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Origin of Novikov surname

The owner of the surname Novikov, undoubtedly, can be proud of his ancestors, information about which is contained in various documents confirming the trace left by them in the history of Russia.

From ancient times, the Slavs had a tradition of giving a person a nickname in addition to the name that he received at baptism. The fact is that there were relatively few church names, and they were often repeated. A truly inexhaustible supply of nicknames made it easy to distinguish in human society. As sources could be used indications of a particular character or appearance of a person, the name of the nationality or locality from which the person came.

The surname Novikov is one of the most common in Russia, in terms of frequency of occurrence it is among the first hundred Russian names. The prevalence of this surname is due to the fact that every newcomer, alien, newcomer in the old days was called Novik. This definition quickly became a constant nickname and passed on to descendants in the form of a surname. It is no coincidence that in the ancient census books the records of some people nicknamed Novik are marked with a 'vestibule' (that is, a newcomer): Dogil Novik, Slonim earthling (vestibule), 1609; Savka Novik, Slonim earthling (hallway), 1609.

It is also known that Novik was called a young warrior. Therefore, such a surname could get a rookie. Alexei Tolstoy wrote in the Tale of Time of Troubles that the name of Novik was awarded to a young nobleman who first entered the royal service, that is, the nickname Novik could also act as the first officer rank.

According to documentary sources, there are several noble families of the Novikovs. One of them comes from Novgorod, from where later its representatives were transferred to Uglich and Ryazan. Efrem Semenovich Novikov, nicknamed Kurdyum, composed in 1676 scribe books of the Meshchovsky and Serpeysky districts. His son Fedor, the head of the archers and Cossacks in Pronsk, was killed in the Moscow ruin at Shuisky.

The Novikov clan is included in the VI part of the genealogy book of the Moscow, Nizhny Novgorod, Orel, Penza, Ryazan, Tambov and Yaroslavl provinces (Herbovnik, IV, 95).

Another kind of Novikovs, dating back to the beginning of the XVII century, comes from the patriarchal children of the boyars. Its founder Danilo Ivanovich Novikov was a clerk in the reign of Peter the Great, and his offspring were included in the VI part of the genealogy of the Vladimir province. Twenty-two genera of later origin are also known.

This surname used to be mixed: as a rule, representatives of the upper world preferred stress without fail on the last syllable, and the rest - mainly on the first.

Talking about the exact place and time of occurrence of the surname Novikov at the moment is not possible, since the process of forming surnames was quite lengthy. Nevertheless, the surname Novikov is a wonderful monument of Slavic writing and culture.

1. The prevalence of the surname is due to the fact that every newcomer in the old days was called 'Novik'. This definition quickly became a constant nickname and passed on to descendants in the form of a family name.

2. Novik is a young warrior. Such a surname could get a rookie.