In Ancient Rus', even the rulers had one name (Rurik, Oleg, Igor, Olga), patronymics appeared only a few centuries later. True, in relation to rulers, it was not patronymics that were more common, but nicknames that arose mainly in memory of military victories (Alexander Nevsky, Dmitry Donskoy), but some nicknames were formed not only from military victories: Vsevolod the Big Nest, Ivan Kalita (kalita - bag or belt with money), Vasily the Dark, Ivan the Terrible...
However, in light of the dominance of the patriarchal structure in medieval Rus', all greater distribution received a middle name. The short form of the adjective on behalf of the father prevailed everywhere: Petrov, Matveev, Ilyin, Nikitin. And then “Ivan Petrov” meant “Ivan, son of Peter,” and not a combination of first and last names (the latter did not exist yet). In cases of fatherlessness and under some other circumstances that put the mother in first place, matriarchal names appeared: Maryin, Nadezhdin, Marfin. However, in some cases, the second element was not the patronymic, but the nickname: Daniil Zatochnik, Dmitry Shemyaka, Ivan Mozhaisky, Nikita Kozhemyaka... Gradually, short forms of patronymics and nicknames took root and became the name of the descendants, i.e., they turned into surnames in the future . The formation and establishment of surnames, which stretched over several centuries, caused many changes. Short patronymics ended up next to direct nicknames, and then it was like two surnames. In the life of spiritual educational institutions It has become a habit to change the “banal” surnames of students (mainly peasant ones) into more “elevated” ones, taken from the religious field: this is where Rozhdestvensky, Paskhalovy, Krestovozdvizhensky, Troitsky, etc. came from. But not necessarily from religious life. V. G. Belinsky’s father had the surname Trifonov, but was renamed Belinsky at the seminary (after his native village of Belyn), and his son apparently found this surname dissonant, and he replaced “s” with “i.” Rarely, there were personal, personal borrowings: my Minsk colleague A.L. Renansky said that his grandfather, a seminarian, was very keen on reading Renan’s works and hence got his nickname. The origin of some surnames is mysterious: my father was baptized by priest A. Gibraltar in 1884 (how to connect a resident of the provincial town of Balashov with the famous strait?!). WITH mid-19th century, mass changes of surnames were prohibited, but in fact they continued until the 20th century inclusive: during the First World War, many Germans changed their surnames to Russian ones, in Soviet years the same can be said about a significant group of Jewish intelligentsia. All these perturbations made the surname in Russia a very unreliable historical source (the extreme ease of change in all elements of the “troika” in the first Soviet decade, as well as the invention of new “ideological” names, often led to completely anecdotal combinations: my father had a student Barrikada Ivanovna Lepeshkina) .
And the transformation of short forms of adjectives into full ones created a third (in a row it is the second) element of the name: a “normal” patronymic, standing between the first and last names. Full forms of patronymics in - ovich, - evich, - ich (Petrovich, Matveevich, Ilyich) and the corresponding feminine suffixes apparently appeared naturally in the upper social strata of medieval Russian society as an imitation of Western Slavic (mainly Polish) constructions, as well as , psychologically, how
A more respectful and respectful form of the name. To be able to use full forms patronymics in the following social strata (courtiers, officials, wealthy merchants and industrialists) required special personal decrees. Then another additional meaning was added to the concept of “magnification” (praise, exaltation): calling not only by name, but also by patronymic.
Simple bourgeois and peasants were not entitled to a full patronymic, and only with the gradual consolidation of surnames and with the constant confusion that arose due to the frequent similarity of the forms of the short patronymic and surname (Ivan Petrov Maksimov) did the full patronymic penetrate without any decrees into the common people's world of modern times, but still However, it was used selectively: in relation to respectable old people, wealthy people, in special ritual cases (for example, naming young people at a wedding), ordinary citizens were called by their first name, and often with a diminutive suffix - to-. V. G. Belinsky, in a famous letter to Gogol, was indignant at these suffixes, seeing in their use disrespect for the common people or even self-disrespect: “... people call themselves not by names, but by nicknames: Vanka, Steshka, Vaska, Palashka.” “Furious Vissarion” exaggerated: the suffix - k - when naming a name does not characterize contempt in popular life, but rather a sign of close acquaintance and relative equality or seniority in age (a young man could not call an old man Vanka). It is characteristic that in school (and even in university) life in Russia they are still used diminutives in relation to comrades.
A funny incident was recently published in " Rossiyskaya newspaper" The following insert is attached to V. Vyzhutovich’s interview with our wonderful dancer N. Tsiskaridze: “Once Tsiskaridze was walking along the corridor of the Bolshoi Theater with his teacher Marina Timofeevna Semenova. And some corps de ballet dancer called out to him: “Kolka!” Semenova stopped and asked her pupil: “What is your middle name?” He said. Then she turned to his colleague (he was ten years older than Tsiskaridze): “Remember: this man’s name is Nikolai Maksimovich. He is the leading soloist of the Bolshoi Theater. And for you he is not Kolka.” “And then,” recalls Tsiskaridze, “she gave me a big lecture on theatrical subordination. Never,” she said, “don’t let the corps de ballet dancers talk to you in a friendly way.” You are a soloist, your position is different. On the street - please: Kolya, Seryozha... But in the theater there should be a distance”5.
The teacher, with justifiable indignation at the amikoshonism, is clearly trying to revive the pre-revolutionary class subordination, and she herself seems to demonstrate that she belongs to the hierarchical world: she addresses a student who is not very close to her as “you” (she does not know his patronymic!). The extended “poking” is an ingrained echo of the early Soviet custom of deliberately opposing “bourgeois” politeness and inequality; We will talk more about this below. (Absolutely wild appeals to strangers: “Man!”, “Woman!”, which are widely used in last years, I also explain by the underlying protest opposition to all previous addresses: both the pre-revolutionary “master” and the Soviet “citizen” and “comrade”).
Need to download an essay? Click and save - » The emergence of first names and patronymics in Rus'. And the finished essay appeared in my bookmarks.Familiarity breeds contempt. A.V. Suvorov.
Origin of patronymic
In fairy tales, a person is often addressed with the question: “what is your name - call you, good fellow”? To dignify - to call someone respectfully, expressing respect, to call someone by name, patronymic, rank.
Patronymic is part of the family name, a notable component of the Russian name system. Not all nations use patronymic names, and not in every language it is customary to call a person by his father’s personal name.
The used naming of people according to the formula: last name, first name, patronymic, has been used since the beginning of the eighteenth century. Calling by first name and patronymic emphasizes a respectful attitude towards the person.
In Ancient Rus', rulers were called by name: Rurik, Oleg, Igor, Olga. The patronymic name appeared several centuries later. In relation to rulers, it is not patronymics that are more common, but nicknames that arose in memory of military victories: Alexander Nevsky, Dmitry Donskoy.
In documents dated 945, historians found not only names, but also patronymics in the lists of Russian ambassadors. This is the first written source confirming the existence and use of patronymic names. The spelling of the patronymic differed from that used in our time, for example, Oleg son of Vasily. Patronymic endings -ovich, -evich were not typical for that period.
The formation of the patronymic as an integral part of the name took place over several centuries. Attempts have been made to attach to the personal name the name of the father, as well as the grandfather, great-grandfather and great-great-grandfather.
Old Russian princes were called after their father; grandfather, great-grandfather, and great-great-grandfather were also mentioned. They were proud of the antiquity of the family. A descendant of a noble family bore a family tree in his name.
The Kyiv prince Vladimir was called: Prince Vladimir, son of Svyatoslav, grandson of Vsevolod, great-grandson of Oleg, great-great-grandson of Svyatoslav, great-great-great-grandson of Yaroslav, ancestor of the great Vladimir.
In oral speech, the patronymic of ancient people corresponds to modern pronunciation, for example, Vladimir Svyatoslavich.
The patronymic was assigned by the name of the father, who was the sole breadwinner and head of the family. History knows patronymics formed from the mother's name. At the end of the twelfth century, Galicia was ruled by a prince named Oleg Nastasyevich.
Distinctive personal marks became firmly established in the twelfth century. Christianity has narrowed the list of names used, which is reflected in the calendar. Additional identifying marks were required to correctly identify the person.
