Origin of the Kuznetsov surname - origin of surnames - useful information - genealogy - personal. How the surname of blacksmiths was formed Famous people with the surname of blacksmiths

The surname Kuznetsov ranks third in the list of the most common Russian surnames for 2005, according to the list compiled by E.V. Balanovskaya and published in various printed publications.

The surname Kuznetsov comes from the name of the profession - “blacksmith”. This surname shows that the father was a blacksmith. If the reference goes to the blacksmith’s wife, then the surname changed somewhat and sounded like Kuznechikhin.

The surname Kuznetsov is common not only among Russians, but also among Ukrainians and Belarusians.

There are variations in the spelling of the suffix for related surnames - Kuznechenkov, Kuznichenkov. It is likely that one is more related to the profession of “blacksmith”, and the other – to the place of work – the “smithy”. Also with other related surnames - Kuznetsky/Kuznitsky, Kuznichenko/Kuznechenko.

The surname Kuznetsov has related surnames, such as Kuznitsyn, Kuznik, Kuznechenok, Kuznyak, Kuznetsovsky, Kuznechevsky.

The Ukrainian analogue of the surname Kuznetsov is the surname Koval, in England - Smith, in Germany - Schmidt.

Famous people with the surname Kuznetsov

Kuznetsov Alexander Vasilievich (1874-1954) - Russian and Soviet architect, design engineer and designer. According to his designs, at the beginning of the twentieth century, many industrial enterprises (weaving and spinning factories), as well as buildings of schools and institutes, were built. He created a style of architecture called “reinforced concrete modern” by researchers. In the buildings he used innovative (for that time) materials - reinforced concrete, metal structures, glass, tiles.
Kuznetsov Alexander Petrovich (1913-1982) - Soviet chess player, compiler of compositions. Became an international master in 1973. Winner of a gold medal at the 1964 Olympic competition.
Kuznetsov Alexey Leonidovich (born 1974) is a Russian and Kazakh bandy player.
Kuznetsov Viktor Ivanovich (1913-1991) - Soviet scientist, designer of gyroscopic devices and control systems used in the military industry (rocket and space systems).
Kuznetsov Grigory Timofeevich (1916-1947) - sapper, full holder of the Order of Glory.
Kuznetsov Ivan Aleksandrovich (born in 1988) is a Russian canoeist, member of the Russian national team. Twice winner of bronze at the European Championship.
Kuznetsov Isay Konstantinovich (1916-2010) - Soviet playwright and screenwriter.
Kuznetsov Pavel Maratovich (born 1958) is a Russian diplomat.
Kuznetsov Sergey Gennadievich (born in 1986) is a Russian football player.
Kuznetsova Agnia Evgenievna (born in 1985) is a Russian actress.
Kuznetsova Valentina Nikolaevna (born in 1948) - Soviet and Russian translator, philologist, linguist. He studies biblical literature.
Kuznetsova Larisa Grigorievna (born in 1990) - surname after marriage - Kuklina; Russian skier (biathlon), medalist of the 2013 and 2017 World Winter Universiade, 2009 world champion among juniors.
Kuznetsova Era Vasilievna (1927-1988) - Soviet linguist, philologist, her last works were related to semantics.

Last name Kuznetsov refers to those hereditary names that can rightfully be considered international. History of the Kuznetsov surname in national variants it exists in many countries where the population has Indo-European roots. For example, in the USA, the surname Smith (blacksmith) is considered the most common; in Germany, you can often find Schmidt (also a blacksmith); in Ukraine, Belarus and Poland, everyone is familiar with the surname Koval (again, a blacksmith) and its derivatives - Kovalsky, Kovalenko, Kovalchuk. Origin of the surname Kuznetsov and his “relatives” is associated with the profession of the father of the first owner of the surname.

The meaning of the surname Kuznetsov.

As you know, when it became necessary to choose a hereditary name for all members of the family, the father’s personal name or nickname was taken as the basis. At that time, along with baptismal names, secular names, more like nicknames, were also in use. Nicknames indicated some individual characteristic of a person, and often his occupation. Among all nations, the blacksmith was a prominent, respected and slightly mysterious figure. It couldn’t be otherwise - a person who can master fire and metal is always a bit of a wizard. This profession in itself became a distinctive feature of a person, and his heirs were called the Kuznetsov children. The answer to the question " What does the name Kuznetsov mean? lies on the surface - the first bearer of the surname was the son of a blacksmith. It is interesting that the meaning of the surname Kuznetsov occasionally has maternal roots, although in a slightly modified version. The surname Kuznechikhin comes from the nickname of the blacksmith’s wife – Kuznechikha.

Prevalence of the surname Kuznetsov.

