The most common surname in Russia and in the world

To trace what is the most common surname in Russia is quite a difficult task, but all because a strictly defined algorithm of actions for calculating such data simply does not exist. The main difficulty is represented by women who change their maiden name after marriage and in fact become holders of not one but two surnames. A divorce is possible with a return to the previous family name or a second marriage with the transfer already to the third surname. And then a complete mess begins!

The most common surname in Russia

However, despite all the difficulties, specialists do not leave an attempt to determine what is the most common surname in Russia, and make up their ratings. As a rule, their lists include the 100 most common Russian names, although some scholars are limited to five, and someone is interested in deeper and more voluminous data. In these ratings there are some minor differences, but they all agree that Smirnov belongs first to Russia. The origin of their surname Smirnov are due to meek and obedient children, whose appearance, as a rule, in families with many children gave great joy to parents. It was humility that formed the basis of the most famous and popular Russian family. Behind the Smyrnovs in the first five, the Ivanovs, Kuznetsovs, Popovs and Sokolovs are next.

Signs of the formation of Russian surnames

Considering and studying the most common surnames in Russia, it is possible to identify some of the signs that formed the basis of a particular family name, and thus classify them. The most common reason for the formation of the family name was the name. For example, Ivan - Ivanov, Peter - Petrov, Sidor - Sidorov, etc. A huge number of names owe their origin to the professional activities of the owner, his nickname. Examples include Plotnikov, Melnikov, Goncharov, Kuznetsov. Sufficiently common for the formation of family names were the names of birds and animals: Sokolov, Volkov, Vorobyev, Medvedev, Lebedev, Kozlov, Gusev, Orlov, and so on.

The formation of Russian names

Without a surname it is impossible today to imagine our ordinary life, and yet, once, just a couple of centuries ago, the presence of a surname was sooner an exception than the norm. Only after the complete abolition of serfdom in 1861 in the peasant environment began to be formed and assigned names, and the pre-existing nicknames such as Peter the Strong Hands or Ivan Fast forever gone into oblivion. Observing the formation of Russian surnames, it should be noted that the princes and boyars began to acquire them first, and it began in the 16th century. Servants and trade people enshrined the right to wear surnames only in the 18th and 19th centuries, and then the clergy joined them. The peasants felt it necessary only when they became free and ceased to belong to anyone.

Popular surnames of the world

Having learned which is the most common surname in Russia, Take an interest, and what is the first name in the world? Over one hundred million people on Earth carry the most common name in China - Lee and about the same number - Zhang. Another popular Chinese name Wang is 93 million people. Vietnam Nguyen - 36 million, Spanish Garcia and Gonzalez - 10 million each. Hispanic-Portuguese surname Hernandez belongs to 8 million people. The British Smiths - 4 million, the German Miller - one million. For comparison: Russian Smirnovs in the world - 2.5 million.