Russian Last Names
Most Russian surnames are easy to decode once you know the pattern. The endings -ov, -ev and -in mean “belonging to,” so Ivanov is “Ivan’s (son)” and Kuznetsov is “the blacksmith’s.” Women use a feminine form ending in -a: Ivanova, Kuznetsova. Surnames ending in -sky or -skoy are adjectives that often point to a place, and many were adopted by the nobility or by clergy.
This list explains 100 Russian last names by type, each with its meaning. For first names, see our Russian male names and Russian girl names, or read how patronymics work in the Russian names guide.
The most common Russian last names
Surname studies consistently place Smirnov and Ivanov at the top. Most are patronymics or come from an ancestor’s trade or nickname.
| Surname | Meaning | Feminine form |
|---|---|---|
| Smirnov | Son of the quiet, meek one (smirny) | Smirnova |
| Ivanov | Son of Ivan (John) | Ivanova |
| Kuznetsov | Son of the blacksmith | Kuznetsova |
| Popov | Son of the priest (pop) | Popova |
| Vasilyev | Son of Vasily (Basil) | Vasilyeva |
| Petrov | Son of Pyotr (Peter) | Petrova |
| Sokolov | Son of the falcon | Sokolova |
| Mikhailov | Son of Mikhail | Mikhailova |
| Novikov | Son of the newcomer | Novikova |
| Fyodorov | Son of Fyodor (Theodore) | Fyodorova |
| Morozov | Son of Moroz (“frost”), a nickname | Morozova |
| Volkov | Son of the wolf | Volkova |
| Alekseyev | Son of Aleksei | Alekseyeva |
| Lebedev | Son of the swan | Lebedeva |
| Semyonov | Son of Semyon (Simeon) | Semyonova |
| Yegorov | Son of Yegor (George) | Yegorova |
| Pavlov | Son of Pavel (Paul) | Pavlova |
| Kozlov | Son of the goat | Kozlova |
| Stepanov | Son of Stepan (Stephen) | Stepanova |
| Nikolayev | Son of Nikolai | Nikolayeva |
| Yakovlev | Son of Yakov (Jacob) | Yakovleva |
| Andreyev | Son of Andrei | Andreyeva |
| Makarov | Son of Makar (“blessed”) | Makarova |
| Nikitin | Son of Nikita | Nikitina |
| Zakharov | Son of Zakhar (Zachary) | Zakharova |
| Borisov | Son of Boris | Borisova |
| Grigoryev | Son of Grigory (Gregory) | Grigoryeva |
| Titov | Son of Tit (Titus) | Titova |
Russian surnames from animals and birds
Animal nicknames were a favorite way to describe someone’s character: a Volkov might have been fierce, an Orlov proud. If you like these, try our names that mean wolf.
| Surname | Meaning | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Orlov | Son of the eagle | A famous noble family |
| Medvedev | Son of the bear | Medved literally means “honey eater” |
| Zaytsev | Son of the hare | Perhaps a timid or quick ancestor |
| Lisitsyn | Son of the fox | A cunning nickname |
| Voronin | Son of the crow | Dark-haired, or talkative |
| Golubev | Son of the dove | Gentle nickname |
| Solovyov | Son of the nightingale | Perhaps a fine singer |
| Belkin | Son of the squirrel | Also Pushkin’s fictional narrator |
| Gusev | Son of the goose | Very common |
| Komarov | Son of the mosquito | Cosmonaut Vladimir Komarov |
| Zhukov | Son of the beetle | Marshal Georgy Zhukov |
| Karpov | Son of Karp (from Polycarp) or of the carp | Chess champion Anatoly Karpov |
| Shchukin | Son of the pike | Art collector Sergei Shchukin |
| Sorokin | Son of the magpie | A chatterbox nickname |
| Vorobyov | Son of the sparrow | Very common |
Russian surnames from occupations
Like Smith or Taylor, these recall what an ancestor did for a living. Compare them with German last names, which follow the same logic.
| Surname | Meaning | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Melnikov | Son of the miller | Common nationwide |
| Rybakov | Son of the fisherman | Northern and river regions |
| Goncharov | Son of the potter | Novelist Ivan Goncharov |
| Plotnikov | Son of the carpenter | Common nationwide |
| Pastukhov | Son of the herdsman | Rural name |
| Bondarev | Son of the cooper (barrel maker) | Southern Russia |
| Sapozhnikov | Son of the bootmaker | Urban trades |
| Tkachev | Son of the weaver | Also Tkachuk in Ukraine |
| Kozhevnikov | Son of the tanner | Leather trade |
| Kalashnikov | Son of the kalach (bread roll) maker | Designer Mikhail Kalashnikov |
| Kolesnikov | Son of the wheelwright | Common nationwide |
| Dyakonov | Son of the deacon | Church family |
| Ponomaryov | Son of the sexton | Church family |
| Ovchinnikov | Son of the sheepskin maker | Furrier trade |
Russian last names from looks and personality
Nicknames about hair, size or temperament often became family names within a generation or two.
