How to independently find out the pedigree, family tree of your family by last name: archival data, searching on the Internet, on TV shows. Ways to search for ancestors and relatives by last name: description

Since ancient times, family nicknames and names have been used to emphasize a person’s belonging to his family. Previously, it could denote professional activity, characteristic features of the appearance or personal nature of its owner. That's whyfind out the history of the origin of the surnamefor researchers it means finding out a lot of interesting and important information from its carriers. Who they were, what they did and where they lived - all this information can be hidden and encrypted in the name of your family.

If previously nicknames were used for practical purposes and could be forgotten over time or changed due to circumstances, then the surname in the modern sense has a completely different meaning. It is directly related to pedigree, family history and continuity of generations. Unfortunately, we often take it for granted. We have been wearing it since childhood, without thinking about what family secrets are hidden in it. It is rarely seen as a source of pride, since now everyone receives it from birth. But previously this was the privilege of only nobles and noble families. This was a kind of reflection of the superiority of the nobility and the unity of family members.

You can pay tribute to your ancestors, honor their memory, strengthen kinship and family ties even today. You just have to put in a little effort and find outHow to find out the history of your family by last name. Online services for freeoffer access to archives containing large lists detailing the supposed location, cause and approximate time of origin, down to the century. You can use them, or contact specialists who will help you calculate your roots, tell you why the genus was named that way, and even draw up a family tree.

If you have enough patience and enthusiasm, try to find out the meaning of your last name yourself. You will learn how to do this from our article, where we have collected a variety of useful tips on this topic.

How to find out the origin of your last name: freeexcursion into history

First, let's remember how the nicknames of our ancestors were formed in Ancient Rus'. We call them nicknames, since it is impossible to attribute them to the modern definition of a surname. They were given to make it easier to recognize a person or contact him, and changed over time. As for forced peasants, their family name could generally change at the whim of the master. The owners especially liked to have fun by inventing offensive and offensive nicknames. For example, someone born Ignatov (by the name of an ancestor) became Shcherbakov (by external sign - the absence of front teeth).

Find out the meaning of your last name,associated with the ancient roots themselves, easiest for those whose ancestors lived in the Veliky Novgorod region. Chronicles dating back to approximately the 13th century indicate that it was there that the very first generic nicknames originated. In ancient archives there are references to Novgorodians who died in the Battle of the Neva.

They appeared among princes and boyars in the 14th century. The loudest and most famous of them were worn by representatives of influential and ruling dynasties: Shuisky, Nevsky, Donskoy. A little later, the nobles also acquired words borrowed from foreign languages: Fonvizin, Yusupov, Karamzin.

However, ordinary, not famous and not noble people remained with nicknames. Even the reforms of Peter the Great could not restore order to peasant families. So, it was he who introduced the word, it comes from the Latin familia - family, into everyday use. Conducted censuses of the population, including the peasant population - the so-called “audits”. Of course, it would be much more convenient for the emperor if each clan had a permanent name, passed on by inheritance, but this was still a long way off. The absence of a permanent surname indicated a person’s low origins and the stigma remained among the general population throughout almost the entire existence of the Russian Empire.

Remember the works of Russian classics. There are never any indications or information about the surname of the serfs. Let’s take Gogol’s “Dead Souls” as an example. There, peasants were listed by nicknames.

Naturally, the names for the families were not taken from anywhere. They were assigned according to certain characteristics. If now we don’t think about the roots and meaning, then before the generic nickname made sense. Sohow to find and find out the history of the origin of your last name - freea way to find out interesting details of the life of your ancestors, we suggest you study the most common options in Rus', which are still found in modified, and sometimes even in their original form:

• By analogy with animals: Lisitsyn, Medvedev, Khomyakov, Volkov, Kobylkin.
• By occupation: Stolyarov, Kuznetsov, Rybakov, Streltsov.
• By place of residence or geographical names: Belozersky, Kareltsev, Sibiryak, Vyazemsky, Donskoy, Bryantsev.
• By the names of ancestors: Fedotov, Ivanov, Fedorov.
• By the name of the religious holidays during which the child was born: Preobrazhensky, Assumption, Blagoveshchensky.
• For household items that a person used in his work: Shilov, Spitsyn, Molotov.
• By external characteristics: Ryzhov, Krivtsov, Krivoshein, Sleptsov, Nosov, Belousov, Sedov.
• By home nicknames: Malyshev - baby, Menshikov - the youngest child in the house.
• By nationality: Tatarinov, Ordyntsev (from the word “horde”), Nemchinov.

As you can see, having determined the origin of your surname, you can find out about the profession of your ancestors, what they did, who they were or where they were born. If you are the Tolmachevs, then there were once interpreters and translators in your family. Muromov’s distant ancestors could have been born or lived in the city of Murom, while the Pobezhimovs’ ancestors probably arranged an escape. This data may be useful to you in compiling your family's pedigree.

A very interesting phenomenon are the so-called seminary surnames. They arose much later, in the 17th century among representatives of the clergy. People also called them “priestly”, since they were worn mainly by clergy. They were created artificially, the priests explained this by saying that they wanted to be closer to the people. They were specially made to be harmonious and beautiful, which emphasized the special status of the wearer. They are formed mainly with the help of the suffixes skiy/-tskiy. Here are some of them:

• Aquilev
• Blagonadezhin
• Vetrinsky
• Bethlehem
• Damascene
• Demosthenes
• Euclidean
• Zlatoumov
• Kristallevsky

Their origin is based mainly on Latin words. Also found are the names of birds, animals and plants, the names of philosophers, clergy and saints. Often they are also transliterations of Russian names from Latin. Such surnames sound somewhat unnatural for our language and it is almost impossible to meet them today. However, if instead of the usual Russian language suffixes ov/-ev, in/-yn you have skiy/-tskiy, then most likely your ancestors belonged to the clergy.

