), etc.

The families were extremely large. In the 1886 census materials, families of 20–30 people are not uncommon. Among the mountaineers [p. 161] Gudamkar Gorge still in the 20s of our century there were families of 30-40 people 20. Decay process large families took place already in the 19th century. – in the census forms of 1886 there are constant notes: “they lived separately for seven years without a sentence from society” (in the village of Midelauri, where 49 residents bore the surname Midelauri), i.e. the family separated without permission; the community refused to legalize the partition for many years.

The ratios of the components of surnames are historically variable. Thus, among the Pshavs over the past centuries, new surnames, arising from the fragmentation of large families, are formed by the formant -shvili, but not -ur or -street(reported by G. Javakhishvili and R. Topchishvili). By a happy coincidence, from an ethnographic expedition to Black Aragva, the ethnographer of the Academy of Sciences of the GSSR T. Sh. Tsagareishvili brought material about modern surnames on Black Aragva and we were able to put our data next to each village. Over the course of 100 years, considerable changes have occurred in the life of the mountain people: the elimination of the exploiting classes, the shift of the population from high-mountain gorges to valleys, and the disappearance of small high-mountain settlements. But the ratios of the forms of surnames are still close: in Kitohi and surrounding areas today the same surnames (Bekauri, Tsiklauri) are the same as a hundred years ago, but the surnames have gone to -shvili, which were alluvial even 100 years ago.

In general, the isolation of surnames is noticeably decreasing everywhere. For comparison, consider the ratio of surname bearers to -uli, -uri in the named regions and in adjacent territories (reduced to modern administrative divisions) in relation to the entire population, in%:

	1886 (census)	1970–1971 (marriage registry)
Kazbegi District	42	26
North of Dusheti district	95	85

That is, newcomers from different parts of Georgia are joining the indigenous population in these areas. The local population also does not remain motionless - throughout Georgia you can find surnames with the formant -uli, -uri. The total number of their speakers is several dozen [p. 162] thousand, of which approximately 15 thousand are in Tbilisi (1% of the city’s residents).

There are not very many carriers of surnames formed by the formant -ate(Mekhateli, Tsereteli), which has already been discussed, and there are only a few dozen of these names themselves. They have scattered nests in many places in Georgia. These surnames are based on toponyms (Mtatsmindeli from Mtatsminda - “holy mountain” above Tbilisi), ethnonyms (Pshaveli), anthroponym (Barateli) or common nouns. The largest nest of surnames in -ate We meet in the far north of eastern Georgia, in the center of Khevsureti. There, in the midst of a continuous mass of surnames with the formant -uli the 1886 census recorded 202 people with the surname Likokeli (in the villages of Chana, Kartsaulta, etc., where there was not a single person with a different surname). Other formant sockets -ate found in the regions of Oni, Mtskheta, Tianeti, Telavi; in Tbilisi bearers of surnames -ate make up more than 2% - Tsereteli, Amashukeli, Veshapeli, Gamrekeli, etc. It is worth warning that there are not a few surnames in which the ending -ate not the suffix that forms them. For example, the surname Amaglobeli is verbal - the participle “exalting”, and Gvardtsiteli from tsiteli- "red". Many surnames with this formant are completed with another formant (Gogeliani, Kvaratskhelia, etc.).

There are very few surnames -(n)ti, but they are very often repeated: Zhgenti, Glonti. Their focus is strictly defined geographically - Guria in the southwest of Georgia (Lanchkhuti, Makharadze, Chokhaturi districts). But even here they make up about 1%, except for individual villages, like Aketi in the Lanchkhuti region, where there are especially many Glonti. This formant is of Zan (Laz) linguistic origin, in it -n– connecting component. Alleged connection -(n)ti with common Georgian -mt 21 does not clarify its origin and original meaning.

