Patronymic Name

A patronymic name is, in certain countries, a name which people carry in addition to their Prénom and their Family name, sometimes even in the place of the family name, and which expresses the first name of the father of that which carries it.

Typically, a patronymic name is expressed by “XXX wire of YYY ZZZ” where XXX indicate the first name of the person, YYY, the first name of his/her father and ZZZ family name common to both.

The patronymic name can sometimes be replaced by a name matronymic, i.e. expressing the first name of the mother, but in the uses of the languages of Europe, that is observed in theory only if the name of the father is unknown. The modern tendency and the Féminisme allow more easily today the use of a name matronymic instead of the patronymic one.

The patronymic name is of Russian use in and was imposed in all the countries of old the Soviet Union. It is however much more long-lived in Russian, Belorusse and Ukrainian that in the other languages of the Soviet ex-Union, where, very often it appears only on the documents of civil statue and no use of use has. One also finds these names in the Greek civil statue and the languages of Slavic of the south Croatian Serbe, , Bulgare, etc

In the Scandinavian countries, the names were until the beginning of the 20th century often made up of a first name and a patronymic name. When the civil statue was reformed, of many patronymic names became family names. Only in all Europe, the Icelandic preserves a strict system without family names but with Juste one or two first name (S) follow-up of a patronymic name.

Many patronymic names became family names in many languages. These family names, in the majority of the languages, have a single form with the masculine and female, contrary to the patronymic names which have a different form according to the kind. It is almost always the male form which became family name. That is true even in the languages where one practices the Féminisation of family names. Male Russian patronymic names in - ович (- ovitch) has as a female equivalent the termination - овна (- ovna) . However, become family names, they always remain in the form - ович. Into Bulgarian, the patronymic names have an adjectival form and agree in kind with the name. Family names, which are for the majority of old patronymic names, make some as much because they also have them, in fact, an adjectival form, and family names of this form agree in kind, of number and in case in this language.

Languages using a patronym in addition to family name

Russian

See also: Name of anybody in Russian

In Russian, the patronym ( очество , word derived from отец which means father ) figure obligatorily, in addition to the first name and family name, on the identity paper and birth certificates. He is placed between the first name and family name. The words " monsieur" and " madame" being practically uncommon in Russian, it is of use, to express the respect, to address itself to its interlocutor by employing his first name and its patronym (but not its family name). Thus, to address to Mr. Vladimir Poutine, one will not say: " Mr Poutine" but " Vladimir Vladimirovitch" ( Vladimirovitch being the patronym of Mr. Vladimir Poutine).

For the men, the patronym is formed first name of the father to which the suffix ovitch is added (ович), or évitch (евич) when the first name of the father ends in the Russian letters й or ь

Fédor Dostoïevski whose father named Mikhaïl (Михаил) thus has as a complete name: Fédor Mikhaïlovitch Dostoïevski (ФëдорМихайловичДостоевский).
Alexandre Pouchkine whose father was called Sergueï (Сергей) а for complete name: Alexandre Sergueïévitch Pouchkine (АлександрСергеевичПушкин).

For the women, the patronym is formed of the first name of the father to which the suffix ovna is added (овна), or evna (евна) if the first name of the father ends in й or ь .

Marina Alexeïeva thus the father names Anatole (Анатоль) has as a complete name: Marina Anatolievna Alexeïeva (МаринаАнатолевнаАлексеева).
Nina Gorlanova (name of the father: Viktor) is named as for it: Nina Viktorovna Gorlanova (НинаВикторовнаГорланова).

A certain number of Russian names such as Ivanov or Petrov have a patronymic origin but are not patronyms; they are family names which, as in the Scandinavian languages, were formed starting from patronyms. It is thus theoretically possible for Russian to be called Ivan Ivanovitch Ivanov , Ivan being the first name, Ivanovitch the patronym (wire of Ivan) and Ivanov family name (formed in the past according to a patronym).

Ukrainian

In Ukrainian, the use of the patronym in addition to family name is similar to that of Russian. Its formation of it is also very close.

For the men, one forms the patronym by adding to the first name of the father the suffixes evytch (євич) or ovytch (ович).

Thus, the complete name of Tarass Chevtchenko is Tarass Hryhorovytch Chevtchenko (ТарасГригоровичШевченко).

For the women, one adds the suffix ivna (iвна) to the first name of the father.

