One of the most common surnames in Russia is Yakovlev. The origin of the surname in Russia in the majority comes from the baptismal name of the father. Initially, at baptism, the child was given a name that was chosen according to the calendar, the name of the father was attributed to him, so it was possible to distinguish which clan (family) the born baby belonged to. In the future, this was fixed under the guise of a middle name - this is how the concept of "surname" appeared. This word, translated from Latin, means a tribal community, which included blood relatives and non-blood relatives (daughter-in-law, son-in-law).
Origin of the surname
In the old days, the importance of the family was enormous. For every nation, clan, clan, family have always been of great importance. The word "rootless" was offensive and insulting. Therefore, when giving a name, the newborn was given several names, one of which meant belonging to the family.
Starting from 988, every Orthodox Christian received a personal name at baptism,which corresponded to the name of the saint according to the calendar. After the personal name, there was a record of the surname, that is, the family to which the baby belonged. The surname could be the name of the head of the family, his nickname or profession. It so happened that over time in Russia three names were already given: a personal name, a patronymic (father's name) and a surname denoting belonging to the family.
The origin of the surname Yakovlev suggests that the founder of the clan was a man who bore the name Yakov. For example, at the birth of a son, he was given the name Ivan according to the Christmas time and it was written down, the son of Yakovlev (Jakov). Subsequently, the surname (in this case, Yakovlev) was passed on to subsequent generations through the male line.
The name and surname were added to the patronymic, the name of the father, since the surname denoted a distant ancestor.
Meaning of the name Jacob
As we have already found out, the Russian surname Yakovlev takes its origin from the name Yakov. This is a secular name, which is an analogy to the church name, given in honor of the holy great martyr Jacob, who was martyred by the pagans for his belonging to the faith of Christ. To the demands of the tormentors to renounce the faith for the preservation of life, he refused.
This name is of Jewish origin and it sounds like Jacob. That was the name of the third forefather of the Jewish people - the son of Yitzhak, who is revered as the greatest righteous man, who is the ancestor of the 12 tribes of Israel. Translated into Russian, it means "following the trail".
Formation of a surname from a name
The origin of the name Yakovlev is quite interesting. Its formation comes from the possessive adjective "yakovlev" (whose?), by the suffix -ev. In addition, the surname is formed from the full name, which indicates that its founder was of a noble family, or at least respected. Otherwise, the surname would have been formed from a diminutive, everyday name.
So it is customary in Russia that a person who does not enjoy sufficient respect is called a diminutive name or nickname. This is especially true in rural areas. A person with sufficient power, influence, power, is usually called the full name. So there is something to be proud of Yakovlev, the origin of whose surname has a respectful context.
In connection with the above, it is worth noting that other surnames were formed on behalf of Yakov: Yakovkin, Yakovin, Yakovenko, Yakovetsky, Yakoveikin. There are also surnames that appeared from the diminutive names Yashka, Yasha, Yakushka - these are Yashkin, Yashin, Yashaev, Yakushev, Yakushkin, Yakushevsky, Yakunnikov, Yakutin, Yakunchikov, Yakuntsov, Yakushechkin.
Scientists claim that the Belarusian and Ukrainian surnames Yakubovich, Yakubovsky, Yakubinsky, Yakubov originated from the name Yakub, which is a derivative of the name Yakov. Also, most scientists attribute the names Yakhno, Yakhnovsky, Yakhnov to derivatives from the name Yakov.
Another origin of the surname Yakovlev
Not always the formation of a surname took place on the name of the head of the clan. Often, when registering serfs, they were given the surname of the landowner to whom they belonged. Usually,when recording, the peasant was asked whose he was, and received the answer: "Yakovlev." So the origin of the name Yakovlev can also indicate that the distant ancestors of this person were serfs of the nobleman Yakovlev. It was not uncommon for an entire village to share the same surname.
Nationality of a person bearing the surname Yakovlev
Note, when discussing the origin of the Yakovlev surname, the nationality of the person wearing it was not always Russian. They can be baptized Gentiles, whose surnames, unlike Russians, were formed only from personal names. These are Chuvashs, Mordovians, Tatars and representatives of northern peoples.
Famous Yakovlevs
The most famous is the Yakovlev family, descended from the offspring of A. I. Kobyla. This courtier became the ancestor of many noble families, including the Yakovlevs, and in addition, the royal family of the Romanovs, Sukhovo-Kobylins, Sheremetevs and others. His great-great-grandson, who bore the name of Yakov Zakharyevich, was the founder of the Yakovlev and Zakharyin family, among which there are many prominent political figures of Russia, the military, as well as a chemist.
In modern Russia, there are many famous people bearing this surname. We can recall our outstanding contemporaries - Yuri Yakovlev, Elena Yakovleva, Marina Yakovleva, Alexander Yakovleva, the largest aircraft designer Alexander Sergeevich Yakovlev and many others.