The Laz language dominated in Colchis in ancient times. Back in the 19th century. there were numerous holes there; Most of them ended up in Turkey; at the beginning of this century, some of them lived further north - in Imereti and Abkhazia. I. R. Megrelidze cited 23 Laz surnames published in the Laz newspaper “Mchita Murtskhuli”, published in 1929 in Sukhumi 22 - all with the ending -shi. Basically, the Laz merged with the closely related Mingrelians. The formant came from their language -shi, which in Guria formed the surname Tugushi, Khalvashi, Tsulushi, [p. 163] Kutushi, Nakashi, etc. (if the stem ended with sonorant consonants r, l, n, m, then instead -shi sounded -chi). Among Mingrelians these surnames end in -shia(surname Janashia). In the Laz language, this formant formed adjectives with the meaning of belonging. Half a century ago, these endings were no longer perceived as a suffix, having completely merged with the base. There are many more of these surnames than with -(n)ti but in terms of the number of speakers the ratio is reversed. Today they are not uncommon in the Lanchkhutsky and Makharadze districts.

It is rare among Georgians that borrowed surnames from -ba(Abkhaz. ba- “child”), the only one - with the ancient Adyghe -qua (rare surname Ingorokva, aka pseudonym famous writer I. Ingorokva), Armenian s -yan(from -yants).

In western Georgia, forms of naming women were characteristic. In his work “Women's family names in South Caucasian languages ​​and folklore,” I. V. Megrelidze provided valuable, but, alas, very fragmentary information about them 23 . In the 30s of our century, the old people of Guria still remembered that married women used to be called by their maiden name; when addressing relatives or mentioning them in absentia, endings were replaced -dze, -shvili, -ia, -ua and others on -phew. In the distant past, there were prominent Laz clans of Zhurdaniphe, Kontiphe, Pochuphe and others 24 . i.e. -phew once served as a sign not of gender, but of nobility, with subsequent simplification in -heh(Loluhe from the surname Lolua, Katsirihe from Katsarava), and its meaning was erased and even turned into the opposite. The researcher noted that in the 30s of our century -phew already had a slightly disdainful connotation. Married women were usually called by their husband's last name, using their maiden name in front, that is, the father's name in the genitive case - with the indicator -is: Dolidzis asuli Beridze - “daughter of Dolidze, by Beridze’s husband” ( Asauli or Kali- "daughter"). There are vivid social and linguistic processes that have so far eluded scientific study. Their significance is clear from the broad parallels: the most striking heroine of ancient Russian poetry is called only by her patronymic - Yaroslavna; centuries later, the naming of wives after their husbands was recorded in Novgorod - Pavlikha, Ivanikha (a similar thing is known among the southern Slavs). Historically, the position of a woman has changed, and her name has also changed.

[page 164] According to the frequency ratio of surname forms in Georgia, 12 territories can be distinguished:

1. Houri. Southwestern Georgia between the Adjara Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, the Black Sea and the lower reaches of the Rioni. Administrative districts: Lanchkhuti, Makharadze, Chokhatauri. Formant dominates -dze(more than half of the residents; 20% – -shvili), surnames with -ia(more than 12%), -ava(3%), the only outbreak in the world -(n)ti(Žgeiti, Glojati), although they make up only 1%; There is -shi.

2. Megrelia. Northwestern Georgia, between the Abkhazian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, the Black Sea and the lower reaches of the Rioni. Districts: Khobi, Mikha, Tskhakaya, Poti, Zugdidi, Gegechkori, Chkhorotsku, Tsalenjikha. Surnames are absolutely predominant -ia, -ua, covering from 50 to 60%; on -ava – 24%, -dze– from 10 to 16%; less often - on -shvili(4–6%), noticeable -ani (2%).

3. Svaneti. Districts: Mestia and Lentekhi. Surnames are absolutely predominant -ani, -iani– over 80%; is on -dze (9%), -ia, -ua(up to 5%).

4. Lechkhumi and Lower Racha. South of Svaneti, mainly the areas of Tsageri and Ambrolauri. Surnames with the formant predominate -dze(46%), very much with -ani(38%), yes -shvili (8%), -ia, -ua (3%), -ava, -eli(2% each).

5. Racha. Oni District. The flank of the “vibration zone” of surnames on -dze(48%) and on -shvili(42%), often with -ate(6%) and -ani (4%).

