Ukrainian surnames

Ukrainian surnames can be easily recognized by the most common suffix -enko (Shevchenko, Hordiyenko, Tereshchenko) or less common -ko (Sirko, Pavlychko, Boiko). Another common suffix in surnames that reflects the Ukrainian origin is -chuk (Polishchuk, Palamarchuk, Balanchuk) or its simplified versions -yuk or -yak and -ak (Palahnyuk, Mochulyak, Romanyuk). Suffixes -ko and -uk/yuk are considered to be patronymic.

Other common suffixes are -yshyn or -ishyn (Panchyshyn, Kostyshyn, Romanyshyn). Such suffixes are simply added to the Ukrainian given names. Unlike the above mentioned these suffixes are considered to be matronymic.

There are also old Cossack names that derive from military occupations, such as Kompaniyets or Kompanichenko. There are also surnames derived from monikers based on personal characteristics. These can often be somewhat comical such as Dobryvechir, Perevernykruchenko, Vyrvykhvist, Vernydub, Kryvonis, Chornovil, Navarykasha. Those are composite surnames that consist of two actual words. It is impossible to list them all as they vary with a creativity of their owners. Such surnames are considered to be self-invented in 15th-16th centuries with the start of the Cossack movement. For people foreign to a Slavic culture it is close to impossible to identify such names.

Among Cossacks were also much simplified last names such as Hohol,[1] Orel, Bakaj, Horobets,[2] Syromakha, Rosomakha, Vedmid',[3] Moroz, Kulish, Skovoroda, Harbuz, Vovk, Chaika and many more that are a common nouns of the Ukrainian language. Other Cossack last names were based on personality characteristics - Sverbylo, Nudylo, etc.

Some Ukrainian toponymic surnames can be identified as from the Galicia region. Those surnames often contain suffixes -ets or -iets and -iv (Kolomiets, Korniets, Romanets, Baranets, Petriv, Leskiv, Petrusiv).

Less common suffixes that may identify the Ukrainian origin are -ra, -ukh, -un, -ash, -la or -lo, series of -aba, -yba, and -uba, also -yush (Plyush), -i (Guti, Gudi - common in Transcarpathia) and -iy (Vertiy).

Suffixes -skiy, -skyi, -ski are common not only among the Ukrainians, but also other Slavic people. One may encounter a wide use of names having suffix -vych or -vich (Shukhevych, Petrushevych, Andrushevych, Shushkevich, Gorlukovich). Those suffixes usually are considered to be of now extinct tribe of White Croats that over the years resettled across the Eastern Europe and integrated in various other cultures.

List of most common surnames

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Russified - Gogol
  2. ↑ Russified - Vorobej
  3. ↑ Russified - Medved

External links

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