Family Rus'. The most common surnames

What surnames are most common in Russia today? Which one is most common? You will probably say that the most common surname is Ivanov. And you can't go wrong. We have prepared a list for you that includes the most common surnames in Russia. We will also give several examples of the origin of the most common surnames in Russia.

Balanovskaya list

A group of researchers led by Elena Balanovskaya published a paper entitled “Family Portraits of Five Russian Regions” in the journal “Medical Genetics” in 2005.

The criterion for inclusion of a surname in the list was as follows: it was included if at least five bearers of this surname lived in the region for three generations. First, lists were compiled for five conditional regions - Northern, Central, Central-Western, Central-Eastern and Southern.

• The first 25 surnames from this list, the so-called “all-Russian surnames”:

Smirnov, Ivanov, Kuznetsov, Sokolov, Popov, Lebedev
Kozlov, Novikov, Morozov, Petrov, Volkov, Solovyov
Vasiliev, Zaitsev, Pavlov, Semenov, Golubev, Vinogradov
Bogdanov, Vorobyov, Fedorov, Mikhailov, Belyaev, Tarasov, Belov

A similar list was compiled by V. A. Nikonov based on the Moscow telephone directory in the 80s of the 20th century. Using extensive material (surnames of about 3 million people), he identified the most common Russian surnames (according to his data, Smirnov, Ivanov, Popov and Kuznetsov) and compiled a map of the distribution of these and other most common surnames.

At the end of the 20th century, Nazarov A.I. compiled a new list of the 100 most common surnames of residents of St. Petersburg, in which there are 17 new surnames compared to the previous list. Also, many of the names in it are not in the same places as at the beginning of the 20th century. The most popular: Ivanov, Vasiliev, Smirnov, Petrov, Mikhailov.

Zhuravlev's list is a modern edition.

Another list of the most popular Russian surnames (500 surnames), but more modern, was compiled at the beginning of the 21st century by a team of employees of the Department of Etymology and Onomastics of the Institute of Russian Language of the Russian Academy of Sciences under the leadership of A.F. Zhuravlev.

• The first 25 names from this list:

Ivanov, Smirnov, Kuznetsov, Popov, Vasiliev, Petrov, Sokolov, Mikhailov, Novikov, Fedorov, Morozov, Volkov, Alekseev, Lebedev, Semyonov, Egorov, Pavlov, Kozlov, Stepanov, Nikolaev, Orlov, Andreev, Makarov, Nikitin, Zakharov

The origin and meaning of some of them is curious.

The most common surname in Russia is Ivanov.

Initially, this is a patronymic from the form Ivan from the male name John. Ivanov is an original Russian surname, since the derivative name was in use for several centuries; among the peasantry it captured literally all men.

There are now thousands of Ivanovs in the Russian capital, among them there are even Ivan Ivanovichs. And this despite the fact that the surname Ivanov is not very typical for Moscow. But it is widespread in large centers. However, in some areas its absence, although not complete, is due to the fact that the name Ivan was used in other forms, from which patronymics became the progenitors of surnames.

There are more than a hundred of these forms. For example, the surname Ivin can be included here, since almost all Ivins received their surname not from the name of the Iva tree, but from Iva, a diminutive form of a popular male name. Another form of the name is Ivsha. Also diminutive forms of Ivan are Ishko and Itsko. The latter is more typical of Smolensk dialects or the Belarusian language. Ishko is a South Russian dialect or Ukrainian language.

Also, the ancient forms of the name Ivan are Ishunya and Ishuta. Previously, the surname Ivanov was used with an emphasis on the letter a. Nowadays the stress is often placed on the last syllable. It is worth noting that some bearers of this surname often insist on the emphasis on a. This seems nobler to them than the second pronunciation option.

In Moscow, the number of Ivanovs is relatively small. Much more of them live in regional centers. It is also necessary to note the huge number of forms of this surname: Ivanchikov, Ivankov and many others. By the way, other surnames that have names at their core were formed in absolutely the same way: Sidorovs, Egorovs, Sergeevs, Semenovs and many others.

No less common is the surname Smirnov.

About seventy thousand owners of this surname live in Moscow alone. Why so much? It's simple. Previously, in a large family, peasant parents sighed with relief if quiet, not noisy children were born. This is a rather rare quality and is captured in the name Smirna. It, therefore, was often the main name of a person in life, since the church name was immediately forgotten.

The Smirnovs went from the Smirnykhs. Researchers note that this is the most common surname over a fairly vast territory that covers the entire Northern Volga region, but most often the Smirnovs are found in Kostroma, Yaroslavl, Ivanovo and neighboring regions. As you move away from this zone, the surname is less common. The earliest mentions of this surname date back to the Vladimir tithe, when the following was written on birch bark: “Ivan Smirnov son of Samarin” or “Stepan the meek son of the Kuchuks.” Gradually the noun meek changed its emphasis. In addition to the usual surname, there are other derivatives that are less common, these are Smirenkin, Smirnitsky, Sminin, Smirensky.

It should also be added that the surname Smirnov is the ninth most common in the world. Today, more than 2.5 million people wear it. In Russia, most people have this surname in the Volga region and central regions: Kostroma, Ivanovo and Yaroslavl.

The surname Kuznetsov is the third most popular

It is easy to guess that the surname comes from the person’s type of activity. In ancient times, a blacksmith was a fairly respected and wealthy person. Moreover, blacksmiths were often considered almost sorcerers and were a little afraid. Of course: this man knew the secrets of fire, he could make a plow, a sword or a horseshoe from a piece of ore.

The surname Kuznetsov comes from the name of his father’s occupation. The blacksmith used to be a necessary and famous person in his village, so he was called by this surname everywhere. By the way, there are thousands of Kuznetsovs in Moscow, although they are inferior in number to the Ivanovs.

The surname was most often found in the Penza province. Well, in the country as a whole, the distribution of the Kuznetsovs is limited due to the use of Belarusian, Ukrainian and Russian dialects, but from the west to the southwest the surname with the stem “smith” still spreads. It is worth noting that other nations also have very common surnames where the stem means “blacksmith.” The British have the surname Smith, and the Germans have Schmidt.

Here it is worth noting such a fairly common Russian surname as Kovalev. Although the word “koval” does not exist in the Russian literary language. But in Ukraine and southern Russia this is what a blacksmith was called.

But Kuznechikhin and Kovalikhin are derived from the name of a woman - the wife of a blacksmith. Kovankov and Kovalkov are Russified Belarusian and Ukrainian surnames. The names of birds and animals are also one of the sources of surnames and nicknames.

