Moldovan surnames: the history of appearance and examples

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:45

Moldova has long been the center of the intersection of many cultures. This was reflected in the local anthroponymy, which includes heterogeneous elements. Below we will talk about what Moldovan surnames are.

Sources of surnames

There were several sources from which surnames began to take shape.

First of all, these are personal names.
Secondly, the nickname of the father or his profession, occupation.
Third, the profession of the person himself.
Fourth, place of birth or permanent residence.
Fifth, belonging to some ethnic group.
And, finally, sixthly, these are personal characteristics (appearance, character, etc.).

History of surnames

Surnames in the proper sense of the word appeared among Moldovans not so long ago. Moldavian surnames, playing the role of nicknames for status persons, have existed since about the 13th century. But these were unofficial appeals, while only names were recorded on paper. From the historical documents of that era, we know that a significant number of noble people in Moldova were of Ruthenian origin. The majority of the populationreceived surnames only in the XVIII century, and then closer to its end. A little later, in the 19th century, Moldovans, going to serve in the army (Russian or Austrian troops), had to provide a surname. In the absence of such, a nickname was recorded in the documents, which since then has become the official surname.

Characteristics of surnames

Most of the surnames of the Slavic population in Moldova end in "ov", "iy", "ich", "im", "k". They are mentioned for the first time since the 13th century. Further, Moldovan surnames with the suffixes "uk", "yuk", "ak" and similar variants are widespread. In general, Slavic, Ruthenian and Little Russian names gave rise to modern Moldavian surnames. Examples are such of them as Zaporozhan, Rusnak, Buts and others. As for the form "Buts", as well as "Guts", some modern researchers believe that they come from the word "hutsul" - an ethnonym denoting the Eastern Slavs. This word is comparable to the modern "katsap", "moskal" or the earlier "raiki", denoting the Rusyns living within Northern Bessarabia. The Moldovan surnames Rayko and Railyan are mainly descendants of the inhabitants of the Khotyn district. But the surname Rusnak directly comes from the self-name of the Rusyns.

The population census of Moldova in 1772-1774 tells a lot about what Moldovan names and surnames were common at that time. Accordingly, according to these data, it is possible to calculate the national composition of the then population of the country. The census was carried out by order and forcesRussian army. The shortcomings of her documentation led to the fact that a person could be recorded according to completely different criteria: first name, or surname, or occupation, or paternity, or nationality. At the same time, it is not always possible to understand what the census is all about. For example, in the entry “Ionita, Muntean” it is not clear whether this person is a highlander, as this word is translated from the Moldavian language, or whether he comes from Wallachia, which was called Muntenia. The entry “Makovey, Unguryan” also belongs there. It can mean both that a person comes from Hungary, and that he lived there for some time. At the same time, it can also be interpreted as an indication of nationality, without reference to the place of residence, or simply as a surname.

Moldovan surnames: list

Of course, we are not able to give a list of Moldovan surnames, which includes tens of thousands of items. We will indicate only those of them that are interesting for their national color and origin.