Where did the human race come from? This is perhaps one of the most difficult philosophical questions that thinkers have been struggling with for more than one century, and maybe even more than one millennium. And not one of the scientists gave an answer to it, not one of the hypotheses proposed by them could find conclusive confirmation. So let us leave such global issues for great philosophers and try to solve at least the problem of the history of our family, family, namely: the problem of the origin of surnames, because many of us probably thought about this issue.
In this article, we consider the origin of the surname Matveev.
What is our last name
The word surname is not native Russian. Basically, it has the Latin root familia, which translates as "family". However, under the family in this case it is worth considering not only the cell of society, consisting of parents and children. Speaking about the surname, it is more appropriate to consider the whole clan: from distant ancestors (great-grandmothers and great-grandfathers) to its youngest representatives, because they are all carriers of a surname that will be inherited from father to children, enriching and expanding your clan.
Thus, the surname is the name of the genus, which is inherited (in Russia, through the male line).
The very first names in the world arose in Italy at the turn of the tenth to eleventh centuries. But the history of Russian surnames (to which Matveyev’s surname also refers) originates in Novgorod in the 13-14 centuries, while the first surnames did not resemble us usual now. Rather, they looked like nicknames: Petr Nekras, Maria Tuguha, and the names of Matveyev could be preceded by such a nickname as Matveyets, and others.
Surnames became mandatory only in the sixteenth century, and their exclusively privileged sections of the population wore. Ordinary people, peasants, acquired surnames only by the eighteenth century, and finally and officially secured them the right to possess a surname only after the Peasant Reform of 1861.
Model of the formation of Russian surnames
Considering the origin of the surname Matveev, the "nationality" of the generic name can be determined by the way the surname is formed.
Most Russian surnames are formed from the base of a noun by attaching to it the possessive (that is, with the meaning of belonging) suffix. Productive (common) in the Russian language are possessive suffixes ov, ev, in. Remember how often you find surnames ending with this particular combination of letters.
The education and origin of the surname Matveev is no exception. It arose from the personal masculine name Matvey with the suffix ev. This model of surname formation was very popular in Russia. The name taken as the basis of the surname belonged to the head of the family. Initially, to name someone, they did not just pronounce his name and surname, but used a more complex construction in his speech: He (first name) His (possessive adjective, which has become a modern family name) son. For example: Ivan Matveev son. Over time, the "unnecessary" part simply cut off, leaving only the first and last name.
In addition to the names of the head of the family, other words could be used that indicate an essential attribute, with the help of which it was possible to determine the person’s belonging to the family, to the genus of a certain person. The names of professions, the estate to which the ancestor belongs, and a striking external feature could become such primary principles.
Version number two
The origin of the surname Matveyev is also associated with the name of the New Testament saint, the Apostle Matthew. The fact is that during the baptismal rite, in addition to the name given by the parents, a person is given another one corresponding to the name of the heavenly patron (that is, the saint on whose day the person was born). Thus, the baptized immediately appeared two names, the second of which later became a surname and began to be inherited.
What does the name Matveev mean?
Everything seems to be clear with the history of the surname. The origin of the surname Matveyev is directly related to the masculine name Matvey. But what about the meaning of the generic name? As you probably already guessed, we turn again to the source name, or rather, to its meaning. The name Matvey is translated from Hebrew as “a man of God”, it is clear that if you want to determine the meaning of a surname, you need to associate it with this translation.