The origin of the surname - Popov - is also quite obvious.

Initially, Popov meant “son of a priest,” “son of a priest.” And here it is worth noting that not all Popovs or Popkovs are descendants of priests. Pop (or Popko) as a personal name was quite common among the laity. Religious parents happily named their children Popili and Popko. However, sometimes the surname Popov was given to a priest's worker, a farm laborer.

This surname is common especially in the north of Russia. The Popovs' calculations showed that in the Arkhangelsk province quite often there is a person with such a surname per thousand people.

There are thousands of Popovs in the Russian capital. Researchers suggest that in the north of Russia the surname spread due to the fact that the election of the clergy there, including priests, took place among the residents.

The basis of the Vasiliev surname was the church name Vasily.

The male baptismal name Vasily goes back to the Greek word basileus - “ruler, king.” Among the patrons of the name are the holy martyr Basil the Athenian, the holy martyr of the 4th century Basil of Ankyria, the Novgorod saint Basil the Blessed, who accomplished the feat of foolishness and tirelessly denounced lies and hypocrisy.

It should be noted that surnames formed from the full form of the name were mainly owned by the social elite, the nobility, or families that enjoyed great authority in the area, whose representatives were respectfully called by their neighbors by their full name, in contrast to people from other classes, who were usually called , diminutive, derivative, everyday names.

In addition, some Vasilievs are of noble origin. Several noble families of Vasiliev are known in the history of Russia.

No less interesting is the origin of the surname - Petrov.

The surname Petrov goes back to the canonical male name Peter (translated from ancient Greek - “stone, rock”). Peter was one of the apostles of Christ, he founded the Christian church and was considered a very strong patron for man.

The surname Petrov is one of the 10 most common in Russia (in some territories up to 6-7 people per thousand).

The name Peter became especially widespread in the 18th century, when this name began to be given in honor of Emperor Peter I. Surnames formed from the full form of the name were mainly used by the social elite, the nobility, or families that enjoyed great authority in the area, whose representatives were respected by neighbors were called by their full name, in contrast to other classes, who were called, as a rule, by diminutive, derivative, everyday names.

The patron of the name Peter was the Christian saint, one of the twelve apostles of Jesus Christ - Peter. In Catholicism, it is believed that the Apostle Peter was the first Roman bishop, that is, the first pope. He was canonized in both the Catholic and Orthodox churches.

In Rome, the feast of Saints Peter and Paul was introduced, as the two most revered apostles, called the supreme holy apostles for their especially zealous service to the Lord and the spread of the faith of Christ.

In Rus', they believed that if you give a child the name of a saint or great martyr, then his life will be bright, good or difficult, because there is an invisible connection between the name and the fate of a person. Peter, over time received the surname Petrov.

The surname Mikhailov is no less popular.

The basis of the surname was the church name Mikhail. The male baptismal name Michael translated from Hebrew means “equal, like God.” The surname Mikhailov was based on its ancient everyday form - Mikhailo.

Among the patrons of this name is the most revered biblical character. The Revelation of John the Theologian tells of the heavenly battle of the Archangel Michael and his angels with the seven-headed and ten-horned dragon, as a result of which the great dragon, the ancient serpent, called the devil and Satan, was cast down to earth.

Also in Russia, surnames that were based on the names of birds and animals have always been popular. Medvedevs, Volkovs, Skvortsovs, Perepelkins - this list can be continued endlessly. Among the top hundred most common Russian surnames, “animal” ones are very common.

According to researchers, Russian surnames are more often associated with birds than with animals or fish. This is partly justified by the Russian cult of birds.

However, on the other hand, the main reason is not the cult of birds, but the everyday and economic role of birds in the life of Russian people: this includes widespread industrial hunting, poultry farming, which was celebrated in every family, and much more.

Among the “birds,” the most common surname in Russia is Sokolov.

This is a patronymic from the non-church Russian male name Sokol. According to some estimates, in St. Petersburg the surname ranked 7th in frequency, and of the surnames that were formed from non-canonical names, Sokolov was second only to Smirnov.

However, this surname, as mentioned above, appeared not only thanks to the name of the bird, but also thanks to the old Russian name. In honor of the beautiful and proud bird, parents often gave their sons the name Falcon. It was one of the most common non-church names. In general, it should be noted that the Russians very often used the names of birds to create names. Some scientists even believe that this is due to the cult of birds that our ancestors had.

"Bird" surname Lebedev

Another “bird” surname that made it onto our list. Researchers debate its origin. The most plausible version of the appearance of the Lebedev surname is its origin from the non-church name Lebed.

Some scientists associate this surname with the city, which is located in the Sumy region.

There is a version that connects the origin of this surname with a special group of people - the “swan crowers”. These are the slaves who were supposed to deliver the swans to the prince's table. This was a special type of tax.

It is quite possible that this surname arose due to man’s admiration for this beautiful bird.

There is another theory regarding the Lebedev surname: it is believed that it was given to priests because of its euphony.

The famous Russian linguist A.F. Zhuravlev, Doctor of Philology, Head of the Department of Etymology and Onomastics at the Institute of Russian Language, also made his contribution to the study of statistics of Russian surnames. V. V. Vinogradov RAS (Moscow).

A.F. Zhuravlev used telephone directories of several cities in Russia and other former Soviet territories, library catalogues, personal lists of institutions, lists of applicants for some Moscow universities, diverse arrays of onomastic (family) material on the Internet, etc. the territory is not clearly delineated by him, the list of cities whose telephone directories were used is not given in full (among those named by A.F. Zhuravlev are Moscow, Ryazan, Vladimir, Krasnoyarsk, in Ukraine - Greater Yalta). The principles for selecting cities are not sufficiently substantiated. The very nature of obtaining material is debatable. A.F. Zhuravlev himself admits that he cannot “estimate with any accuracy the total volume of onomastic units that came into view, and, consequently, the share in it of those surnames that were included in the final list.

From the flow of surnames flowing into our hands, only those were selected that were included in the preliminary 800-unit list (further shortened to 500 surnames with the most reliable statistics).” The list itself of 800 units (i.e., surnames) was compiled intuitively. All this reduces the significance of the results obtained, but nevertheless the list of the 500 most common Russian surnames is interesting. The number of all carriers of the first 500 most common Russian surnames, recorded according to various sources, is several hundred thousand. Obviously, this list will still be refined, since according to A.F. Zhuravlev himself, the statistics given “can be considered to be only of a very preliminary nature, but in any case better than Unbegaun’s table” (meaning the appendix to the book “Russian surnames” with a list of the most common surnames in St. Petersburg in 1910).

I decided to list these 500 names so that site visitors can familiarize themselves with them. Two columns with data for comparison of statistics of the same surnames in St. Petersburg in 1910 were excluded from the material of A.F. Zhuravlev (they were taken from the work of B.O. Unbegaun). In the final table, to the right of the surname there is a number showing the relative occurrence of the surname. It was obtained by relating the total absolute frequency of a given surname to the total absolute frequency of the most common Russian surname Ivanov.

So, the list compiled by A.F. Zhuravlev. During preparation for posting on the site, it was discovered that there were three more surnames (they are given without a serial number). To find the desired surname, use the search function of your browser.

Rank	Surname	Frequency
1	Ivanov	1,0000
2	Smirnov	0,7412
3	Kuznetsov	0,7011
4	Popov	0,5334
5	Vasiliev	0,4948
6	Petrov	0,4885
7	Sokolov	0,4666
8	Mikhailov	0,3955
9	Novikov	0,3743
10	Fedorov	0,3662
11	Morozov	0,3639
12	Volkov	0,3636
13	Alekseev	0,3460
14	Lebedev	0,3431
15	Semenov	0,3345
16	Egorov	0,3229
17	Pavlov	0,3226
18	Kozlov	0,3139
19	Stepanov	0,3016
20	Nikolaev	0,3005
21	Orlov	0,2976
22	Andreev	0,2972
23	Makarov	0,2924
24	Nikitin	0,2812
25	Zakharov	0,2755
26	Zaitsev	0,2728
27	Soloviev	0,2712
28	Borisov	0,2710
29	Yakovlev	0,2674
30	Grigoriev	0,2541
31	Romanov	0,2442
32	Vorobiev	0,2371
33	Sergeev	0,2365
34	Kuzmin	0,2255
35	Frolov	0,2235
36	Alexandrov	0,2234
37	Dmitriev	0,2171
38	Korolev	0,2083
39	Gusev	0,2075
40	Kiselev	0,2070
41	Ilyin	0,2063
42	Maksimov	0,2059
43	Polyakov	0,2035
44	Sorokin	0,1998
45	Vinogradov	0,1996
46	Kovalev	0,1978
47	Belov	0,1964
48	Medvedev	0,1953
49	Antonov	0,1928
50	Tarasov	0,1896
51	Zhukov	0,1894
52	Baranov	0,1883
53	Filippov	0,1827
54	Komarov	0,1799
55	Davydov	0,1767
56	Belyaev	0,1750
57	Gerasimov	0,1742
58	Bogdanov	0,1706
59	Osipov	0,1702
60	Sidorov	0,1695
61	Matveev	0,1693
62	Titov	0,1646
63	Markov	0,1628
64	Mironov	0,1625
65	Krylov	0,1605
66	Kulikov	0,1605
67	Karpov	0,1584
68	Vlasov	0,1579
69	Melnikov	0,1567
70	Denisov	0,1544
71	Gavrilov	0,1540
72	Tikhonov	0,1537
73	Kazakov	0,1528
74	Afanasiev	0,1516
75	Danilov	0,1505
76	Savelyev	0,1405
77	Timofeev	0,1403
78	Fomin	0,1401
79	Chernov	0,1396
80	Abramov	0,1390
81	Martynov	0,1383
82	Efimov	0,1377
83	Fedotov	0,1377
84	Shcherbakov	0,1375
85	Nazarov	0,1366
86	Kalinin	0,1327
87	Isaev	0,1317
88	Chernyshev	0,1267
89	Bykov	0,1255
90	Maslov	0,1249
91	Rodionov	0,1248
92	Konovalov	0,1245
93	Lazarev	0,1236
94	Voronin	0,1222
95	Klimov	0,1213
96	Filatov	0,1208
97	Ponomarev	0,1203
98	Golubev	0,1200
99	Kudryavtsev	0,1186
100	Prokhorov	0,1182
101	Naumov	0,1172
102	Potapov	0,1165
103	Zhuravlev	0,1160
104	Ovchinnikov	0,1148
105	Trofimov	0,1148
106	Leonov	0,1142
107	Sobolev	0,1135
108	Ermakov	0,1120
109	Kolesnikov	0,1120
110	Goncharov	0,1115
111	Emelyanov	0,1081
112	Nikiforov	0,1055
113	Grachev	0,1049
114	Kotov	0,1037
115	Grishin	0,1017
116	Efremov	0,0995
117	Arkhipov	0,0993
118	Gromov	0,0986
119	Kirillov	0,0982
120	Malyshev	0,0978
121	Panov	0,0978
122	Moiseev	0,0975
123	Rumyantsev	0,0975
124	Akimov	0,0963
125	Kondratiev	0,0954
126	Biryukov	0,0950
127	Gorbunov	0,0940
128	Anisimov	0,0925
129	Eremin	0,0916
130	Tikhomirov	0,0907
131	Galkin	0,0884
132	Lukyanov	0,0876
133	Mikheev	0,0872
134	Skvortsov	0,0862
135	Yudin	0,0859
136	Belousov	0,0856
137	Nesterov	0,0842
138	Simonov	0,0834
139	Prokofiev	0,0826
140	Kharitonov	0,0819
141	Knyazev	0,0809
142	Tsvetkov	0,0807
143	Levin	0,0806
144	Mitrofanov	0,0796
145	Voronov	0,0792
146	Aksenov	0,0781
147	Sofronov	0,0781
148	Maltsev	0,0777
149	Loginov	0,0774
150	Gorshkov	0,0771
151	Savin	0,0771
152	Krasnov	0,0761
153	Mayorov	0,0761
154	Demidov	0,0756
155	Eliseev	0,0754
156	Rybakov	0,0754
157	Safonov	0,0753
158	Plotnikov	0,0749
159	Demin	0,0745
160	Khokhlov	0,0745
161	Fadeev	0,0740
162	Molchanov	0,0739
163	Ignatov	0,0738
164	Litvinov	0,0738
165	Ershov	0,0736
166	Ushakov	0,0736
167	Dementiev	0,0722
168	Ryabov	0,0722
169	Mukhin	0,0719
170	Kalashnikov	0,0715
171	Leontyev	0,0714
172	Lobanov	0,0714
173	Kuzin	0,0712
174	Korneev	0,0710
175	Evdokimov	0,0700
176	Borodin	0,0699
177	Platonov	0,0699
178	Nekrasov	0,0697
179	Balashov	0,0694
180	Bobrov	0,0692
181	Zhdanov	0,0692
182	Blinov	0,0687
183	Ignatiev	0,0683
184	Korotkov	0,0678
185	Muravyov	0,0675
186	Kryukov	0,0672
187	Belyakov	0,0671
188	Bogomolov	0,0671
189	Drozdov	0,0669
190	Lavrov	0,0666
191	Zuev	0,0664
192	Petukhov	0,0661
193	Larin	0,0659
194	Nikulin	0,0657
195	Serov	0,0657
196	Terentyev	0,0652
197	Zotov	0,0651
198	Ustinov	0,0650
199	Fokin	0,0648
200	Samoilov	0,0647
201	Konstantinov	0,0645
202	Sakharov	0,0641
203	Shishkin	0,0640
204	Samsonov	0,0638
205	Cherkasov	0,0637
206	Chistyakov	0,0637
207	Nosov	0,0630
208	Spiridonov	0,0627
209	Karasev	0,0618
210	Avdeev	0,0613
211	Vorontsov	0,0612
212	Zverev	0,0606
213	Vladimirov	0,0605
214	Seleznev	0,0598
215	Nechaev	0,0590
216	Kudryashov	0,0587
217	Sedov	0,0580
218	Firsov	0,0578
219	Andrianov	0,0577
220	Panin	0,0577
221	Golovin	0,0571
222	Terekhov	0,0569
223	Ulyanov	0,0567
224	Shestakov	0,0566
225	Ageev	0,0564
226	Nikonov	0,0564
227	Selivanov	0,0564
228	Bazhenov	0,0562
229	Gordeev	0,0562
230	Kozhevnikov	0,0562
231	Pakhomov	0,0560
232	Zimin	0,0557
233	Kostin	0,0556
234	Shirokov	0,0553
