One of the most common surnames in Russia is Yakovlev. The origin of the surname in Russia mostly comes from the baptismal name of the father. Initially, at baptism, the child was given a name that was chosen according to the holy calendar, the name of his father was attributed to him, so it was possible to distinguish what kind (family) the born baby belonged to. In the future, this was fixed under the guise of a middle name - this is how the concept of "last name" appeared. This word, translated from Latin, means a tribal community, which included blood relatives and non-blood ones (daughter-in-law, sons-in-law).
Origin of the surname
In the old days, the importance of the family was enormous. Every nation has a clan, clan, family at all times were of great importance. The word "rootless" was insulting and insulting. Therefore, when naming the name, the newborn was given several names, one of which denoted belonging to the family.
Starting from 988, every Orthodox Christian received a personal name at baptism, which corresponded to the name of the saint according to the holy calendar. After the personal name there was a record of the surname, that is, the family to which the baby belonged. The surname could be the name of the head of the family, his nickname or profession. It so happened that over time, three names were given in Russia: personal name, middle name (father's name) and surname denoting belonging to the family.
The origin of the surname Yakovlev suggests that the founder of the clan was a man who bore the name Yakov. For example, at the birth of a son, he was given the name of Ivan after Christmas time and recorded, son Yakovlev (Jacob). Subsequently, the surname (in this case, Yakovlev) was transmitted to subsequent generations along the male line.
Patronymic was added to the name and surname, the name of the father, since the surname denoted a distant ancestor.
The meaning of the name Jacob
As we have already found out, the Russian surname Yakovlev takes his origin on behalf of Yakov. This is a secular name, which is a church analogy given in honor of the holy great martyr Jacob, tortured by the Gentiles for his belonging to the faith of Christ. To the demands of the tormentors to renounce faith for the preservation of life, he refused.
This name is of Jewish origin and it sounds like Jacob. That was the name of the third forefather of the Jewish people - the son of Yitzhak, who is revered as the greatest righteous man who is the ancestor of the 12 tribes of Israel. Translated into Russian, it means "following the trail."
First name surname formation
The origin of the surname Yakovlev is quite interesting. Its formation comes from the possessive adjective "Yakovlev" (whose?), By suffix - ev. In addition, the surname is formed on a full name, which suggests that its founder was a noble family or, at least, respected. Otherwise, the surname would be formed from a diminutive, everyday name.
It is customary in Russia that a person who does not enjoy enough respect is called a diminutive name or nickname. This is especially true in rural areas. A person with sufficient strength, influence, power, usually called a full name. So there is something to be proud of Yakovlev, whose origin the surname has a respectful context.
In connection with the foregoing, it is worth noting that other names were also formed on behalf of Yakov: Yakovkin, Yakovin, Yakovenko, Yakovetsky, Yakoveykin. There are also surnames that appeared from the abbreviations Yashka, Yasha, Yakushka - these are Yashkin, Yashin, Yashaev, Yakushev, Yakushkin, Yakushevsky, Yakunnikov, Yakutin, Yakunchikov, Yakuntsov, Yakushechkin.
Scientists claim that the Belarusian and Ukrainian surnames Yakubovich, Yakubovsky, Yakubinsky, Yakubov came from the name Yakub, which is derived from the name Yakov. Also, most of the scientists include the surnames Yakhno, Yakhnovsky, Yakhnov to derivatives on behalf of Jacob.
Another origin of the surname Yakovlev
The surname was not always formed by the name of the head of the clan. When recording serfs, they were often given the name of the landowner to whom they belonged. As a rule, when recording a peasant was asked whose he was, and received the answer: "Yakovlev." So the origin of the name of Yakovlev can also indicate that the distant ancestors of this person were serfs of the nobleman Yakovlev. Often a whole village could carry one surname.
Nationality of a person bearing the surname Yakovlev
Note, discussing the origin of the name of Yakovlev, - the nationality of the person wearing it was not always Russian. They can be baptized Gentiles, whose surnames, unlike Russians, were formed only from personal names. These are the Chuvash, Mordovians, Tatars and representatives of the northern peoples.
