The most widespread on the territory of the Russian Federation are the so-called all-Russian surnames, of which there are about 15 thousand. Each of them has a special origin and a long history.
The list is updated annually, but the leaders remain unchanged. By the way, in the USA the most popular names are Smith, Johnson and Williams, and in China - Li, Wang and Zhang. In the current top ten we have included the most common surnames of Russia.
10. Petrov
The surname was formed on behalf of Peter. One of the factors that had a particular influence on the number of Petrovs, researchers consider the reign of Tsar Peter I. Until that time, the name Peter was already common, but in the period from 1700 to 1725 the number of Petrovs in Russia at least doubled. Naturally, later this affected the number of carriers of the surname formed from this name.
9. Morozov
The surname was formed on behalf of Moroz. Already in the documents of the XIV century there are references to the governor Lev Morozov. The boyar family of the Morozovs was widely known; there were many carriers of the surname among the merchants.
8. Novikov
Researchers associate the origin of this surname with the word "novik", which in Russia meant "recruit", "new princely servant." In the earlier version of the surname, the accent fell on the last syllable.
7. Kozlov
The surname comes from the old non-baptismal male name Kozel. The Kozlovs are an ancient boyar family, whose history begins in the XIV century. A separate branch of the Kozlovs is of peasant origin.
6. Lebedev
The second most popular "bird" surname comes from the non-church male name Lebed. Some researchers associate the history of the surname with the city of Swan of the Sumy region. The third hypothesis is based on the origin of the surname from the word "swan-runner", so they called slaves, imposed with a duty to deliver swans to the prince's table.
5. Popov
This surname comes from the word "pop" and is common among Russians and Bulgarians. In Russia, the surname Popov was most often carried by peasants. The most famous bearer of the surname is the inventor of the radio - physicist A.S. Popov.
4. Sokolov
Historically, the names of animals and birds were often sources for the formation of nicknames, which were gradually transformed into surnames. The surname Sokolov became the most common among the "birds".
3. Kuznetsov
Obviously, the surname originates from the word "blacksmith". By the way, common surnames in English and German speaking countries have the same origin. In Germany, the surname Schmidt comes from the word “schmidt"-" blacksmith ", like the most popular American surname Smith.
2. Ivanov
There are two variants of this popular surname - with an emphasis on the letter O and on the letter A. The surname comes from the most common name in Russia, Ivan. By the way, representatives of the small nations that were part of the Russian Empire, adopting Orthodoxy, often simultaneously took the Russian surname Ivanov.
1. Smirnov
There are more than 70 thousand Smirnovs in Moscow alone. The origin of the surname is associated with the name Smirna, which was given to quiet, unclaimed children. The surname is most common in the Northern Volga region, Kostroma, Yaroslavl and Ivanovo regions.