Beautiful surnames with hidden meanings for girls. A beautiful surname for a guy - how to choose? What are some beautiful male surnames?

Beautiful surnames for girls have always been an interesting topic of discussion. Sometimes we don't get the best ones. Surely, everyone in the class had at least one student with a funny last name, for which he was teased by the whole class. Sometimes, this remains a stumbling block, causing an irresistible desire to change your last name at the first opportunity.

Today it is easy to change data by choosing any family name you like. There is an opinion that the meaning hidden in a surname can greatly influence a person’s character. Some people claim that their lives have changed radically after its change. It is unlikely that it will be possible to verify the authenticity of such statements, however, a surname can indeed hold a mysterious history and tell about ancient ancestors. Before you are tempted by beautiful female names, we recommend that you find out your family history.

Guaranteed - this is an interesting and fascinating journey into the past, which can change the attitude towards both the surname and family values.

Where did Russian surnames come from?

The curious history of Russian surnames goes far back to the 13th century. Previously, they were more like nicknames or nicknames given to each other based on the type of craft or occupation. Later, by the 16th century, real surnames began to appear, but this only concerned families of aristocratic origin.

The origin of such surnames mainly came from the names of localities or possessions of wealthy gentlemen. Ordinary peasants did not have surnames until the beginning of the 19th century, but after the abolition of serfdom they became mandatory for everyone. Nicknames given by occupation began to be written down as surnames.

It is likely that your last name carries some very interesting historical meaning that can completely change your past opinion about yourself. Along with the way Russian surnames arose and changed in the course of history, in other countries the history is slightly different.

Origin of German surnames

For example, the first German names are found in chronicles of the 6th century BC. They consisted of two parts and had a magical meaning, that is, the name endowed its bearer with certain powers and character traits. Much later, Italian names with Christian meaning began to “fuse” into the German language, for example, the name Adam meant “first-born.”

With the development of Christianity in the 15th century, they began to bear the names of saints or names of biblical characters. German surnames began to appear in the Middle Ages; they were formed from the names of the bearer’s birthplaces. Many surnames also came from nicknames, but here they reflected a characteristic physical trait of a person, for example, Frederick Barbarossa - Redbeard.

Origin of English surnames

English ones also have a very interesting history. They were built from a person’s belonging to a certain family. As in most countries, the English did not have surnames until a certain time. In England, the same names were often used, creating a huge number of namesakes.

For example, in the 11th century, about 25% of the male population of England bore the name John. This created the need to give individuality to each John by adding a nickname to his name. Historical analysis has revealed the main 4 groups of occurrence of English surnames:

  1. Genealogical origin. Many surnames were derived from the father's name and did not change their form - Mark Anthony. There are also English surnames containing an additional explanation, such as - son (son). The result was: Thompson is Tom's son.
  2. Place of Birth. The family name was determined by the name of the locality, city or country. For example, Wales, Langley, Ingleman.
  3. Profession or position. Depending on what activity a person was engaged in, he was given a family name that reflected this occupation: Spencer is the manager, Sayers is the one who tastes food before serving it to the royal table.
  4. Descriptive. This group of surnames reflects the physiological characteristics of a person, originating in nicknames. For example, Cudlipp is a cleft lip.

Read also: Parents' mistakes that can ruin their daughters' lives

As we can see, a surname can tell very interesting information about its bearer. Perhaps you are a descendant of some aristocratic family - or your ancestors are from overseas countries, then the history of the surname can have multinational significance and an interesting history.

Nevertheless, we're talking about specifically about beautiful surnames that representatives of the fair sex would like to have. Here are the top 10 most beautiful, forcing their bearers to walk with their heads held high:

  1. Tsvetaeva;
  2. Lebedeva;
  3. Voskresenskaya;
  4. Zolotareva;
  5. Obolenskaya;
  6. Romanova;
  7. Tverskaya;
  8. Volkonskaya;
  9. Illarionova;
  10. Sheremetyev;

It is equally important for boys to have a strong family name that can build confidence and determination in them. Beautiful male surnames contain power, dignity, nobility and many other magnificent qualities that a man should have.

We present only a small list of the strongest male surnames in terms of energy and sound:

  1. Gromov;
  2. Almazov;
  3. Derzhavin;
  4. Majors;
  5. Lyubimov;
  6. Sobolev;
  7. Morozov;
  8. Bogatyrev;
  9. Vorontsov;
  10. Admirals.

