​​​​​​​​​​LESSON 7: RUSSIAN NAMES​

FULL NAME

Russians officially have three names: first name, patronymic and last name. The following are examples of full names for a man and woman, respectively: Сергей Иванович Смирнов and Анна Ивановна Смирнова.

Here are some common Russian first names for men and women:

The patronymic name is derived from the father’s name by adding -ович/-евич for men and -овна/-евна for women. For example, if the father's name is Иван, then his son’s patronymic is Иванович, while his daughter’s patronymic is Ивановна. Here are some more examples of patronymic names:

We usually use both first name and patronymic in formal and official situations, for example, addressing your teacher or boss or people older than you. 

Usually, the last name also has different endings for men and women. For example, Смирнов - Смирнова, Успенский - Успенская, etc. Furthermore, there is a plural form of the last name which is used when you talk about a family, couple, etc., in general: Смирновы, Успенские. Here are some more examples of Russian last names:

DIMINUTIVE NAMES

Additionally, most first names have a variety of diminutive forms, for example: Мария - Маша, Анастасия - Настя, Михаил - Миша, Иван - Ваня, etc. They express informality, affection and/or familiarity. Usually, they are used to address friends, relatives, children or teenagers. Here are more examples of diminutive names: