The concept of “last name” from Latin is translated as “family”. In the days of the Roman Empire, the surname was the totality of slaves that belonged to a particular owner. And only in the 19th century did the word acquire modern meaning. Nowadays, the "surname" is called the hereditary name, which is added to the person’s name.
The history of the formation of generic names was very long. The origin of each specific surname is associated with professions, regions of residence of our distant ancestors, their customs, way of life, character, appearance, nicknames.
Each of us thought about what his family name means, since by revealing his secret, you can find out a story of a kind. The article will discuss the origin of the name of Efremov, and what significance does it have.
Generic Name Origin
The origin of the name of Ephraim is associated with the church name Ephraim, which in translation from ancient Hebrew means "prolific." The diminutive form of the name Ephraim formed the basis of the surname.
In the Christian religion, several holy righteous people are known, thanks to which the name was included in the Saints:
- Ephraim the Syrian;
- Saint Ephraim;
- Holy Martyr Ephraim Capiton.
In addition, it is believed that the name is derived from the name of one of the ancient Israeli tribes.
On behalf of the following surnames were formed: Efremychev, Efremkin, Efremushkin, Efremov.
The female form of the surname is formed using the ending –a.
The origin of the name Efremov is associated with the ancestor, whose name was Ephraim, the older form of the name is Ephraim or Ephraim.
In pre-revolutionary Russia, the name was widespread.
Since the origin of the surname Efremov comes from the full name, it can be assumed that the ancestor of this kind belonged either to the highest social class, or to a family that enjoyed great honor and respect. That is why he was called respectfully - by his full name, and not by multiple forms or nickname.
The origin and meaning of the surname Efremov
As already mentioned, the surname was based on the church name Ephraim. Often, the Slavs added the name of the father to the church name, indicating the child's belonging to a particular genus.
This tradition was also associated with the fact that there were few Christian names, and in order to single out the child, he was given a middle name or nickname.
Another theory of the origin of the name Efremov is from the Hebrew name Efraim, and the ending says about belonging. That is, "Ephraim" is translated as "the son of Ephraim, who was the son of Yosef" - the ancestor of one of the 12 Israeli tribes.
Noble family
The Efremovs are an ancient Cossack noble family, which was included in the genealogical books of noblemen of the Don Army.
An ancestor of this kind is Petrov Ephraim, the son of a Moscow merchant who settled in Cherkassk around the middle of the 17th century. He was engaged in trade, but after a while he became an army foreman and a marching chieftain. His son Efremov Daniel and grandson Efremov Stepan were atamans of the Don Cossacks.
From the chieftains of this kind, a courtyard with a manor palace and a house church was preserved in Starocherkassk. It was transferred in 1837 to the Don Don Starocherkassky Monastery. The graves of the Ephraim are on the territory of the temple. It should be noted that the famous ataman, Melanya Karpovna, about whom Valentin Pikul wrote in The Malany Wedding, was buried right there.
