Famous priests. Popova: origin of the surname and interesting facts

He can rightfully be proud of his ancestors, information about which is contained in various documents confirming the mark they left in the history of Russia.

The basis of the Popov surname was the secular name of the ancestor Pop. This naming was added by the child's parents to the name he received at baptism. This name was used more often than a baptismal name and was assigned to a person for life.

The presence of a second, worldly name was a kind of tribute to the ancient Slavic tradition dual names. Her goal was to hide the main thing, church name from “evil spirits” and “evil spirits”.

The surname Popov is one of the most common in Russia, it ranks ninth in the list of most popular surnames. This surname could go back not only to the common noun “pop,” but also to the non-Christian name Pop, known in the past, from which the possessive “priest” was formed. This name, in turn, was used both to designate the son of a priest or the son of a man named Pop, and to name a priest’s worker, a farm laborer.

Popov is a very common surname. According to various sources, she is in fourth or fifth place in the popularity ranking (sharing the place with Sokolov). Only Smirnov, Ivanov and Kuznetsov are ahead of her. And only after her come Lebedev, Kozlov, Novikov, Morozov and Petrov. It's interesting to know what Popov is like. Now we will get to know this.

Distant past

Popov is a real ancient Slavic surname. It can happen in several ways.

In addition to the baptismal name, which was used infrequently to avoid the evil eye, the child received a nickname, which was also called a worldly name. It was common and popular. Therefore, there is nothing strange that when the formation of surnames began, they were written down from the worldly name that was on everyone’s lips: Ofonka Larionov’s son, a Yuryev peasant nicknamed Pop; Don village resident, Mikhailo Pop.

The secular personal name Pop was very common. In ancient records there are Senka Pop, the peasant, Pop Mikhailo, Don Cossack. To form a surname, add the suffix “-ov” and get “Popov” - a familiar surname. From it we get the female version - Popova. The origin of the surname is consistent with the rules of the Russian language.

The second way to form a surname

The descendants of the priests also bore the surname Popov. Or if it was a daughter or wife, then it turned out to be Popova. Origin of the surname in in this case came from the type of activity of the relative.

By the way, in the Russian North, especially in the Arkhangelsk province, 20% of the population had the surname Popov. Historians attribute this frequency to the fact that the position mentioned was elective - priests were not sent from seminaries or appointed, but residents chose them from among themselves.

Another way for a surname to appear

People working for clergy received the nickname “priest worker,” which was later shortened to the simple surname Popov.

And the female person who had family ties with him was called Popova. The origin of the surname in this case, as you can see, does not bring any particular difficulty.

Next version

According to another version, this surname goes back to baptism Latin name Publius or Poplius (“people’s”), shortened to Pop. Naturally, the surname later became Popov, and in the female version - Popova. The origin of the surname in this way seems less likely to researchers, but it is not completely ruled out.

What is the meaning of a surname?

In general, we found out how the surname Popov could have appeared, the origin and meaning of which we discuss in our article. At the same time, one cannot help but dwell on the issue of lowering social status surnames How does this happen in modern language?

It's no secret that schoolchildren often turn their last names into nicknames. Coming to school, Sokolov becomes “Sokol”, Kiselyov becomes “Kiselyov”, and Popov becomes “Pop”. This indicates a transition from official name to a more intimate name, and often without offensive connotations.

This process is absolutely the opposite of the formation of surnames. A simple conclusion suggests itself. The Russian language is a self-organizing system that stores all the processes that took place in it and, if desired, can reverse them.

People who glorified their surname

Let's remember famous people who bore the described surname:

• Alexander Stepanovich Popov - inventor of radio. Russian ships were equipped with hearing aids in 1901.
• Oleg Popov - the “sunny clown” who was applauded by everyone circus arenas peace. His actions did not need to be translated. He brought joy to all people and how great artist added a touch of slight sadness to it. Therefore, the image he created is not forgotten. This master “healed” people with laughter.
• Vladimir Popov is vice-president of the Union of Architects of the Russian Federation. In the 60-70s, mass construction of residential areas was carried out based on his projects.
• Sergei Popov is a scientist conducting research in the field of diseases of the nervous system.
• Singer Ekaterina Popova (soprano) - made her debut in France, since 2003 she has been working at the Mariinsky Theater.

