Eastern Slavic naming customs

Eastern Slavic naming customs are the traditional way of identifying a person's given name and patronymic name in countries formerly part of the Russian Empire or the Soviet Union.

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They are commonly used in Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and to an extent in Kyrgyzstan and Georgia. It is named after the East Slavic language group that the Russian language belongs to. They are also found occasionally in the Balkans among older generations.

Name	Example (Cyrillic alphabet)	Example (Anglicised form)
First name (given name)	Владимир	Vladimir
Patronymic	Антонович	Antonovich
Family name (surname)	Иванов	Ivanov

Given names

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Eastern Slavic parents select a given name for a newborn child. Most first names in East Slavic languages originate from two sources:

• Eastern Orthodox Church tradition
• native pre-Christian Slavic lexicons

Almost all first names are single. Doubled first names (as in, for example, French, like Jean-Luc) are very rare and are from foreign influence. Most doubled first names are written with a hyphen: Mariya-Tereza.

Males

Russian variant	Ukrainian variant	Belarusian variant	Latin-alphabet transliteration[note 1] (Russian / Ukrainian / Belarusian)	Origin	Comments
Иван	Іван	Іван, Ян	Ivan / Ivan / Jan	Hebrew	equivalent to John
Илья	Ілля	Ілля	Ilya / Illia / Illia	Hebrew	equivalent to Elijah
Николай	Микола	Мікалай, Мікола	Nikolai / Mykola / Mikalaj, Mikola	Greek	equivalent to Nicholas, meaning "Victory (of the) People"
Борис	Борис	Барыс	Boris / Borys / Barys	Bulgar	unclear, possibly "wolf", "short" or "snow leopard"
Владимир	Володимир	Уладзімір	Vladimir / Volodymyr / Uladzimir	Slavonic	meaning "great/famous lord" (-мир comes from мѣръ and is not related to міръ or миръ, see also the name's etymology)
Пётр	Петро	Пётр, Пятро, Пятрусь	Pyotr / Petro / Piotr, Piatro, Piatruś	Greek	equivalent to Peter
Андрей	Андрій	Андрэй	Andrei / Andrii / Andrej	Greek	equivalent to Andrew
Александр	Олександр, Олекса	Аляксандр	Aleksandr / Oleksandr, Oleksa / Aliaksandr	Greek	equivalent to Alexander
Филипп	Пилип	Піліп	Filipp / Pylyp / Pilip	Greek	from Greek Φίλιππος (Philippos), meaning "fond of horses".
Дмитрий	Дмитро	Дзмітры, Зміцер	Dmitri / Dmytro / Dzmitry, Zmicier	Greek	from Greek Δημήτριος (Demetrios), meaning "of Demeter"
Сергей	Сергій	Сяргей	Sergei / Serhij / Siarhiej	Latin	from the Roman nomen (patrician family name) Sergius, itself from a more ancient Etruscan name
Леонид	Леонід	Леанід, Лявон	Leonid / Leonid / Lieanid, Liavon	Greek	from Greek Leonidas, meaning "Son of the Lion"
Виктор	Віктор	Віктар	Viktor / Viktor / Viktar	Latin	meaning "Conqueror"
Георгий	Георгiй	Георгій	Georgi / Heorhij / Hieorhij	Greek	the analogues are Егор (Yegor), Юрий (Yury), equivalent to George
Павел	Павло	Павел, Павал, Паўло	Pavel / Pavlo / Paval, Paŭlo	Latin	equivalent to Paul
Константин	Костянтин	Канстанцін, Кастусь	Konstantin / Kostiantyn / Kanstancin, Kastuś	Latin	equivalent to Constantine
Кирилл	Кирило	Кірыл, Кірыла	Kirill / Kyrylo / Kiryl, Kiryla	Greek	equivalent to Cyril
Василий	Василь	Васіль, Базыль	Vasili / Vasyl' / Vasiĺ, Bazyĺ	Greek	equivalent to Ваsіl
Роман	Роман	Раман	Roman / Roman / Raman	Latin	-
Владислав	Владислав	Уладзіслаў	Vladislav / Vladyslav / Uladzislaŭ	Slavonic	meaning "Lord of Fame"
Вячеслав	В'ячеслав	Вячаслаў	Vyacheslav / Viacheslav / Viačaslaŭ	Slavonic	meaning "Growing Fame"
Матвей	Матвій	Матвей, Мацвей	Matvei / Matvij / Matviej, Macviej	Hebrew	equivalent to Matthew
Михаил	Михайло	Міхал, Міхась	Mikhail / Mychailo / Michal, Michaś	Hebrew	equivalent to Michael
Олег	Олег	Алег	Oleg / Oleh / Alieh	Old Norse	derivative from Scandinavian "Helgi"
Игорь	Ігор	Ігар	Igor / Ihor / Ihar	Old Norse	derivative from Scandinavian "Ingvar"
Максим	Максим	Максім	Maksim / Maksym / Maksim	Latin	meaning "Greatest"
Фёдор	Федiр	Фёдар	Fyodor / Fedir / Fyodar	Greek	equivalent to Theodor
Захар	Захар	Захар	Zakhar / Zakhar / Zakhar	Herbew	meaning “Remembering God”
Алексей	Олексій	Аляксей	Alexey / Oleksiy / Alyaksey	Greek	meaning “Defender”
Макар	Макар	Макар	Makar / Makar / Makar	Greek	meaning “Blessed”