235	Filimonov	0,0550
236	Larionov	0,0549
237	Ovsyannikov	0,0546
238	Sazonov	0,0545
239	Suvorov	0,0545
240	Nefedov	0,0543
241	Kornilov	0,0541
242	Lyubimov	0,0541
243	Lviv	0,0536
244	Gorbachev	0,0535
245	Kopylov	0,0534
246	Lukin	0,0531
247	Tokarev	0,0527
248	Kuleshov	0,0525
249	Shilov	0,0522
250	Bolshakov	0,0518
251	Pankratov	0,0518
252	Rodin	0,0514
253	Shapovalov	0,0514
254	Pokrovsky	0,0513
255	Bocharov	0,0507
256	Nikolsky	0,0507
257	Markin	0,0506
258	Gorelov	0,0500
259	Agafonov	0,0499
260	Berezin	0,0499
261	Ermolaev	0,0495
262	Zubkov	0,0495
263	Kupriyanov	0,0495
264	Trifonov	0,0495
265	Maslennikov	0,0488
266	Kruglov	0,0486
267	Tretyakov	0,0486
268	Kolosov	0,0485
269	Rozhkov	0,0485
270	Artamonov	0,0482
271	Shmelev	0,0481
272	Laptev	0,0478
273	Lapshin	0,0468
274	Fedoseev	0,0467
275	Zinoviev	0,0465
276	Zorin	0,0465
277	Utkin	0,0464
278	Stolyarov	0,0461
279	Zubov	0,0458
280	Tkachev	0,0454
281	Dorofeev	0,0450
282	Antipov	0,0447
283	Zavyalov	0,0447
284	Sviridov	0,0447
285	Zolotarev	0,0446
286	Kulakov	0,0446
287	Meshcheryakov	0,0444
288	Makeev	0,0436
289	Dyakonov	0,0434
290	Gulyaev	0,0433
291	Petrovsky	0,0432
292	Bondarev	0,0430
293	Pozdnyakov	0,0430
294	Panfilov	0,0427
295	Kochetkov	0,0426
296	Sukhanov	0,0425
297	Ryzhov	0,0422
298	Starostin	0,0421
299	Kalmykov	0,0418
300	Kolesov	0,0416
301	Zolotov	0,0415
302	Kravtsov	0,0414
303	Subbotin	0,0414
304	Shubin	0,0414
305	Shchukin	0,0412
306	Losev	0,0411
307	Vinokurov	0,0409
308	Lapin	0,0409
309	Parfenov	0,0409
310	Isakov	0,0407
311	Golovanov	0,0402
312	Korovin	0,0402
313	Rozanov	0,0401
314	Artemov	0,0400
315	Kozyrev	0,0400
316	Rusakov	0,0398
317	Aleshin	0,0397
318	Kryuchkov	0,0397
319	Bulgakov	0,0395
320	Koshelev	0,0391
321	Sychev	0,0391
322	Sinitsyn	0,0390
323	Black	0,0383
324	Rogov	0,0381
325	Kononov	0,0379
326	Lavrentiev	0,0377
327	Evseev	0,0376
328	Pimenov	0,0376
329	Panteleev	0,0374
330	Goryachev	0,0373
331	Anikin	0,0372
332	Lopatin	0,0372
333	Rudakov	0,0372
334	Odintsov	0,0370
335	Serebryakov	0,0370
336	Pankov	0,0369
337	Degtyarev	0,0367
338	Orekhov	0,0367
339	Tsarev	0,0363
340	Shuvalov	0,0356
341	Kondrashov	0,0355
342	Goryunov	0,0353
343	Dubrovin	0,0353
344	Golikov	0,0349
345	Kurochkin	0,0348
346	Latyshev	0,0348
347	Sevastyanov	0,0348
348	Vavilov	0,0346
349	Erofeev	0,0345
350	Salnikov	0,0345
351	Klyuev	0,0344
352	Noskov	0,0339
353	Ozerov	0,0339
354	Koltsov	0,0338
355	Commissioners	0,0337
356	Merkulov	0,0337
357	Kireev	0,0335
358	Khomyakov	0,0335
359	Bulatov	0,0331
360	Ananyev	0,0329
361	Burov	0,0327
362	Shaposhnikov	0,0327
363	Druzhinin	0,0324
364	Ostrovsky	0,0324
365	Shevelev	0,0320
366	Dolgov	0,0319
367	Suslov	0,0319
368	Shevtsov	0,0317
369	Pastukhov	0,0316
370	Rubtsov	0,0313
371	Bychkov	0,0312
372	Glebov	0,0312
373	Ilyinsky	0,0312
374	Uspensky	0,0312
375	Dyakov	0,0310
376	Kochetov	0,0310
377	Vishnevsky	0,0307
378	Vysotsky	0,0305
379	Glukhov	0,0305
380	Dubov	0,0305
381	Bessonov	0,0302
382	Sitnikov	0,0302
383	Astafiev	0,0300
384	Meshkov	0,0300
385	Sharov	0,0300
386	Yashin	0,0299
387	Kozlovsky	0,0298
388	Tumanov	0,0298
389	Basov	0,0296
390	Korchagin	0,0295
391	Boldyrev	0,0293
392	Oleynikov	0,0293
393	Chumakov	0,0293
394	Fomichev	0,0291
395	Gubanov	0,0289
396	Dubinin	0,0289
397	Shulgin	0,0289
398	Kasatkin	0,0285
399	Pirogov	0,0285
400	Semin	0,0285
401	Troshin	0,0284
402	Gorokhov	0,0282
403	Old people	0,0282
404	Shcheglov	0,0281
405	Fetisov	0,0279
406	Kolpakov	0,0278
407	Chesnokov	0,0278
408	Zykov	0,0277
409	Vereshchagin	0,0274
410	Minaev	0,0272
411	Rudnev	0,0272
412	Trinity	0,0272
413	Okulov	0,0271
414	Shiryaev	0,0271
415	Malinin	0,0270
416	Cherepanov	0,0270
417	Izmailov	0,0268
418	Alekhine	0,0265
419	Zelenin	0,0265
420	Kasyanov	0,0265
421	Pugachev	0,0265
422	Pavlovsky	0,0264
423	Chizhov	0,0264
424	Kondratov	0,0263
425	Voronkov	0,0261
426	Kapustin	0,0261
427	Sotnikov	0,0261
428	Demyanov	0,0260
429	Kosarev	0,0257
430	Belikov	0,0254
431	Sukharev	0,0254
432	Belkin	0,0253
433	Bespalov	0,0253
434	Kulagin	0,0253
435	Savitsky	0,0253
436	Zharov	0,0253
437	Khromov	0,0251
438	Eremeev	0,0250
439	Kartashov	0,0250
440	Astakhov	0,0246
441	Rusanov	0,0246
442	Sukhov	0,0246
443	Veshnyakov	0,0244
444	Voloshin	0,0244
445	Kozin	0,0244
446	Khudyakov	0,0244
447	Zhilin	0,0242
448	Malakhov	0,0239
449	Sizov	0,0237
450	Yezhov	0,0235
451	Tolkachev	0,0235
452	Anokhin	0,0232
453	Vdovin	0,0232
454	Babushkin	0,0231
455	Usov	0,0231
456	Lykov	0,0229
457	Gorlov	0,0228
458	Korshunov	0,0228
459	Markelov	0,0226
460	Postnikov	0,0225
461	Black	0,0225
462	Dorokhov	0,0224
463	Sveshnikov	0,0224
464	Gushchin	0,0222
465	Kalugin	0,0222
466	Blokhin	0,0221
467	Surkov	0,0221
468	Kochergin	0,0219
469	Grekov	0,0217
470	Kazantsev	0,0217
471	Shvetsov	0,0217
472	Ermilov	0,0215
473	Paramonov	0,0215
474	Agapov	0,0214
475	Minin	0,0214
476	Kornev	0,0212
477	Chernyaev	0,0212
478	Gurov	0,0210
479	Ermolov	0,0210
480	Somov	0,0210
481	Dobrynin	0,0208
482	Barsukov	0,0205
483	Glushkov	0,0203
484	Chebotarev	0,0203
485	Moskvin	0,0201
486	Uvarov	0,0201
487	Bezrukov	0,0200
488	Muratov	0,0200
489	Rakov	0,0198
490	Snegirev	0,0198
491	Gladkov	0,0197
492	Zlobin	0,0197
493	Morgunov	0,0197
494	Polikarpov	0,0197
495	Ryabinin	0,0197
496	Sudakov	0,0196
497	Kukushkin	0,0193
498	Kalachev	0,0191
499	Gribov	0,0190
500	Elizarov	0,0190
	Zvyagintsev	0,0190
	Korolkov	0,0190
	Fedosov	0,0190