The process of forming surnames in Rus' was a long one. It’s hard to believe now, but back in the 17th century, not everyone had them. For example, surnames for the clergy appeared only in the 19th century, and everyone else acquired family names only at the beginning of the 20th century.

Many surnames came from worldly pre-Christian names (Baranov, Bolshakov), from calendar church names (Ivanov, Mikhailov); among the peasantry, family names were common, which were given by the name of the profession (Bondarev, Melnikov, Kuznetsov). The article will discuss the history of the Popov surname, its origin and distribution. So, in order.

Origin of the surname

Popov is a very common surname in Russia and Bulgaria. How did she appear? According to one version of the origin of the Popov surname, it is derived from the word “pop” (from the Greek “papas”, which means “father”). Pop is an outdated colloquial nickname Orthodox priest. This is where the surnames came from: Popov, Popadyin, Poptsov, Raspopov, Popovsky, Popadeikin and others.

The nickname was first assigned to the clergyman. Then his children were called “priest’s son”; over time, “son” or “grandson” was dropped from speech.

According to the second version of the origin of the Popov surname, there was such a name in Rus' - Pop. They named children during the period of development and spread of the Slavic custom of dual names (when, along with the baptismal name, the child was given another one - a worldly one - in order to hide his true name from evil spirits and evil spirits). By naming the child this name, parents believed that they were thereby bringing their child closer to God and taking all misfortunes and sorrows away from him.

The first information about the generic name Popov

Since this is one of the ancient church titles (priests began to be called this immediately after the adoption of Christianity), the first written mentions of priests are found already in the 11th century in the “Canticles of the Prophets.” “Pop” appeared as a proper name a little later. It was first found in the 15th century in the Census Books. For example: Popko Nikita, 1490, peasant, Novgorod.

The surname Popov became most widespread in the North of Russia. For example, in the Arkhangelsk province in 1897 there were 20 Popovs per thousand people. In 1964, 30 thousand Popovs lived in the capital.

Such a high degree of prevalence of the surname is due to the fact that in the North, priests were chosen by the people themselves from among themselves.

TO XVII century Popovs populate southern regions Russia.

It should be noted that the surname is absent among the Western Slavs, but is quite common among the Bulgarians.

Morphological meaning of the surname Popov

Like all Russian surnames, it is easy to pronounce, declined according to cases, and in female version ending (a) is added.

Initially, the stress was placed on the first syllable, but then this pronunciation took on an offensive connotation (as a derivative of the back point of a person), so the bearers of this generic name themselves initiated the transfer of stress to the second syllable. This is how the modern pronunciation of the surname appeared.

Popov Alexander Stepanovich

One of the most famous bearers of this surname is Popov A.S. This is a famous Russian physicist, inventor of radio communications, creator of the first radio receiver. Born into the family of a clergyman in a small Ural village. He received his first education at a theological school, then studied at the Perm Theological Seminary and St. Petersburg University. The years were difficult, there was always a shortage of funds, he had to combine work with studies. During these years, he became interested in physics, which he began teaching after graduating from university. From 1901 he became a professor at the Institute of Electrical Engineering in St. Petersburg, and a little later its rector. But the true passion of Alexander Stepanovich Popov was experiments, to which he devoted all his free time. In 1895, he created a radio receiver, and three years later he began conducting his radiotelegraphic experiments on ships.

Instead of output

This is such a famous and widespread surname, the exact place and time of its appearance is unknown. The exact origin of the Popov surname is unknown, but it is known for sure that it belongs to the number of ancient Russian surnames and traces its history back to the time of the spread of Christianity in Rus'.

Over our centuries-old history, much has been forgotten and lost. ancient customs and traditions, our language has changed, our culture has changed. And it is very important for subsequent generations to preserve the memory of the origin of surnames, many of which are monuments of Slavic traditions and customs.