As a result of a little analysis, you can see how interesting and informative it is to find out the origin of the surname. Such analysis can lead to respectful and responsible treatment of family history. Most grandparents have a rich history of their own origins, the origins of surnames and family traditions.

The family tree may well turn out to be a luxurious historical chronicle. Changing your last name is quite a serious step that can change the life of the person himself. If you decide to take a new one, make sure it goes well with your name and patronymic. The surname should be in harmony, sound and resonate with him.

By the way, I would like to note one more interesting fact. Any family probably has a unique history of the origin of the name.

It is interesting to find out who exactly gave the name - the mother or the father, or maybe both parents came to a unanimous opinion. What names sounded initially and why the choice fell on one specific name. It often happens that a name is given in connection with family history, carrying a completely unique meaning. Some parents name their child after a deceased close relative as a tribute in memory of him.

According to the law of the Russian Federation, choosing a first and last name is a personal right. This means that every citizen of the country can at any time change his name as he pleases, having gone through the established procedure for this. Tempting? Very, because there are so many beautiful, interesting, noble and majestic-sounding Russian surnames. Lists of the most common and pleasant to hear, as well as the rarest and funniest of them, are given below.

Analysis of the origin of Russian surnames

There are a lot of beautiful Russian surnames - Voznesensky, Ushansky, Mironov, Bogolyubov, Rasskazov, Magnificent, Zlatovlasov, Mudry, Admiralsky, Aristokratov, Vasilevsky. It is impossible to list all the options. Many of them have completely unexpected origins. There is even a separate science - anthroponymy, which studies how this or that particular surname was formed. For example, the surname Krivoshchekin appeared thanks to a real person who lived in the 15th century named Guba, who was born to Mikifor and had the nickname Crooked Cheeks. This fact is reflected in ancient documents (acts) - the record is dated 1495. If he lived today, his name would be Krivoshchekin Guba Mikiforovich. Interesting, isn't it? Even in the same year, there were records about the peasants Danilo Sople (in the modern sound Soplin Daniil) and Efimko Vorobyo (Vorobiev Efim). In 1568, in the same acts there is a note about Mikitin’s son Ivan, nicknamed Menschik (Ivan Mikitovich Menshchikov), and in 1590 - about Mikifor’s son named Onton, nicknamed Zhdan (Zhdanov Anton Mikiforovich).

This is how the names appeared:

  1. Mostly from nicknames common among the people, which were given to people by their relatives and neighbors. People were nicknamed by their personal differences - Chernovolosov (black hair), Ostronosov (sharp nose), Vereshchagin (often squealed), Toropygin (constantly in a hurry), Rumyantsev (had rosy cheeks), Udaltsov, Razumnik, Ostroumov.
  2. Nicknames often became the names of animals, fish and birds, later transformed into surnames - Medvedev, Kotov, Sobolev, Solovyov (perhaps the man sang well), Lisitsin, Volkov, Zaitsev, Voronin, Tsaplin (optionally, had long legs), Dyatlov, Sinitsyn, Karpov.
  3. For certain classes, it was typical to supplement the name with an occupation, which also left its mark on the family history - Goncharov (Gonchar), Tokarev (Turner), Stolyarov (carpenter), Pastukhov (shepherd), Kozhemyakin, Kuznetsov, Rybakov, Myasnikov (judge according to the number of nicknames reflected in the found act of 1335, in the 14th century this skill was especially valued in people).
  4. If a person did not have any specific nickname, then the surname was the father’s name, which indicated that the person belonged to a specific clan. This is how the Maksimovs, Ivanovs, Vasyutins, Mishins, Stepanovs, Fedorovs, Sergeevs and so on appeared. By the way, if in one village there were several Ivanovs, Vasilievs, Fedorovs and so on, then the surnames were modified - Ivanov, Ivanko, Ivanchenko, Vasilenko, Vasileev, Vaskin, Fedorov, Fedorkin, Fedorchuk.
  5. The surnames of the princely family were most often given by the name of the area where the noble family lived or, based on the possessions of the latter. Almost always they had the endings -sky or -tsky - Ozersky (had a lake in his possession), Gorsky (mountain), Shuisky (the Shuisky family lived near the river and the city of Shuya), Vyazemsky (near the Vyazma River). The following surnames were formed in the same way: Tulsky, Tverskoy, Eletsky, Amursky, Belozersky.
  6. A huge number of surnames owe their sonority to Orthodoxy - Blagoveshchensky, Voznesensky, Byzantine, Pokrovsky, Troitsky, Spassky, Preobrazhensky and others.