Females

Russian variant	Ukrainian variant	Belarusian variant	Latin-alphabet transliteration (Russian / Ukrainian / Belarusian)	Origin	Comments
Анастасия	Анастасія	Настасся, Наста	Anastasiya / Anastasiya / Nastassya, Nasta	Greek	from Greek Ἀναστασία (Anastasia) meaning "she of the Resurrection"
Ангелина	Ангеліна	Ангеліна	Angelina / Anhelina / Angelina	Greek	From Greek Ἀγγελίνα (Angelina) meaning "messenger"
Áнна	Анна, Ганна	Ганна	Anna / Anna, Hanna / Hanna	Hebrew	equivalent to Anne or Hannah
Елена, Алёна	Oленa	Алена	Yelena, Alyona / Olena / Alena	Greek	equivalent to Helen; in Russian Alyona can be both a pet version of Yelena and a name in its own right
Мария	Марія	Марыя	Mariya / Mariya / Maryya	Hebrew	equivalent to Mary
Наталья, Наталия	Наталя, Наталія	Наталля	Natalya / Nataliya, Nataliya / Natalia, Natalija / Natallia	Latin	equivalent to Natalie
Ольга	Ольга	Вольга	Ol'ga / Ol'ha / Vol'ga	Old Norse	derivative from Scandinavian Helga
Александра	Олександра	Аляксандра	Aleksandra / Oleksandra / Aliaksandra	Greek	equivalent to Alexandra
Ксения	Оксана	Ксенія, Аксана	Kseniya / Oksana / Ksienija, Aksana	Greek	in Russian, Oksana is a separate name of the same origin
Екатерина	Катерина	Кацярына	Yekaterina / Kateryna / Katsyaryna	Greek	equivalent to Catherine
Елизавета	Єлизавета	Лізавета	Yelizaveta / Yelyzaveta / Lizaveta	Hebrew	equivalent to Elizabeth
Татьяна	Тетяна	Тацяна, Таццяна	Tat'yana / Tetyana / Tatsyana	Latin	derivative from the Latinized name of the Sabine king Titus Tatius
Людмила	Людмила	Людміла	Lyudmila / Lyudmyla / Lyudmila	Slavonic	meaning "Dear to the People"
Светлана	Світлана	Святлана	Svetlana / Svitlana / Svyatlana	Slavonic	meaning "The Shining One"
Юлия	Юлія	Юлія	Yuliya / Juliya / Juliya	Latin	equivalent to Julia or Julie
Вера	Віра	Вера	Vera / Vira / Vera	Slavonic	meaning "Faith"; a calque of the Greek Πίστη
Надежда	Надія	Надзея	Nadezhda / Nadiya / Nadzeya	Slavonic	meaning "Hope"; a calque of the Greek Ἐλπίς
Любовь	Любов	Любоў	Lyubov' / Lyubоv / Lyubou	Slavonic	meaning "Love"; a calque of the Greek Ἀγάπη
София, Софья	Софія	Соф'я	Sofiya, Sof'ya / Sofiya / Sof'ya	Greek	equivalent to Sophia, meaning "Wisdom".

Forms

Being highly synthetic languages, Eastern Slavic treats personal names as grammatical nouns and apply the same rules of inflection and derivation to them as for other nouns. So one can create many forms with different degrees of affection and familiarity by adding the corresponding suffixes to the auxiliary stem derived from the original name. The auxiliary stem may be identical to the word stem of the full name (the full name Жанна Zhanna can have the suffixes added directly to the stem Жанн- Zhann- like Жанночка Zhannochka), and most names have the auxiliary stem derived unproductively (the Russian name Михаил Mikhail has the auxiliary stem Миш- Mish-, which produces such name-forms as Миша Misha, Мишенька Mishenka, Мишуня Mishunya etc., not *Михаилушка Mikhailushka).