The surname Popov belongs to ancient type originally Slavic surnames formed from the secular name of the ancestor.

In the old days in Rus', every person had two names. To the name received by the child at baptism, a second name was added, called secular or non-church. Worldly the names were very popular throughout the territory ancient Russian state. It is not surprising that the family nickname of the descendants was very often written not from the church, but from the more familiar secular name of the ancestor.

Last name Popov could come from the worldly name Pop. As a personal name, Pop was quite common among worldly people. In documents of the XV-XVII centuries. the peasant Senka Pop (1495) and the Don Cossack Mikhailo Pop are mentioned. The descendants of priests could also be called priests. This is one of the most common surnames in Russia, especially in the north of the country. A count of surnames in the Arkhangelsk province (1897) showed an unprecedentedly high frequency - 20 Popovs per thousand people. It can be assumed that the spread of this surname in the north of Russia is associated with the election of the clergy in these areas: until the 18th century. priests were not appointed there, but were elected by the residents themselves from among themselves.

Historical sources also speak about the wide distribution of the Popov surname. For example, in the list of guardsmen of Ivan the Terrible in 1573, Vaska and Olesha Spiridonov Popov are mentioned. Documents from the city of Kursk mention Ivan Popov, son of Borisov (1619), Vasily Popov (1641), and regimental Cossack Maxim Popov, son of Ivanov (1670). In the Ryazan Onomasticon of the XIV-XVII centuries. the landowner Popov Grigory Andreev (1611) is mentioned. Popov Kalina (17th century) is a well-known icon painter from Novgorod. IN In the 17th century, the explorer Fedot Alekseevich Popov became famous, who, together with Dezhnev, discovered the Strait between Asia and America. Popov - ancient noble family. The Popov family coat of arms is interesting: 4 keys - representing security and humility, a Maltese cross - a symbol of the victory of Christianity over paganism, a horseshoe - a symbol of chivalry (the nobles considered it humiliating to fight on foot), the coat of arms is crowned with a knight's helmet with a crown, with a dog rising above it - a symbol of fidelity . One of the representatives of this family is Vasily Stepanovich Popov (1743-1821). He served with Prince Dolgoruky-Krymsky, then headed the office of Potemkin, and after Potemkin’s death he led the office of Empress Catherine. Well-known merchants of the 18th century are Iosaf, Theopemt, Kozma, Alexey and Mark Popov. Mark is an inventor in casting tools and making guns. Among the Popovs there are many representatives of the clergy. For example, archbishops Irinarh, Parfeniy Popov, two bishops Pavel Popov and Archimandrite Porfiry Popov (19th century) are known. Also known are Professor of the Military Medical Academy Lev Vasilyevich Popov, Honored Professor of Moscow University, historian, Slavist, archivist Nil Aleksandrovich Popov, historian, from the nobles of the Ryazan province Alexander Nikolaevich Popov, organic chemist Alexander Nikiforovich Popov (19th century). Particularly famous is Popov Alexander Stepanovich (1859-1905/06) - physicist and electrical engineer, inventor of electrical communication without wires.

Representatives of the Popov family especially distinguished themselves in the military field. So, for example, during the First World War, the following became full Knights of St. George: Yegor Mikhailovich, Pavel Ilyich and Pyotr Ivanovich Popov. And among the Heroes of the Soviet Union, participants in the Great Patriotic War- thirty-nine representatives of the Popov family.

Over the long centuries of our bright and eventful much of history has been forgotten and has become a thing of the past ancient traditions and customs, the language has changed. It is all the more important and interesting for descendants to preserve the memory of the origin of their surname, which is a wonderful monument to the most ancient pan-Slavic customs and traditions.

Bibliographical sources:
Unbegaun B.O. Russian surnames. M., 1995.

Veselovsky S.B. Onomasticon: Old Russian names, nicknames and surnames. M., 1974.

Tupikov N.M. Dictionary of Old Russian personal names. S.-Pb., 1903.

© Research Institute “Center for the Study of Surnames”