Ladies who have decided to make a change should pay attention to the following female surnames and their meanings:

  • Amurskaya;
  • Angelic;
  • Annenskaya;
  • Afanasyeva;
  • Athens;
  • Babochkina;
  • Bagirova;
  • Bazhenova;
  • Belogradskaya;
  • Belozerskaya;
  • Berezina;
  • Berkutova;
  • Blagoveshchenskaya;
  • Bogoslovskaya;
  • Brilliantova/Diamond;
  • Vasilkova/Vasilkovskaya;
  • Byzantine;
  • Voskresenskaya;
  • Hyacintova;
  • Goncharova;
  • Gorodetskaya;
  • Danilova/Danilevskaya;
  • Donskaya;
  • Zhemchugova/Zhemchuzhnikova;
  • Zalesskaya;
  • Eliseeva;
  • Zlatovlasova;
  • Zlatopolskaya;
  • Znamenskaya;
  • Zorina;
  • Ignatieva;
  • Istomina;
  • Kamenskaya;
  • Kolosovskaya;
  • Lavrentieva;
  • Lugovaya
  • Luchinskaya;
  • Mayskaya;
  • Malinovskaya;
  • Nagornaya;
  • Nikitina;
  • Ozerova;
  • Ostrovskaya;
  • Rasskazova;
  • Rodionova;
  • Ryabinina;
  • Rumyantseva;
  • Sapphirova;
  • Serebryanskaya;
  • Solntseva;
  • Ushanskaya;
  • Tsvetkova.

Male surnames in Russia: list

People have different tastes, and therefore everyone chooses the ideal surname for themselves.

Below is an impressive selection of rare Russian male surnames:

  • Almazov;
  • Andreev;
  • Bogatyrev;
  • Belinsky;
  • Bolkonsky;
  • Warsaw;
  • Vasilevsky;
  • Velichansky;
  • Vetrogradov;
  • Vorontsov;
  • Glinsky;
  • Gradov;
  • Demin;
  • Dmitriev;
  • Doronin;
  • Dubrovsky;
  • Dorofeev;
  • Ezhevsky;
  • Yelsky;
  • Zadonsky;
  • Zarnitsky;
  • Zvezdinsky;
  • Zlatoumov;
  • Ignatov/Ignatyev;
  • Kakhovsky;
  • Kirsanov;
  • Knyazev/Knyazhin;
  • Kovalevsky;
  • Kondratiev;
  • Lavrov/Lavrovsky;
  • Larin/Larsky;
  • Lazarev;
  • Lebedinsky;
  • Levitanov;
  • Loginov;
  • Majors;
  • Makarov;
  • Maksimov;
  • Medvedev;
  • Mikhailov;
  • Melnikov;
  • Metropolitan;
  • Mozhaisky;
  • Moskvin;
  • Muromov/Muromtsev;
  • Narcissus;
  • Nikolsky;
  • Nemirov;
  • Novgorod;
  • Nezhinsky;
  • Orlov/Orlovsky;
  • Ostroumov;
  • Obolensky;
  • Ozhigov/Ozhegov;
  • Paustovsky;
  • Petrovsky;
  • Pogodin;
  • Polyansky;
  • Rzhevsky;
  • Romanov/Romanovsky;
  • Sadovsky;
  • Sakharov;
  • Samoilov;
  • Safronov;
  • Saltevsky;
  • Streltsov/Streletsky;
  • Trinity;
  • Tarasov;
  • Titov;
  • Filatov;
  • Fedorov;
  • Fonvizin;
  • Khmelnitsky;
  • Kharitonov;
  • Chernyshevsky;
  • Cherkasov;
  • Cheryomushkin;
  • Shestakov;
  • Sheremetyev;
  • Shustrov;
  • Elinsky;
  • Elbrus;
  • Yuryev;
  • Yakhontov;
  • Yasensky.

The Russian language, great and powerful, is replete with funny surnames, which their owners would gladly get rid of if it were their will. And in this list all sorts of Round, Bezuglovy, Short, Soft surnames are just flowers. There are much more dissonant ones. The owner and especially the owner of such a surname will have a hard time in life. Fortunately, Russian legislation allows any citizen who has reached a certain age to change both his first and last name. All that remains is to choose the most suitable one. So, we choose beautiful surnames for girls.

