Origin of the name Smirnov: the most common versions and history

Contrary to popular belief, the most common Russian surname today is not Ivanov, Petrov or Sidorov. In fact, this is Smirnov. The history of the surname is ambiguous, since there are several theories of its origin. It is not known which of them is closer to the truth, but it is worth familiarizing with each.

Surname Smirnov: A Brief History

As a rule, it is considered to be that the Smirnovs are mild-tempered, gentle-tempered people, it's not for nothing that they got such a surname from their ancestors.

However, this name did not always come from the word "humble" and "humble". The first documentary about a man wearing this name dates back to the seventeenth century. Later Smirnov became more and more. So, according to the population census of 1964, the surname Smirnov was in fifth place in prevalence. Today it is on the first.

What made the name Smirnov: the most common version

In ancient times, the Slavs had the male name Smirnoi. As a rule, he was given at the baptism of quiet, calm boys, who do not cause much trouble. Due to the fact that people with complaisant character have always been appreciated, Smirnoy's name has become widespread. The descendants of people who were so named were Smirnov's children or simply Smirnovs. Since the very name was very popular, soon there were many Smirnovs across Russia.

Origin of the Jewish family name Smirnov

No matter how amazing it may seem, there are a lot of Smirnovs among the Jews. The origin of the name Smirnov among representatives of the chosen people is associated with Catherine II.

During her reign, Poland was divided and some Ukrainian, Belarusian and Baltic territories joined Russia. In addition to the Slavs, there lived a huge number of Jews who, according to tradition, had only a name and patronymic: Shlomo, Efraim's son, Moshe, Mordechai's son, and so on.

Having decided to find out the number of his subjects, Catherine II ordered a population census. However, confusion arose with the Jews, because of the lack of names. Therefore, the officials decided to come up with the names of Jews in the Russian manner. Most often, Jewish names were derived from the name of the place of residence, profession or the name of the ancestor, and sometimes because of some special character trait or the appearance of a person. So appeared Shifrin (father's name), Smirin and Smirnov (from the character trait), Rezniki (from the name of the profession).

Origin of the name Smirnov: version three

In the days of Ancient Rus there were wandering people who traveled across the vast lands with whole families. During their travels, they had the opportunity to get acquainted with the achievements of different peoples in the fields of agriculture, cattle breeding, construction, farming. Wandering among different tribes, such people shared with them the acquired knowledge.

Arriving in the territory of the next people, the head of the traveling clan went to the elder to ask permission to temporarily live on their lands. The beginning of the greeting of the head of the clan was the phrase: "We came with a new world to you!" Over time, the surrounding people began to call nomadic clans "Smirnov" from the words "world" and "new".

Other versions of the origin of the surname

Very often, for one reason or another, families of peasants were forced to leave their native land and permanently resettled to a foreign land. In memory of their homeland, they took the appropriate surnames. So, in the Russian Empire, as well as neighboring countries, there were many settlements under the names of Smirnovo. The people from there called the Smirnovs.

Sometimes the origin of the name Smirnov is associated with religion. For example, in the old days, to get a scholarship in the seminary, low-income students were asked to change their surname to a more suitable title for the person. That is why among the graduates of theological schools there were so many Bogolyubovs, Dobronravovs and Smirnovs.

The most famous Smirnovs

It is interesting that the name Smirnov was common among absolutely all segments of the population. Smirnov were among the illiterate peasants, and among wealthy merchants and educated nobles.

So, the notorious vodka brand Smirnoff appeared thanks to the serf - Peter Arsen'evich Smirnov. An enterprising man could redeem himself before the abolition of serfdom and open his own wine shop in Moscow, which later grew into a factory that produces the best alcohol in Europe.

To date, there are about six noble families of Smirnov in the Russian Empire, each of which had its own coat of arms.

Among them, the genus Dorofey Afanasyevich Smirnov, who received the nobility in the second half of the seventeenth century.

In Soviet times, there were also a lot of famous Smirnovs. For example, the hero of the Great Patriotic War, Fleet Admiral Nikolai Ivanovich Smirnov.

Another hero of World War II also bore the surname Smirnov, and his name was Alexei Makarovich. However, he became famous for his remarkable roles in the films of Leonid Gaidai and his namesake - Bykov.

A lot was in the history of Smirnov priests, pilots, diplomats and scientists. Among the women wearing this name, too many celebrities.

For example, actress Svetlana Stanislavovna Smirnova and her colleague by profession Lydia Nikolaevna Smirnova.

Because of the existence of many theories today it is already impossible to determine exactly the origin of the name Smirnov. It is most likely that all versions are more or less correct, and their huge number explains why so many families with the surname Smirnovy today in Russia. Each bearer of this family name can be proud of a huge number of famous namesakes, however it should always be remembered that the meaning of the name Smirnov is attached to its carrier, and not vice versa.