User-submitted Reference

Version 1. What does the name Yershov mean.

The basis of the Ershov surname was the worldly name Ershov. The surname Ershov is formed from the nickname Ruff. Similar 'fishy' nicknames were common in antiquity and became names in parallel with church ones. In 'Onomasticon' academician SB Veselovsky noted: Vasily Ivanovich Ersh Sudakov, the first half of the XVI century., Ersh Semyonovich Belkin, 1562. Ersh, eventually got the name Ershov.

Version 2. The history of the origin of the name Ershov.

Middle name from the non-church name Ruff. 'Fish' nicknames were common in antiquity and became names in parallel with church ones. Ershikha is the wife of the one whose name is Ruff. In the Veselovsky dictionary, Vasily Ivanovich Ersh Sudakov, the first half of the 16th century, Ersh Semenovich Belkin, 1562 are noted.

Version 3.

Origin of Ershov name

A study of the history of the emergence of the name Ershov opens up forgotten pages of the life and culture of our ancestors and can tell a lot of curious things about the distant past.

According to one version, the surname Ershov belongs to the ancient type of Slavic family names and is formed from the worldly name Ersh. Similar 'fish' naming conventions were common in antiquity and became names in parallel with the church ones. Prior to the introduction of Christianity in Russia, naming a child with a name representing the name of an animal or plant was a very common tradition. This corresponded to the pagan ideas of man about the world. Old Russian man, who lived according to the laws of nature, felt himself a part of it. Named their child by the name Ruff, the parents wanted the ruff fish to patronize their offspring in the future and, possibly, transferred some of their qualities to him. So, in the folk tradition, ruff was associated with dexterity and sneak.

However, not in all cases the basis of the Yershov surname should be attributed to the name of the fish, since the word ruff has other meanings in Russian dialects, for example, in Onega dialects - 'playful, mobile child', and in Perm dialects - the same as a hedgehog. Examples of the early use of the name or nickname of Ersh, as well as the derivative of Ershov from him: Ersh Tereshkevich, pan in the Principality of Lithuania (1450); Ruff, Kiev earthman (1522); Ruff Semenov, son of Belkin, Moscow nobleman (1562); Dmitri Borisov, son of Ershov, a tselnik in the Dvina region (1532).

According to another version, the surname Ershov can go back to the baptismal name Erofei, and more precisely, to his short form Erosh. Translated from the Greek language, the name Erofei means 'sanctified by God.' In the nameplate, this name appeared in honor of St. Erofei, one of the members of the Athenian Areopagus. Erofei throughout his life preached faith in Christ. The holy Christian faith Erofei was taught by the apostle Paul, who was appointed bishop in Athens. The memory of the martyr Erofei is celebrated on January 5.

In any case, this surname is formed on behalf of a nickname, occupation or place of residence of a distant ancestor of a person along the male line.

The generally accepted model of Russian clan names was not immediately formed, however, by the beginning of the 17th century, most of the names were formed by adding to the base — the name or nickname of the father — the suffixes -s / -ev and -in, which gradually became typical indicators of Russian family names. So the descendants of a man called Ersh / Erosh received the family nickname Ershov.

The surname Ershov is quite rare in the regions of Russia. In referenced important old records, citizens with this surname were important persons from the Slavic Murom merchants in the 15th – 16th centuries, who had considerable power and honors. Historical mentions of the surname can be found in the census index of Ancient Rus during the reign of Ivan the Terrible. The ruler kept a special list of privileged and harmonious surnames that were granted to the court only in case of special merit or award. Thus, this surname brought its own initial origin and is rare.