Unlike English, in which the use of diminutive forms is optional even between close friends, in East Slavonic languages, such forms are obligatory in certain contexts because of the strong T–V distinction: the T-form of address usually requires the short form of the counterpart's name. Also, unlike other languages with prominent use of name suffixes, such as Japanese, the use of derived name forms is mostly limited to the T-addressing: there is no way to make the name more formal than the plain unsuffixed full form, and no suffixes can be added to the family name.

Most commonly, Russian philologists distinguish the following forms of given names:

Name form	Example	Formation	Comments
Full	Анна (Anna)	full name stem + case ending	-
Short	Аня (Anya)	short name stem + II declension ending	most common for informal communication, comparable to Western name-only form of address (Ann, John), or Japanese surname-only, or surname/name -kun
Diminutive	Анька (Anka)	short name stem + -к- -k- + II declension ending	expresses familiarity, may be considered rude when used between people who are not close friends. Comparable to English diminutives (Annie, Willy) or Japanese unsuffixed names
Affective diminutive	Анечка (Anyechka)	short name stem + -ечк/очк/оньк/усь/юсь/уль/юль- -echk/ochk/on'k/us/yus/ul/yul- + II declension ending	most intimate and affectionate form, comparable to German diminutives (Ännchen) or Japanese -chan suffixes

Short forms

The "short name" (Russian: краткое имя kratkoye imya), historically also "half-name" (Russian: полуимя poluimya), is the simplest and most common name derivative. Bearing no suffix, it is produced suppletively and always has the declension noun ending for both males and females, thus making short forms of certain unisex names indistinguishable: for example, Sasha (Russian: Саша) is the short name for both the masculine name Aleksandr (Alexander) and the feminine form Aleksandra (Alexandra).

Some names, such as Zhanna (Jeana) and Mark have no short forms, and others may have two (or more) different forms. In the latter case, one form is usually more informal than the other.

Full name (Cyrillic script)	Full name (Latin script)	Short forms (Cyrillic)	Short forms (Latin)
Александр	Aleksandr (m)	Саша, Саня, Шура, ukr. Сашко, Лесь	Sasha, Sanya, Shura, ukr. Sashko, Les
Александра	Aleksandra (f)	Саша, Шура, ukr. Леся	Sasha, Shura, ukr. Lesia
Алексей	Aleksey (m)	Алёша, Лёша	Alyosha, Lyosha
Анастасия	Anastasia (f)	Настя, Стася	Nastya, Stasya (rare)
Анатолий	Anatoly (m)	Толя	Tolya
Андрей	Andrey (m)	Андрюша, Дюша, Андря	Andryusha, Dyusha, Andrya (rare)
Анна	Anna (f)	Аня, Анюта, Нюта, Нюша	Anya, Anyuta, Nyuta, Nyusha
Борис	Boris (m)	Боря	Borya
Давид	David (m)	Дава	Dava
Даниил	Daniil (m)	Данила, Даня	Danila, Danya
Дарья	Darya (f)	Даша	Dasha
Дмитрий	Dmitry (m)	Дима, Митя	Dima, Mitya
Галина	Galina (f)	Галя	Galya
Геннадий	Gennady (m)	Гена	Gena
Георгий	Georgy (m)	Гоша, Жора	Gosha, Zhora
Григорий	Grigory (m)	Гриша	Grisha
Евгений, Евгения	Yevgeniy (m), Yevgenia (f)	Женя	Zhenya
Иван	Ivan (m)	Ваня	Vanya
Иммануил	Immanuil (m)	Моня	Monya
Ирина	Irina (f)	Ира	Ira
Кирилл	Kirill (m)	Кира, Киря	Kira, Kirya
Константин	Konstantin (m)	Костя	Kostya
Ксения	Ksenya (f)	Ксюша	Ksyusha
Лариса	Larisa (f)	Лара, Лёля	Lara, Lyolya (rare)
Леонид	Leonid (m)	Лёня	Lyonya
Лев	Lev (m)	Лёва	Lyova
Лидия	Lidiya (f)	Лида	Lida
Любовь	Lyubov' (f)	Люба	Lyuba
Людмила	Lyudmila (f)	Люда, Люся, Мила	Lyuda, Lyusya, Meela (rare)
Мария	Mariya (f)	Маша, Маня, Маруся, Машуля, Машенька, Марийка, Маняша, Марічка	Masha, Manya, Marusya, Mashulya, Mashеnka, Mariyka, Manyasha (rare), Marichka (ukr.)
Матвей	Matvey (m)	Мотя	Motya
Михаил	Mihail (m)	Миша	Misha
Надежда	Nadezhda (f)	Надя	Nadya
Наталья	Natalya (f)	Наташа	Natasha
Николай	Nikolay (m)	Коля	Kolya
Ольга	Olga (f)	Оля	Olya
Павел	Pavel (m)	Паша, Павлик	Pasha, Pavlik
Полина	Polina (f)	Поля, Лина	Polya, Lina (rare)
Пётр	Pyotr (m)	Петя	Petya
Роман	Roman (m)	Рома	Roma
Семён	Semyon (m)	Сёма	Syoma
Сергей	Sergey (m)	Серёжа	Seryozha
София	Sofia, Sofya (f)	Соня, Софа	Sonya, Sofa
Светлана	Svetlana (f)	Света, Лана	Sveta, Lana
Станислав	Stanislav (m)	Стас	Stas, Stanko
Тамара	Tamara (f)	Тома	Toma
Татьяна	Tatyana (f)	Таня	Tanya
Вадим	Vadim (m)	Вадик, Дима	Vadik, Dima (rare)
Валентин / Валентина	Valentin (m) / Valentina (f)	Валя	Valya
Валерий	Valery (m)	Валера	Valera
Валерия	Valeriya (f)	Лера	Lera
Василий	Vasily (m)	Вася	Vasya
Виктор	Viktor (m)	Витя	Vitya
Виктория	Viktoriya (f)	Вика	Vika
Владимир	Vladimir (m)	Вова, Володя	Vova, Volodya
Владислав, Владислава	Vladislav (m), Vladislava (f)	Влад, Влада	Vlad, Vlada
Вячеслав	Vyacheslav (m)	Слава	Slava
Ярослав	Yaroslav (m)	Ярик	Yarik
Елена	Yelena (f)	Лена, Алёна	Lena, Alyona
Елизавета	Yelizaveta (f)	Лиза	Liza
Екатерина	Yekaterina (f)	Катя	Katya
Евгений / Евгения	Yevgeniy (m) / Yevgeniya (f)	Женя	Zhenya
Юлия	Yuliya (f)	Юля	Yulya
Юрий	Yury (m)	Юра	Yura
Яков	Yakov (m)	Яша	Yasha

