All noble families. What Russian surnames are considered the most ancient?
Since ancient times, a surname could change a person’s life; it carried the entire history of the family and gave many privileges. People spent a lot of effort and finances to have a good title, and sometimes even sacrificed their lives for this. It was almost impossible for an ordinary resident to be included in the list of nobles.
Types of titles
There were many titles in Tsarist Russia, each of them had its own history and carried its own capabilities. All noble families followed the family tree and very carefully selected pairs for their family members. The marriage of two noble families was more of a calculated calculation than a love relationship. Russian noble families stayed together and did not allow members without a title into their families.
Among these genera could be:
- Princes.
- Graphs.
- Barons.
- Kings.
- Dukes.
- Marquises.
Each of these clans had its own history and led its own family tree. It was strictly forbidden for a nobleman to create a family with a commoner. Thus, it was almost impossible for an ordinary ordinary resident of Tsarist Russia to become a nobleman, except for very great achievements before the country.
Princes Rurikovich
Princes are one of the highest noble titles. Members of such a family always had a lot of land, finances and slaves. It was a great honor for a representative of the family to be at court and help the ruler. Having proven himself, a member of the princely family could become a trusted person of the ruler. The famous noble families of Russia in most cases had a princely title. But titles could be divided according to the methods of obtaining them.
One of the most famous princely families in Russia were the Rurikovichs. The list of noble families begins with her. The Rurikovichs are immigrants from Ukraine and descendants of Igor’s great Rus'. The roots of many European rulers come from This is a strong dynasty that brought the world many famous rulers who were in power for a long time throughout Europe. But a number of historical events that took place in those days divided the family into many branches. Russian noble families, such as Pototsky, Peremyshl, Chernigov, Ryazan, Galician, Smolensky, Yaroslavl, Rostov, Belozersky, Suzdal, Smolensky, Moscow, Tver, Starodubsky, belong specifically to the Rurik family.
Other princely titles
In addition to the descendants of the Rurikovich family, noble families in Russia can be such as the Otyaevs. This family received its title thanks to the good warrior Khvostov, who had the nickname Otyay in the army, and dates back to one thousand five hundred and forty-three.
The Ofrosmovs are an example of a strong will and a great desire to achieve a goal. The founder of the family was a strong and courageous warrior.
The Pogozhevs come from Lithuania. The founder of the family was helped to obtain the princely title by his oratory and the ability to conduct military negotiations.
The list of noble families also includes the Pozharskys, Polevys, Pronchishchevs, Protopopovs, Tolstoys, and Uvarovs.
Count's titles
But surnames of noble origin are not only princes. Count dynasties also had high titles and powers at court. This title was also considered very high and gave a lot of powers.
Receiving the title of count was a great achievement for any member of royal society. Such a title, first of all, made it possible to have power and be closer to the ruling dynasty. The noble families of Russia mostly consist of counts. The easiest way to achieve this title was through successful military operations.
One of these surnames is Sheremetv. This is a count family that still exists in our time. The army general received this title for his achievements in military operations and service to the royal family.
Ivan Golovkin is the founder of another family of noble origin. According to many sources, this is a count who appeared in Russia after the wedding of his only daughter. One of the few count families that ended with a single representative of the dynasty.
The noble surname Minich had many branches, and the main reason for this was the large number of women in this family. When marrying, Milikh women took a double surname and mixed titles.
Courtiers received many count titles during the reign of Catherine Petrovna. She was a very generous queen and awarded titles to many of her military leaders. Thanks to her, such names as Efimovsky, Gendrikov, Chernyshev, Razumovsky, Ushakov and many others appeared on the list of nobles.
Barons at court
Many holders of baronial titles also had famous noble families. Among them are family families and granted barons. This, like all other titles, could be obtained with good service. And of course, the simplest and most in an effective way there was military action for the homeland.
This title was very popular in the Middle Ages. The family title could be received by wealthy families who sponsored the royal family. This title appeared in the fifteenth century in Germany and, like everything new, gained great popularity. The royal family practically sold it to all rich families who had the opportunity to help and sponsor all the royal endeavors.
To bring rich families closer to him, he introduced a new title - baron. One of the first owners of this title was the banker De Smith. Thanks to banking and trading, this family earned its finances and was elevated to the rank of baron by Peter.
Russian noble families with the title of baron also added the surname Fridriks. Like de Smith, Yuri Fridriks was a good banker who lived and worked at the royal court for a long time. Born into a titled family, Yuri also received a title under Tsarist Russia.