Russian surnames

The names of noble families sound beautiful. Rather, it’s not even a matter of euphony, but of our associations - from the history course I remember that this family was successful/rich/noble. And that’s why the surname seems attractive. Examples of noble surnames for girls:

  • Vorontsova;
  • Derzhavina;
  • Romanova;
  • Goncharova;
  • Larionova;
  • Orlova;
  • Davydova;
  • Donskaya;
  • Obolenskaya;
  • Martynov;
  • Isaeva;
  • Avdeeva;
  • Guseva;
  • Grigorieva;
  • Kovaleva;

Good associations are also usually caused by the names of famous people, for example, poets and writers. So the surnames of Pushkin, Nekrasov, Akhmatova, Chernyshevskaya can decorate any name.

Surnames formed from nouns and adjectives

Queen. Exactly like this, through the letter “E”. Why isn't it beauty? Smart girl. Gorgeous. You can take any surname, just don’t forget that it can go to your children. So it’s still better to be prudent. Surnames formed from nouns must be indeclinable: Panther, Fashionista, Beauty.

Beautiful surnames formed from adjectives: Solnechnaya, Snezhnaya, Raduzhnaya, Affectionate, etc.

Foreign surnames

You can choose the surname of your favorite foreign writer or actor, for example:

  • Austen;
  • Bradbury;
  • Pete;
  • Fleming;
  • Adams;
  • Alexander;
  • Argan;
  • Baer;
  • Chandler;
  • Kramer;

Here it is important to ensure that the surname is harmoniously combined with the name (and preferably also with the patronymic). That is, Catherine Adams or Angelica Fleming sounds beautiful, but Avdotya Roberts somehow doesn’t sound so good.


Double surnames

Two ordinary surnames combined into one often magically become at least twice as harmonious. Let's remember the examples famous people with double surnames:

  • Grigoriev-Apollonov;
  • Fedoseeva-Shukshina;
  • Saltykov-Shchedrin;
  • Melnikov-Pechersky;
  • Mamin-Sibiryak;
  • Soloviev-Sedoy;
  • Novikov-Priboy;
  • Mikhalkov-Konchalovsky;

So you don’t have to reinvent the wheel and add something else to your last name. For example, dig around in the family tree- perhaps there will be a wonderful match for your last name.

  • Ivanova-Ilyinskaya;
  • Zarudneva-Preobrazhenskaya;
  • Sergeeva-Beletskaya;
  • Dolgovo-Saburovs;
  • Kuzmin-Korovaevs;
  • Rimsky-Korsakov;
  • Skornyakovo-Pisarev;
  • Ivanchin-Pisarev;

It is useless to argue with the magic of double surnames.


Coming into this world, we do not choose for ourselves either parents, or last names, first names and patronymics. Initially, our mothers and fathers or other people do this for us. But what if you imagine for a second that everyone can call themselves whatever they want, based on their personal tastes and preferences? Here is some interesting information he provided on this topic. It was carried out taking into account the point of view of both sexes, and concerned male surnames.

"We do not care!"

This is exactly the reaction of the majority of young people surveyed by the strong half of humanity to the question of what, from their point of view, is the most beautiful surname for a guy. With a smile, they answered that they were quite satisfied with their relatives, received from their ancestors, and in general they had not given much thought to such a problem. “It’s not Pupkin and Pukin, it’s not Tsypa, so why split hairs!” - every fourth of the respondents answered approximately the following. Well, in their own way they are right. But there are other opinions about what a beautiful surname for a guy should be. Let's take a closer look at them!

Friends-princes

Firstly, these are the names of ancient noble families. Of course, sometimes they do not amaze with their euphony, but the breed has its own, strong charm. Let's start with a very prestigious and significant one - the Romanovs. It's a nice name for a guy, isn't it? Moreover, the royal one, because Pyotr Alekseevich, who is also the First, will be from this family and tribe! Its roots are connected with the male name Roman, and it, in turn, goes back to the Latin word, translated meaning “Roman”.