Determine the exact location where does the surname Kuznetsov come from? appeared before anything else, almost impossible. There were blacksmiths in almost all populated areas in Rus'; the nickname Kuznets was worn by many men for a long time, and their descendants became Kuznetsovs. Ancient documents mention Ivan Kuznets (1618), Mitrofan Kuznets (1557), and Fyodor Kuznets (1597). All of them lived in the north of Russia in the Arkhangelsk province. It must be said that it was there that surnames began to appear first among the townspeople and peasants, since these were people free from serfdom and they might well need more accurate identification in order to protect inheritance rights or conduct “paper” affairs.

Quite definite meaning of the surname Kuznetsov is not limited to one profession of its early owners. History has preserved in ancient documents the memory of the Novgorod peasant Ortemko Kuznetsov (1495), the Yelets Cossacks Terekha and Yakushka Kuznetsov (1615), and the Moscow merchant Leonty Kuznetsov (1699). And now the surname Kuznetsov can boast of being very widespread - it is most often found in the vast territory southeast of Moscow. There are a lot of Kuznetsovs in Tula, Nizhny Novgorod, Penza and Yekaterinburg.

Kuznetsov

Svetlana Kuznetsova, tennis player

Representatives of the family name Kuznetsov can be proud of their surname, which contributes to the discovery of completely new forgotten pages of the life and culture of their ancestors and can tell a person many interesting facts of the past. The surname Kuznetsov belongs to the old Russian type, derived from a personal nickname.

As history shows, in Rus' since ancient times there has been a tradition of naming a person not only with the name received at baptism, but also with an individual nickname. Until the eighteenth century in Rus', few church names were noted in everyday life, which is why they were often repeated. As for nicknames, where the surname Kuznetsov came from, here people’s imagination knew no bounds, which made it possible to distinguish this person from others like him.

Nicknames in Rus' were very diverse, and the meaning of the Kuznetsov surname served as a reflection of the bright qualities of a person’s appearance, character and occupation. And, as the secret of the past shows, the secret of the ancient nickname Kuznets refers to professional names, from which the surname subsequently came. In Rus', the importance of a blacksmith was highly valued, because he was an essential and most noticeable person in the village.

The origin and meaning of the family name Kuznetsov and Kuznetsov is associated with the sixteenth and fifteenth centuries. It was then that the first Russian surnames began to appear in Rus'.

And in the sixteenth century, the most common model for forming a surname was the addition of the suffix -ov/-ev or –in.

Over time, such suffixes became typical indicators of Russian surnames. It was in this way that the surname Kuznetsov was used for the descendants of a man who once bore the nickname Kuznets.

The origin of the Kuznetsov surname is associated with the fifteenth century, and in ancient times it was borne by completely different people: peasants, craftsmen, Cossacks, merchants and many others. Today the surname Kuznetsov is one of the most common in Russia. This ancient family name means direct evidence that the wealth of the Russian language is inexhaustible, from which the ground appears for the development of diverse ways of the emergence of original Russian surnames.

Emphasis in the surname Kuznetsov

The history of the Russian language suggests that the emphasis in the Kuznetsov surname should be placed on the last syllable, regardless of what case it is in. And this is not surprising, because in ancient times, members of a certain family were called by the name of their father. It was declined in the genitive case. So, for example, whose son is Kuznetsov’s son. The emphasis itself in Russian surnames is not constant. However, in this case the stress is considered stationary.

How to choose a first name for the surname Kuznetsov?

No matter how many names and their secrets you review, you need to choose a name for your own child with the utmost care. It would be a good idea to carefully familiarize yourself with the secret history of your noble surname and its meaning in order to best choose a beautiful, rare name for a boy or girl. But you should not focus your attention on exotic names, since they will not be harmonious with the native Russian common surname Kuznetsov.

Linguists have developed special rules that should be followed when choosing a nickname for your future baby so that it matches his last name:

for a long family name, a short name is suitable and vice versa;
for easier pronunciation, maintain sound harmony: if the first letter of the family name is a vowel, the last letter of the name should be a consonant. The only exception in this case would be names for girls, since in most cases they end in a vowel;
the accumulation of consonants at the junction of the first name and patronymic, as well as the repetition of identical consonant sounds, should be avoided;
When choosing a name for a girl or a boy, pay attention to the stress; it is best to choose a name whose stress falls on the same syllable as in the surname.

The surname Kuznetsov belongs to the ancient type of original Russian surnames, formed from nicknames associated with the professional activities of the ancestor.

The tradition of giving a person a nickname in addition to the name received at baptism has existed since ancient times among the Slavs. This is explained by the fact that in everyday life there were relatively few church names, which as a result were often repeated. The supply of nicknames was inexhaustible and made it easy to distinguish a person in society. Therefore, nicknames were added to baptismal names, and sometimes completely replaced them in everyday life and in official documents.