Diminutive forms

Diminutive forms are produced from the "short name" by means of various suffixes; for example, Михаил Mikhail (full) — Миша Misha (short) — Мишенька Mishenka (affectionate) — Мишка Mishka (colloquial). If no "short name" exists, then diminutive forms are produced from the full form of the respective first name; for example, Марина Marina (full) — Мариночка Marinochka (affectionate) — Маринка Marinka (colloquial). Unlike the full name, a diminutive name carries a particular emotional attitude and may be unacceptable in certain contexts. Depending on the nature of the attitude, diminutive name forms can be subdivided into three broad groups: affectionate, familiar, and slang.

Affectionate diminutive

Typically formed by suffixes -еньк- (-yenk-), -оньк- (-onk-), -ечк- (-yechk-), -ушк (-ushk), as illustrated by the examples below. It generally emphasises a tender, affectionate attitude and is roughly analogous to German suffixes -chen, -lein, Japanese -chan and -tan and affectionate name-derived nicknames in other languages. It is often used to address children or intimate friends.

Within a more official context, this form may be combined with the honorific plural to address a younger female colleague.^{[citation needed]}

Full form	Short form	Diminutive form
(Cyrillic/Latin)
Анна/Anna	Аня/Anya	Анечка/Anyechka
Виктор/Viktor	Витя/Vitya	Витенька/Vitenʲka
Дмитрий/Dmitry	Дима/Dima	Димочка/Dimochka
Ольга/Olga	Оля/Olya	Оленька/Olyenka
Степан/Stepan	Стёпа/Styopa	Стёпочка/Styopochka

Colloquial diminutives

Colloquial diminutives are derived from short names by the -к- ("-k-") suffix. Expressing a highly familiar attitude, the use may be considered rude or even pejorative outside a friendly context.

Full form		Short form		Colloquial diminutive form
(Cyrillic)	(Latin)	(Cyrillic)	(Latin)	(Cyrillic)	(Latin)
Анна	Anna	Аня	Anya	Анька	Anʲka
Виктор	Viktor	Витя	Vitya	Витька	Vitʲka
Дмитрий	Dmitry	Дима	Dima	Димка	Dimka
Ольга	Olga	Оля	Olya	Олька	Olʲka
Степан	Stepan	Стёпа	Styopa	Стёпка	Styopka

Slang forms

Slang forms exist for male names and, since a few decades ago, female names. They are formed with the suffixes -ян (-yan), -он (-on), and -ок/ёк (-ok/yok). The suffixes give the sense of "male brotherhood" that was once expressed by the patronymic-only form of address in the Soviet Union. Originating in criminal communities^{[citation needed]}, such forms came into wide usage in Russia in the 1990s.