An equally worthy and beautiful surname for a guy is Apraksin, also ancient, noble, and famous. Its bearers loudly declared themselves back in the 15th and 16th centuries, and then worthily bore the glorious name of their ancestors in the history and culture of Russia. I also remember the Pushkins, Zavadovskys, Karamzins, Volkonskys and Bolkonskys, Obolenskys, Vyazemskys, Razumovskys. These are truly expressive and beautiful surnames for guys, the list of which can be continued for a long time.

From name to origins

Let's consider how and where some of the “nicknames” of which Rus' was once proud came from. For example, the Almazovs. Sounds great, right? It comes from the name of the village of Almazovka, and the mention of this noble family dates back to the 17th century. I also remember such beautiful male surnames as Aksakov, Lermontov. Firstly, they are of foreign origin (Turkic and Scottish-English), and secondly, both families glorified Russian literature throughout the world, giving our culture the most wonderful writers. The origin of the nickname Obolensky is interesting. In the Kaluga region there was once the city of Obolensk, which was granted for eternal use to a certain nobleman who distinguished himself in its defense. To emphasize his financial wealth, he began to be called Obolensky, giving rise to a new surname. The Vyazemsky family tree is connected with the toponym - from the small ancestral town of Vyazma, which stood on a viscous, muddy river. Geographically, such beautiful Russian male surnames as Onegin, Pechorin, Rostov, Meshchersky, Olenin, Polonsky, etc. were formed.

Connection with nature

Sonorous names, original, pleasant to the ear, were drawn by man from the natural world. For example, Orlov, Gromov, Zhuravlev, Lebedev, Korolev, Sokolov, Vinogradov, Morozov, Sobolev, Soloviev. Some of them come from the names of the breeds eagle, swan, crane, and wren. Three quarters of respondents agree that this is for guys. The Gromovs and Morozovs are associated with natural phenomena - the rampant thunderstorm and the onset of the “gray winter”. The musical surname Talnikov speaks of spring, the first thawed patches, snowdrops, mighty floods, the awakening of nature and life. The Vinogradovs, Travnikovs, Tsvetkovs are of “plant” origin.

Diminutive options

It is worth mentioning beautiful surnames for boys, Russian in origin. They are diminutive in nature, soft to the ear and gentle. For example, Orlik, Zaichikov or Kotenochkin, Kotik (option - Kotikov), Korolkov. This observation was made by the female half of the respondents. The men's did not give any intelligible answers to the corresponding question. This is apparently due to the psychological characteristics of the perception of the surrounding world by representatives of different sexes.

Distinctive features and their characteristics

There are so many people, so many opinions - this is completely convinced by the statistics of choosing which is the most beautiful surname for a guy. What's wrong with options like Serebryany, Serebrov, Serebryansky? All of them are associated with noble precious metal and are associated with jewelry. This is exactly what the people who cited them as examples noted. Moreover, preference, nevertheless, was given to the first option as more euphonious, refined, and pleasant. The surname Bogatyrev is also popular. According to those surveyed, she exudes strength, courage, and reliability. Associations with the heroes of ancient Russian epics, mighty knights who protected peaceful people from the raids of nomadic Tatar tribes are also natural. The famous “Derzhavin” sounds no less proud and respectable - from “power”, “country”, “state”. And the famous poet “old man Derzhavin,” who blessed Pushkin for his poetic work, also fits into the circle of analogies. This is how ancient antiquity comes to life in surnames, and hoary history is resurrected in faces!

From first names to last names

Many nicknames, as surnames were once called, originated from This feature was noticed by many of those participating in the survey. The following was especially often called: Alexandrov. It comes from the name Alexander, which translated from Greek means “protector of people.” It is believed that such a nickname imposes certain responsibilities on its bearer and cultivates qualities corresponding to a high purpose. Such names as Timofeev and Savelyev were repeatedly mentioned as beautiful male surnames. The first is associated with the name Timofey, which was also transferred to Russian soil from Ancient Greece. Its meaning is “God-loving, honoring his God.” Based on semantics, priests and monks were often given this name in Rus'. Subsequently, it lost its religious connotation and began to be viewed as of a general nature. The second goes back to the original Russian personal name Savel (“hard worker”), and it, in turn, to the biblical Saul (“asked for, begged from God”). According to third sources, Savelyev comes from the Latin word “Sabel”, i.e. “unpretentious”, “simple”. This name and surname were given, for the most part, to people from the common people, peasants. There were many Savelyevs among the barge haulers. Currently, according to statistics, it accounts for approximately a fifth of the total number of “nicknames”.