The most common surnames and their history of origin:

Kuznetsov Surname from the father's name according to his occupation. Since the blacksmith was the most necessary and well-known person in the village, naming on this basis was universal. Therefore, the surname Kuznetsov is one of the most common in Russia;
Thousands of Kuznetsovs lived in Moscow (second in number only to the Ivanovs, of whom there were thousands. In some areas, the surname Kuznetsov took first place in frequency (for example, in the volosts of Kerensky and Chembarsky districts of the Penza province, out of thousands of Russians included in the calculations, the Kuznetsov person) Throughout the country as a whole, the spread of the surname Kuznetsov is somewhat limited by the use of the Ukrainian, Belarusian and Russian dialect word koval in the same meaning of “blacksmith”, so surnames with this stem spread from the west and southwest. Other nations also have very common surnames with the stem , meaning “blacksmith”, for example, the most common English surname is Smith, the German Schmidt. (N) Kovalev is one of the most common Russian surnames, although the word “koval” is not in the Russian literary language. In the south of Russia and Ukraine, a blacksmith is called a blacksmith. “If not farrier, don’t get your hands dirty” (that is, don’t get dirty), folk wisdom advises; don’t take on a job you don’t know. (F) Kovalenya. One of the suffixes forming Belarusian surnames is -enya. Kowalski is a Polish or Ukrainian surname. Kovalikhin and Kuznechikhin, metronymic surnames, are derived from the name of a woman, the wife of a blacksmith. Kovalkov, Kovankov are verified Ukrainian or Belarusian surnames.

2. Smirnov Smirnov is one of the most common Russian surnames. In Moscow alone there are seventy thousand Smirnovs. Why? In a large peasant family, quiet, non-shouting children were a great relief for parents. This quality, rare for small children, was imprinted in the worldly name Smirnaya; it often became the main name of a person for the rest of his life (the church name was forgotten by those around him). From the Smirnykhs came the Smirnovs. (F) The most common Russian surname in a vast strip covering the entire Northern Volga region, most often in the Yaroslavl, Kostroma, Ivanovo regions and adjacent areas of neighboring regions; to the east, this zone extends to the Kirov region. As you move away from this zone, the frequency decreases. In Moscow, the surname Smirnov took fifth place in a thousand people) By origin, it is a patronymic from the Russian non-church male name Smirna, i.e. “meek, quiet, obedient” Early examples of patronymics in the Vladimir tithe of the city “Ivan Smirnovo son of Samarin” “Stepan meek son of Kuchuks” The common noun changed its vowel and place of stress, and the surname retained its archaic form (similarly: Tolstoy Tolstoy (N ) Surnames Smirnin, Smirenkin from the ancient Slavic names Smirena, Smirenka. Smirensky, Smirnitsky seminary surnames from the same root.