The patronymic was formed using suffixes. Sometimes they wrote in the old fashioned way, for example, Alexey Alexandra son. Subsequently, the word “son” was dropped, and the shortened form was used: Alexandrov, Alekseev, Sergeev, which is reminiscent of modern surnames.
Appeared modern forms patronymics with the suffixes -evich, -ovich, -ich. The old suffix -l, which has fallen out of use, was used. In modern Russian, it is preserved in the names of some cities, for example, Pereyaslavl, Yaroslavl.
Unnoble people sought to include in given name the names of their fathers and grandfathers.
Addressing a person by his father's name was given important, and commoners were simply forbidden to use it. The boyars had the exclusive right to genealogy. The Tsar granted patronymics to people who were not noble by birth for special merits.
Catherine the Second brought order to the discriminatory system. According to the government order, representatives of the first five ranks had the right to write a full patronymic with the addition of the suffixes -ovich, -evich.
Persons of the sixth to eighth ranks used a less honorable “semi-patronymic” ending in the suffixes -ov, -ev, -in. All other people in official documentation were recorded only by first and last name.
In oral speech, ordinary peasants were also called by their patronymic. They did not use the first name or patronymic, but only the patronymic: Ilyich, Petrovich, emphasizing a respectful attitude towards the interlocutor. At the end of the eighteenth century, such treatment was considered bad manners.
In the second half of the nineteenth century, the state obliged to indicate in official documents surname.
It must be said, however, that the patronymic names found in the lists of ambassadors were not the same in form as they are now, which we talked about in the previous article; they were descriptive, that is, they named the father’s name in combination with the word “son”, in other words, they were phrases like: Ivan, son of Gleb; Vasily, son of Peter, etc. This is the same thing that we have today, for example, some Turkic peoples: Abai Kunanbai uly - in Kazakh, where “uly” means “son” (in the possessive form), that is, Abai is the son of Kunanbai; Ahmet Erdogan ogly - in Azerbaijani and Turkish languages, in which “ogly” means son, etc. The same is true for the Semites, cf.: Hebrew ben Gurion - son of Gurion, where “ben” is son; Aramaic bar Yochai - son of Yochai, where "bar" - son; Arabic ibn Muhammad - son of Muhammad, etc. (Let’s immediately make a reservation that these names are not patronymics, which are in literally these peoples do not, but have surnames, about which see more below.)
It must be said that in Rus' they used not only the name of the father, but also the grandfather, great-grandfather, great-great-grandfather, etc. But this is how they mostly called princes, and the older the prince’s family was, the longer his full name and patronymic sounded, the more majestic he looked. For example, Prince of Kyiv Vladimir was called Vladimir, son of Svyatoslav, grandson of Vsevolod, great-grandson of Oleg, great-great-grandson of Svyatoslav, great-great-great-grandson of Yaroslav, ancestor of the Great Vladimir (the same Red Sun). Anyone who is familiar with the ancient Russian epic of the 12th century “The Lay of Igor’s Campaign” remembers its exact name: “The Lay of Igor’s Host, Igor’s son Svyatoslavl, grandson of Olgov” (“Svyatoslavl” is an old Russian form possessive adjective"Svyatoslaviy", or "Svyatoslavich")
However, this tradition was not widespread and did not become established as a norm - for a completely understandable reason: it was very long, and therefore practically inconvenient (by the time you apply, you will forget what you wanted to say).
Thus, the “single-story” patronymic only on the father’s side was established, although it underwent long story their formation, turning into “-ovichi/-evichi” and “-ovn/-evn” in combination with the name of the father - in those of their functions that we talked about in the previous article. Although it must be said that in life there were cases when the “patronymic” was formed on behalf of the mother (in this case it would be more accurately called the word “motherhood”): Pavel Nastasyevich, Mikhail Katerinin, etc. But this form was not fixed in tradition for obvious reasons: in Rus', like other peoples, the family line, the hereditary line, at least in the historical era, was always traced through male ancestors. The presence of such patronymics in the past is indicated by the corresponding surnames into which they eventually turned: Katerinin, Maryin, Aproskin (from Aproska - a phonetic modification (variant) of the name Ofroska from Efrosinya/Ofrosinya/Oprosinya/Oproska/, and taking into account akanya in South Russian in dialects - Aproska).
