The word "surname" in the Roman Empire meant "a community of people, which consisted of a master and his slaves." This term acquired a different meaning in the Middle Ages, people began to understand the word "family" under the term "last name". The same understanding of this term existed initially in Russia. And only in the XIX century in Russian did it acquire a meaning that is official today: “it is a hereditary family name, which is added to a personal name”. After the concept of this term was established, many people became interested in the origin of their surnames. Some because of idle curiosity, others - to find out the story of their ancestors. In our article today we will talk about the name of Danilov, origin, meaning and its history.
Origin of the surname
The generic name Danilov is formed from a personal name and refers to the typical form of Russian surnames. That is, the origin of the surname Danilov is associated with the proper name of the person Danil, which is formed from the canonical Daniel. It was believed in Russia that if you name a child in honor of a great martyr or a biblical hero, his life will be bright and beautiful, as there is a strong connection between the name and human destiny.
In addition, the Slavs often added middle names to the baby’s personal name, thereby indicating their belonging to a particular genus. Such a tradition is connected with the fact that there were few church names and, in order to highlight their baby, his parents gave him a middle name. But in the future, it was it that became the name of the descendants.
The basis of the clan name was the church name Daniel. From the Hebrew meaning of the name Danilov - "God is my judge." It should be noted that the name Daniel was very popular in ancient times, not only among the Slavs, but also in many European nations, where it was modified and sounds like "Daniel".
Generic Name History
The origin of the name Danilov is associated with the church name Daniil. Orthodoxy honors the memory of St. Prince Daniel of Moscow (son of Alexander Nevsky, the first unitary prince of Moscow, the ancestor of the Rurikovich).
The church name Daniel was widespread among the population, and from different layers. And if the children were asked: “Whose son will you be?”, They answered: “Danilov.” It is from here that the surname Danilov takes its origin. It should be noted that baptismal names first began to appear among the noble strata of the population, therefore, the name Danilov appeared originally among representatives of the upper class.
For example, in the pre-Petrine era there was an ancient boyar clan of the Danilovs, they are attributed to the Smolensk branch of the Rurikovich.
But the oldest Danilov branch dates back to Idris, who came from Chernigov with two sons and a squad. It was his descendant Danilo Durnovo who became the founders of an ancient clan.
Prophet Daniel
The popularity of this name is associated with the biblical legendary prophet Daniel. He had the gift to interpret and understand dreams, which is what he became famous after the fall of Babylon at the court of Cyrus and Darius.
According to Bible tradition, Daniel and other Jews did not abandon the faith of their fathers, for which they were oppressed, but always miraculously saved from mortal danger. The prophet himself was thrown several times into the pit to the lions, but both times he was saved. During the reign of Cyrus, he encouraged him to liberate the Jews from Babylonian slavery and restore the Temple of Jerusalem. Scientists believe that Daniel lived to be 90 years old and was buried in the city of Susa in a registered tomb.