Ioulia Tymochenko has as a complete name Ioulia Volodymyrivna Tymochenko (ЮліяВолодимирівнаТимошенко)

Languages using the patronym as a family name

Icelander

The Iceland, slightly populated and having a great quantity of First name S, preserved a system of name without family name. The people are identified to 90% by their Prénom, followed by their patronymic name, i.e. of the mention of the first name of their father (or, sometimes, of their mother). Thus, Gunnar Snorri Helgason and Anna Björg Helgadóttir respectively mean Gunnar Snorri wire ( its ) of Helgi and Anna Björg girl ( to dóttir ) of Helgi .

Let us suppose that Bjarni and Björk have a girl that they prénomment Sigríður . Since the genitive of Bjarni is Bjarna and that of Björk is Bjarkar , it will be able thus to be called “Sigríður Bjarnadóttir” or “Sigríður Bjarkardóttir” according to the choice of Bjarni and Björk (and indeed later according to its own choice). Then, the son of Sigríður will be able for example to be called “Magnús Sigríðarson” and so on.

Examples:

Vigdís Finnbogadóttir, 5th president of the Republic (1980-1996), girl of Finnbogi Rútur Þorvaldsson,
Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, 6th president of the Republic (since 1996), wire of Grímur Kristgeirsson.

The 10% remainders have a family name transmitted from generation to generation (but any Icelander can choose to be made call by a patronym or a matronyme, even if it can claim in the name of family of its father or his mother).

Example:

Kristján Eldjárn, 4th president of the Republic (1968-1980), whose complete name is “Kristján Eldjárn Þórarinsson”, wire of Þórarinn Kr. Eldjárn.

These characteristics make that in Iceland:

the people are classified, in the phone book, in the alphabetical order of their first name (or first first name)
the people are often designated by their only first name (or first first name). For example, on Icelandic Wikipédia, the biographies of the aforesaid presidents, after the introduction which points out the complete denomination, the text uses of the “Vigdís”, “Ólafur” or “Kristján”, where, in another language, one would use “Jacques Chirac”, “Mr. Chirac” or “president Chirac” (according to the context).

The Icelandic patronym is thus not transmitted from generation to generation. In the conversation, the patronyms (or more rarely the matronyme) are not used, the use of the first name being of rigor. (see this external bond about the Icelandic names).

Other Scandinavian languages

The choice of a patronym or a matronyme, in the place of family name or beside this one, is also authorized in Norway, in the Faroe Islands and - recently - Denmark.

Culture of the the Middle East

The complete name of an individual is composed of sound Prénom, the first name of his/her father and the first name of his paternal grandfather. Contrary to Russian or Icelandic, the patronym (as well as the patronym of the father) does not comprise a suffix. Only its position in the complete name indicates that it is about the first name of the father or the grandfather.

It is the case in countries out of the zone of the Middle East but under its cultural influence like the Somalia and the the Comoros. Thus, the son of Abdullah Yusuf Ahmed, if it fore-mentioned Mohammad, will have as a complete name Mohammed Abdullah Yusuf.

In the case of the properly Arab cultures, one adds the marker ibn (or bin ). One thus obtains Soliman ibn Moese ibn Youssouf. In the Jewish culture one adds Ben or beats what gives Solomon Ben Moïshe Ben Yossef.

Languages where family names have a patronymic origin

In many European languages, the use of the patronym was used then abandoned. Often, of the patronyms became family names: they did not any more change from one generation to another and were transmitted until our days.

Scandinavian languages

Danish

The twenty-two Danish family names most widespread (Jensen, Nielsen, Hansen, Pedersen, Andersen, etc) are composed of a first name to which the termination SEN (" is added; wire de") and thus have a patronymic origin. It is noticed that the names finishing in to dottir (" girl de") are much rarer.

Norwegian

The same phenomenon is observed for the Norwegian language, this one being grammatically and phonetically very near to Danish. One thus obtains family names identical to those referred to above, except possible for Nielsen which with an alternative writing is noted Nilsen .

Swedish

Certain Swedish family names can be built according to the same model. The termination will be in this case its , or more running plowshare . The names are thus written Jansson , Nilsson , Hansson , Pederson , Anderson …

In France

Without the least relationship with the Slavic and Icelandic uses, the name patronym or the patronymic expression name indicated, in France, until the law nº 2002-304 of the relative March 4th, 2002 in the name of family, according to the texts in which one met them, which became since the Family name .

External bonds

family names in Denmark
formation of family names in Serbo-Croat

Zh-min-nan: Pē-miâ

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