More and more people are interested in their roots and ancestors, the origin of their own surnames. These searches are far from always successful. That is why the material in the article and the versions given in it will be useful to those people who want to know the origin of the name Belyakov, the history and version of its appearance.
Surname history
In general, the surname Belyakov belongs to hereditary names that were formed from the so-called secular name. The fact is that in Russia for quite a long time (up to the 17th century) there was a truly unique tradition: people were given nicknames that reflected their traits of character or appearance, and informed about lifestyle.
The thing is that initially church names were perceived by people as strangers. In addition, there were relatively few of them, because they were often repeated, which caused inconvenience in communication. It is for this reason that people were often endowed with familiar and understandable names that gradually turned into family names.
It is worth noting that they were so common that sometimes they completely supplanted the baptismal name of a person. They replaced it not only in everyday life, but even in official documents! At one time, the nickname Belyak was very popular and widespread. It quite often acted as an official name, forming a middle name in possessive form. So, the children of Belyak were called Belyakov’s daughter or Belyakov’s son. Hence the origin of the name of the Belyakov.
Variant of Origin No. 1: White
In order to find out what exactly the surname Belyakov means in each specific case, you need to learn as much as possible about your ancestor. So, the worldly name Belyak can be correlated with the word white. It should be noted that not only a white-skinned or fair-haired person could appropriate it. The fact is that in Russia this color symbolized spiritual purity, which is why the origin of the surname Belyakov can be connected with the righteous life of the ancestor or his belonging to the higher clergy. It is possible that this surname appeared due to the fact that the founder of the clan was distinguished by cleanliness, and in his house impeccable order reigned.
Option of origin No. 2: resident of the white city
There is a version that in medieval times all the cities that were exempted from state taxes were called white. That is why, historians say, the origin of the surname Belyakov can be correlated with the nickname Belyak, which was a kind of mark of a resident of such a settlement.
Option of origin No. 3: shoemaker or hunter
It is likely that the founder of the Belyakov clan was a shoemaker or seller of shoes made of white rawhide. It was such shoes in Vologda dialects that they called the “whitewash”. In addition, exactly in different regions of Russia it was customary to call a winter hare with white fur. That is, the origin of the surname Belyakov may be associated with the extraction of white skins, the nickname of the hunter for these hares.
Option of origin No. 4: resident Belyakova
Researchers say that at the end of the 19th century, all citizens of the Russian Empire who did not have a surname were assigned it without fail. For this reason, the origin of the surname Belyakov may indicate the name of the village or village. That is, residents of such settlements as, for example, Belyakovo, received a surname precisely on the basis of the name of the settlement in which they lived.