Full form		Short form		Slang form
(Cyrillic)	(Latin)	(Cyrillic)	(Latin)	(Cyrillic)	(Latin)
Анатолий	Anatoly	Толя	Tolya	Толян	Tolyan
Николай	Nikolay	Коля	Kolya	Колян	Kolyan
Дмитрий	Dmitry	Дима	Dima	Димон	Dimon
Владимир	Vladimir	Вова	Vova	Вован	Vovan
Александр	Alexander	Саня	Sanya	Санёк	Sanyok
Татьяна	Tatiana	Таня	Tanya	Танюха	Tanyukha
Андрей	Andrey	Андрюша	Andryusha	Дрюха Дрон	Dryukha Dron

Early Soviet Union

During the days of the October Revolution, as part of the campaign to rid Russia of bourgeois culture, there was a drive to invent new, revolutionary names.^{[citation needed]} As a result, many Soviet children were given unusual or atypical names,^{[citation needed]} often being acronyms/initialisms besides many other names above.

Name (Cyrillic)	Name (Latin)	Origin	Comments
Вил, Вилен, Владлен, Владлена	Vil, Vilen, Vladlen (m) / Vladlene (f)	Владимир Ильич Ленин (Vladimir Ilyich Lenin)	-
Мэл(c)	Mel(s)	Маркс, Энгельс, Ленин (и Сталин) (Marx, Engels, Lenin (and Stalin))	-
Баррикада	Barrikada	-	"Barricade" - refers to the revolutionary activity
Ревмир, Ревмира	Revmir (m) / Revmira (f)	Революция мира (Revolyutsiya mira)	Means "The World Revolution"
Гертруда	Gertruda	Герой труда (Geroy truda)	Means "The Hero of Labour"
Марлен	Marlen	Маркс и Ленин (Marx and Lenin)	-
Стэн	Sten	Сталин и Энгельс (Stalin and Engels)	-
Ким	Kim	Коммунистический интернационал молодёжи (Kommunistichesky Internatsional Molodyozhi)	Means "Young Communist International"

Patronymics

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The patronymic name is based on the first name of the father and is written in all legal and identity documents. If used with the first name, the patronymic always follows it.

Usage

Patronymic name is obligatory when addressing a person of higher social stance and/or on special occasions such as business meetings; for example, when a pupil addresses a teacher, he is obliged to use both first and patronymic names – Russian: Марья Ивановна, могу я спросить..., lit. 'Marya Ivanovna, may I ask...'. Not using patronymic names in such situations is considered offensive.[1]

Addressing a person by patronymic name only is widespread among older generations (more often – "blue collar"-male coworkers) and serves as a display of close relationship based on not only sympathy but also mutual responsibility.[2]

Derivation

Name	Masculine patronym	Feminine patronym
Anatoly	Anatolyevich	Anatolyevna
Constantin	Constantinovich	Constantinovna
Dmitry	Dmitriyevich	Dmitriyevna
Ilya	Ilyich	Ilyinichna
Ivan	Ivanovich	Ivanovna
Nikolay	Nikolayevich	Nikolayevna
Vladimir	Vladimirovich	Vladimirovna
Yakov	Yakovlevich	Yakovlevna

The patronymic is formed by a combination of the father's name and suffixes. The suffix is -ович (-ovich) for a son, -овна (-ovna) – for a daughter. For example, if the father's name was Иван (Ivan), the patronymic will be Иванович (Ivanovich) for a son and Ивановна (Ivanovna) for a daughter.

If the suffix is being appended to a name ending in a й ("y") or a soft consonant, the initial o in the suffixes -ович (-ovich) and -овна (-ovna) becomes a е ("ye") and the suffixes change to -евич (-yevich) and -евна (-yevna). For example, if the father is Дмитрий (Dmitry), the patronymic is Дмитриевич (Dmitrievich) for a son and Дмитриевна (Dmitrievna) for a daughter. It is not Дмитрович (Dmitrovich) or Дмитровна (Dmitrovna) because the name Дмитрий (Dmitry) ends on "й" ("y");

For some names ending in a vowel, the suffix is -ич (-ich) for a son and -ична (-ichna) or -инична (-inichna) for a daughter; for example, Фока Foka (father's first name) — Фокич Fokich (male patronymic) — Фокична Fokichna (female patronymic); Кузьма Kuzma (father's first name) — Кузьмич Kuzmich (male patronymic) — Кузьминична Kuzminichna (female patronymic).

Historical grounds

Historical Russian naming conventions did not include surnames. A person's name included that of his father: e.g. Иван Петров сын (Ivan Petrov syn) which means "Ivan, son of Peter". That is the origin of most Russian -ov surnames.

Modern -ovich- patronyms were originally a feature of the royal dynasty (Рюриковичи, Ruerikovichi, Rurikids), which makes the East Slavic patronym in its original meaning being similar to German von. From the 17th century, the second name with suffix -ович (-ovich) was the privilege given by tsar to commoners. For example, in 1610, Tsar Vasili IV gave to the Stroganovs, who were merchants, the privilege to use patronyms. As a tribute for developing the salt industry in Siberia, Pyotr Stroganov and all his issues were allowed to have a name with -ovich. The tsar wrote in the chart dated on May 29, "... to write him with ovich, to try [him] in Moscow only, not to fee [him] by other fees, not to kiss a cross by himself [which means not to swear during any processions]"[3] In the 18th century, it was the family of merchants to have patronyms. By the 19th century, the -ovich form eventually became the default form of a patronymic.

Legal basis

Everyone in Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus is supposed to have a tripartite name. Single mothers may give their children any patronym, and this does not have any legal consequences. Foreigners who adopt Russian citizenship are exempted from having a patronym. Now, an adult person is entitled to change patronyms if necessary,[4] such as to alienate themselves from the biological father (or to show respect for the adopted one) as well as to decide the same for an underage child.

Family names

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Family names are generally used like in English.

Derivation and meaning

This section does not cite any sources. (June 2018)

In Russian, some common suffixes are -ов (-ov), -ев (-yev), meaning "belonging to" or "of the clan of/descendant of", e.g. Petrov = of the clan of/descendant of Petr (Peter), usually used for patronymic surnames or -ский (-sky), an adjectival form meaning "associated with" and usually used for toponymic surnames. Historically toponymic surnames may have been granted as a token of nobility; for example, the princely surname Shuysky is indicative of the princedom based on the ownership of Shuya. Prince Grigory Aleksandrovich Potemkin-Tavricheski, had the victory title 'Tavricheski' as part of his surname granted to him for the annexation of Crimea by the Russian Empire.

In the 19th and the early 20th centuries, -off was a common transliteration of -ov for Russian family names in foreign languages such as French and German (like for the Smirnoff and the Davidoff brands).

Surnames of Ukrainian and Belarusian origin use the suffixes -ко (-ko), -ук (-uk), and -ич (-ych). For example, the family name Писаренко (Pisarenko) is derived from the word for a scribe, and Ковальчук (Kovalchuk) refers to a smith.

Less often, some versions of family names will have no suffix, e.g. Lebed, meaning swan, and Zhuk, meaning beetle (but see also Lebedev and Zhukov).

Hyphenated surnames like Petrov-Vodkin are possible.

Grammar

Eastern Slavic languages are synthetic languages and have grammatical cases and grammatical gender. Unlike analytic languages like English, which use prepositions ("to", "at", "on" etc.) to show the links and relations between words in a sentence, Eastern Slavic suffixes are used much more broadly than prepositions. Words need the help of some suffix to integrate them into the sentence and to build a grammatically correct sentence. That includes names, unlike in German. Family names are declined based on the Slavic case system.

The surnames that originally are short (-ov, -ev, -in) or full (-iy/-oy/-yy) Slavic adjectives, have different forms depending on gender: male forms -ov, -ev, -in and -iy/-oy/-yy correspond to female forms -ova, -eva, -ina and -aya, respectively. For example, the wife of Борис Ельцин (Boris Yel'tsin) was Наина Ельцина (Naina Yel'tsina); the wife of Leo Tolstoy was Sophia Tolstaya, etc. All other, i.e. non-adjectival, surnames stay the same for both genders (including surnames ending with -енко (-yenko), -ич (-ich) etc.), unlike in many West Slavic languages, where the non-adjectival surname of men corresponds to derivative feminine adjectival surname (Novák → Nováková). Note the difference between patronymics and surnames ending with -ich: surnames are the same for males and females, but patronymics are gender-dependent (for example, Ivan Petrovich Mirovich and Anna Petrovna Mirovich)

This dependence of grammatical gender of adjectival surname on the gender of its owner is not considered to be changing the surname (compare the equivalent rule in Polish, for example). The correct transliteration of such feminine surnames in English is debated: the names technically should be in their original form, but they sometimes appear in the masculine form.

The example of Иванов (Ivanov), a family name, will be used:

Grammatical case	Example of question	Masculine form		Feminine form
		Cyrillic	Latin	Cyrillic	Latin
Nominative	Who?	Иванов	Ivanov	Иванова	Ivanova
Genitive	Whose?	Иванова	Ivanova	Ивановой	Ivanovoy
Dative	To whom?	Иванову	Ivanovu	Ивановой	Ivanovoy
Accusative	Whom?	Иванова	Ivanova	Иванову	Ivanovu
Instrumental	By whom?	Ивановым	Ivanovym	Ивановой	Ivanovoy
Locative (Prepositional)	About whom?	Иванове	Ivanove	Ивановой	Ivanovoy

The surnames which are not grammatically adjectives (Zhuk, Gogol, Barchuk, Kupala etc.) declines in cases and numbers as the corresponding common noun. The exclusion is when a women has a surname which is grammatically a noun of masculine gender; in such case, the surname is not declined. For example, Ivan and Anna Zhuk in dative case ("to whom?") would be: Ивану Жуку (Ivanu Zhuku), but Анне Жук (Anne Zhuk).

Family names are generally inherited from one's parents. As in English, on marriage, women usually adopt the surname of the husband; the opposite, when the husband adopt the maiden surname of his wife, very rarely occurs. Rarely, both spouses keep their pre-marriage family names. The fourth, very rare but still legal way is the taking a double surname; for example, in marriage of Ivanov (he) and Petrovskaya (she), the spouses may adopt the family name Ivanov-Petrovsky and Ivanova-Petrovskaya, correspondingly.

Anglicisation

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When names are written in English, the patronymic is not equivalent to an English middle name. When the name is written in English, the patronymic may be omitted with the given name written out in full or abbreviated (Vladimir Putin or V. Putin), both the first name and the patronymic may be written out in full (Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin), both the first name and the patronymic may be abbreviated (V. V. Putin) or the first name may be written out in full with the patronymic abbreviated (Vladimir V. Putin).

Slavicisation of foreign names

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By law, foreign persons who adopt Russian citizenship are allowed to have no patronymic.[5] Some adopt non-Slavonic patronymics as well. For example, the Russian politician Irina Hakamada's patronym is Муцуовна (Mutsuovna) because her Japanese father's given name was Mutsuo. The ethnicity of origin generally remains recognizable in Russified names.

Bruno Pontecorvo, after he emigrated to the Soviet Union, was known as Бруно Максимович Понтекорво (Bruno Maximovich Pontekorvo) in the Russian scientific community, as his father's given name was Massimo (corresponding to Russian Максим (Maksim). His sons have been known by names Джиль Брунович Понтекорво (Gigl Brunovich Pontecorvo), Антонио Брунович Понтекорво (Antonio Brunovich Pontecorvo) and Тито Брунович Понтекорво (Tito Brunovich Pontekorvo).

Such conversion of foreign names is unofficial and often optional.

Some Turkic languages also use patronymics, with the Turkic word meaning 'son' or 'daughter'. The languages were official in the countries in the Russian Empire and then the Soviet Union.

For example, Kazakh ұлы (uly; transcribed into Latin script as -uly, as in Nursultan Abishuly Nazarbayev), Turkmen uly (as in Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow), or Azeri оглы/оғлу (oglu) (as in Heydar Alirza oglu Aliyev); Kazakh қызы (transcribed into Latin script as -qyzy, as in Dariga Nursultanqyzy Nazarbayeva). Such Turkic patronymics were officially allowed in the Soviet Union.

Some surnames in those languages have been Russified since the 19th century: the surname of Kazakh president Nursultan Nazarbayev has a Russian "-yev" suffix, which literally means "of Nazar-bay" (in which "bay" is a Turkic native noble rank: compare Turkish "bey", Uzbek "beg", and Kyrghyz "bek"). The frequency of such Russification varies greatly by country.

Some ethnic groups use more than one name: one official, another unofficial. Official names have Russian patronymics, and unofficial names are noble or tribal names, which were prohibited after the Russian Revolution. After the fall of the Soviet Union, some people returned to using these tribal or noble names as surnames (Sarah Naiman, a Kazakh singer, has a surname that means that she is from Naimans). Some Muslim people changed their surnames to Arabic style (Tungyshbay Zhamankulov, a famous Kazakh actor who often plays the role of khans in films, changed his name to Tungyshbay al-Tarazy).

