Russian Surnames

These did not become inherited until about the C14th and were not common until modern times. Many were formed from bynames or nicknames, with the patronymic endings '-ov' and '-ev' for a male, or by adding a common adjective to the given name with the masculine endings '-ii','-oi', '-yi' and the feminine '-iaia' or '-aia'. Before inherited surnames became normal, many women had a possessive form of byname which indicated to whom they belonged, usually the husband. The feminine endings '-skaia' or '-aia' were added to a patronymic form based on the husband's name. In Western Russia, this sometimes occurred in masculine forms ('-skii' or '-ii') which may have been influenced by Polish.

Surnames can also indicate geographical origins. There are several forms in which a placename can be used : like a patronymic ending in' -vich' with the adjectival ending '-ski' or as a noun with the endings '-in' or '-kin' and the suffix '-ets' also occurring.

Names in the following list are written in the forms in which they were encountered so some may be anglicised or in feminine forms.

This collection of names was compiled by Kate Monk and is ©1997, Kate Monk.

Copies may be made for personal use only.