Where to find out family history: determine the profession of ancestors by last name

When compiling a family tree, it is very important to know what your distant relatives did many centuries ago. Perhaps they did something very important for the state: they were war heroes, saved people, and were engaged in art. This can be an impetus for your future career and determining your life path. Being inspired by the actions of your ancestors makes it much easier to find and understand your purpose. How to do it? Access to ancient archives, historical documents and chronicles is not available to everyone. On the Internet, opportunities are also limited, since resources that offer to find out the history of a family by name for free online do not have a complete list of necessary information. In addition, it is not always reliable and there is no way to verify the data.

It is best for you to handle the task yourself. Listen to your last name, break it down into its component parts (prefix, root, suffix) and think about what word or phrase it came from. Here are the surnames that representatives of different professions and classes in Rus' bore:

Merchants

Merchants have always been a privileged class and enjoyed honor and respect. Therefore, much earlier than ordinary people, they were awarded the right to bear surnames. Initially, this opportunity was provided only to influential and noble merchants of the highest guilds. The most famous of them:

• Bakhrushins
• Mamontovs
• Shchukins
• Ryabushinsky
• Demidovs
• Tretyakovs
• Eliseevs
• Soltadenkovs

Nobles

The etymology of this word means that this is a certain person located at the princely or royal court. Members of the class passed on their status by inheritance from generation to generation, and with it the surname of their ancestors.

• Ancient nobility that received the title in the period before the second half of the 17th century: Scriabins, Eropkins.
• Nobles with the title of count, baron, prince, listed in genealogical books: Urusovs, Alabyshevs.
• Foreign nobility: surnames contain foreign language elements “de”, “von”, “von dem”.

Clergy

For clergy, surnames were most often used to designate the parish in which the priest worked: Uspensky, Voznesensky, Rozhdestvensky. Those who graduated from the seminary were assigned fictitious ones. The euphony depended on how diligent the student was. For example, someone who demonstrated outstanding academic success was given the surname Diamonds.

Service people

Those in government service also enjoyed special status and privileges from the sovereign. This is especially influenced by the fact that the rank of nobility could be obtained in the service. The appearance of such surnames dates back to the XVII - XVIII. They usually reflected the location of the employee or the territory of important battles and battles. These include:

• Kazantsev
• Bryantsev
• Moskovkin
• Kareltsev

Peasants

This class officially received surnames only after the revolution and the overthrow of the monarchy in the Russian Empire, although many rulers of the state made attempts to restore order with their nicknames. The surnames of serfs emphasized their low social status, most often associated with crafts and physical labor, as well as household equipment that was used for this:

• Melnikov
• Khomutov
• Sokhin
• Bochkarev
• Goncharov
• Brewers
• Cab drivers
• Karetin
• Basement
• Nebogatikov
• Bosyakov

If you find your last name on this list, it will be easier for you to understand what type of activity your ancestors had. This means that you have found the answer to one of the mysteries of your ancestry.

How to find and determine the origin of your surname yourself

If you are interested in in-depth independent searches and are committed to serious investigation, then you can make significant progress in the study of your ancestry. Here are tips to help you with this:

Find out more about genealogy

Very often, reading books and studying resources on this topic becomes a source of inspiration for your own research. Devote a few days to this, and then your work will become more orderly and conscious.

Purchase the necessary materials

It's difficult to keep all the information in your head. To make it more convenient for you to draw diagrams and record data, stock up on notepads and folders. You can even make a large table on a piece of Whatman paper indicating all the names of your close and distant relatives.

Dig through family archives

You probably have old documents at home: passports, birth certificates, certificates, extracts.

Get your relatives involved

Ask your parents, grandparents, what surnames were in your family. For women, it is especially important to find out their maiden names, which they had before marriage.

Getting to know the history of your family is a great opportunity to get together and feel the unity of family members.

Almost everyone eventually develops a desire to learn more about their family and ancestors. Who were they and what did they do, what memories did they leave about themselves? But, unfortunately, few can boast of a good knowledge of their ancestry. In the daily bustle, people have no time to listen to the stories of elderly family members about distant and, as it seems, completely unimportant things. After all, you need to work, raise children, do household chores. Where can one patiently listen to grandmother’s memories of people who have long been dead?

However, with age, almost every person develops a craving for their origins.

Search for roots. Where to begin?

So how can you find out the history of your ancestors? You can ask questions to older family members - they will tell you about their parents and grandparents. Elderly relatives will tell you much more than any archive, because they are living witnesses of history. It is better to record such memories on any medium or take notes, and only then systematize them.

Old photographs play an important role in restoring the history of one's ancestors. They are usually signed, and in this way you can find out what a relative looked like, with whom he communicated, and where he lived.

Diaries and letters must be collected. The stamp on the envelope may indicate where one of the ancestors worked or served, and the notes will help restore the chronology of events.

What can a surname tell you?

You can learn a lot about your ancestors by their last name. As a rule, she can tell about the origins of the family and indicate belonging to a certain class. Among ordinary people, peasants and artisans, the surname was often formed from the name, profession, nickname or appearance, and among representatives of the nobility from the name of the family's possessions.

Special reference books contain information on Sometimes it can say a lot about its bearers, because it is not without reason that the main character traits inherent in the family were reflected on the family coats of arms and seals

Using archives

Unfortunately, not everyone has relatives from whom you can learn about their ancestors. The surname, either by accident or on purpose, can be significantly changed. Some members of the nobility could give their children truncated or changed surnames. Entries in church books are also sometimes erroneous. Therefore, for an accurate result you need to go to the archives.

In our country it has been going on since the 18th century. All important documents, such as marriage, birth and death certificates, were issued in two copies, one of which remained in the church, and the other was transferred to the depository.

Visiting the archive requires a lot of free time and hard work. Some of the departments are closed to regular visitors and can only be visited with special passes. The huge number of documents greatly complicates the task of reconstructing the history of the family. Those who do not have time to visit archives can turn to professionals for help.

But it is important to understand that before starting your search, you need to collect at least minimal data on your ancestors, find out both the last name and the year and place of birth. Without such information, even specialists are unlikely to be able to help.

Searching for relatives on the Internet

Some archival data has now been converted into electronic form, and therefore more and more people are trying to find out about their ancestors on the Internet. By surname and place of birth, you can find the burial places of soldiers who died or went missing during the war, and clarify the fate of relatives if information about them was posted on the Internet. If there is no data on the Internet, but you know for sure that it is in the archive, then you can try to write a request there. It is important to understand here that some documents are still classified as secret, and no one can provide this information.

