The origin and history of the generic name is of interest to many people. The surname reflects the history of the ancestors, their place of residence, status. Each of them has its own unique and amazing story. The article will discuss the meaning and origin of the surname Demidov, about interesting secrets associated with it.
Origin of the surname
After the baptism of Russia, during the ceremony, each Orthodox priest gave a baptismal name, which provided a person with a name. Church names corresponded to the names of great martyrs and saints, but there were very few of them, therefore, in order to identify a person, a patronymic was added to a personal name.
The origin of the surname Demidov refers to the church name Demid or Diomede, which are translated from Greek as "God's advice".
Patron Saint
The origin of the surname Demidov is connected with the name of Saint Diomede, who was from Cilician Tarsus. According to legend, Diomede was a doctor, he professed Christianity andhealed not only human bodies, but also souls. In his free time, he preached the basics of the Christian religion, and when Emperor Diocletian found out about this, he ordered the death of Diomede. The executioners cut off the Great Martyr's head, but at the same moment lost their sight.
Among the Slavs, the name became common in the 12th-14th centuries, but initially it was received by the clergy. Over time, this naming became popular among other classes, but changed to Demid. She, for example, was baptized with this name Demid Makarov, the Kursk coachman.
The Demidov family
The origin of the name Demidov, namely the richest and most famous family, originates from the blacksmith of the Tula arms factory - Demid Grigorievich Antufiev. His son Nikita was a gunsmith, as well as a man with a bright and unusual fate. Peter the Great knew him personally. In 1720, for special services to the Fatherland, he received a noble title and family name as a gift. Does the surname Demidov belong to the Urals, and in what way? It was Nikita Demidov who was the ancestor of the Ural mining dynasty, it was he who gave life to a family tree that has been growing for more than three hundred years.
Nikita Demidov's significant contribution to the development of metallurgy was made by his activities in the development of the Urals. In the shortest possible time, he turned the Nevyansk plant, which was transferred to him into possession, into a highly productive metallurgical enterprise, in addition, he built 6 more plants, which for a long time were the best in Russia and Europe.
Demidov was the main assistant of Peter the Great during the founding of St. Petersburg, donating money and metal.
The descendants of Nikita Demidov were educated and raised abroad, they were not only the owners of factories, but also the military, patrons, scientists, statesmen. They donated huge amounts of money to Russian academies and universities, and new educational institutions were built on their contributions. In honor of their merits in Yaroslavl and Barnaul in the 19th century, the Demidov pillars were installed, in Tula a necropolis of the Demidov family was created, which includes a family tomb. A bridge was named in honor of the Demidovs in St. Petersburg, and the Demidov Foundation was established in the late 1990s.
The heirs of an old family name currently live in England, Canada, Finland, France, Russia.
When it comes to the Demidov family tree, the image of colorful men traditionally appears before our eyes. But the keepers of family traditions and customs, which were passed down from generation to generation, were women.
The Demidovs connected their lives with smart, educated, beautiful women. Their attention was sought by many eminent and noble persons. Poems were dedicated to these ladies, well-known foreign and Russian artists painted canvases from them, they were given the most expensive gifts. Among the wives of the Demidovs were: Ekaterina Lopukhina (sister of the favorite of Paul the First), Maria Meshcherskaya (favorite of Alexander III), Princess Elena Trubetskaya, Matilda Bonaparte (Napoleon's niece). It's hard these daysanswer, the Demidovs would have done so many glorious deeds and glorified their family, if these beautiful and amazing women were not next to them.
Nationality of the surname Demidov
This generic name is 50% Russian, 10% Belarusian, 5% Ukrainian, and 30% (Mordovian, Tatar, Buryat, Bashkir), 5% comes from Serbian and Bulgarian languages.
In any case, the origin of the name Demidov is associated with the name, nickname of a person or the place of residence of a distant ancestor.
The exact date of the origin of this generic name cannot be named today, as well as the place of its occurrence, since the process of forming the generic name has been going on for more than one century.