Since the same ancient Russian times, patronymic names have been known for women, and also, undoubtedly, as their dignification. Remember, in the same “Tale of Igor’s Campaign”: “Yaroslavna cries early in Putivl on the visor of the arcuchi...” (“Yaroslavna cries early in Putivl on the city wall, condemning/lamenting...”). It is clear, a simple woman from the “mean” (i.e., “low”, the root “under” - in other languages meant “bottom”, cf. “hearth bread” baked on the hearth, that is, on the “bottom” ; sole - the lower part of the shoe) would not be “dignified”, since non-noble people did not have the right to use patronymics, but epics were not written about such people; the wife of a prince was another matter.
Gradually, from about the 15th century, patronymics ending in “-ovich/-evich” became an indicator of special privilege; such a right was granted to ordinary people personally by the tsar for special merits. Thus, in 1610, Tsar Vasily Shuisky, in gratitude for the assistance of the Stroganov merchants in the annexation of the Urals and Siberia to the Moscow State, ordered Maxim and Nikita Stroganov, their descendants and the descendants of Semyon (Ioannikievich) Stroganov to be registered with “vich” and granted them the special title of “eminent of people". In the 17th century, the Stroganovs were the only merchant family to bear this title.
Historically, such a gradation in the social status of people according to nobility has developed: slaves did not have a patronymic name at all; simply noble people received, so to speak, a semi-patronymic name: Pyotr Osipov (that is, in modern Osipovich) Vasiliev (surname); patronymic names -ovich/-evich were officially received only by noble people; they became, as it were, a sign that the person wearing them belonged to the class, aristocratic elite. The former possessive suffix -ovich/-evich (in the sense of belonging to the father by his name) has practically ceased to fully fulfill the role of a suffix, even beginning to be used independently and turning into a special indicator of privilege, the birth of persons (classes), as is inherent in the particles “de” » in French(de Gol), “von” and “zu” in German (von Bismark, zu Guttenberg), “van” in Dutch (L. van Bethofen). In accordance with this position, “vich”, as a title, could be awarded, which is what the Russian tsars did.
Starting from the reign of Peter I, the column “Patronymic” becomes mandatory in all documents. Under Catherine II use different forms patronymic name was legally enshrined. In her Official List, drawn up in accordance with Peter’s Table of Ranks, it was indicated that persons of the first five classes should be written with a patronymic in -vich, from the sixth to the eighth - called by half-patronymics (son Petrov, Ivanov, etc.), but all the rest - only by name.
It must be said, however, that patronymic forms in -ov/-ev (half-patronymic) until the 19th century inclusive were used only in clerical speech and in official documents, and even in live communication, then, as a rule, in official situations (when meeting , presentation, etc., which is reflected in Russian classical literature- from the same Turgenev, Pushkin, etc.). In unofficial situations, in everyday life, Russian people called each other either only by their first names (if they were equal), or, if the situations listed in the previous article required it, then by patronymics, but in such a form that became the only one familiar to us today, that is, with the suffixes -ovich/-evich, -ovna/-evna, -ich/-inichna.
It is impossible not to mention another form of respectful treatment (magnification), which existed in ancient Rus' and left traces in the language, but did not take root, did not become a patronymic, replaced by the patronymic form after the father, which became the only and official type of Ivanovich / Ivanovna, Ilyich / Ilyinichna.
Perhaps you, dear reader, have heard such names as Petrishchev, Ivanishchev, Bratishchev, Batishchev, etc. Have you ever thought about how they came about and what they originally meant? Judging by the suffix -ev- (a type of suffix -ov- after a soft consonant, in this case -sch-), this is the same model by which the surnames Ivanov, Petrov, Sidorov are formed, that is, like, say, Nikolaev, Yurtaev, Gulyaev and under. paternal names. But what could such surnames mean? Why not Petrov, Ivanov, Bratov, Batin (from “father”) (cf. Starostin, Katerinin, etc.), but Petrishchev, Ivanishchev, Bratishchev, Batishchev? Their model itself suggests that they are formed from the forms of names - respectively Petrishch-e (and not Peter), Ivanishch-e (and not Ivan), from the nouns bratishch-e (and not brother), batishche (and not dad) , which, in turn, are formed using suff. -search(e). So what are these formations?