6. Imereti. The remaining regions of western Georgia from Samtredia to Ordzhonikidze inclusive. Surnames with the formant are absolutely predominant -dze(over 70%); with -shvili cover about 1/4 of the population; With -ava(to the west) and -ani(to the north) – 1% each.

7. Kartli. The strip to the south of the South Ossetian Autonomous Okrug in the middle reaches of the Kura. Districts: Khashuri, Kareli, Gori, Kaspi, Mtskheta. "Vibration zone" of formants -dze(in the west they cover 3/4 of all residents, in the east – 1/10) and -shvili(from 1/4 in the west to 2/3 in the east).

8. Northeast. Districts: Dusheti and Tianeti. In the northern part, inhabited for a long time by Pshavs and Khevsurs, surnames with the formant predominate -uli, -uri; in the southern part they covered 20–30% of the population; against, -shvili with a small number of them in the north, they account for up to 2/3 in the south.

[page 165] 9. Heavy. Kazbegi region, bordering the North Ossetian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic and the South Ossetian Autonomous Okrug. More than 40% of surnames with -shvili, more than 25% – from -uli, -uri; in 1886 a lot of -dze.

10. Tusheti. Near the borders with the Chechen-Ingush and Dagestan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republics, the former Omalo district, now the northern part of the Akhmeta district. Absolutely dominated -idze(almost 2/3), the rest are from -shvili, -uli, -uri.

11. Kakheti. All of southeastern Georgia. Districts of Telavi, Sighnaghi, Kvareli, Gurjaani, etc. Surnames with -shvili: for the most part they exceed 90%, in some places interspersed with surnames from -dze (3–4%), -uli, -uri (1–2%).

12. Tbilisi. As in every capital, the features of all parts of Georgia are represented. Surnames predominate -dze(more than 40%) and -shvili(about 30%), and also -ia, -ua(less than 10%), -ani (4%), -uli, -uri even more rarely a small amount per -nti

72 24 1 1 1 – – 1 Racha49 41 4 – – – – 6 Mtskheta16 72 – – – 7 7 5 Dusheti and Tianeti14 43 – – – 37 – 6 Kazbegi15 57 – – – 26 – 2 Tusheti76 11 – – – 13 – – Kakheti8 90 – – – 1 – 1 Tbilisi45 30 4 9 4 2 . 6 *A dash means the absence of a surname, a dot means the presence of less than 0.5%.

The entire southern strip of Georgia is left out of consideration. In the 17th century it was completely devastated by the Shah and Sultan's hordes. Georgians began to return there after[p. 166]before joining Russia, but even at the end of the 19th century. there were few of them there. Later they moved there from different parts Georgia, and their names present a motley picture, the analysis of which requires too much material, which the author does not yet have at his disposal. Another disadvantage of the material is the lack of data on the height of the areas. In such a mountainous country as Transcaucasia, vertical zoning in any respect plays the same role as horizontal zoning. In my works this is shown using the example of toponymy 25. Certainly, most of What has been said in relation to the spread of surnames refers to the fading past. The former disunity and enmity are over forever. In modern Soviet Georgia, Svans, Pshavas, and Mingrelians work, study, and relax hand in hand in the workshops of Rustavi and the classrooms of Tbilisi University, in the mines of Tkibuli and the beaches of Colchis. There are no former boundaries between them. Today, families are common in which a svai is married to a Kakhetian woman or a Mingrelian woman is married to a Khevsur. Their child is growing up as a member of the united Georgian socialist nation. How and from which ethnic communities And ethnographic groups it has developed, as the surnames tell, reflecting the history of the people and their language.

19 Tskhadaya P. A. Toponymy of mountain Megrelia. Tbilisi, 1975; Tskhadaya N.A. On the function of the prefix in the anthroponyms of Mountain Megrelia // Machinery. Tbilisi, 1974. No. 1. On the load. language

20 Panek L. Mtiuly. P. 11.

21 Megrelidze I.R. Laz and Mingrelian layers in Gurian. L., 1938. P. 141.

22 Ibid. P. 140.

23 In memory of academician N. Ya. Marra. M.; L., 1938. pp. 152–181.

24 Ibid. P. 176.

25 Nikonov V. A. Introduction to toponymy. M., 1964. S. 103–104.