Patronymic

Main contributor: MyHeritage Staff

A patronymic is a distinct form of surname or personal name that originates from the given name of one's father, paternal ancestor, or a male ancestor in a broader sense. This practice is deeply rooted in numerous cultures and serves as a means of indicating lineage or establishing familial connections. To create a patronymic, many cultures add a prefix or suffix to the father's name, which often reflects the local linguistic and cultural nuances.

Patronymics are employed in a wide range of cultures across the globe, each with their unique traditions and conventions. In some societies, patronymics have evolved into fixed, hereditary surnames, such as those prevalent in Western cultures today. Meanwhile, other cultures continue to utilize patronymics as dynamic, non-hereditary identifiers that change with each successive generation.

Scandinavian patronymics

In countries such as Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Iceland, patronymic surnames are common. They usually consist of the father's first name with the addition of "-son" (meaning "son of") or "-dóttir" (meaning "daughter of") in Iceland, and "-sen" or "-sson" in Denmark and Norway. For example, if a father's name is Johan, the son's surname could be Johansson, and the daughter's surname could be Jóhannsdóttir in Iceland.

Popular Scandinavian patronymic surnames:

Johansson (Swedish): This surname is derived from the given name "Johan" and the suffix "-sson", meaning "son of Johan". Johansson is a common Swedish patronymic surname.
Andersen (Danish, Norwegian): This surname comes from the given name "Anders" and the suffix "-sen", meaning "son of Anders". Andersen is a popular Danish and Norwegian patronymic surname.
Olsson (Swedish): This surname is formed from the given name "Olof" or "Olaf" and the suffix "-sson", meaning "son of Olof/Olaf". Olsson is a common Swedish patronymic surname.
Jónsson (Icelandic): This surname is derived from the given name "Jón" and the suffix "-sson", meaning "son of Jón". Jónsson is a prevalent Icelandic patronymic surname.
Pedersen (Danish, Norwegian): This surname comes from the given name "Peder" or "Peter" and the suffix "-sen", meaning "son of Peder/Peter". Pedersen is a popular Danish and Norwegian patronymic surname.

Russian and Slavic patronymics

In Russian, Belarusian, and Ukrainian cultures, patronymics are used as middle names. They are formed by adding "-ovich" or "-evich" for males and "-ovna" or "-evna" for females to the father's name. For instance, if a father's name is Ivan, the son's patronymic would be Ivanovich and the daughter's would be Ivanovna.

Popular Russian and Slavic patronymic surnames:

Ivanovich (male) / Ivanovna (female): These patronymics are derived from the given name "Ivan" and the suffixes "-ovich" for males and "-ovna" for females. They mean "son of Ivan" and "daughter of Ivan," respectively.
Alexandrovich (male) / Alexandrovna (female): These patronymics come from the given name "Alexander" and the suffixes "-ovich" for males and "-ovna" for females. They mean "son of Alexander" and "daughter of Alexander," respectively.
Sergeyevich (male) / Sergeyevna (female): These patronymics are formed from the given name "Sergey" and the suffixes "-evich" for males and "-evna" for females. They mean "son of Sergey" and "daughter of Sergey," respectively.
Mikhailovich (male) / Mikhailovna (female): These patronymics come from the given name "Mikhail" and the suffixes "-ovich" for males and "-ovna" for females. They mean "son of Mikhail" and "daughter of Mikhail," respectively.
Petrovich (male) / Petrovna (female): These patronymics are derived from the given name "Petr" and the suffixes "-ovich" for males and "-ovna" for females. They mean "son of Petr" and "daughter of Petr," respectively.

Spanish patronymics

In some Spanish-speaking countries, people traditionally have two surnames. The first is derived from the father's first surname (paternal), and the second from the mother's first surname (maternal). While this is not a direct patronymic system, it does reflect the influence of the father's name in the child's name.

Popular Spanish patronymic surnames:

Rodríguez: This surname is derived from the given name "Rodrigo" and the suffix "-ez", which historically meant "son of." Rodríguez thus means "son of Rodrigo."
Pérez: This surname comes from the given name "Pedro" (Peter) and the suffix "-ez", meaning "son of." Pérez means "son of Pedro."
Fernández: This surname is formed from the given name "Fernando" and the suffix "-ez", meaning "son of." Fernández means "son of Fernando."
López: This surname is derived from the given name "Lope" and the suffix "-ez", meaning "son of." López means "son of Lope."
Ramírez: This surname comes from the given name "Ramiro" and the suffix "-ez", meaning "son of." Ramírez means "son of Ramiro."

Arabic patronymics

See also: Arabic surnames, Malay surnames

In Arab countries, a person's name often includes the patronymic element "ibn" (meaning "son of") for males or "bint" (meaning "daughter of") for females. The naming practices can vary across different Arabic-speaking regions and communities. For example, the name "Ahmed ibn Mustafa" indicates that Ahmed is the son of Mustafa.

It should be noted that in Arab cultures, teknonyms, or names used to refer to parents derived from the name of their child, are also common. "Abu" means "father of" and "Umm" means "mother of."

Jewish patronymics

In Jewish tradition, individuals were referred to in official or ritualistic capacities using their given name, then "ben" ("son of") or "bat" ("daughter") of, and the given names of their parents (or just the father or mother, depending on the context). For example, "David ben Moshe" means "David, son of Moshe." Ashkenazi Jews historically did not use fixed surnames until they were required to adopt them in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. However, Sephardic Jews have a longer history of using surnames, some of which have patronymic origins.

Popular Jewish patronymic surnames:

Abramson / Abramsky: These surnames are derived from the given name "Abram" (a variation of "Abraham") and the suffixes "-son" or "-sky", meaning "son of." Abramson and Abramsky both mean "son of Abram."
Mendelson / Mendelsohn: These surnames come from the given name "Mendel" and the suffix "-son" or "-sohn", meaning "son of." Mendelson and Mendelsohn both mean "son of Mendel."
Jacobson / Jacobs: These surnames are derived from the given name "Jacob" and the suffixes "-son" or "-s", meaning "son of." Jacobson and Jacobs both mean "son of Jacob."
Levin / Levine: These surnames are derived from the given name "Levi" and the suffixes "-in" or "-ine". Levin and Levine can both mean "descendant of Levi" or "son of Levi."
Davidovich / Davidoff: These surnames are derived from the given name "David" and the suffixes "-ovich" (Slavic) or "-off" (Yiddish), meaning "son of." Davidovich and Davidoff both mean "son of David."

Explore more about patronymics

Search Your Last Name on MyHeritage
Understand Worldwide Naming Patterns on the MyHeritage Blog
Hanks, P., & Hodges, F. (2006). A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford University Press.
Room, A. (2010). Dictionary of Pseudonyms: 13,000 Assumed Names and Their Origins. McFarland & Company, Inc.
Cottle, B. (1967). Penguin Dictionary of Surnames. Penguin Books.