Foreign exotica

Our people are greedy for everything foreign. Therefore, in the survey, beautiful foreign male surnames were highlighted as a separate item. What did we get? Washington turned out to be one of the most popular. True, in addition to aesthetic parameters, it was associated with the first dollar bills and prosperity. For the same reason, another legendary surname was named - Rockefeller. What’s interesting is that both of them seemed attractive to both the male and female respondents. Further, such names that are exotic to the Russian ear as Lee, Gonzalez, Oreiro, Smith, Marshall are considered interesting. They are respectively of Chinese-Korean, Spanish-Partugal (Latin American), English and Australian descent. 8% of the guys who responded would be happy to change their own domestic surnames to Aldridge, Hoggart, Livingston, Morrison. The motivation was and was mostly expressed briefly: “I like it!” The personal names of idols are also attractive - stars of sports, cinema, show business: Cruise, Cage, Grant. 12% of people who provided statistical data were happy to have them or would like them for their gentlemen. The surname Farrell, Ferrari, Diaz sound beautiful. They have their own charm, yes! Proper names of German origin aroused interest. These include Fischer, Wagner, Weber, Richter, Schwartz, Lehmann. For the most part, they designate a person by occupation - fisherman, coal miner, judge, owner of a plot of land, etc. Or a shade of color.

Charm of France

French variants of surnames are especially popular among exotic lovers. They, like everything connected with this beautiful country, are not only euphonious, but also spectacular and noble. For example, Armand, Amadou, Dubois, Delacroix, Leroy, Morel, Benoit, Viardot, Caro, Curie, Reno, Rousseau, etc. Some of them are well-known thanks to artists: artists, writers, musicians. Others came with characters from books and movies. True, girls prefer to choose French options for their gentlemen more than men do for themselves. Here are some interesting statistics.

Let's sum it up

What conclusion did the statisticians make based on the survey? Firstly, domestic surnames are clearly preferable to foreign ones. Secondly, sonorous noble ones are much more popular than those that were originally given to commoners. And thirdly, whatever surname you got from your relatives should be valued!

From this article you will learn:

We are already accustomed to the fact that every person has a surname, which distinguishes him from others, shows his belonging to a certain family and is inherited. However, this was not always the case. The official assignment of a surname to each person occurred less than a century ago, which in the context of history is a very short period of time. The history of each individual surname is unique in its own way. Sometimes dozens of people with the same last name live in the same territory. Sometimes it happens that we smile when we hear some unusual surname. Today we will talk about such rare family names.

In fact, there are a lot of rare surnames that really ring a bell. There are simply relatively few bearers of such surnames. It is impossible to cover them all in the article, but we will at least try to classify them and divide them into groups.

  1. Single letter surnames: despite the simplicity of their composition, they are quite rare and unusual for hearing. People are registered in Moscow by last name ABOUT ,YU And E .
  2. Surnames consisting of one syllable: They are also not very common. Only a few families with surnames live in Russia An , Yong , That And Before .
  3. Surnames-toponyms: these are surnames that are consonant with the names of cities or rivers. For example, not many people have surnames like:
  • Moscow ;
  • America ;
  • Astrakhan ;
  • Kamchatka and others.
  1. Legendary surnames: these are the names of literary and historical heroes, the bearers of which are also very few. These include names such as:
  • Crusoe ;
  • Grozny ;
  • Pozharsky ;
  • Chatsky ;
  • Karenin and others.
  1. Double-root surnames: this includes surnames obtained by merging two words at once. Some names sound quite euphonious and are quite common, but you rarely see surnames such as:
  • Good afternoon ;
  • Eybogin ;
  • Backstreet ;
  • Comb my mane ;
  • Nepeyvoda ;
  • Cool gunpowder ;
  • Grab it ;
  • Shchiborshch ;
  • Kill and others.
  1. Surnames that sound similar to common words: these are words that, when officially recorded, did not receive normal suffixation using suffixes typical for surnames -s And -in:

- consonant with nouns:

  • Water ;
  • Stove ;
  • Freezing ;
  • Pot ;
  • Chizh ;
  • Magpie and many others;

- consonant verbs:

  • Tron ;
  • Razdobudko ;
  • Bite it ;
  • Klyuy ;
  • Negrey and others;

- consonant with adverbs:

  • On the side ;
  • Sometimes ;
  • Generously ;
  • Nothing ;
  • Let's go and others.

