Does Anybody Know Where I Can Find The History Behind Russian Surnames?

1. Anonymou Says

   what is your last name. Also there is a website called JRI-Poland which is Jewish Records Indexing Poland. I know that it says Poland or whatever, but Poland was at one point a part of Russia, so some of your ancestors could have been Polish Jews. Just check it out. I know because I’m a Polish Jew and our family has been researched. Also, names were spelled differently as you go back in time. If it sounds the same as your name and is spelled differently it may still be your family. Names change over time and are spelled differently when our ancestors came to America.

2. Nafhatul Says

   This is kind of tricky. I want to look up my family history. I’m Russian (Jewish-Russian) and I found this great website that lists A LOT of Jewish-Russian last names, and I’ve searched it thoroughly, but my last name is not there. There is a closely related last name that looks like my last name, but it isn’t spelled quite the same way – the first three letters are each in the wrong position. I called up my father, and he said that our last name isn’t entirely common. I’ve searched library research databases, and I requested various books on the etymology of Russian names, but I’m having doubts due to my research. I know this is kind of difficult, but any help will be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

3. obezyank Says

   If you are female, and your family is very traditional Russian (naming customs are very traditional) than your surname would end in -ova -ovna or -a. take off the -ova -ovna or -a and leave it as it is. for example lets use Volkov. search Volkov or any variations of it, surnames can change throughout time for various reasons. if you still dont find your surname research Jewish or Russian Jewish, not just Russian if your did. if your surname isnt all that common than your might not be able to find it. keep looking and good luck!

4. GrayPict Says

   Have you tried typing “History of Russian Surnames” into the search, that is where I would start.
   It is quite common for the spelling of Surnames to change. There are many reasons and it would be total speculation and guessing to give you are reason that you are finding the discrepancy.

5. Geneviev Says

   Russia is a HUGE country which is full of ethnic subgroups. I’m not familiar with any one resource which tries to break down all names from Russia…and that’s assuming you’re talking just about Russia and not Belarus, Georgia, Chechnya or one of the other lands which got swallowed up into the former Soviet Union.
   My most humble suggestion is to write down the names and be prepared to fax them. Then contact all of the Russian cultural centers around the country and have one of their staff members research them for you. Genealogy education and translation are two services which they happily offer to the public at large.
   Here’s a link to the Russian Cultural Center here in Michigan to get you started, but there are dozens of others. I’d Google them all and get as many opinions as you can to compare to each other, ensuring that the translation you get is as accurate as can be.http://russianculturalcenter.com/service…

Leave a Reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.