If you think about the most common surnames in Russia, Ivanov will undoubtedly come to mind first. But why has it happened so historically that this particular surname occurs more often than others, and what does it mean? We'll figure out.
Origin and meaning
The surname "Ivanov" comes from the name Ivan, which in turn goes back to the Hebrew John, which means "God's mercy".
According to the second version, the surname was formed from the city of Ivanovo, the inhabitants of which became the Ivanovs.
According to research by the philologist Boris Unbegaun, published in 1972, this surname ranks first in the list of the 100 most common surnames in the Russian Empire. The Soviet linguist Anatoly Zhuravlev also agrees with him. And in the list compiled in 2005 by the anthropologist Elena Balanovskaya, the surname in question gave way only to Smirnov.
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Historical features
After the abolition of serfdom in Russia, it became necessary to acquire surnames. Previously, this prerogative belonged only to wealthy and eminent noble families, they needed a surname to conclude and formalize commercial transactions. Ordinary people were called by the name of their father: "Ivan's daughter."
Now it became necessary to calculate the number of souls of the peasants. Therefore, in 1888 the Senate issued a decree according to which everyone had to bear a surname.
The first mentions of the surname are found in documentary sources of the 16th century. Initially, it was not as common as it is now. It was worn by representatives of various classes. In the 19th century, the surname was pronounced with an emphasis on the second syllable. Nowadays, the emphasis is mainly on the last syllable.
Why exactly Ivanov?
But for what reason the surname "Ivanov" began to be given more often than others? The answer lies in the way of acquiring the surname. This happened in three ways:
- patronymic;
- nicknamed;
- by church name.
The latter method was the most widespread due to the church-going of the people. At baptism, infants were given the name of the saint whose holiday was celebrated on that day. You could find out this in the Holy Fathers - a special church book where the days of the memory of all saints for a year were recorded.
So, the name Ivan (John) was found in the Holy Calendar more often than others: 141 times in 365 days. Therefore, most of the baptized babies became Ivan, and later - Ivanov. According to the Russian census of 1897, a quarter of the total male population bore this surname.
Today the surname is most popular in the northwestern part of Russia, in the Pskov, Novgorod, Smolensk lands.
Olga Alekseeva