In addition to them, there were a number of surnames with the title of baron, information about which was stored in military documents. These are warriors who earned their titles by actively participating in hostilities. Thus, the noble families of Russia were replenished with such members as: Baron Plotto, Baron von Rummel, Baron von Malama, Baron Ustinov and the family of Baron Schmidt brothers. Most of them came from European countries and came to Russia on work matters.
Royal families
But not only titled families are included in the list of noble families. Russian noble families headed the royal families for many years.
One of the most ancient royal families of Russia were the Godunovs. This is the royal family, which was in power for many years. The first of this family was Tsarina Godunova, who formally ruled the country for only a few days. She renounced the throne and decided to spend her life in a monastery.
The next, no less famous surname of the royal Russian family is the Shuiskys. This dynasty spent little time in power, but was included in the list of noble families of Russia.
The Great Queen Skavronskaya, better known as Catherine the First, also became the founder of the royal family dynasty. We should not forget about such a royal dynasty as Biron.
Dukes at court
Russian noble families also have the title of dukes. Receiving the title of Duke was not so easy. Basically, these families included very rich and ancient families of Tsarist Russia.
The owners of the title of Duke in Russia were the Chertozhansky family. The family existed for many centuries and was engaged in agriculture. This was a very rich family that had a lot of land.
The Duke of Nesvizh is the founder of the city of the same name Nesvizh. There are many versions of the origin of this family. The Duke was a great connoisseur of art. His castles were the most remarkable and beautiful buildings of that time. Owning large lands, the duke had the opportunity to help tsarist Russia.
Menshikov is another of the famous ducal families in Russia. Menshikov was not just a duke, he was a famous military leader, army general and governor of St. Petersburg. He received his title for his achievements and service to the royal crown.
Title of Marquis
The title of marquis in Tsarist Russia was mainly given to wealthy families with foreign origins. This was an opportunity to bring foreign capital into the country. One of the most famous names was Traversie. This is an ancient French family, whose representatives were at the royal court.
Among the Italian marquises was the Paulluci family. Having received the title of marquis, the family remained in Russia. Another Italian family received the title of marquis at the royal court of Russia - Albizzi. This is one of the richest Tuscan families. They earned all their income from entrepreneurial activities in the production of fabrics.
Meaning and privileges of title
For courtiers, having a title provided many opportunities and wealth. When receiving a title, it often brought with it generous gifts from the crown. Often these gifts were lands and wealth. The royal family gave such gifts for special achievements.
For wealthy families who earned their wealth on the generous Russian soil, it was very important to have a good title, for this they financed the royal endeavors, thereby buying their family a high title and good attitude. In addition, only titled families could be close to the royal family and participate in ruling the country.
It is not so easy to answer the question of when Russians got surnames. The fact is that surnames in Rus' were formed mainly from patronymics, nicknames or family names, and this process was gradual.
It is believed that the first in Rus' to bear surnames were citizens of Veliky Novgorod, which was then a republic, as well as residents of the Novgorod possessions, which stretched throughout the north from the Baltic to the Urals. This supposedly happened in the 13th century. Thus, in the chronicle for 1240 the names of the Novgorodians who fell in the Battle of Neva are mentioned: “Kostyantin Lugotinits, Guryata Pineshchinich.” In the chronicle of 1268, the names of “Tverdislav Chermny, Nikifor Radyatinich, Tverdislav Moisievich, Mikhail Krivtsevich, Boris Ildyatinich... Vasil Voiborzovich, Zhiroslav Dorogomilovich, Poroman Podvoisky” are found. In 1270, as the chronicler reports, Prince Vasily Yaroslavich went on a campaign against the Tatars, taking with him “Petril Rychag and Mikhail Pineshchinich.” As we can see, these surnames bore little resemblance to modern ones and were formed, most likely, by patronymics, family or baptismal names, nicknames or place of residence.
Originally from the North
Perhaps the most ancient surnames should still be considered surnames ending with the suffixes -ih and -ih. According to experts, they appeared at the turn of the century I-II millennia and originated primarily from family nicknames. For example, members of one family could be given nicknames such as Short, White, Red, Black, and their descendants were called in the genitive or prepositional case: “Whose will you be?” - “Short, White, Red, Black.” Doctor of Philology A.V. Superanskaya writes: “The head of the family is called Golden, the whole family is called Golden. A native or descendants of a family in the next generation are Golden.”
Historians suggest that these surnames were born in the north, and subsequently spread to the central regions of Rus' and the Urals. Many such surnames are found among Siberians: this was associated with the beginning of the conquest of Siberia in the second half of the 16th century. By the way, according to the rules of the Russian language, such surnames are not declined.
