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Origin of Petrov surname

A representative of the surname Petrova can be proud of her ancestors, information about which is contained in various documents confirming the trace left by them in the history of Russia.

The surname Petrova came from the central regions of Russia and is one of the oldest Russian surnames that have been known since the 16th century. Of course, over time, representatives of this family settled in other historical areas.

The surname Petrova belongs to the common type of primordially Russian surnames formed from the full form of the baptismal name.

The overwhelming majority of Russian surnames are formed from Christian Orthodox names contained in the church calendar - the holy calendar. Religion demanded that the child be called not just somehow, but in honor of one or another saint, i.e. a legendary or historical person revered by the church on a strictly defined day of the year. The Christian religion came to Russia in the X century from Byzantium. Byzantium borrowed it from the Roman Empire, but it penetrated into Rome from the Middle East. Therefore, most personal names, i.e. Christian names, borrowed from Hebrew, Ancient Greek and Latin.

So, for example, the name Peter, from which the name Petrova is formed, in translation from the ancient Greek language means 'stone, rock.' The name Peter was included in the Orthodox name-book in honor of the saints bearing this name: apostles, saints, holy martyrs, martyrs, reverends, and righteous people.

Surname Petrov (a) is one of the ten most frequently found in Russia (in some territories up to 6-7 people per thousand). The name Peter became especially widespread in the 18th century, when this name was given in honor of Emperor Peter I.

The surnames formed from the full form of the name were mainly of the social elite, nobility, or families that enjoyed great authority in the area, representatives of which the neighbors respectfully called their full name, unlike other classes, which were called, as a rule, diminutive, derivative, everyday names.

Often, the ancient Slavs added the name of his father to the name of the newborn, thereby indicating belonging to a particular genus. This is due to the fact that there were relatively few baptismal names, and they were often repeated. The addition to the person's name in the form of a middle name helped solve the problem of identification. Subsequently, patronymics could also serve as the basis for the formation of surnames.

Already in the XVII century, the noble noble family of the Petrovs was known, and in the middle of the XVIII century, twelve independent noble families bearing this name were recorded in the genealogy books of various Russian provinces.

Since the process of forming surnames was quite lengthy, it is difficult to talk about the exact place and time of occurrence of Petrov's surname. Nevertheless, the name of Petrov is a wonderful monument of Slavic writing and culture.