3. Ivanov Patronymic from the common form Ivan from the canonical male personal name John. Ivanov is the most common surname of Russians, since the name remained the most common among Russians for several centuries (from century to century: among the peasantry it covered from up to all men. In Moscow there are thousands of Ivanovs (of which Ivan Ivanovich) It is characteristic that in this territory the surname Ivanov is usually not very common, inferior to many others, but it is widespread everywhere and therefore takes first place in large centers and throughout the country. Its relative rarity in certain areas is due to the fact that the name was used in many different forms, patronymics from which became surnames. There are significantly more than a hundred of these forms, and surnames from patronymics formed from these forms are correspondingly numerous. (N) The most common male name in Russia, Ivan, “Ivanov is like filthy mushrooms,” people joked) gave rise to dozens of derivative forms. I confidently include the surname Ivin in this list, since most Ivins are not from the name of the tree, but from Iva, a shortened form of the name Ivan. Ivsha is also one of the forms of this name. Itsko, Ishko are diminutive forms of the name Ivan. Itsko is more characteristic of the Belarusian language and Smolensk dialects, Ishko is more characteristic of the Ukrainian language and South Russian dialects. Ishunya, Ishuta are ancient diminutive forms of the name Ivan. (F) V c. the surname was used with an emphasis on a. Nowadays it is more often used with the stress on the last syllable. It is characteristic that some bearers of the surname insist on a form with an emphasis on a, which seems to them more noble than the usual one with an emphasis on the last syllable.

4. Popov Not all Popovs and Popkovs are descendants of priests. As a personal name, Pop (Popko) was very common among worldly people. Religious parents willingly named their children Popili Popko. Example: landowner Popko (near Senka Pop, peasant Popko Efimov, peasant Sometimes the surname Popov was given to a worker, farm laborer. (F) One of the most common surnames in Russia, especially in the north of the country. Counting surnames in the Arkhangelsk province showed an unprecedentedly high frequency of Popovs in a thousand people. In Moscow there are a thousand Popovs. Initially, popov meant: patronymic “son of a priest” patronymic “son of a priest” from the nickname Pop; from centuries-old documents peasant Senka Pop, Don Cossack Mikhailo Pop, etc. worker of the priest priests worker. As an assumption of the spread of this surname in the north of Russia, we can assume the election of the clergy in these areas: until the century, priests were not appointed there, but were elected by the residents themselves from among themselves.(N)

5. Sokolov The names of animals and birds are one of the main sources of nicknames and surnames derived from them. "Bird" surnames occupy positions in the first hundred Russian surnames. Sokolov is the most common among the “birds” and is in seventh position in the frequency list of all Russian surnames. (U) Sokolov. Patronymic from the Russian non-church male name Sokol. One of the ten most common Russian surnames. According to B. Unbegun's calculations, in St. Petersburg it ranked seventh in frequency, and of all surnames formed from non-canonical names, it was second only to Smirnov. The unusually high frequency of Russian surnames based on the names of birds was noted by the prominent foreign Slavist V.R. Kiparsky, proving in his articles that this is dictated by the cult of birds among the Russians. My calculations confirmed that Russian surnames are indeed associated with birds more often than with animals or, for example, fish. But this phenomenon cannot be explained by the cult of birds, since the majority of surnames are of later origin centuries. only a minority are older) and we can talk about the origin not of surnames, but of the names from which they are derived. However, in this case, the main reason is not the cult of the bird, but the enormous economic and everyday role of birds in the life of Russians: widespread industrial hunting, poultry farming in every family, grand falconry and much more (for more details, see Nikonov V.A. Name and society. M. (N) Sokolikha, wife of Sokol. Surnames in -sky may be of Ukrainian Polish origin. Possibly from the geographical names Sokol, Sokolovo. Similarly Sokologorsky Sokolinaya Gora. Similar to Russian Sokoltsov
Next in the ranking are:

6. Lebedev
7. Kozlov
8. Novikov
9. Morozov
10. Petrov
11. Volkov
12. Soloviev
13. Vasiliev
14. Zaitsev
15. Pavlov
16. Semenov
17. Golubev
18. Vinogradov
19. Bogdanov
20. Vorobiev
21. Fedorov
22. Mikhailov
23. Belyaev
24. Tarasov
25. Belov
26. Komarov
27. Orlov
28. Kiselev
29. Makarov
30. Andreev
31. Kovalev
32. Ilyin
33. Gusev
34. Titov
35. Kuzmin
36. Kudryavtsev
37. Baranov
38. Kulikov
39. Alekseev
40. Stepanov
41. Yakovlev
42. Sorokin
43. Sergeev
44. Romanov
45. Zakharov
46. ​​Borisov
47. Korolev
48. Gerasimov
49. Ponomarev
50. Grigoriev
51. Lazarev
52. Medvedev (from Layola: let’s remember the president of the Russian Federation)
53. Ershov
54. Nikitin
55. Sobolev
56. Ryabov
57. Polyakov
58. Tsvetkov
59. Danilov
60. Zhukov
61. Frolov
62. Zhuravlev
63. Nikolaev
64. Krylov
65. Maximov
66. Sidorov
67. Osipov
68. Belousov
69. Fedotov
70. Dorofeev
71. Egorov
72. Matveev
73. Bobrov
74. Dmitriev
75. Kalinin
76. Anisimov
77. Petukhov
78. Antonov
79. Timofeev
80. Nikiforov
81. Veselov
82. Filippov
83. Markov
84. Bolshakov
85. Sukhanov
86. Mironov
87. Shiryaev
88. Alexandrov
89. Konovalov
90. Shestakov
91. Kazakov
92. Efimov
93. Denisov
94. Gromov
95. Fomin
96. Davydov
97. Melnikov
98. Shcherbakov
99. Blinov
100. Kolesnikov

Content

Today it is impossible to imagine the life of a modern person without a surname. It connects people with family members and the whole clan. This is how the ancestors who lived hundreds of years ago identified themselves. There are many surnames in Russia that come from the distant past, but there are also more common ones.

Origin of Russian surnames

In Rus' initially there were no surnames. What looked like a family name in the chronicles had a completely different meaning. For example, Ivan Petrov meant Ivan the son of Peter. The most common forms that were encountered (Chobot, Shemyaka, Upyr) were nicknames that were given for some personal qualities of a person or for his profession. They were individual and were not passed on to descendants.

