The Top 40 Russian Surnames and Meanings

Russian surnames have many origins, including occupation, fathers first name, personal nickname or family nickname, geographical location, and even personal surnames given to seminary students based on their good or bad qualities. The following list includes the 40 most popular contemporary Russian surnames, their meanings, and variations. Surname in English Meaning Details and Variations Ivanov son of Ivan female: Ivanova Smirnov from - peaceful, quiet, calm female: Smirnova Petrov son of Pyotr female: Petrova Sidorov son of Sidor female: Sidorova Kuznetsov from - blacksmith female: Kuznetsova Popov from - priest female: Popova Vassiliev son of Vassily female: Vassilieva. Can also be spelled as Vasiliev / Vasilieva Sokolov from - falcon, hawk female: Sokolova Mikhailov son of Mikhail female: Mikhailova Novikov from - old Russian for newcomer from the secular (mirskoe) name/nickname Novik, which comes from the word new Fyodorov son of Fyodor female: Fyodorova Morozov from - frost Female: Morozova Volkov from - wolf female: Volkova Alekseev son of Alexei female: Alekseeva Lebedev from - swan female: Levedeva Semyonov son of Semyon female: Semyonova Yegorov son of Yegor female: Yegorova Pavlov son of Pavel female: Pavlova Kozlov from - goat female: Kozlova Stepanov son of Stepan female: Stepanova Nikolaev son of Nikolai female: Nikolaeva. Can also be spelled as Nikolayev / Nikolayeva Orlov from - eagle female: Orlova Andreev son of Andrei female: Andreeva. Can also be spelled as Andreyev / Andreyeva Makarov son of Makary female: Makarova Nikitin son of Nikita female: Nikitina Zakharov son of Zakhar / Zakhary female: Zakharova Solovyov from - nightingale female: Solovyova Zaitsev from - hare female: Zaitseva Golubev from - dove, pigeon female: Golubeva Vinogradov from - grapes female: Vinogradova Belyaev from female: Belyaeva. Originates from the secular name or nickname that meant white Tarasov son of Taras female: Tarasova Belov from or female: Belova. Originates from the secular name or nickname that meant white Komarov from - gnat, mosquito female: Komarova Kiselyov from - kissel female: Kiselyova. Originates from the name of a Russian traditional fruit drink similar to mors with the addition of starch or arrowroot Kovalyov female: Kovalyova Ilyin son of Ilya female: Ilyina Gusev from - goose female: Guseva Titov son of Tit female: Titova Kuzmin son of Kuzma female: Kuzmina The Most Popular Russian Surnames and Their Origins Ivanov (ИÐ ²Ã °Ã ½Ã ¾Ã ²)  remains one of the most popular last names in Russia. This surname comes from the first name Ivan, which was for centuries a very common name, especially among the peasant class. There are almost 100,000 Ivanovs just in Moscow, despite the fact that the majority of Ivanovs live in Russian regions. Russians often use the expression ИÐ ²Ã °Ã ½Ã ¾Ã ², ПÐ µÃ'‚Ã'€Ð ¾Ã ², Ð ¡Ã ¸Ã ´Ã ¾Ã'€Ð ¾Ã ² (Ivanov, Petrov, Sidorov) when talking about the average Russian. Ivan Ivanych Ivanov is equivalent to the English John Smith. While the surname Ivanov came from a first name, another popular Russian surname,  Smirnov, originated from a nickname that means the quiet one (Ã' Ã ¼Ã ¸Ã'€Ð ½Ã'‹Ð ¹). It is thought to have appeared in peasant families that had many children and considered having a child who  was quiet and calm to be a blessing. The surname Smirnov is typical for the Northern Volga region (Povolzhye) and the central parts of Russia (Kostromskaya Oblast, Ivanovskaya Oblast, and Yaroslavskaya Oblast). It is the 9th most popular name in the world, with over 2.5 million people called Smirnov. Changes in Russian Surnames Over the Centuries Russian surnames appeared  at different times in different classes of Russian society. For example, citizens of the  Novgorod Republic,  or the  Novgorodian Rus, already had surnames in the 13th century, while many peasants, especially those who lived in less central parts of Russia, did not receive official records of their surnames until the 1930s. The first Russian surnames were Slavic pagan names that described the persons character or a particular trait, and, less often, occupation. These appeared long before the first official surnames were recorded, and continued to be used alongside Christian names for many centuries. While some of them were nicknames bestowed on a person during their life, others were names that newborn babies were given as an intention for the kind of character or life they would have, or to describe the conditions surrounding the babys birth, such as particularly cold weather. For example, Nekras -  Ã Ã µÃ ºÃ'€Ð °Ã'  (nyeKRAS) - was often a name given in the hope that the child would be beautiful. Ð Ã µÃ ºÃ'€Ð °Ã'  means not beautiful, and the opposite meaning of the name was meant to ward off bad spirits and guarantee the realization of the parents intention for their child. These names eventually transformed into surnames, creating such names as, in this example, Ð Ã µÃ ºÃ'€Ð °Ã' Ã ¾Ã ² (nyeKRAsuff).