Bearers of the surname Alekseev can be proud of their ancestors. Information about them is found in many documents that confirm their contribution to the history of the Russian State. Alekseev is an old and beautiful surname, the origins of which begin on behalf of Alexy. Where the surname Alekseev came to Russia, you will learn from our article.
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The name that gave the name of the surname comes from the baptismal Alexy. In ancient Greek, it means "protect", "repel", "prevent". A large number of forms have been formed from this name, one of them - Alexey - became the basis for the origin of the Alekseev surname.
Christian origins
Researchers of the origin of surnames in Russia state that their education mainly comes from Christian traditions. Religious rules demanded that the child be named after some saint, a historically illustrious person who was revered by the church on a certain day of the year. The custom of naming babies according to church calendars has been a strong tradition for centuries. However, it was not always followed. The main role in the choiceThe name of the child was played by the desire of the parents, and not the data from the calendar. Generic name preferred.
For a long time there were already favorite names, as they would say now - fashionable. Before church name sets began to form, special, preferred ones already existed in everyday life. These are the names of the apostles who surrounded Christ, those who accepted torment for Christian ideals. Among the revered saints and martyrs of the Orthodox, the name Alexy is often found, from which the surname Alekseev originated.
Researchers put forward several versions of its origin. According to one of them, the surname Alekseev is based on the church name Alexy.
The patron saint of Alekseev among Christians is Alexy, a saint who is commemorated on March 30th. History says that this is a real character. He was a we althy resident of ancient Rome in the 5th century. While still young, he decided to associate himself with God. Leaving his relatives, he lived until the end of his days, begging for alms, constantly offering prayers to the Almighty. After Alexy died, his relics became miraculous and helped to heal the sick. In Ancient Russia, there was a belief that if a child was given the name of a martyr or saint, then his life would not be overshadowed by anything. The surname Alekseev owes its origin and meaning to this divine man.
There were no surnames in Russia before. Their assignment to specific families put the clergy. Thus, Metropolitan Petro Mohyla, Bishop of Kyiv, in 1632 instructed local priests to begin keeping records of births,dead and married.
Spread of surname in Russia
According to linguist researchers, it follows that the origin of the surname Alekseev is a derivative of the baptismal name according to a certain scheme, namely: Alexy - Alexey - Alekseev.
Alekseev is one of the famous and popular Russian surnames. In 50% of cases it is of Russian origin, in 5% - Ukrainian, in 10% - Belarusian, in 30% - the roots are in the languages of other peoples inhabiting Russia, namely: Tatars, Mordovians, Bashkirs, Buryats, etc. In 5% of its origins go to the Bulgarian and Serbian languages, however, in any case, it was formed from the name, occupation, nickname, place of residence of the male ancestor.
Approximately from the second half of the 16th century, Russian surnames began to gradually "assimilate" the suffixes "-ov-", "-ev-", "-in-" and form a Russian family type. As a rule, in this case, the patronymic of the head of the family, the father, was the hereditary family name. Based on this, it follows that the meaning of the surname Alekseev is "son of Aleksey", "Alekseev's son".
The founder of a dynasty is a respected person. This can be explained by the fact that surnames formed from a full name had only those families that enjoyed significant authority in a given place, whom neighbors called exclusively by their full name, while representatives of other classes were usually called nicknames or other diminutive names. Now you know the history of the Alekseev surname. Its origin is quite interesting.
The people of Russia get their surnames
Most Russian surnames have a history of only about a hundred years. The main part of the population of the Russian Empire acquired surnames according to the results of the first census in 1897. Until that moment, in the Russian hinterland and villages, only nicknames had something to do with surnames. Those who conducted the census, simplifying their work, gave them to familyless families by their grandfather's or paternal patronymic or name, so the descendants of the head of the family, Alexei, became Alekseevs. The process of acquiring surnames was extended over time.
Historical Figures
For the first time the surname Alekseev is documented in the materials of the 16th century. So, the documents of that time recorded: Bozhenko Alekseev - guardsman of Ivan the Terrible; Alekseev Bogdan - in 1587 he passed in the letters as a fair witness; Alekseev Alybash - in 1551 the landowner of the Tver district; Istoma Alekseev, who in 1607 served as a gunner in the city of Ustyuzhensk; Sagittarius 1583 Alekseev Cossack, who was also a landowner and owner of a courtyard in the city of Pustorzhev, etc.
Historical documents say that this surname was common in various classes. Famous representatives of this surname are the merchants of the city of Moscow Alekseev. Their clan was known for its merits both in industry and in social activities. They owned large enterprises that were engaged in the productionwool and cotton products. They became the founders of the process of transferring merino sheep breeding to Siberia.
Noble families of Russia are also represented by the famous surname Alekseev. The very first known of them is Fedor Osipov, son of Alekseev, who became famous for his deeds in the seventeenth century.
The coat of arms of the Alekseev family is included in the list of coats of arms of the noble families of Russia.
Famous surname bearers
The bearers of this surname should be proud of it. Many Russians have made a significant contribution to the history and culture of the country. The most famous of them are:
- Alexander Ivanovich Alekseev - lyric tenor, singer;
- Anton Dmitrievich Alekseev - Hero of the USSR, polar pilot;
- Anton Nikolaevich Alekseev - lieutenant general;
- Vladimir Nikolaevich Alekseev - Hero of the Soviet Union, Admiral;
- Ivan Alekseevich Alekseev - Governor of the St. Petersburg province;
- Nikolai Vasilyevich Alekseev - a famous shipbuilder and many others.
Stanislavsky Konstantin Sergeevich, an outstanding representative of Russian and Soviet culture, the famous creator of the acting system, the first people's artist of the USSR, had the surname Alekseev, and Stanislavsky was a sonorous pseudonym.