The history of the origin of surnames among the upper class related to places of residence or to belonging to a princely (royal) family. Thus, the Vyazemsky princes were called because of the possessions that were located in the city of Vyazma, the Rzhevsky princes - because of the city of Rzhev, and so on. The formation of nominal families in Russia began by changing endings, prefixes, suffixes, or by connecting the root system with the name or nickname of the founder of the clan.

The process of formation of boyar dynasties is perfectly illustrated by the history of the royal family of the Romanovs, whose ancestors lived in the 14th century. The founder was Andrei Koshka Kobylin, and his descendants were called Koshkins. One of the children of Kobylin’s grandson began to be called Zakharyin-Koshkin, and the latter’s son was named Roman. Then Nikita Romanovich was born, whose children and grandchildren were already called Romanovs. This is still a common Russian surname.

When did they appear

The first naming of an entire family in Rus' occurred in the 15th century. The sources, as already mentioned, were the profession of the ancestor, the name of the craft or the geographical name. First, the upper classes received clan names, and the poor and peasants acquired them last, since they were serfs. The emergence of surnames in Russia of foreign origin first occurred among nobles who came from Greek, Polish or Lithuanian families.

In the 17th century, Western genealogies were added to them, such as the Lermontovs and Fonvizins. Generic names from Tatar immigrants are Karamzins, Akhmatovs, Yusupovs and many others. The most common dynasty in Russia at that time was the Bakhteyarov, which was worn by the Rurik princes from the Rostov branch. Also in fashion were the Beklemishevs, whose name was the boyar of Vasily I Fyodor Elizarovich.

During this period, peasants only had patronymics or nicknames. Documents of that time had the following entries: “Danilo Soplya, peasant” or “Efimko son Crooked cheeks, landowner.” Only in the north of the country did peasant men bear real pedigree names, since serfdom did not apply to the Novgorod lands.

The most common families of free peasants are Lomonosov and Yakovlev. Peter the Great, by his decree in 1719, officially introduced documents - travel documents, which contained the name, nickname, place of residence and other information. From this year, dynasties of merchants, office workers, clergy, and subsequently, from 1888, among peasants began to be established.

What is the most common Russian surname?

Beautiful, and therefore popular even now, surnames were given to representatives of the clergy. The basis was the name of the church or parish. Before this, priests were called simply: Father Alexander or Father Fedor. Afterwards they were given generic names such as Uspensky, Blagoveshchensky, Pokrovsky, Rozhdestvensky. Non-church common dynasties in Russia are associated with the names of cities - Bryantsev, Moskvichev, Tambovtsev, Smolyaninov. Successful graduates of the seminary were given the beautiful names of Diamonds, Dobrolyubov, Pharaohs, which are still popular today.

For men

A worthy surname is of great importance for modern people. Genus names that have a semantic meaning are popular among men. For example, the names of descendants recognized by all are derived from the professional nickname Bondarchuk (cooper), Kuznetsov (blacksmith), Bogomazov (icon painter), Vinokur (manufacturer of alcoholic beverages).

Interesting Russian male surnames have a loud and sonorous pronunciation - Pobedonostsev, Dobrovolsky, Tsezarev. Beautiful and popular Russian generic names today come from nominal origins - Mikhailov, Vasiliev, Sergeev, Ivanov. No less successful, based on the names of birds and animals, are Lebedev, Volkov, Kotov, Belkin, Orlov, Sokolov. Trees and shrubs also left their mark. Popular families are formed from the names of plants - Kornev, Berezkin, Malinin, Dubov.

Women's

As history tells us, female generic names were formed in the same way as male ones - through prefixes and suffixes. The most famous Russian surnames for girls come from proper names, names of animals, birds. Morozova, Vorontsova, Arakcheeva, Muravyova-Apostol and others sound great. The list of pedigrees for girls descended from representatives of flora and fauna sounds no less beautiful - Strizhenova, Medvedeva, Vorontsova, Vorobyova.

No less popular, formed from a deep semantic meaning with an emphasis on the first syllable: Slavic, Wise, Shchedraya, Rodina. They are heard and pronounced perfectly - Popova, Novikova, Svetlova, Lavrova, Teplova. Among foreign generic names there are also a large number of beautiful ones:

• German: Lehmann, Werner, Braun, Weber;
• English: Mills, Ray, Taylor, Stone, Grant;
• Polish: Yaguzhinskaya, Koval, Vitkovskaya, Troyanovskaya;
• Belarusian: Larchenko, Polyanskaya, Ostrovskaya, Belskaya;
• Bulgarian: Toneva, Blagoeva, Angelova, Dimitrova.

The most famous Russian surnames

Researchers of the statistics of Russian hereditary names argue that they often originate from populated regions, sacred holidays or the names of parents. Sometimes surnames were given among the nobility and landowners by truncation of full family names, and they were usually assigned to a natural child. Among them: Temkin (Potemkin), Betskoy (Trubetskoy), Pnin (Repnin). In modern Russia, the most famous families of hereditary artists are Bondarchuk, Tabakov, Mashkov, Mikhalkov.

List of the most common surnames in Russia

Based on the results of many years of research, scientists compiled a list of 500 generic names common in Russia. The ten most popular included:

1. Smirnov. There is no clear opinion about the origin. Various versions are proposed, from the introduction of backward peasants to the “new world”, to the connection with the name Smirnaya, which in Rus' characterized an accommodating and peaceful person. A more probable version is one based on the naming of people who are humble before God.
2. Ivanov. It is not difficult to guess that the origin is connected with the Russian name Ivan, popular at all times.
3. Kuznetsov. He is the most respected among the village men. In every village, the blacksmith was respected and had a large family, the male part of which was provided with work until the end of his days. In the dialects of the western and southern regions of Russia there is the word koval instead of blacksmith, therefore one of the transformations of Kuznetsov is Kovalev.
4. Vasiliev. Although children are not often called Vasily in the modern world, the surname is firmly entrenched in the top ten most common ones.
5. Novikov. The popularity is due to the fact that every newcomer or newcomer was previously called Novik. This nickname passed down to his descendants.
6. Yakovlev. Derived from a popular male name. Jacob is the secular equivalent of the church name Jacob.
7. Popov. Initially, this nickname was given to the son of a priest or a worker (farm) of a clergyman.
8. Fedorov. The basis was a male name, very common in Rus'. The surname Khodorov has the same roots from the name Khodor.
9. Kozlov. Before the introduction of Christianity, the Slavs were pagans, so naming a person after a plant or animal was a tradition. The goat has always been considered a symbol of fertility and vitality, which is why it is a favorite fairy-tale character among the Slavs. The animal became a symbol of the devil after the advent of Christianity.
10. Morozov. Also a non-church common name in Rus'. Previously, the name Frost was given to a baby born in winter. This is the image of a hero who has unlimited power during the cold season.

