Each surname is a story - the story of a family, ancestors. And today we look at the history of the origin of the name Bondarev. This surname has been known since the Middle Ages, takes its roots in Ancient Russia. It refers to the type of anthroponyms that came from the name of the profession or professional nickname of an ancient ancestor.
Names and worldly nicknames
After the introduction of Christianity in Russia, people at baptism began to receive names. However, due to our ancestors' fear of witchcraft influence, it was believed that baptismal names were best kept secret, because a sorcerer, knowing a person’s name, could damage his owner and even his entire family.
In addition, since the names were often the same, it was very difficult to distinguish people without additional naming. This was especially true of official documents.
A perfect way out in this situation were worldly nicknames that have existed for centuries. The source for the nickname could be anything: the area from which the person was born (let's, for example, remember the famous epic hero Ilya of Murom from the glorious city of Murom), animals or birds, which looked like a bearer of the nickname, and, of course, crafts that people did.
Who is a cooper?
Many surnames were associated with crafts - for example, Melnikov, Khomutov and many others. The name Bondarev owes its origin to the professional nickname “Cooper”. Today, this word is almost out of use. So who is a cooper? A cooper, or bodnar, is a craftsman who makes wooden containers with hoops and ropes.
It is traditionally believed that the name of the profession comes from the word "bodyn" - "tub, barrel" (from the German budin - tub). I would like to note that the idea that coopers were engaged in the manufacture of exclusively barrels is fundamentally wrong. These artisans made the most diverse utensils, fastening tightly fitted wood with hoops or rope. Although why did? They do to this day, because wooden containers are required in our time, for example, for the production of cognac and wine or the manufacture of high-quality pickles, and are also still widely used in bathhouses.
The value of the surname Bondarev
But we will be transported again from our days to Ancient Russia. The bulk of the peasants maintained subsistence farming, so artisans always stood out from the general population and were especially respected. Therefore, worldly nicknames easily took root in application to them, and subsequently to members of their families. In this way, the worldly nickname Bondar formed the basis for the origin of the name Bondarev.
In the XV-XVI centuries, surnames began to be fixed in their modern form and understanding: they began to be adjectives with the suffixes -ev / -ov / -in, referring the owner of the surname to the secular nickname of his ancestor, began to denote belonging to a specific family (Eng. - family) and transmitted from generation to generation. Based on the foregoing, it becomes clear what the name Bondarev means: a family whose head was a cooper, a craftsman who made wooden barrels and other containers.
