​​​​​​​​​​LESSON 7: RUSSIAN NAMES​

Full name

Officially, Russians have three names: first name, patronymic and last name. The following are examples of full names for a man and a woman, respectively: Smirnov Sergei Ivanovich and Smirnova Anna Ivanovna. 

The most common Russian first names for male are: Alexandr, Sergei, Alexei, while for women - Maria, Anna, Ekaterina, etc.

The patronymic name is derived from the father’s name by adding -ovich/-evich for men and -ovna/-evna for women. For example, if the father's name is Ivan, then his son’s patronymic is Ivanovich, while his daughter’s patronymic is Ivanovna. 

Russians usually say both first name and patronymic in formal and official situations, for example, addressing your teacher or boss or people older than you, etc.

Usually, the last name also has different endings for men and women. For example, Smirnov - Smirnova, Uspensky - Uspenskaya, etc. Furthermore, there is a plural form of the last name which is used when you talk about a family, couple, etc., in general: Smirnovy, Uspenskie.

Diminutive name

Besides, most first names have a variety of diminutive forms, for example: Maria - Masha, Anastasia - Nastya, Mikhail - Misha, Ivan - Vanya, etc. They express informality, affection and/or familiarity. Usually, they are used to address friends, relatives, children or teenagers.