One of the meanings of the suffix -ish(e) in Russian is an augmentative meaning, cf.: house - house ( big house), hand - hands (big hand), man - little man (big, outstanding person), etc. Proper names like Ivanishche or common nouns bratishche (when addressing an older brother), batishche (respectful to dad - father). And although today it looks rather strange, in Rus' such forms were used until the 17th - 18th centuries, numerous examples of which are given by private correspondence of this time, the study of the language of which the author of these lines devoted many years to. Such formations also performed a “magnifying” role: by addressing the addressee in this way, the writer (or speaker) expressed his respect for him in such a “magnifying” form, that is, as if he “magnified” him - he magnified him, turning Ivan into Ivanishche, father (father) - in the batishche, older brother - in the brotherhood, etc. And although such forms as patronymics did not develop, the fact that they existed is clearly evidenced by the surviving corresponding surnames, examples of which were given above (Ivanishcheva and Bratishchev, for example, were my students at Omsk University).
But that’s not all: not only did the addressee call the addressee by the magnifying form of the name, he, in order to aggravate the magnification, called himself by the diminutive derogatory form.
Here are examples from documents of private correspondence of the 17th - 18th centuries, published by the Institute of Russian Language of the USSR Academy of Sciences:
“To my sovereign Dmitry Ivanovich, your little son Fedotko, I ask for blessings and hit him with my forehead...”; “My brother, my lord Boris Andreevich, may your servant Ivashka Pazukhin be in good health forever...”; “To my sovereign father Semyon Ivanovich, your daughter Ulyatka... I hit my forehead...”; “To my benefactor Fedot Dmitrievich... your brother Nikishka Kolomnin beats his forehead...”; “Your groom Katyushka hits my sovereign Timofey Semyonovich with his forehead...”; “To my sovereign uncle Kondraty Vasilyevich and sovereign aunt Ulyana Ontipyevna, your nephew Fedka Glazkov with his fiancé Marfitsa and little son Yashka beat us with our foreheads...”; “To my sovereign father Martin Vasilyevich... your daughter Fedorka, I ask for blessings and hit you with my forehead,” etc., etc.
Such an interesting, expressive and linguistically diverse system of expressing respectful relations between people existed in the Russian language throughout its development. However, the patronymic names existing today in the three East Slavic languages -ovich/-evich, -ovna/-evna, -ich/-inichna, in a long-term struggle for survival, defeated their competitors and are today the only patronymic form included in a person’s full name.
A natural question is, do patronymics exist in other languages of the world? Wikipedia gives an affirmative answer to this question, naming languages and giving relevant examples in which full names(names) of people there is an element of “son” or “daughter”. Such examples from Turkic and Semitic languages were given at the beginning of the article. Wikipedia, in addition to them, also names Scandinavian languages, Bulgarian and even Vainakh (Chechen and Ingush), meaning surnames based on former paternal or maternal patronymic forms with the element “son” or “daughter”, for example, Swede. Nilsson (son of Nils), Norwegian. Estridsen (son of Estrid), Svensdottir, where dottir is daughter (daughter of Sven. By the way, “dottir” contains the same Indo-European root as German Tochter, Russian “daughter”, lit. dukte, etc.), Snorradottir (Snorri's daughter), etc.
However, we cannot agree with this. All the given examples from Turkic, Semitic, Scandinavian and other languages named by Wikipedia are not patronymics, because they do not perform any of their inherent functions. Firstly, and most importantly, they are all surnames. Secondly, in parallel with them, there is no one more, third form that would perform a patronymic function, naming, in addition to the generic, family surname, the father’s name (or vice versa: if we take these forms as patronymics, then in parallel with them there is no one more , the third form with the meaning of the family surname). Finally, these forms are not used in real speech as a polite, respectful address, which is the main and obvious function of Russian patronymics - “greatness” after the priest.
Thus, summing up our conversation about patronymics, we have every reason to say that the form of patronymic in its usual understanding, which has developed in our mentality and functions in speech behavior, is inherent only in the Russian language (I repeat, in its broad sense, under which I mean here all three East Slavic languages - Great Russian, Belarusian and Little Russian). This phenomenon is completely unique as a linguistic phenomenon and is very convenient in practical terms, and therefore it should be abandoned in verbal communication in Russian there is not only no basis, but it is simply unreasonable.