Nicknames in Rus' were extremely varied and often reflected some striking qualities of a person’s appearance or character. But sometimes nicknames became a social characteristic, since they indicated the occupation of their bearers. This usually happened in cases where a person was a master of his craft, thanks to which he was valued and respected by others.

Among such names is the professional nickname Blacksmith. Blacksmith is a common nickname in all Russian dialects in the old days for a craftsman who forged metal and made various objects from them. In the south and west of Ancient Rus', such masters were called “koval”.

So, for example, historical sources mention Klimentiy Kuznets Sestorov, from Pskov (1466), Ivashko Kuznets, peasant of the Sytinsky churchyard (1495), Omelyanko Kuznets, peasant of the Oksochsky churchyard (1495), Kuznets Mefedovich, Mozyr peasant (1552) , Ofonka Kuznets, Cossack, in Novgorod Seversky (1605), Senka Kuznets, gunner, in Smolensk (1609).

The children of a person whose profession was a blacksmith very often received a family nickname derived from the name of the father's profession. Family nicknames were not yet surnames in the modern sense of the word, because in any of the tribes of the descendants of the person who gave this nickname to the entire clan through his profession, a new family nickname could appear. At a time when surnames did not yet exist, such nicknames were even recorded in documents as completely official names.

In the 15th – 16th centuries in Rus', among the noble classes, surnames began to form as special, inherited family names. Already by the beginning of the 17th century, most of them were formed using the suffixes –ov/-ev or –in. By their origin, such surnames are possessive adjectives: Kuznetsov means “son of a man nicknamed Kuznets.”

The ancient origin of the Kuznetsov surname is evidenced by the mention of it in historical sources. So, for example, the documents record Ortemko Kuznetsov, peasant (1495), Kuznetsov, Moscow handyman (1504), Isachko Gridin Kuznetsov, peasant Belozersky (1504), Petrusha Kuznetsov, Sevsky gunner (1659).

Over the long centuries of our bright and eventful history, much has been forgotten, ancient traditions and customs have become a thing of the past, and the language has changed. It is all the more important and interesting for descendants to preserve the memory of the reasons for the appearance of a name or nickname that became the basis of their surname - a precious monument of Slavic culture, ancient customs and traditions, and centuries-old Russian history.

Bibliographical sources:

Unbegaun B.O. Russian surnames. M., 1995.

Veselovsky S.B. Onomasticon: Old Russian names, nicknames and surnames. M., 1974.

Tupikov N.M. Dictionary of Old Russian personal names. S.-Pb., 1903.

1.The surname Kuznetsov comes from the nickname Kuznets. The surname is based on the patronymic, formed from the father’s given name by 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. Kuznets, eventually received the surname Kuznetsov.

2. The surname comes from the baptismal name Kozma, which was very common in the old days. Conversion scheme: Kozma>Kuzma>Kuzmenya>Kuznya>Kuznets. The Russian surname derived from the profession will be Kovalev.

3. This is one of the most popular Russian surnames, formed from the names of professions. Related: Kuznechikhin - “maternal” (blacksmith is the wife of a blacksmith), Kovalev and Kovalikhin (koval in Ukrainian is a blacksmith). Hence - Kovalenkov, Kovalevsky, Kovalishin, Kovalkov, Kovankov.
Kuznetsov Nikolai Ivanovich (1911-44) - intelligence officer (partisan pseudonym Grachev), Hero of the Soviet Union. During the Great Patriotic War, at a personal request in August 1942. was sent behind enemy lines, to the partisan detachment of D.N. Medvedev, operating in Ukraine. In the fight against the Nazis, Kuznetsov showed extraordinary courage and ingenuity. Operating in the city of Rivne, he obtained valuable intelligence information and destroyed prominent Nazis. Kuznetsov died tragically at the hands of nationalists.

4. Patronymic from the father's name by 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; 78 thousand Kuznetsovs lived in Moscow (1964) (second in number only to the Ivanovs, of whom there were 90 thousand). In some localities, the surname Kuznetsov took first place in frequency (for example, in 17 volosts of the Kerensky and Chembarsky districts of the Penza province in 1917, out of 69 thousand Russians included in the calculations, 1031 people were Kuznetsovs). 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 with the same meaning of “blacksmith,” so surnames with this stem spread from the west and southwest. Other nations also have very common surnames with a stem meaning “blacksmith,” for example, the most common English surname is Smith, and the most common German surname is Schmidt. (N). Kovalev is one of the most common Russians; surnames, although the word “koval” does not exist in the Russian literary language. In southern Russia and Ukraine, a blacksmith is called a farrier. “If you’re not a farrier, don’t dirty your hands” (that is, don’t get dirty) - popular 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 - Russified Ukrainian or Belarusian surnames.