On specialized sites dedicated to genealogy, you can find a lot of useful tips on where to start. Recommendations will help you understand the confusing terminology of kinship, tell you what information and where to look for it, teach you how to systematize the data received, and based on it correctly draw up a family tree.

Drawing up a pedigree

All the papers and photographs found, collected in one pile, have an unattractive appearance. Therefore, all known information about one’s ancestors must be systematized. A generally accepted method is to compile a family tree, which represents a diagram of all family ties.

There are certain design rules: the roots of a tree are the oldest representatives of the genus, the trunk is the main representatives, and the branches are descendants. Sometimes there is an opposite arrangement of family ties.

When compiling a family tree, it is necessary to take into account the peculiarities of inheritance of the family. In Russian families, it was transmitted only through the male line, and if there were no children in the family or only girls appeared, then the family was considered interrupted.

You can compose it yourself or seek help from specialists. It will become a real gift for any family celebration and will be passed down from generation to generation, acquiring new descendant branches.

Moscow was not built in a day…

Compiling a genealogy is a painstaking task that requires a lot of time and a great desire to understand the history of one’s ancestors. As practice shows, not everything can be recognized by surname, because it could have undergone various changes or been lost for several generations.

Another difficulty is that much information was lost or deliberately destroyed in the whirlwind of bloody events of the 20th century. The revolution and wars, which claimed millions of human lives, hundreds of thousands of children who ended up in orphanages after the loss of their parents, and sometimes who do not even know or remember their family - all this is a serious obstacle to establishing genealogical roots.

Great desire, patience and meticulousness are indispensable in this difficult task. Many people give up what they started in the middle, unable to wade through the intricacies of family ties, a huge amount of documents and information. But when the information collected bit by bit with difficulty begins to take shape, this becomes the best incentive to continue such a great cause as restoring the history of one’s Family.

With each year of his life, a person increasingly expands his choice of communication, meeting new people. In order for a new acquaintance to contact you, you need to make a pleasant impression on him. To avoid uncomfortable situations, it is important to know what nationality the person in front of you is in order to behave in accordance with the moral and ethical standards of his country. By most surnames you can accurately determine the nationality of your friends, neighbors, business partners, etc.

Russians- use surnames with the suffixes -an, -yn, -in, -skikh, -ov, -ev, -skoy, -tskaya, -ikh, -yh (Snegirev, Ivanov, Voronin, Sinitsyn, Donskoy, Moskovskikh, Sedykh);

Belarusians- typical Belarusian surnames end in -ich, -chik, -ka, -ko, -onak, -yonak, -uk, -ik, -ski. (Radkevich, Dubrova, Parshonok, Kuharchik, Kastsyushka); many surnames in the Soviet years were Russified and Polished (Dubrovsky, Kosciuszko);

Poles- most surnames have the suffix -sk, -tsk, and the ending -й (-я), indicating masculine and feminine gender (Sushitsky, Kovalskaya, Khodetsky, Volnitskaya); There are also double surnames - if a woman, when getting married, wants to keep her surname (Mazur-Komorowska); In addition to these surnames, surnames with an unchanged form are also common among Poles (Nowak, Sienkiewicz, Wujcik, Wozniak). Ukrainians with last name endings ending in -y are not Ukrainians, but Ukrainian Poles.;

Ukrainians- the first classification of surnames of a given nationality is formed using the suffixes -enko, -ko, -uk, -yuk (Kreshchenko, Grishko, Vasilyuk, Kovalchuk); the second series denotes the type of craft or occupation (Potter, Koval); the third group of surnames consists of individual Ukrainian words (Gorobets, Ukrainians, Parubok), as well as a merger of words (Vernigora, Nepiyvoda, Bilous).

Latvians- the peculiarity to the masculine gender is indicated by a surname ending in -s, -is, and to the feminine gender - with -a, -e (Verbitskis - Verbitska, Shurins - Shurin)

Lithuanians- male surnames end in -onis, -unas, -utis, -aitis, -enas (Pyatrenas, Norvydaitis), female surnames are formed from the husband’s surname using the suffixes -en, -yuven, -uven and the ending -e (Grinius - Grinyuvene ), the surnames of unmarried girls contain the basis of the father's surname with the addition of the suffixes -ut, -polut, -ayt and endings -e (Orbakas - Orbakaite);

Estonians- male and female genders are not distinguished using surnames, all foreign surnames (mostly German) were at one time Estonianized (Rosenberg - Roosimäe), this process continues to this day. for example, in order to be able to play for the Estonia national team, football players Sergei Khokhlov and Konstantin Kolbasenko had to change their surnames to Simson and Nahk;

French people- many surnames are preceded by the prefix Le or De (Le Pen, Mol Pompadour); basically, dissimilar nicknames and personal names were used to form surnames (Robert, Jolie, Cauchon - pig);

Romanians: -sku, -u(l), -an.

Serbs: -ich.

English- the following surnames are common: formed from the names of the place of residence (Scott, Wales); denoting profession (Hoggart - shepherd, Smith - blacksmith); indicating the external appearance of character and appearance (Armstrong - strong, Sweet - sweet, Bragg - boastful);

Germans- surnames formed from personal names (Werner, Peters); surnames that characterize a person (Krause - wavy, Klein - small); surnames indicating the type of activity (Müller - miller, Lehmann - geomor);

Swedes- most surnames end in -sson, -berg, -sted, -strom (Andersson, Olsson, Forsberg, Bostrom);

Norse- formed from personal names using the suffix -en (Larsen, Hansen), surnames without suffixes and endings can occur (Per, Morten); Norwegian surnames can repeat the names of animals, trees and natural phenomena (Blizzard - blizzard, Svane - swan, Furu - pine);

Italians- surnames are characterized by the suffixes -ini, -ino, -ello, -illo, -etti, -etto, -ito (Benedetto, Moretti, Esposito), can end in -o, -a, -i (Conti, Giordano, Costa) ; the prefixes di- and - indicate, respectively, a person’s belonging to his clan and geographical structure (Di Moretti is the son of Moretti, Da Vinci is from Vinci);

Spaniards and Portuguese have surnames ending in -ez, -az, -iz, -oz (Gomez, Lopez), surnames indicating a person’s character are also common (Alegre - joyful, Bravo - gallant, Malo - horseless);

Turks- most often surnames have the endings -oglu, -ji, -zade (Mustafaoglu, Ekindzhi, Kuindzhi, Mamedzade); when forming surnames, Turkish names or everyday words were often used (Ali, Abaza - fool, Kolpakchi - hat);

Bulgarians - almost all Bulgarian surnames are formed from personal names and suffixes -ov, -ev (Konstantinov, Georgiev);

Gagauz: -oglo.