This list can be continued endlessly. We do not set ourselves the task of covering the entire scope of rare Russian surnames: we have outlined only the main trends in their existence. And after all, each of the surnames has its own unique history, which can tell about the life of our distant ancestors.

Where could such rare and unusual surnames, unfamiliar to our ears, come from? Initially, a person was given a nickname that distinguished him from the rest of the people. If a nickname stuck with a person, it gradually became a name assigned to a certain clan or family, even if unofficially. So the nickname turned into a surname. Since nicknames are most often rude or mocking in nature, all modern rare, unusual surnames come from them. Their origins can be very different, but people who study anthroponymy (the history of human surnames, first names, patronymics and nicknames) identify several main trends in the origin of such names.

  1. Last names were given according to appearance person:
  • Bryla (that was the name of people with plump, saggy lips);
  • Lobar (a person of large build);
  • Pupysh (the so-called pimply man);
  • Uraz (crippled person);
  • Mug (ugly person);
  • Makura (blind person);
  • Fursik (short man).
  1. The surname could reflect occupation person, his profession:
  • Obabok (that’s what our ancestors called people who traded in mushrooms);
  • Vozovik (a person selling goods from a cart);
  • Lazebnik (barber);
  • Argun (Vladimir carpenter);
  • Clamp (one who deals with horses).
  1. Character traits also often appeared in unusual surnames:
  • Butt (as in some areas they called a stupid and stubborn person);
  • Ogibenya (a nickname for a flattering and deceitful person);
  • Kichiga (empty man);
  • Buzun (brawler);
  • Palga (nickname for a clumsy person).

4. Last names could be given according to place of residence:

  • Zaporozhets ;
  • Vyatich ;
  • Moskvich ;
  • Volyn ;
  • Uralets and others.
  1. Since Russian culture was formed for many centuries under the influence of Orthodoxy, many rare surnames have church origin:
  • Prayer ;
  • Deacon ;
  • Bell ;
  • chanter ;
  • Bogodukh and others.

Thus, each surname has its own little story. How nice it would be if every person with a unique surname revealed its secret and preserved its history for their descendants. However, in the history of all rare surnames, common points can be identified.

XIII-XIV centuries

At this time, people in villages began to be distinguished not only by their first names, but also by their surnames. Noble boyars received dashing and sonorous surnames, but the peasantry did not know how to speak beautifully, so they had the most dissonant surnames. Some of them never received a suffix and retained their original form:

  • Fritter ;
  • Fool ;
  • Oakmaker ;
  • Bogomaz ;
  • Tit ;
  • stub and others.

70s of the XIX century

In 1874, Alexander II carried out a military reform, according to which universal military service was introduced, which entailed the legal registration of surnames for all males. There were often cases when a recruit found it difficult to answer the question of what his last name was. In this case, the surname was given right away, most often based on appearance. Since there was no time to fantasize, surnames often turned out funny and even rude. Some of them have reached us:

  • Toothless ;
  • One-armed ;
  • Hard of hearing ;
  • Crooked ;
  • Redhead ;
  • Forehead and other names.

90s of the XIX century

In 1897, the first all-Russian population census was carried out, which legally assigned surnames not only to men, but also to women and children. The surname finally became officially assigned to a specific family. In some places, census takers gave surnames the desired form using typical suffixes, and in others they left them in the form of nicknames, which have become rare today:

  • Censer ;
  • Turnip ;
  • Breeze ;
  • Milk ;
  • Extreme and others.

1930s

In the 30s of the 20th century, an important era occurred in the general history of surnames. In Russia, everyone was offered to change their dissonant surnames. Entire lines of people with the most unusual surnames flocked to the registration departments. The Izvestia newspaper managed to record this historical moment: thanks to it, we have a list of those names that disappeared forever in the 30s of the last century:

  • Poltobatko ;
  • Near-Fist ;
  • Balda ;
  • Poodle ;
  • Doggie ;
  • Corn ;
  • Barefoot ;
  • whiny ;
  • fly agaric ;
  • Tail and many, many others.

This is the difficult path many rare names have gone through. Some of them managed to survive, others are irretrievably a thing of the past and exist for us only on paper. Rare surnames are not always funny and absurd. Among them there are many euphonious and beautiful - ones that their bearers are rightfully proud of.