Surnames from Slavic names and nicknames
There were also surnames that arose from Old Russian secular names. For example, from the Slavic proper names Zhdan and Lyubim, the surnames Zhdanov and Lyubimov later evolved. Many surnames are formed from so-called “protective” names: it was believed that if you give a baby a name with a negative connotation, this will scare away dark forces and failures. So from the nicknames Nekras, Dur, Chertan, Zloba, Neustroy, Golod came the surnames Nekrasov, Durov, Chertanov, Zlobin, Neustroyev, Golodov.
Noble names
Only later, in the XIV-XV centuries, surnames began to appear among princes and boyars. Most often, they were formed from the name of the inheritance owned by a prince or boyar, and subsequently passed on to his descendants: Shuisky, Vorotynsky, Obolensky, Vyazemsky. Some of the noble families came from nicknames: Gagarins, Hunchbacks, Glazatyes, Lykovs, Scriabins. Sometimes the surname combined the name of the inheritance with a nickname, such as Lobanov-Rostovsky.
One of the most ancient noble families, Golitsyn, originates from the ancient word “golitsy” (“Galitsy”), meaning leather mittens used in various works. Another ancient noble family is Morozov. The first to wear it was Misha Prushanin, who especially distinguished himself in 1240 in the battle with the Swedes: his name was glorified in the Life of Alexander Nevsky. This family also became known thanks to the famous schismatic - boyar Fedosya Morozova.
Merchant names
In the 18th-19th centuries, service people, clergy and merchants began to bear surnames. However, the richest merchants acquired surnames even earlier, in the 15th-16th centuries. These were mainly, again, residents of the northern regions of Russia - say, the Kalinnikovs, Stroganovs, Perminovs, Ryazantsevs. Kuzma Minin, the son of salt worker Mina Ankudinov from Balakhna, received his own surname at the turn of the 16th-17th centuries. Merchant surnames often reflected the occupation of their owner. So, the Rybnikovs traded fish.
Peasant surnames
Peasants did not have surnames for a long time, with the exception of the population of the northern part of Russia, which once belonged to Novgorod, since there was no serfdom there. Take, for example, the “Arkhangelsk peasant” Mikhail Lomonosov or Pushkin’s nanny, the Novgorod peasant Arina Rodionovna Yakovleva.
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They also had surnames of Cossacks, as well as the population of lands that were formerly part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth: the territory of present-day Belarus to Smolensk and Vyazma, Little Russia. Most of the indigenous inhabitants of the black earth provinces had surnames.
They began to assign surnames to peasants en masse only after the abolition of serfdom. And some even received surnames only during the years of Soviet power.
Why do some Russian surnames end in “-in”, while others end in “-ov”?
Original Russian surnames are those that end in “-ov”, “-ev” or “-in” (“-yn”). Why do Russians wear them most often?
Surnames with the suffixes “-ov” or “-ev” are, according to various sources, 60-70% of the indigenous inhabitants of Russia. It is believed that these surnames are mainly of ancestral origin. At first they came from patronymics. For example, Peter, the son of Ivan, was called Peter Ivanov. After surnames came into official use (and this happened in Rus' in the 13th century), surnames began to be given by the name of the eldest in the family. That is, Ivan’s son, grandson, and great-grandson already became Ivanovs.
But surnames were also given by nicknames. So, if a person, for example, was nicknamed Bezborodov, then his descendants received the surname Bezborodov.
They often gave surnames based on their occupation. The son of a blacksmith bore the surname Kuznetsov, the son of a carpenter - Plotnikov, the son of a potter - Goncharov, the son of a priest - Popov. Their children also received the same surname.
Surnames with the suffix “-ev” went to those whose ancestors had names and nicknames, as well as whose professions ended with a soft consonant - for example, the son of Ignatius was called Ignatiev, the son of a man nicknamed Bullfinch - Snegirev, the son of a cooper - Bondarev.
Where did surnames starting with “-in” or “-yn” come from?
The second most common name in Russia is occupied by surnames with the suffix “-in”, or, less commonly, “-yn”. About 30% of the population wear them. These surnames could also come from the names and nicknames of their ancestors, from the names of their professions, and in addition, from words ending in “-a”, “-ya” and from feminine nouns ending in a soft consonant. For example, the surname Minin meant: “son of Mina.” The Orthodox name Mina was widespread in Rus'.
The surname Semin comes from one of the forms of the name Semyon (the ancient form of this Russian name is Simeon, which means “heard by God”). And in our time, the surnames Ilyin, Fomin, Nikitin are common. The surname Rogozhin reminds us that this man’s ancestors sold matting or made it.