Tatars: -in, -ishin.

Greeks- Greek surnames cannot be confused with any other surnames, only they have the endings -idis, -kos, -poulos (Angelopoulos, Nikolaidis);

Czechs- the main difference from other surnames is the obligatory ending -ova in female surnames, even if where it would seem inappropriate (Valdrova, Ivanovova, Andersonova).

Georgians- surnames ending in -shvili, -dze, -uri, -ava, -a, -ua, -ia, -ni, -li, -si are common (Baratashvili, Mikadze, Adamia, Karchava, Gvishiani, Tsereteli);

Armenians- a significant part of the surnames of residents of Armenia has the suffix -yan (Hakopyan, Galustyan); Also, -yants, -uni.

Moldovans: -sku, -u(l), -an.

Azerbaijanis- formed surnames by taking Azerbaijani names as a basis and attaching Russian suffixes -ov, -ev (Mamedov, Aliyev, Hasanov, Abdullaev) to them. Also, -zade, -li, ly, -oglu, -kyzy.

Jews- the main group consists of surnames with roots Levi and Cohen (Levin, Levitan Kagan, Koganovich, Katz); the second group came from male and female Hebrew names with the addition of various suffixes (Yakobson, Yakubovich, Davidson, Godelson, Tsivyan, Beilis, Abramovich, Rubinchik, Vigdorchik, Mandelstam); the third classification of surnames reflects the character of a person, his appearance or profession (Kaplan - chaplain, Rabinovich - rabbi, Melamed - pestun, Schwartzbard - black-bearded, Stiller - quiet, Shtarkman - strong).

Ossetians:-ti.

Mordva: -yn, -in.

Chinese and Koreans- for the most part these are surnames consisting of one, less often two syllables (Tan, Liu, Duan, Qiao, Tsoi, Kogai);

Japanese- modern Japanese surnames are formed by merging two full-valued words (Wada - sweet voice and rice field, Igarashi - 50 storms, Katayama - hill, Kitamura - north and village); The most common Japanese surnames are: Takahashi, Kobayashi, Kato, Suzuki, Yamamoto.

As you can see, to determine a person’s nationality, it is enough to accurately analyze his last name, highlighting the suffix and ending.

WHAT DO SURNAMES WITH “-IN” MEAN? SURNAMES ENDING WITH -IN HAVE RUSSIAN ROOTS OR JEWISH ROOTS?

In the collection of the famous Slavic linguist B. O Unbegun “Russian Surnames” you can read that surnames with “in” are predominantly a Russian type of surname.

Why the ending “-in”? Basically, all surnames ending in “in” come from words ending in -а/-я and from feminine nouns ending in a soft consonant.

There are many examples of erroneous addition of -in to stems with a final hard consonant: Orekhin, Karpin, Markin, where -ov should have been used. And in another case, -ov turned out to be in the place of -in: Shishimorov from the base of shishimora. Mixing of formants is possible. After all, among Russians -in and -ov have been semantically indistinguishable for more than a thousand years. The meaning of the difference has been lost in the common Slavic language; the choice of -ov or -in depends only remnantly on the phonetic feature of the stem (Nikonov “Geography of Surnames”).

Do you know how the surname of the famous leader of the people's militia of 1611-1612, Minin, came about? Minin bore the personal nickname Sukhoruk, he did not have a surname. And Minin meant “son of Mina.” The Orthodox name "Mina" was widespread in Rus'.

Another old Russian surname is Semin, also a surname with “-in”. According to the main version, the surname Semin goes back to the baptismal male name Semyon. The name Semyon is the Russian form of the ancient Hebrew name Simeon, meaning “listening”, “heard by God”. From the name Semyon in Rus', many derivative forms were formed, one of which - Syoma - formed the basis of this surname.

The famous Slavic linguist B.O. Unbegaun in the collection “Russian Surnames” believes that the surname Semin was formed from the baptismal Russian name according to the following scheme: “Semyon - Syoma - Semin.”

Let's give another example of a surname that we examined in detail in the family diploma. Rogozhin is an old Russian surname. According to the main version, the surname preserves the memory of the profession of distant ancestors. One of the first representatives of the Rogozhins could be engaged in the manufacture of matting or trade in fabric.

Coarse woven fabric made from wash tapes was called matting. In Rus', a matting hut (rogozhnitsy, matting) was a workshop where matting was woven, and a matting weaver or matting dealer was called a matting izba.

In his close circle, Rogozhnik’s household were known as “Rogozhin’s wife,” “Rogozhin’s son,” and “Rogozhin’s grandchildren.” Over time, terms denoting the degree of relationship disappeared, and the hereditary surname Rogozhin was assigned to the descendants of Rogozhin.

Such Russian surnames ending in “-in” include: Pushkin (Pushka), Gagarin (Loon), Borodin (Beard), Ilyin (Ilya), Ptitsyn (Bird); Fomin (from the personal name Thomas); Belkin (from the nickname “squirrel”), Borozdin (Furrow), Korovin (Cow), Travin (Grass), Zamin and Zimin (winter) and many others

Please note that the words from which surnames starting with “in” are derived mostly end in “-a” or “-ya”. We won’t be able to say “Borodov” or “Ilyinov”; it would be more logical and more sonorous to say “Ilyin” or “Borodin”.

