Under the repressive regimes of Tsars Bolsheviks and eventually the Communist Party one would hardly find a country in the world with larger cultural and social differences.

Popular russian last names. Most Russian last names change depending on the gender of the child in question. There are almost 100000 Ivanovs just in Moscow despite the fact that the majority of Ivanovs live in Russian regions. Russian philology scientists compiled a list of 500 Russian most common surnames collected from a massive of various sources.

As this common family tradition continued these surnames could only last a lifetime. Its complexity and almost poetic form means that using just the one base word you can create numerous variations of different meanings. Within this name ov means of thus Ivanov means son of Ivan.

Russian names and surnames are hard to understand for a non-Cyrillic ear. Check out the examples below. This is one of the most common last names in Bulgaria and Russia.

Most Common Russian Last Names. There are very few names derived from occupations but a lot of names derived from animals. The best dragon names in history.

The following example should explain this in a better manner. Over the centuries there have been a lot of famous Sokolovs from mathematicians to marathon-runners. Originated in Ukraine Kalashnik is an occupational Russian last name that refers to Breadmaker or Maker of Kalaches.

The Most Popular Russian Surnames and Their Origins. Why You May Need To Know This. Occupational name for a fur trader from the Slavic word soboli meaning sable marten.