Most likely, nicknames or professional occupations formed the basis for the surnames Pushkin, Gagarin, Borodin, Ptitsyn, Belkin, Korovin, Zimin.
Meanwhile, word formation experts believe that a surname does not always clearly indicate the nationality of a person or his distant ancestors. To determine this with confidence, you must first find out what kind of word underlies it. published .
Irina Shlionskaya
P.S. And remember, just by changing your consciousness, we are changing the world together! © econet
Several hundred Russian noble families may indicate their origin from the South Baltic Pomerania.
As is known, several hundred Russian noble families have legends about their founding ancestors, “who came from Nemets” or “from Prus.” These indications are equivalent and may indicate origin from the South Baltic Pomerania. This was the name given to Russian families forced to leave their native lands as a result of the gradual German offensive on the Baltic states.
Apparently, resettlement from the southern and southeastern shores of the Baltic Sea to Novgorod and Pskov took place over several centuries, starting from the time of Rurik. It began to end only at the moment when the crusaders completely captured Pomerania and Prussia. Those who came from there received the nickname “from the German,” indicating eviction from lands captured by the “Germans,” or “from Prus,” after the name of the region, which remained even after the German conquest.
An attempt to imagine that the genealogical postscript “from Nemets” is a later invention cannot be considered successful. For example, the compiler of the two-volume “History of the Russian Nobility” P.N. Petrov pointed out that in the 13th century there was no independent state of Prussia, therefore, it is unclear where “Prussian subjects or the Prussian people” could have come from in Russia. In his opinion, subsequently, during the time of Ivan the Terrible, the postscript “from Prus” was allegedly replaced by a more appropriate postscript “from Nemets”, supposedly indicating German prisoners captured during the Livonian War. But the author himself writes that “we can count less than a dozen such captives, and there are hundreds of families “who left the Germans”” (History of the families of the Russian nobility / Edited by P.N. Petrov. Vol. 1. - St. Petersburg, 1886. - P. 13).
At the same time, about 8-10% of medieval noble and burgher surnames from the Mecklenburg region (Vorpommern) find direct analogies among Russian surnames, including the same noble ones. Here are ten of the most significant examples:Thus, not only Rurik and the Rurikovichs, but also many other Russian clans came “from the Germans,” that is, from the southern Baltic coast - from Mecklenburg and Pomerania. But even more Russian surnames correspond to Mecklenburg place names (with direct analogies in Russian place names):
Barkovs (Mekl. Barkow, Borkow)
Bibov/Bibikova (mekl. Bibow)
Brusovs/Bryusovs (mekl. Brusow)
Burovs (mekl. Burow)
Welzin (Mekl. Welzin)
Witzin (mekl. Witzin)
Volkovs (mekl. Wolkow)
Glazov (mekl. Glasow)
Dashovs/Dashkovs (mekl. Daschow)
Demins (mekl. Demmin)
Zurov (mekl. Zurow)
Silts (mekl. Ilow)
Karlovy (mekl. Carlow)
Karpov (mekl. Karpow)
Carpins (mekl. Carpin, Karpin)
Storerooms (mekl. Kladow)
Kobrov (mekl. Kobrow)
Koltsov (mekl. Kolzow)
Krasov (mekl. Krassow)
Krekhovs (mekl. Kreckow)
Kryukovs (mekl. Krukow, Kruckow)
Lubkovs (mekl. Lubkow)
Lukovy (mekl. Lukow, Luckow)
Lütow (mekl. Lütow)
Maltsov/Maltsev (mekl. Malzow)
Maslovy (mekl. Masslow, Maßlow)
Milovs/Miltsovs (mekl. Milow, Miltzow)
Mirowy (mekl. Mirow)
Muchow (mekl. Muchow)
Neverin/Neverovy (mekl. Neverin, Neverow)
Perov (mekl. Perow)
Plush (mekl. Pluschow)
Pustow (mekl. Pustow)
Puchov (mekl. Puchow)
Rakovy (mekl. Rakow)
Rubkow (mekl. Rubkow)
Rudov (mekl. Rudow)
Rogovy (mekl. Roggow)
Salowy (Mekl. Salow)
Samkovy (mekl. Samkow)
Starkovs (mekl. Starkow)
Stasov (mekl. Stassow)
Tetherin (mekl. Teterin)
Tutov (mekl. Tutow)
Fedorov (mekl. Federow)
Clowns (mekl. Schutow)
What else could serve as more convincing evidence of Rus'’s strong ties with the southern Baltic coast? Naturally, along with numerous archaeological, anthropological and written data. And of course, in accordance with historical logic and in the virtual absence of serious counterarguments. All this clearly points to the starting point of the Varangian migration: the southern Baltic (Mecklenburg-Pomerania).