Why do some people think that surnames ending with “-in” have Jewish roots? Is it really? No, this is not true; you cannot judge the origin of a surname by one ending. The sound of Jewish surnames coincides with Russian endings simply by pure chance.

You should always research the surname itself. For some reason, we have no doubts about the ending “ov”. We believe that surnames ending in “-ov” are definitely Russian. But there are also exceptions. For example, we recently prepared a beautiful family diploma for one wonderful family named Maksyutov.

The surname Maksyutov has the ending “ov”, which is common among Russian surnames. But, if you examine the surname more deeply, it turns out that the surname Maksyutov is derived from the Tatar male name “Maksud”, which translated from Arabic means “desire, premeditated intention, aspiration, goal”, “long-awaited, desired”. The name Maksud had several dialect variants: Maksut, Mahsud, Mahsut, Maksyut. This name is still widespread among the Tatars and Bashkirs.

“The surname Maksyutov is an old princely surname of Tatar origin. Historical sources speak about the ancient origin of the Maksyutov surname. The surname was first documented in the 16th century: Maksutovs (Maksutovs, obsolete Maksutovs, Tat. Maksutovlar) - a Volga-Bulgar princely-Murzin family, descended from the Kasimov prince Maksut (1554), in the genealogical legend Prince Maksut was called an ulan and a descendant of the prince Kashima." Now there is almost no doubt about the origin of the surname.

How do you know if a surname ending in -in is of Jewish origin or is it an original Russian surname? Always analyze the word that underlies your last name.

Here are examples of Jewish surnames with the ending “-in” or “-ov”: Edmin (derived from the name of the German city of Emden), Kotin (derived from the Hebrew קטן- in the Ashkenazi pronunciation “kotn”, meaning “small”), Eventov (derived from Hebrew "even tov" - "precious stone"), Khazin (derived from the Hebrew "khazan", in the Ashkenazi pronunciation "khazn", meaning "person leading worship in the synagogue"), Superfin (translated as "very beautiful") and a lot others.

The ending “-in” is simply an ending by which one cannot judge the nationality of a surname. You always need to research your surname, analyze the word that underlies it and try to look for the first mentions of your surname in various books and archival documents. Only when all the information has been collected will you be able to confidently determine the origin of your surname and find answers to your questions.

SURNAMES ENDING IN SKY/-SKAYA, -TSKIY/-TSKAYA

Many Russians have a firm and unfounded belief that surnames in -skiy are certainly Polish. From history textbooks, the names of several Polish magnates are known, derived from the names of their estates: Potocki and Zapotocki, Zablocki, Krasinski. But from the same textbooks the surnames of many Russians with the same suffixes are known: Konstantin Grigorievich Zabolotsky, okolnichy of Tsar John III, late 15th - early 16th centuries; clerk Semyon Zaborovsky, early 16th century; boyars Shuisky and Belsky, close associates of Ivan the Terrible. Famous Russian artists are Levitsky, Borovikovsky, Makovsky, Kramskoy.

An analysis of modern Russian surnames shows that forms in -sky (-tskiy) exist in parallel with variants in -ov (-ev, -in), but there are fewer of them. For example, in Moscow in the 70s of the twentieth century, for every 330 people with the surname Krasnov/Krasnova, there were only 30 with the surname Krasnovsky/Krasnovskaya. But the rather rare surnames Kuchkov and Kuchkovsky, Makov and Makovsky are represented almost equally.

A significant part of surnames ending in -skiy/-skaya, -tskiy/-tskaya are formed from geographical and ethnic names. In letters from our readers who want to know about the origin of their surnames, the following surnames in -sky / -tsky are mentioned.

Brynsky. The author of this letter, Evgeniy Sergeevich Brynsky, himself sent the history of his surname. We present only a small fragment from the letter, since it is not possible to publish it in its entirety. Bryn is a river in the Kaluga region, flows into the Oka Zhizdra tributary. In the old days, large dense Bryn forests stretched along it, in which the Old Believers took refuge. According to the epic about Ilya Muromets, it was in the Bryn forests that the Nightingale the Robber lived. Let us add that there are several settlements of Bryn in the Kaluga and Ivano-Frankivsk regions. The surname Brynski/Brynska, found in Poland, is derived from the names of two settlements Brynsk in different parts of the country and also, apparently, goes back to the names of the rivers Bryn and Brynica. There is no uniform interpretation of the names of these rivers in science. If the suffix -ets is added to the name of a populated place, then such a word denotes a person from this place. In Crimea in the 60s and 70s of the 20th century, winegrower Maria Bryntseva was well known. Her surname is derived from the word brynets, that is, a native of the city or village of Bryn.

Garbavitsky. This Belarusian surname corresponds to the Russian Gorbovitsky (in the Belarusian language, the letter a is written in place of the unstressed o). The surname is derived from the name of some settlement of Gorbovitsy. In the materials we have, there are only Gorbov, Gorbovo and Gorbovtsy. All these names come from the designations of the terrain: hump - a hillock, a sloping hill.

Dubovskaya. The surname is derived from the name of one of the many settlements: Dubovka, Dubovo, Dubovoe, Dubovskaya, Dubovsky, Dubovskoye, Dubovtsy, located in all parts of the country. It is possible to find out from which one exactly, only from the information preserved in the family, where the ancestors who received this surname lived, or where they came from to their future place of residence. The emphasis in the surname is on “o”: Dubovsky/Dubovskaya.

Steblivsky. The Ukrainian surname corresponding to the Russian one is Steblevsky; formed from the names of the populated places Steblevka in the Transcarpathian region or Steblev - Cherkassy. In Ukrainian spelling, i is written in place of the second e.

Tersky. The surname comes from the name of the Terek River and indicates that one of the distant ancestors of this person lived there. There were the Terek region and the Terek Cossacks. So bearers of the Tersky surname may also be descendants of Cossacks.

Uriansky. The surname, apparently, is derived from the name of the settlement of Urya. In our materials, this name is recorded in the Krasnoyarsk Territory. Perhaps there are similar names in other places, since the name of the populated place is associated with the name of the river and with the designation of the Ur ethnic group, as well as with the name of the medieval Turkic people Urianka. Similar names could be found in different places, since medieval peoples led a nomadic lifestyle and assigned the name of their ethnic group to those places where they stayed for a long time.