| Surname | Meaning | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Belov | Son of the white or fair-haired one | Very common |
| Chernov | Son of the dark or black-haired one | Very common |
| Sedov | Son of the grey-haired one | Polar explorer Georgy Sedov |
| Ryzhov | Son of the redhead | Common nationwide |
| Tolstoy | Stout, thick | Writer Leo Tolstoy’s noble family |
| Veselov | Son of the cheerful one | Friendly nickname |
| Molchanov | Son of the silent one | A quiet ancestor |
| Gromov | Son of thunder; a loud man | Striking and strong |
| Kudryavtsev | Son of the curly-haired one | Common nationwide |
| Bogatyrev | Son of the bogatyr (epic hero) | Heroic nickname |
| Dobrynin | Son of Dobrynya (“good, kind”) | After the epic hero Dobrynya Nikitich |
| Khudyakov | Son of the thin or poor one | Old nickname |
| Lysov | Son of the bald one | Common nationwide |
| Kurnosov | Son of the snub-nosed one | Old nickname |
| Glukhov | Son of the deaf or hard-of-hearing one | Also a town name |
| Bystrov | Son of the quick one | A fast or lively ancestor |
| Umnov | Son of the clever one | From umny, “smart” |
Russian seminary surnames
In the 1700s and 1800s, Orthodox seminaries often gave students new surnames based on church feasts, saints or Latin words, usually ending in -sky. They are still a telltale sign of a clergy family.
| Surname | Meaning | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Preobrazhensky | Of the Transfiguration | Church feast |
| Voskresensky | Of the Resurrection | Church feast |
| Uspensky | Of the Dormition | Church feast |
| Rozhdestvensky | Of the Nativity | Church feast |
| Troitsky | Of the Trinity | Very common clergy name |
| Pokrovsky | Of the Intercession (Pokrov) | Church feast |
| Nikolsky | Of St. Nicholas | Named after a parish church |
| Speransky | From Latin sperare, “to hope” | Statesman Mikhail Speransky |
| Blagoveshchensky | Of the Annunciation | Church feast |
Famous and noble Russian family names
Princely houses, imperial dynasties and cultural giants. Many are great for writers looking for historical names; the -sky endings are also typical of Polish last names.
| Surname | Meaning or origin | Famous bearer |
|---|---|---|
| Romanov | Son of Roman | Russia’s ruling dynasty, 1613–1917 |
| Pushkin | From pushka, “cannon” | Poet Aleksandr Pushkin |
| Dostoevsky | From the village of Dostoevo | Novelist Fyodor Dostoevsky |
| Chekhov | Possibly from chekh, “Czech,” or a short form of a first name | Playwright Anton Chekhov |
| Gagarin | From a princely family; possibly gagara, “loon” | Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin |
| Mendeleev | From mena delat, “to trade,” a nickname for a horse trader | Chemist Dmitri Mendeleev |
| Tchaikovsky | From chaika, “seagull” | Composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky |
| Rachmaninoff | From rakhmanny, “generous, easygoing” | Composer Sergei Rachmaninoff |
| Golitsyn | From golitsy, leather mittens | Princely family |
| Obolensky | From the town of Obolensk | Princely family |
| Sheremetev | From an ancestor nicknamed Sheremet | Counts and field marshals |
| Trubetskoy | From the town of Trubchevsk | Princely family |
| Yusupov | From Yusuf, a Tatar noble ancestor | Princely family |
| Rimsky-Korsakov | Korsakov + “Roman” to mark supposed Roman roots | Composer Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov |
| Kandinsky | Possibly from the Konda River region in Siberia | Painter Wassily Kandinsky |
| Stravinsky | Traditionally from the Strava River | Composer Igor Stravinsky |
| Nabokov | Traditionally from Nabok Murza, a Tatar prince | Novelist Vladimir Nabokov |
Tips for understanding Russian last names
- Change the ending for women. Ivanov → Ivanova, Tolstoy → Tolstaya, Dostoevsky → Dostoevskaya. Only a few types, such as those ending in -ko or -ikh, stay the same.
- Read the root. Strip off -ov, -ev, -in or -sky and you usually find a first name, an animal, a trade or a place.
- Expect several spellings. Rachmaninoff and Rakhmaninov are the same name; older transliterations often used -off and -ff.
- Watch for Ukrainian and Belarusian forms. Endings like -enko, -uk and -ovich usually point to Ukraine or Belarus rather than Russia.
- For fiction, pair a surname with a first name and patronymic for realism: Anna Sergeyevna Lebedeva sounds convincingly Russian.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most common Russian last name?
Smirnov is usually ranked as the most common Russian surname, closely followed by Ivanov, Kuznetsov, Sokolov and Popov.
Why do Russian last names end in -ov or -ev?
These endings form possessives, meaning “belonging to” or “son of.” Ivanov means “Ivan’s,” and Kuznetsov means “the blacksmith’s (son).”
What does -sky mean in a Russian surname?
It turns a word into an adjective, often “of” a place. Many -sky surnames came from estates, towns, rivers or church feasts, and they were common among nobles and clergy.
Do Russian women have different last names?
Yes. Most surnames take a feminine ending, usually -a (Ivanova, Pushkina) or -aya for -sky names (Dostoevskaya).
What does Romanov mean?
Romanov means “son of Roman.” The dynasty took its name from Roman Yurievich Zakharin, father of Anastasia, the first wife of Ivan the Terrible.