Forms of address

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Common rules

• The full three-name form (for instance, Иван Иванович Петров Ivan Ivanovich Petrov) is used mostly for official documents. Everyone in Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus is supposed to have three names. This form is also used on some very formal occasions and for introducing oneself to a person who is likely to write down the full name, like a police officer. Then, the family name is often placed first (Петров Иван Иванович, Petrov Ivan Ivanovich).
• the form "first name + patronymic" (for instance, Иван Иванович, Ivan Ivanovich):
  • is the feature of official communication (for instance, students in schools and universities call their teachers in the form of "first name + patronymic" only);
  • may convey the speaker's respect for the recipient. Historically, patronymics were reserved for the royal dynasty (Рюриковичи, Ruerikovichi)
• The family name alone (Петров, Petrov) is used, much more rarely, in formal communications. It is commonly used by school teachers to address their students. Informally, Russians are starting to call people by their surnames alone for irony.
• For informal communication, only the first name is used: Иван Ivan. Even more informally, diminutives (several can be formed from one name) are often used.
• In rural areas, the patronymic name alone (Петрович Petrovich, Ивановна Ivanovna) is used by old people among themselves, but young people sometimes use the form for irony. Also, younger people can use the form for much older people for both respect and informality. For example, a much younger man with a very good relationship with his elder colleague may use a patronymic and the "ty" form, but using the first name alone is generally inappropriate. Using a diminutive (like in most informal communication) would nearly always be very impolite.

The choice of addressing format is closely linked to the choice of second-person pronoun. Russian language distinguishes:

• informal ты (ty, "you", "thou" in old English);
• formal вы (vy, "you"); respectful Вы ("Vy", "You") may be capitalized in formal correspondence, but plural вы ("vy", "you") is not.

Вы ("Vy") is the plural of both forms to address a pair or group. Historically, it comes from German, under Peter the Great, which uses "du and Sie" similarly.

Other than the use of patronymics, Russian forms of address in Russian are very similar to English ones.

Also, the meaning of the form of address strongly depends on the choice of a V-T form:

Vy or ty	Form	Male example	Female example	Use
Using "Vy"	Full three-name form	Anatoliy Pavlovich Ivanov	Varvara Mikhailovna Kuznetsova	Official documents, very formal occasions (when necessary)
	First name + patronymic	Anatoliy Pavlovich	Varvara Mikhailovna	General formal or respectful form
	Surname	Ivanov	Kuznetsova	Formal. Often used by a person of a higher social position (like a teacher talking to a student)
	Informal first name + informal patronymic	Tol' Palych	Varvara Mikhalna	Respectful but less formal
	Full first name	Anatoliy	Varvara
	Diminutive first name	Tolya	Varya	Friendly but still somewhat formal
	Affectionate first name		Varechka	Used almost exclusively towards women, showing fondness but still keeping some formality (like to a younger colleague)
Using "Ty"	First name + patronymic	Anatoliy Pavlovich	Varvara Mikhailovna	Can be used between friends on semi-formal occasions or ironically
	Informal patronymic	Palych	Mikhalna	Combining familiarity and respect
	Surname	Ivanov	Kuznetsova	Similar in use to a "vy" form but less formal
	Full first name	Anatoliy	Varvara	Friendly but with a tone of formality. If the name has no diminutive form (Yegor), also used informally
	Diminutive first name	Tolia	Varya	General informal form
	Colloquial first name	Tolik	Var'ka	Very familiar form
	Slang first name	Tolyan	Varyukha
	Affectionate first name	Tolen'ka	Varechka	Tender, affectionate form

Using a "ty" form with a person who dislikes it or on inappropriate occasions can be an insult, especially the surname alone.

Adjectives

Other Eastern Slavic languages use the same adjectives of their literal translation if they differ from Russian analogue. All Eastern Slavic languages are synthetic languages, and grammatical genders are used. Thus, the suffix of an adjective changes with the sex of the recipient.

In Russian, adjectives before names are generally restricted to written forms of communication. Adjectives like Любимый / Любимая (lyubimiy / lyubimaya, "beloved") and Милый / Милая (miliy / milaya, "sweetheart") are informal, and Уважаемый / Уважаемая (uvazhayemiy / uvazhayemaya, literally "respected") is highly formal. Some adjectives, like Дорогой / Дорогая (dorogoy / dorogaya, "dear"), can be used in both formal and informal letters.

See also

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• List of surnames in Russia
• Romanization of Russian
• Russian personal name
• Slavic names
• Slavic surnames
• Ukrainian name
• Onomastics

References

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