Chiglinsky. The surname comes from the name of the Chigla settlement in the Voronezh region, which, apparently, is associated with the designation of the union of the medieval Turkic tribes Chigil.

Shabansky. The surname is derived from the names of the settlements Shabanovo, Shabanovskoye, Shabanskoye, located in different parts of the country. These names come from the Turkic name Shaban of Arabic origin. In Arabic, Sha'ban is the name of the eighth month of the lunar calendar. The name Shaban is also attested in Russian peasant families in the 15th-17th centuries. In parallel with this, the spelling variant Shiban was noted in the Russian language - obviously, by analogy with the Russian shibat, zashibat. Records from 1570-1578 mention Prince Ivan Andreevich Shiban Dolgoruky; in 1584 - the grooms of Tsar Feodor Ioannovich Osip Shiban and Danilo Shikhman Ermolaevich Kasatkin. The servant of Prince Kurbsky was called Vasily Shibanov - executed by Ivan the Terrible in 1564.

In addition, the name of the ethnic group of Siberian Tatars is known, the Shibans and the generic name of the Crimean Tatars, the Shiban Murzas. In the Perm region there is a settlement called Shibanovo, and in the Ivanovo region there is Shibanikha.

This is how different types of proper names are closely related to each other: personal names, geographical and ethnic names, as well as surnames.

In the Russian Federation, every 10th marriage is mixed. This is due to demographic reasons and the fashionable tendency to enter into an alliance with a foreign citizen. They are often legitimized between Russians and visiting students. But such mixed marriages are often doomed to short-lived existence. As a result, owners of a “specific” surname may not always know their true roots, especially if the parents categorically do not want to raise the topic of kinship.

You can find out nationality by last name. But this is a painstaking and long process that is best left to specialists. However, the origins can be established according to general rules.

History of the surname

In past centuries, only aristocrats had a pedigree. The common people were not supposed to know their origin, and therefore have a surname. Only during the reign of Vasily the First did peasants begin to receive nicknames that resembled their real name: Semyon Cherny, monk Rublev and others.

Studying the pedigree is of great importance. It not only allows you to find out how to determine nationality by surname, but also conveys the historical past.

Since ancient times, the official surname served to identify a person and his family. Many marriages were and are of an interethnic nature. The surname allows you to establish the degree of relationship, because it takes into account not only linguistic characteristics, but also territorial characteristics with historical factors.

How to carry out the analysis?

To determine a person’s nationality by last name, you should remember the Russian language school course. A word consists of a root, a suffix and an ending. allow you to calculate the first two points.

1. In the surname you need to highlight the root and suffix.
2. Determine nationality using suffixes.
3. If this is not enough, analyze the root of the word.
4. Rate the name according to the degree of its origins in Europe.

In many surnames, not only the morphological features of the word are taken into account, but also the person’s belonging to a certain group: by specialty, personal qualities, the name of an animal or bird.

Establishing nationality by suffixes and root words

Belonging to Ukrainian origins is confirmed by the presence of suffixes:

• enko;
• eiko;
• point;
• ovskiy

Finding out the nationality of people with Jewish roots by last name is not so easy. Its origin is influenced by many factors.

The surname can be based on the name of a profession, animal or bird. For example, Bondar, Gonchar are Ukrainian designations for a working specialty. Gorobets is a sparrow in Ukrainian. It’s just that later this word was transformed into a surname.

You can often see surnames consisting of two words, such as Ryabokon, Krivonos and others. They indicate the presence of Slavic roots: Belarusian, Polish, Ukrainian, Russian.

How to determine Jewish roots

The suffix and root of a word do not always help determine nationality by surname. This also applies to Jewish origins. To establish kinship, 2 large groups are distinguished here:

• The roots are "Cohen" and "Levi".
• Male names.

The roots “Cohen” and “Levi” indicate that the owner of the surname belongs to Jews whose ancestors had the rank of clergy. Among them you can find the following: Kogan, Kagansky, Kaplan, Levita, Levitin, Levitan.

The second group contains male names. These include the names Solomon, Moses and others.

The Jewish people have one peculiarity: during prayer, a person is called by his mother’s name. And nationality here is also given on the maternal side. This interesting historical fact led to the formation of surnames that are based on the feminine gender. Among them are Sorinson, Rivkin, Tsivyan, Beilis.

And the working specialty can answer the question of how to determine nationality by last name. This also applies to Jewish roots. For example, the surname Fain translated from Hebrew means “beautiful” and characterizes a person’s appearance. And Rabin means “rabbi”, that is, professional activity.

European roots

In Russia you can often find English, French, and German origins. Certain rules of word formation help to recognize a specific nationality by last name.

French origin is confirmed by the presence of the prefixes De or Le in the surname.

German were formed in three ways:

• on behalf of personal names - Walter, Peters, Werner, Hartmann;
• from nicknames (for example, Klein);
• associated with a specific profession (the most common is Schmidt).

Surnames of English origin also have several ways of formation:

• depending on place of residence - Scott, English, Irish, Welsh, Wallace;
• from a person’s professional activity - Spooners, Carver, Butler;
• taking into account human qualities - Bad, Sweet, Good, Moody, Bragg.

A separate group is formed by Polish surnames: Kowalczyk, Sienkiewicz, Nowak. As a rule, they have the suffixes -chik, -vich, -vak.

Lithuanian surnames have the suffixes -kas, -kene, -kaite, -chus, -chene, -chite.

Features of Eastern origins

The formation of a surname is influenced by several factors:

• territorial affiliation of ancestors;
• occupation;
• personal human characteristics;
• morphological components of a word.

In eastern countries, to find out whose last name is by nationality, you need to analyze its suffixes and endings.

Chinese and Korean surnames are monosyllabic and short. The most typical of them are Xing, Xiao, Jiu, Layu, Kim, Dam, Chen.

Muslims have surnames with suffixes ending in -ov, -ev (Aliev, Aushev, Khasbulatov, Dudayev and others). Among the Armenian people they end in -yan (Shiyan, Bordiyan, Porkuyan).