After this, you can forever forget the political myths about the “Scandinavian origin of King Rurik,” which have no scientific basis. However, particularly stubborn “Normanists” will most likely continue their song. They have long ignored scientific arguments. Unless they are confused among themselves about whether the “Scandinavian expansion” was massive or whether only the “elite” ended up in Rus' in the form of a squad on several longships. But, as we see, there was neither one nor the other. In reality, completely different people moved from the other side of the Baltic Sea.
Of course, this does not exclude contacts between Rus' and culturally and ethnically close Scandinavia. At all times, peoples have been connected by trade. The chronicles also contain reports about the acceptance of individual Vikings into Russian service and about their participation in socio-political life ancient Rus'. There is nothing surprising here. But, of course, this does not in any way indicate the origin of Rus' from Scandinavia. Let the romantics who are too strongly impressed by the colorful Scandinavian mythology or films about Vikings talk about it.
The chronicler confidently distinguishes those Varangians from whom the “Russian Land” was nicknamed both from the Scandinavians and from other tribes, including Slavic tribes. The rest do the same historical sources. They themselves spoke about themselves - “we are from the Russian family,” perfectly aware of themselves as their own people.
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(Archaeologist-linguist A. M. Miklyaev analyzed up to a hundred toponyms in the Ilmen region, including the consonance “-gost-; -gosh-”, and allowed their widespread appearance since the 8th century. Archaeological searches in the early layers of Novgorod and Ladoga also point to the spread of Western Slavic type dishes from the 9th-10th centuries, characteristic for the Baltic coast, which may indicate both developed trade relations and migration of part of the West Slavic tribes to the Ilmen region.)
1. The title of nobility is a consequence emanating from the quality and virtue of the men who commanded in ancient times, who distinguished themselves by merit, thereby turning the service itself into dignity, and acquired the noble title for their offspring.
3. A nobleman imparts noble dignity to his wife.
4. A nobleman imparts to his children the noble dignity of the nobility hereditarily.
9. Without trial, let him not lose his noble honor.
12. Let no noble man be judged except by his equals.
13. The case of a noble person who has fallen into a criminal offense and, according to the laws, is worthy of deprivation of noble dignity, or honor, or life, may not be resolved without being submitted to the Senate and confirmed by the Imperial Majesty.
15. Let no corporal punishment touch the noble.
17. We confirm liberty and freedom to the Russian noble nobility for eternity and through hereditary generations.
18. We confirm to the nobles who are in the service the permission to continue the service and to ask for dismissal from the service according to the rules made for this.
19. We confirm the nobles’ permission to enter into the services of other European allied powers and to travel to foreign lands.
21. A noble person has the right, by his nickname, to be written as the landowner of his estates, and as the votchina of his ancestral, hereditary and granted estates.
22. Free power and will are left to the noble, having been the first acquirer of any property, to give the acquired property as a gift, or to bequeath, or as a dowry or for living expenses. Either transfer or sell to whomever you like. Let him not dispose of hereditary property otherwise than prescribed by law.
26. The right to buy villages is confirmed to the nobles.
28. The noble ones are allowed to have factories and factories in their villages.
34. The right of ownership of the forests growing in their dachas, and their free use with full strength and reason, is confirmed to the nobles, as depicted in the gracious decree of September 22, 1782.
35. In villages, the landowner's house is free from standing.
36. The noble person is personally exempt from personal taxes.
B. About the meeting of nobles, the establishment of a noble society in the province and the benefits of a noble society
38. The nobility gathers in the province at the call and permission of the governor-general, or governor, both for the elections entrusted to the nobility, and for listening to the proposals of the governor-general, or governor, every three years in the winter.
39. The assembly of the nobility in the viceroyalty is allowed to elect the provincial leader of the nobility of that province; and for this purpose, every three years, the assembly of the nobility should present two of the district noble leaders to the sovereign's governor or ruler, and whichever of these the governor-general or governor appoints, he will be the provincial leader of that province.
47. The assembly of the nobility is allowed to present to the governor-general or governor about their public needs and benefits.
48. The permission of the assembly of the nobility to make representations and complaints through their deputies to both the Senate and the Imperial Majesty on the basis of legislation is confirmed...
65. The assembly of the nobility is allowed to exclude from the assembly of the nobility a nobleman who has been discredited by the court, or whose obvious and dishonorable vice is known to everyone, even if he has not yet been tried, until he is acquitted.
Political history of Russia. Reader. M., 1993. pp. 84-96.
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