Ukrainian surnames are an essential component of Ukrainian genealogy and history. They provide valuable insights into the occupations, places of residence, characteristics, social context, and even attitudes of one's Ukrainian ancestors. Notably, Ukrainian surnames are among the oldest in Europe, dating back to the 17th century when nearly all Ukrainians had surnames. In contrast, Russian peasants acquired surnames only after the abolition of serfdom in 1861, while French commoners did not have surnames until the beginning of the 19th century. This all changed in 1808 when Emperor Napoleon I issued a decree, known as the "Decree on the Family Names," which required all French citizens to adopt a surname. Some Ukrainian surnames have been in use for centuries, handed down from generation to generation, and linked to the time of the princes.
Ukrainian surnames typically follow the pattern found in most European cultures, which is to derive them from the father's name, nickname, or profession. Surnames often take on a unique character, reflecting the language and dialect of the region and the specific context in which they were developed.
The significance of Ukrainian surnames extends beyond personal identity. They serve as a valuable tool for genealogists and historians, providing insights into the family history, migration patterns, and cultural traditions of Ukrainian communities.
History of Ukrainian surnames
A significant proportion of Ukrainian surnames originated from nicknames used by the founders of the family. This practice is particularly common among Cossack surnames, with the first instances appearing in the Cossack registers of 1649. The earliest mentions of Ukrainian surnames, however, date back to the late 17th and early 18th centuries.
Originally, surnames were developed for official documents or business records. By the 15th century, surnames were used by members of the upper class, nobles, and large landowners. They became necessary in cities in the 15th and 16th centuries. In 1632, Orthodox Metropolitan Peter Mohyla ordered priests to include a surname in all records of birth, marriage, and death. By the 18th century, most Ukrainians had surnames.
After the partitions of Poland (1772-1795), Western Ukraine came under the rule of the Austrian Empire. In these new conditions, peasants needed surnames for paying taxes and serving in the military, and churches were required to keep records of all births, deaths, and marriages.
In the 16th and 17th centuries, Ukraine's historical, cultural, and economic development was closely linked with the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (now Belarus): the northern territories of present-day Ukraine were part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, which formed an alliance with Poland based on kinship ties of the upper feudal nobility, and later for political reasons. This explains the large, sometimes indistinguishable, similarities between Ukrainian and Belarusian surnames.[1]
Ukraine joined Muscovy in 1654, when Ukrainian surnames were already formed. This explains a number of common features of Belarusian, Polish, and Ukrainian surnames (such as surnames in the form of adjectives ending in -ski). Thus, Ukrainian and Russian surnames belong to completely different morphological systems, despite the fact that they are etymologically similar. Unlike Russian surnames, which are based on possessive adjectives, Ukrainian surnames are formed on a different principle, not using a patronymic suffix, with few exceptions.
Derivation of Ukrainian surnames
Originally, Ukrainian surnames were derived from nicknames given based on a person's character, appearance, profession, or moral qualities. Some surnames have existed for hundreds of years. The most common way of forming surnames in the Ukrainian language is by adding the suffix "-enko" (which some versions suggest means "son"). For example, surnames like Ivanenko, Petrenko, and Potapenko indicate that the father of the surname's bearer was named Ivan, Petro, or Potap. Such surnames were likely assigned during population censuses.
Surnames derived from professions were also formed on the same principle. For example, one version of the origin of the surname Shevchenko is the word "shevchyk," meaning a tailor. Kravchenko comes from "kravets," which means a shoemaker. Bondar was a person who made wooden barrels, and Honcharenko comes from the word for a potter.
Suffixes can also indicate how the ancestor was perceived. For example, suffixes -ak, -yak, -nak, -nyak, -chak, -shak, -shchak indicated a contemptuous attitude towards a person. Therefore, nicknames with such suffixes indicate not only the ancestor’s name or occupation, but also the personal characteristics of a bearer:
Surnames were also given based on the locality or features of the area in which people lived. Genealogist Olha Mykhailychenko recounts in her research on Ukrainian surnames that she came across 100-200 residents of a single settlement with the same surname:
For example, I recently came across the surname Kopan. And the most interesting thing is that I found out that its bearers, of which there are around three hundred, live in only one urban-type settlement of Petrovo in the Kirovohrad Oblast, and there are no more of them anywhere else in Ukraine. It turns out that for many years people lived in this settlement and referred to those who dug wells as "kopani." It was one of the most important professions in the village. And as knowledge was passed down from generation to generation in the family, so did the surname become rooted.[2]
People were also given nicknames based on the creatures around them:
although these surnames may have also originated from the fact that the ancestor worked hard.
Olga Mikhaylichenko explains that Ukrainians often received their surnames based on their profession. Although not all fishermen became "Rybak" (fisherman), some were called "Karp" (carp) because they caught more of that fish than anything else, or "Schuka" (pike) because they had a sharp character, like the teeth of a pike.
As researchers note, sometimes people were given other animal or bird nicknames according to their characteristics:
- Kotik (kitten) could be used to name an affectionate person
- Schyr (mole) a sly or unpleasant person
- Zozulya (cuckoo) a bad father or mother
- Solovey (nightingale) a person who had a good voice or musical talent
On the Sich, Cossacks were often given funny surnames, such as:
- Sverbihuz (itchy nose)
- Husak (goose)
- Nedaybog (don't give God)
- Babiy (old woman).
Cossacks more often characterized a person by appearance and behavior. If a Cossack had a physical feature, it became the basis of a nickname, which later turned into a surname that his descendants now bear," notes Olga Mikhaylichenko. "Edible" surnames are also Cossack ones, such as:
- Salo (pork fat)
- Kovbasa (sausage)
- Chasnyk (garlic)
- Palyanitsya (pancake)
- Harbuz (watermelon)
- Kukhlik (pot)
- Varenik (dumpling)
- Bulba (potato)
People were often identified by them, taking into account the dishes they liked (or vice versa – didn't like and didn't eat)."[2]
In terms of formation, two-part surnames are also distinguished:
- Adjective + noun (Kryvoruk, Zhovtonis, Starokon)
- Verb in the imperative mood + noun (Krutyhvist, Deripaska, Nezovybatko, Virvykhvist). Such surnames have Cossack origin. According to the rules of the Zaporozhian Sich, a Cossack had to come up with a surname that would best characterize him.
- Color + animal (Chernovol, Belokon, Beloshchuk)
The feminine forms exist for surnames with the suffix –skiy (-skaya), which is morphologically identified as adjectives, as well as for surnames with the Russian suffix -ov (-ova).
Western Ukrainian surnames ending in -iv and -ishin have the ending -a.
Most common Ukrainian surnames
Here are the top 10 most common Ukrainian surnames:[3]
Celebrities with Ukrainian Surnames
Explore More About Ukrainian Surnames
- Historical Records from Ukraine at MyHeritage
- Ukraine, Kyiv Orthodox Consistory Church Book Duplicates, 1840-1845 at MyHeritage
- New: Global Name Translation™ for DNA Matches at MyHeritage Blog
- Surnames of Ukrainian Origin (rus) at Genealogy of Lychkovsky (in Ukrainian)
- 103 Ukrainian Surnames With Meaning and History at Kidadl
- The Most Common Ukrainian Surnames at Surnam.es
- Explaining Ukrainian Surnames at Ukrainian American Media