Surname Nikitin: origin and history

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:44

In the last decade, the name Nikita has gained popularity. It is not known what contributed to this, since it is not so easy to predict the turns of fashion trends. However, few people know that the origin of the Nikitin surname has an ancient history dating back to the time of Ivan IV (the Terrible). The tsar by a special decree granted the right to wear this pseudonym to distinguished boyars, which was fixed in the register. And since the character of the sovereign was "not sugar", such a privilege was granted in rare cases, therefore there were not so many pseudonyms granted in "terrible" times.

Distribution area

The origin of the surname Nikitin has Slavic roots in most cases: that is, either Russian, or Ukrainian, or Belarusian ancestors of its current bearer took part in its creation. This part makes up about 35% of all Nikitins.

In addition, almost the same proportion could be formed among the peoples living on the territory of the Russian Empire and assimilated withRussian-speaking population: these are Buryats, Mordvins, Tatars, Bashkirs, etc.

To this we add the probability of the Jewish origin of the surname Nikitin by adding traditional Slavic suffixes -ov-, -in-, etc. There are about 20% of them.

And perhaps also the Latvian past: let's not forget that the Duchy of Courland was part of the Russian Empire for quite a long time, and many offspring of noble families sought to make a career at the royal court.

Name and its derivatives

Before delving into the origin of the name Nikitin, let's try to turn to the origins. As a rule, the roots of the pedigree should be sought in the mists of time. In ancient times, there were only nicknames that were given in accordance with character traits, external identity with any totem, as well as professional affiliation or name. Let's take a closer look at the last option.

Nikita is a Greek name, and in ancient times it was pronounced as "Niketas", which meant "winner" or "victorious". After the baptism of Russia, newborns were named in accordance with the lists in the Saints. That is, this surname could not have been formed earlier than in 988, when Russia became a Christian state.

Christianity and saints

Rus was baptized in the X century according to the Byzantine model. All the rules and rituals concerning the naming of names began to spread at the same time. Christianity has come a long way before becoming the main religion of the country. Founded in Palestine and Asia Minor,it gradually supplanted the pantheon of ancient gods in Rome. Then, in the 4th century, Theodosius the Great proclaimed it the state religion of Byzantium.

Having established itself in Russia, Christianity brought to its territory not only new rites, but also names from distant lands with ancient roots. However, ordinary people were not too willing to use foreign nicknames, preferring the old order.

The Saints include the names of the blessed, in honor of which the Christian soul that came into the world is named. Consider the history of the Nikitin surname in the context of the rite of baptism. In accordance with the Orthodox birthday, Nikita could be called a boy born on January 31, March 20, April 3 or 30; on May days (4, 14, 23, 24, 28); September 9th or 15th; October 13, old style.

Sign of "blue blood"

Despite the fact that the rituals of baptism were prescribed to name the newborn in honor of the saint, these rules were followed only by the nobility of that time. Proximity to the official authorities ordered the representatives of the upper class to comply with the requirements. It was this part of society, which has power, influence and respect, that was the first to acquire the right to bear a surname. Nikitins owe their origin to the name given to one of the representatives of the male gender at baptism.

It should be noted that the widespread practice of registering all significant events of the inhabitants of the state was introduced in 1632. Since that time, metrization assumed that the surname should be attached to the name. It would be a mistake to assume that the processwent quickly and painlessly: it stretched until the middle of the 19th century.

However, it was the nobility who first took part in this movement. This gives grounds to assert that most of the surnames belong to the descendants of clans that had some title or power at the time the new order was formed.

Practice and word formation

From the 15th century, for almost 150 years, the process of "familyization" of society, mainly of its noble part, took place. In practice, this was carried out by adding the suffixes -ov-, -ev-, -in- to the name. If we transfer this procedure to the area of the Russian language, we get a possessive adjective that answers the question: "Whose, whose".

So, where did the name Nikitin come from, as well as her belonging to a certain class stratum - we found out. And, of course, we should remember the people who glorified the names of their ancestors.

The first on this list is the Russian traveler Afanasy Nikitin. The value of his diary "Journey Beyond Three Seas" cannot be overestimated.

In addition to statesmen, among the Nikitins were Russian masters of painting, engravers, researchers of the history of the Ancient World, scientists and the military. We can say that this surname helps to reveal the spiritual potential of its owner.