Dr. R. Geiger
Ost-West-Panorama - 2012
How often have you met people with the prefix “ogly” in their first, last or patronymic names? Have you ever wondered what “ogly” means? Today we will answer this question from a historical and legal point of view.
Origin of the name "Ogly" among ancestors
The ancient Turks are the ancestors of many eastern peoples. It was among them that it was customary to call the first-born male “ogly,” which translated meant “son.” Subsequently, the name was transformed into a patronymic or surname for future generations. Thus, naming a boy the name “Ogly” meant that it belonged to the man, the son of his father.
How did the surname "Ogly" appear?
If we talk about Azerbaijani people, then their surnames arose not so long ago. Back in the 19th century, an Azerbaijani had only his own name and a prefix in the form of his father’s name. Usually there were the following options: "oglu" (or "ogly" in modern form), "-zadeh" (meaning "offspring", has Persian roots of the origin of the name), they were used to male names. For example, Ibrahim Sattar oglu, Suleimanbek Hasanzade. We figured out what “ogly” means. What about women's names? Here, by analogy with men's - to female names"kyzy" was added, which meant "daughter". For example, a woman’s name will look like this: Reyhan Kurban kyzy.
We already know what the surname “ogly” or “zade” means. But in modern world, if you meet a person with the prefix “ogly”, it will be transformed into a patronymic, but the last version “-zade” is firmly attached to the father’s name, from which the surname of subsequent generations of descendants comes.
Among the living eastern peoples, the forms of endings of surnames with suffixes of the old forms have been preserved: -oglu, -ly, -li, -zade, more often -ov (a), -ev (a), less often -skiy (aya). For example, Selimzade, Dzhuvarly, Kasumbeyli, Tagiyev, Muganlinsky.
The origins of patronymic formation in Rus'
Even in the ancient chronicles of Rus', one could meet people bearing patronymic names. But the modern interpretation, for example, Nikolai Petrovich Sergeev, was only in the circles of the highest nobility and among representatives of the royal family. The opportunity to bear a patronymic was like a favor from the sovereign. And a peasant’s name could look like this: Nikolai, son of Peter or Petrov’s son. Based on these features, a historian can determine the time when the chronicle or document was created.
How did patronymics appear in other nations?
Among the Arabs, after the main name, the patronymic is indicated in the form of the prefix “ibn” (for men) and “bint” (for women) before the father’s name. For example, Khairat ibn Rashid (Khairat son of Rashid). Despite the fact that patronymics among women are a rare occurrence, there are exceptions: Abia bint Rashid (Abia daughter of Rashid).
Among Jews, a patronym is designated using the prefix “ben” or “bar.” For example, Aaron ben Solomon (Aaron son of Solomon), Yochai bar David (Yochai son of David).
We know what the prefix “ogly” means among Azerbaijanis. But modern generation People's middle names appeared only in the 20th century, with the advent of Soviet power, so you can often find, for example, the following sound of a name: Huseyn Israfil ogly Aliyev. What does Aliyev Huseyn Israfilovich mean?
What does “ogly” mean in a patronymic (patronymic) in the modern world
"Ogly" means that a man belongs to one or another clan. After all, his father may have several sons. Thus, it served as a mandatory component to a man’s name. Currently, “ogly” or “uli” is not an important component in the formation of a name, but it has been preserved among many eastern men. This prefix is more of a tribute to our ancestors. In documents, “ogly” is written with a hyphen, space, with a lowercase or capital letter. When applying for a Russian passport, a citizen can retain the “ogly” or “Russify” the name with the usual prefix in the patronymic -vich.
Europeans do not have the concept of “patronymic”, so such a prefix is not translated or recorded when preparing documents in foreign languages.
What does "ogly" mean from the point of view of the law?
Increasingly, the young generation of eastern nations are resorting to drawing up their documents without prefix forms for the patronymic “ogly”, “oglu”, “uly”, kyzy, “gyzy”, since when traveling outside their republic or abroad, legal difficulties arise with preparation of documents. How are things going with this issue in specific regions today? Consider below:
- Republic of Tuva - in 1996, a law was adopted approving the use of “ogly (u)”, “kyzy” in the names of citizens. And since 2010, at the legislative level, it is allowed to add these prefix forms to European names.
- Republic of Sakha - in connection with problems that arose with the local prosecutor's office regarding prefix forms, a state program and a directory of names was developed, the purpose of which was to resolve conflicting issues in the patronymic of citizens.
- Republic of Tatarstan - in the “family code” of the republic, the child’s parents have the opportunity to independently make decisions on the formation of the full name of the future citizen.
- Republic of Buryatia - here in 1999 a law was approved allowing names to be given according to national traditions. It is worth noting that not all Buryats have this opportunity. Residents of Aginskoye Autonomous Okrug, which was annexed to the Chita region, are deprived of this. Researchers note that ancient names are characteristic here, reaching back to the depths of 25 generations. It is very problematic to interpret them. Double surnames, borrowed from the Tibetan and Sanskrit languages, have become especially popular.
- - residents of the republic increasingly began to resort to changing patronymics without prefix forms. The local bill contains a plan for the correct spelling of first names, last names, and patronymics in accordance with national traditions.
However, today any citizen of the Russian Federation has the right to independently decide on their full name, based on national traditions, religion or belief.
A patronymic is a specially designed name of the father this person, which is part of his name, characteristic Russian nominal system. Through the patronymic, the connection between children and their father is expressed; a person is identified by his closest relationship.
Calling by first name and patronymic is not accepted in all countries. For example, the British, French, Germans and many other peoples can easily do without patronymics. In Russia, patronymics have been accepted for a long time and are recorded in documents immediately when registering newborns. It is believed that calling by first name and patronymic shows respect for a person.
Russian patronymics began to be used very early; the first mention of this dates back to 945. True, they were written differently then: for example, Gleb son of Vladimir, Vasily son of Peter, etc. However, until the 13th century, the frequency of use of patronymics was low.
The form of the male patronymic in modern Russian with the ending in “-vich” goes back to patronymics ancient Russian princes and the nobility of Moscow Rus'; common people did not have the right to use such patronymics.
Starting from the 15th century, naming with “-vich” was considered a special privilege; such a right was granted to ordinary people personally by the king and for special merits. So, in 1610, Tsar Vasily Shuisky, in gratitude for the assistance of the Stroganov merchants in annexing the Urals and Siberia to the Moscow state, ordered Maxim and Nikita Stroganov, their descendants and the descendants of Semyon (Ioannikievich) Stroganov to be written with “-vich” and granted a special title “ famous people." IN XVII century, the Stroganovs were the only merchant family that bore this is the title.
Historically, patronymics were divided into several categories. The slaves did not have it at all. Just noble people received a semi-patronymic name: Pyotr Osipov Vasiliev. As for the patronymic name in -ich, it became, as it were, a sign that the person wearing it belongs to the class, aristocratic elite. Thus, -ich stood out from the patronymic, ceased to be a suffix in full and began to be used independently, turning into a special term of privilege, birth of persons or classes. -ich began to be perceived as a title, as indicating the birth of the words “de” (in French), “von” (in German), “Van” (in Dutch). In accordance with this situation, it was possible to award -vich, which is what the Russian tsars did.
Starting from the reign of Peter I, the column “Patronymic” becomes mandatory in all documents. Under Catherine II, the use of different forms of patronymics was legally enshrined. In her “official list”, drawn up in accordance with Peter’s table of ranks, it was indicated that persons of the first five classes should be written with a patronymic in -vich, from the sixth to the eighth - called by half-patronymics, and all the rest - only by name.
However, patronymic forms in -ov/-ev in the 19th century were used only in clerical speech and in official documents. In unofficial situations, in everyday life, Russian people called each other by first names and patronymics in a form that is familiar to us now: the dignification of -ovich, -evich, -ovna, -evna, -ich, -inichna was not limited. Sometimes it was even used instead of a name (as sometimes now), when the speaker wanted to emphasize special respect for a person, to show a shade of affection, love. As before, so now people begin to be called by their patronymic only when they grow up. Young children and teenagers are called by their first name only.