They have “incomparable” suffixes and endings: -shvili, -dze, -uri, -uli, -ani(ya), -eti(ya), -eni, -eli(ya).

All of the above features allow us to find the true roots. But only a specialist can tell you exactly how to find out nationality by last name. Sometimes this requires a detailed analysis that takes into account many factors. A person is inextricably linked with his name, and it can really tell a lot about him and his ancestry.

Many are interested in finding out how their surname came about, the secret of which is hidden behind the antiquity of years. By visiting our website, you can find out the origin of the surname in general, and also find out how it appeared in Rus'.

Why look for the origin of a surname?

For a person, the surname plays an important role, which is comparable to the name and date of birth. Human character and destiny are influenced by the history of the family name, as the wheel of fortune turns in different directions, driven by family vibrations and energy.

Are you interested in the history of its origin and want to remove the veil of mystery? Do you want to know what exactly your last name means? Or maybe you want to find out where your family's ancestral roots came from?

By contacting us, you can find out all the secrets concerning your family’s family tree. If you have to change your last name, then you need to keep in mind that this can radically change your fate. Our experts will help you determine the history of the origin of your family’s ancestral roots in various ways, as well as find out what secret is hidden from you.

What does a pedigree search allow you to do? You will be able to find out:

• your family history;
• what characteristics did your family have?
• where did the ancestors live?
• what they did and were interested in;
• where distant relatives live with whom contact has been lost;
• all information about ancestors;
• what family traditions and legends exist in the family.

What does the surname mean and when was it formed?

When a person is born, he is given a name, but the surname is inherited. Our names are chosen by our fathers and mothers, and our ancestors (great-grandfathers and grandfathers) became the people from whom our surnames originated. Who was your ancestor? What secrets does the surname hide? Maybe your ancestors were noble people, but you don’t know about it yet, since after the revolution it was not customary to openly talk about your noble origins.

Therefore, the history of the origin of the surname is now considered a very relevant topic for all citizens not only of the Russian Federation, but also of the world. We will help you solve the mystery of your surname, its formation and distribution throughout the earth.

The word "surname" is of ancient Roman origin, according to many researchers. They claim that another concept was hidden behind this word. This is how the inhabitants of Ancient Rome called a group of people, a community, which included people belonging to a rich and respected class, as well as their slaves.

The unification of people and their formation into certain group communities occurred thanks to the word Familia, even with this meaning. A simple solution to any financial and political issues on the territory of a large state took place on the basis of this definition. In addition, the lower strata of the population were easily controlled.

When the Great Roman Empire collapsed, information about surnames was hidden under cover of secrecy for many centuries. How did the formation of surnames proceed in the Middle Ages?

Let's look at the history of this phenomenon by country:

1. The terminology becomes widespread in various Italian regions only at the end of the 10th century. The country was at that time the most powerful and influential European power. What is the reason for this? Scientists are still hotly arguing about this. The emergence of the institution of inheritance in Italy is the most plausible and justified variation of the answer to the question of the origin of the surname. This is due to the fact that borders began to expand and citizens of neighboring countries began to communicate closely. The surnames could also have arisen due to the political claims of Italy, which considered itself the most powerful state, and therefore wanted citizens of other countries to obey its subjects.
2. After some time, the French residents also picked up a new trend, a number of special institutions were created that specialized in compiling pedigrees. In those days, this service was provided only by wealthy noble families.
3. The adoption of surnames in England lasted longer. The end of this process occurs in the 15th century. In remote Scottish and Welsh regions, the formation of surnames continued for many more decades.
4. Citizens of Germany, Denmark and Sweden their own family institutions were organized at the end of the 16th century, as they were forced to play the game according to general rules, because in that time period a person who did not have a surname was considered an inferior member of society.
5. Authorities of Central European States a definition such as “surname” was forcibly introduced. But after some time, people quickly seized on new opportunities, although for several centuries the surname had only a nominal designation.

Surnames became widespread at the end of the 18th century.

What does the meaning of surnames depend on?

It is difficult to overestimate what a surname means to a person. From the time a child enters the 1st grade of school, they no longer call him simply Katya, Sasha or Sonya, but also begin to call him Volkova, Belov, Romanova. This important “gain” becomes the starting point that leads to human maturation. The differentiation of people by surname has been happening since this time. The exception is close relatives, friends and acquaintances.

The first impression about a person comes from their last name. For example, hearing a surname, you can almost accurately determine the nationality of its bearer. If you know the meaning of a surname, you can gain a lot of knowledge about your ancestors and ancestors. Where a person lived, whether he was tall or small, noisy or quiet, his occupation can be determined by his last name. The root of the surname is hidden in the personal name or nickname, professional skills, and place of residence.

History of the origin of the surname in Rus'

Surnames in Rus' began to appear in the 12th-13th centuries. This process became widespread in the 16th century, and its completion occurred at the end of the 19th - beginning of the 20th century. Experts can determine for certain where this or that surname came from, but they distinguish several variations that unite several hundred surnames.

Nicknames led to the origin of the surname:

1. Begin to form at the turn of the 12th-13th centuries. The names of the parents, where the person was born, and what he did were contained in the root part of the resulting word. What can be traced in the family ending -ich or -ov. For example, Petrovich, Popov.
2. During the 14-15 century period, numerous boyar and noble families began to be named. It was during this time period that noble family names appeared: Shuiskys, Gorbatovs, Travins, Trusovs, Kobylins.
3. At the same time, surnames appeared, derived from nicknames which are characterized by negative traits of appearance or character. For example, Kosoy, Krivosheev and others.
4. Peasant surnames begin their formation from family nicknames. For example, Lyubimov, Zhdanov.
5. Since ancient times, the name has been considered a kind of amulet that guides a person’s destiny in the right direction.. Therefore, surnames came from given names in order to correct human karma. For example, from the name Nekras the Nekrasov family appeared, Golod - the Golodovs.
6. Surnames derived from the father's name have become widespread. For example, the descendant of Vasily began to be called Vasilyev, the descendant of Peter - Petrov, the descendant of Sidor - Sidorov.