Video:

In recent times, the history of the origin and spread of surnames worried only linguists, historians, ethnographers and, naturally, owners of this value. However, recently, scientists from the Laboratory of Popular Human Genetics of the Medical Genetic Research Center of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences have become interested in this issue.

What is the reason for the unexpected excitement around a seemingly unremarkable historical heritage?

How to compile a list of the 100 most common Russian surnames

Scientists claim that the entire Russian gene pool is hidden in the origins of native Russian surnames.

Considering hundreds of thousands of surnames concentrated in the vast expanses of the Russian state, the researchers took as a basis only the indigenous people who geographically live in Central Russia and the Russian North.

But here, too, problems arose: the most common surnames did not always turn out to be original Russian ones. Therefore, scientists were faced with the task of separating the original and migratory specimens.

Additional parameters were introduced that the surname had to correspond to:

• At least three representatives per surname.
• Compliance with local linguistic norms and dialects.

After this, 14,428 remained from the original list.

By the way, scientists are considering 8 regions: Arkhangelsk, Kostroma, Smolensk, Belgorod, Kursk and Voronezh regions, as well as the Kashinsky district of the Tver region.

These areas make up 5 regions of Russia: Northern, Eastern, Central, Western, Southern.

Ivanovs, Smirnovs: founders of the genetic fund

The most common surnames include 250 names.

The list was compiled based on the frequency of their predominance in each of the previously designated regions.

I would like to say that even a simple layman, who is unfamiliar with genetic and historical sciences, could name some names.

For example, when asked “what is the most common surname in Russia,” every second person will say: “Smirnovs, Ivanovs.” They will take this data not from research, but from the realities of life: everyone has such a friend or acquaintance. They top the list of the 100 most common surnames.

History of the study of the issue: V.A. Nikonov and B.O. Unbegaun

As noted earlier, geneticists were not the first to become interested in the origin of surnames. Linguists, historians and ethnographers can be called pioneers in this field.

These include the Soviet onomatologist V.A. Nikonov. It was his mind that came up with the officially registered conclusion about what are the most common surnames in Russia. Nikonov found that Smirnovs, Ivanovs, Popovs and Kuznetsovs are the most common names in the designated areas.

And the top lists compiled “The most common Russian surname” are far from a modern innovation.

The first such list belongs to the pen of B.O. Unbegaun. It was compiled in 1972 according to the St. Petersburg address book. The most common surnames were borne by 31,503 people. And out of 200 thousand names from the address book, Unbegaun identified the 100 most popular. But the list he identified was not pure and included not only Russian residents, but also visitors. For example, Schmidt and Miller can hardly be called Slavic, therefore, based on this fact, the book “Russian Surnames” published in 1989 can hardly be called 100% reliable.

The most common Russian surname: list of geneticists

Will you find yourself on the list compiled by geneticists? And what is the most common Russian surname, of course, besides those already stated?

In order to find out the answers to these questions, at least one list must be made public. To do this, we chose a list compiled by geneticists based on 5 Russian regions. To make searching easier, it is sorted alphabetically rather than by popularity. To the right of each surname there is a serial number corresponding to the list created by geneticists.

History of the origin of the surname

We have already learned which Russian surname is the most common: the Smirnov family has it.

But what secret does she keep within herself? In order to open this veil, it is necessary to delve into the history of its origin.

There are several theories. The most popular are two of them.

Theory #1

The first version explains the wide distribution area of ​​the surname.

According to legend, in ancient times there was a class of wandering people who led a nomadic life, moving throughout Rus' from village to village. In gratitude for the shelter, they showed the residents more efficient ways of farming and farming, and shared their knowledge.

It is believed that when entering the territory of a settlement for the first time, they uttered the phrase: “We welcome you, good people. We are coming with the NEW WORLD.” This became not only their greeting, but also a promise of reward for their shelter.

Years later, the nomadic people ceased to exist, but their descendants did not forget their roots, so they began to be called SMIRNOV.

Theory #2

The second version is among those that support the origin of surnames from proper names. It says that according to Slavic beliefs, the name Smyrna previously existed. A descendant of this man, after the 15th-17th centuries, began to be called Smirnov, which was a direct reference to the head of the family.

Famous Smirnovs

Considering the scale of distribution of the surname, it is not difficult to assume that “Smirnovs” are often found among famous personalities.

I would like to mention one such dynasty.

The branch we are considering contains the creative path of three generations - parents and children.

Actor and director Andrei Smirnov is a gifted child of an equally brilliant parent.

His father, Sergei Sergeevich Smirnov, is a Soviet writer, public figure, and WWII participant. Author of the novel "Brest Fortress".

Andrei Sergeevich's daughter, Avdotya, is better known as Dunya Smirnova: a famous Soviet presenter, film director, critic, screenwriter.

Such dynasties are not uncommon if the family is included in the list of the 100 most common surnames.

What's going on in the world?

Naturally, it is not only in the Russian expanses that a tendency for certain surnames to predominate has been noticed.

For example, in China the most popular is Li.

Therefore, it will be interesting to find out which surname is the most common in the world.

1. Lee: Over 100 million representatives worldwide.
2. Zhang: About 100 million representatives.
3. Wang: over 90 million.
4. Nguyen: over 36 million. Origin area: Vietnam.
5. Garcia: over 10 million. Spanish roots.
6. Gonzalez: over 10 million. Spanish roots
7. Hernandez: over 8 million representatives. The history of origin is divided into two branches: Spanish and Portuguese.
8. Smith: over 4 million. Country - England.
9. Smirnov: over 2.5 million representatives worldwide.
10. Mueller: about a million. Roots - Germany.

It is logical that the top three include Chinese surnames. After all, the Chinese (aka Han Chinese) make up 19% of the total number of people on the planet.

The surname Li, as you already know, is the most common in the world: 7.9% of the total population of China have it.

It has numerous spelling variations: Li, Lee and Ly. Has Chinese and Korean roots.

The Chinese emperor of the Tang Dynasty, Li Yuan, who reigned from 618 to 626, also belonged to the Li clan.

An interesting fact is that in the struggle for power he defeated other contenders for the throne, including Li Gi. And his son, Li Shimin, became a follower, whom his own brothers tried to kill.