The close contact between Western and Eastern countries that occurred towards the end of the 15th century marked the beginning of the formation of foreign surnames. At the same time, Turkic borrowings occurred in Rus'. Similar surnames appeared until the beginning of the 20th century. Thus, the tribal communities of the Yusupovs, Karamzins, and Baskakovs arose.

At the beginning of the 18th century, Peter the Great introduced “travel letters” indicating the first and last name (or nickname), that is, from that time on, almost everyone living in Russian territories had a surname, albeit unofficially. But this phenomenon was widespread only in the central Russian regions. On the outskirts, citizens did not have a last name until the mid-30s of the 20th century, when residents of the country began to be given passports.

What a person did and where he lived also contributed to the appearance of the surname. In the 16th-19th centuries, surnames appeared based on what a person did. This is how the Rybins, Kovalevs, and Goncharovs appeared. Surnames appear according to the place where the person was born or currently resided. In particular, many surnames appeared at the moment when the lands beyond the Ural Mountains were settled. For example, the Ustyugovs, Verkhoturtsevs.

Among the clergy, the appearance of surnames occurred in the mid-18th century.

Their education often depended on which parish or church the priest served in. For example, Pokrovsky, Kosmodemyansky, Blagoveshchensky and others. Until this time, they were called Father Vasily, Father or Priest Ivan. Their children were called Popovs when necessary. Some clergy acquired surnames when they graduated from the seminary.

They became Athenian, Palminovsky, Cypress, Myagkovsky, Gilyarovsky. If students excelled in their studies, they received euphonious surnames with a positive connotation. They were called Brilliantovs, Dobromyslovs, Speranskys, Dobrolyubovs. If a student received bad grades, then he received a dissonant surname. For example, it was called Gibraltar. In addition, the student could receive a surname that was formed on behalf of a negative biblical character, including he could be called Saulov, Pharaoh.

How to find out the history of your surname: simple and professional methods

First, each person can make an attempt to find his roots. Parents, grandparents and other older relatives can help you with this matter. You can write down all the data on your ancestors in a notepad. You can find out about relatives on both the maternal and paternal side. When a large amount of information has been accumulated, you can put everything on a piece of Whatman paper.

In the upper part, indicate the data that you were able to find out by first names, patronymics, and last names, indicating when they were born and where their oldest ancestors lived. In addition, it is worth recording the number of marriages of the grandparents with the names of their wives and husbands, as well as the number of children they had and the dates of their birth.

The type of activity of your ancestors will provide a lot of information. For example, your ancestor was a shoemaker, so you are Sapozhnikov. Or there was a service person in the family, so you, for example, are Bombardiers. If your ancestor was a fisherman, then now you are called Sturgeon. Or maybe you are the bearer of a family trait, obtained due to the peculiarity of your appearance, which is why you began to be called Ears, Nosovs.

If there is insufficient information collected from relatives, you can turn to the World Wide Web. On various sites you can find out the essence of the origin of your family name. If resources ask you to enter any amount of money, this may lead to funds being withdrawn from you, and no assistance will be provided. On our website you can find out where your family branch came from. Here you can find distant relatives; by writing a message to them, you can find out information about where the family began.

Our experts will help you find out everything about rare family data. Having previously learned information from historical and archival information, our employees will professionally draw up a family tree.

Professional research into the origin of the surname

If your independent searches could not help you find out the history of the origin of the surname, feel free to contact our specialists who will help resolve all your questions regarding this problem.

We provide the following services:

1. At the first stage, professionals will be able to verify all the data you have collected by talking with your relatives, as well as filling in the missing information. This stage is carried out within 2 to 4 weeks.
2. At the same time as the first stage, specialists systematize the information received, enter the data into a special program and build a prototype family tree.
3. Conducting a genealogical examination of the information received, including DNA, during which it is determined whether there is enough information for research, as well as where to find the missing data. This stage takes place over a 2-4 week period.
4. Searching for information in archives.
5. Analysis of the information received and drawing up an estimate.
6. Drawing up reporting information, as well as creating a family tree with subsequent registration of the results of the work performed. This stage takes place within 2-3 months.

How to use the information

After receiving and processing all the information by our specialists, a report can be presented in the form:

• compiled family tree;
• compiled genealogy book;
• a movie about the history of the origin of your family's name.

Let's look at each point in more detail.

Compiling a family tree

In our company, a family tree of a surname can be ordered in the form of paintings, diagrams, panels, as well as shezhere. The customer can decide how the report should look. It can be depicted schematically, drawn on canvas, or carved on a wooden board and look like a panel. In addition, the coat of arms, local attractions, cartographic fragments, photographs can be presented, and the report can also be decorated with various ornaments.

If the client wishes, LED lighting can be installed inside the frame. All materials undergo processing to prevent their premature failure. A family tree can be kept in your family for a long time.

Compiling a genealogy book

All collected information can be formatted as a genealogy book. In addition to information about the surname, it will contain family legends, family traditions, documentary photocopies, as well as photographs covering the history of the origin of the surname.

This book, which includes the most precious information, will be an invaluable encyclopedic storehouse of knowledge passed on from generation to generation.

Making a film about the history of the origin of your family name

For every family, a film in which all its members play the main roles is important. Our company can offer a film based on events that actually happened to you and your family.

We offer documentary films in the form of:

• family portrait film;
• dedication to one person or a married couple;
• a movie that explores the essence of the origin of the surname;
• narratives about the hard times of war or about events occurring in the hero’s childhood;
• a fascinating genre documentary story covering the events that happened to the hero;
• documentary reconstruction of past events;
• modern life events.

During the work on the film, professionals will be involved. The film will be shot by directors, screenwriters, cameramen, editors, sound engineers, composers and recorded on the highest quality media. The finished masterpiece will be recorded onto your hard drive. Your personal life will become a source for filming an exciting, exclusive film.

Full cost of family pedigree

Before all work is carried out, our specialists will be able to calculate the full cost of the services provided. Conducting a genealogical examination costs 95 thousand rubles. If DNA examination is carried out by specialists, then its cost is 85 thousand rubles.

Contact our company, and in just 2-3 months you can find out all the information about the history of your family name!