User-submitted Reference

Version 1. What does the name Smirnov mean?

According to another version, the surname Smirnov came from the estate of people wandering (wandering) around the Russian land. They were characterized by: practicality, curiosity and spiritual enlightenment. The appearance of these wandering people in some kind of remote ('Forgotten by God') settlement brought with it: the discovery of new ways of farming by the inhabitants, the emergence of new knowledge about the laws of nature. In those days, the head of the wandering family clan greeted the indigenous people (who meet on the way) with the standard phrase: 'Hello, good people! We have come to you with PEACE NEW.' This phrase also served to form a surname consisting of the roots of the two words 'WORLD' and 'NEW' .... After the nomadic lifestyle of a number of family dynasties remained in the past, their descendants continued to call themselves Smirnovs. A wandering lifestyle explains the wide territorial prevalence of this surname.

Version 2

Smirnov is one of the most common Russian surnames. In Moscow alone there are seventy thousand Smirnovs. Why? In a large peasant family, quiet, unshaky children were a great relief to their parents. This quality, rare for young children, was imprinted in the secular name of Smirnaya, it often became the main name of a person for life (the church name was forgotten by others). From the Smirny the Smirnovs went. (F) The most frequent Russian surname in a vast strip covering the entire Northern Volga region, most often in the Yaroslavl, Kostroma, Ivanovo regions and adjacent areas of neighboring regions, this zone extends to the Kirov region to the east. As you move away from this zone, the frequency decreases. In Moscow in 1964, the surname Smirnov took fifth place (58 thousand people). By origin, she is a middle name from the Russian non-church male name Smirnaya, i.e. 'Quiet, quiet, obedient'. Early examples - even middle names - in Vladimir tithes of 1613: 'Ivan Smirnov's son Samarin', 'Stepan's peaceful son of Kuchuk'. A common noun changed its vowel and place of emphasis, and the surname retained its archaic form (similarly: thick - Tolstoy - thick). (H) Surnames Smirnin, Smirenkin from the ancient Slavic names Smiren, Smirenka. Smyrensky, Smirnitsky - seminary surnames from the same root.

Version 3.

The etymology of the surname Smirnov, which belongs to the common type of Russian surnames, goes back to the proper name. The surname Smirnov was based on the worldly name Smirnaya. The fact is that church names were initially perceived by the ancient Slavs as alien, since their sound was unusual for Russian people. In addition, there were relatively few baptismal names, and they were often repeated, thereby creating difficulties in communication between people. Therefore, the ancient Slavs solved the problem of identification by adding a secular name to the church. This allowed them not only to easily distinguish a person in society, but also to indicate his belonging to a certain genus. According to the ancient Slavic tradition of dual-name, the secular name served as a kind of amulet that protects a person from evil spirits. The Smirnov surname is based on the very popular non-Christian male personal name Smirnoy. It is formed from the archaic form of the meek - 'meek, quiet, obedient.' Perhaps the name reflected the real qualities of the child, or - more likely - the desire of the parents regarding their future behavior. The personal name of Smirnaya was widespread in all territories and in all social strata, which is why the surname Smirnov is so common. Intensive introduction of surnames in Russia XV-XVII centuries. It was associated with the strengthening of a new social layer, becoming the ruling - the landowner. Initially, these were possessive adjectives with the suffixes –ov / –ev, –in, indicating the name of the head of the family. As a result, the descendant of a man who has the name Smirnaya eventually got the name Smirnov. The tradition of giving the child, in addition to the official baptismal name, another, secular, was maintained until the 17th century. and led to the fact that surnames formed from worldly names accounted for a significant part of the total number of Russian surnames.

Version 4.

There must have been extremely many humble, calm, obedient people in old Russia: women were often called Smyren and Smyrenka, men - Smyrna, Smirnyaga. The kids were given such names, hoping that this would help to raise a person with a kind, balanced disposition. And then, based on these nicknames, the names Smirdin, Smirenkin, Smirensky, Smirin, Smirnensky, Smirnin, Smirnitsky, Smirnitsky, Smirnov, Smirnyagin, Smirtyukov appeared.

Version 5.

The most common Russian surname in a vast strip covering the entire Northern Volga region, most often in the Yaroslavl, Kostroma, Ivanovo regions and adjacent areas of neighboring regions, this zone extends to the Kirov region to the east. As you move away from this zone, this frequency decreases. In Moscow in 1964, the surname Smirnov took fifth place (58 thousand people). By origin, she is a middle name from the Russian non-church male name Smirnaya, that is, 'meek, quiet, obedient.' Early examples - even middle names - in Vladimir tithe of 1613: 'Ivan the Smirnov son of Samarin', 'Stepan the peaceful son of Kuchuk'. The common noun has changed the vowel and the place of stress, and the surname retained the archaic form

Version 6.

Surnames were also given by place of residence and here we have an interesting example. In the 6th century BC in the territory of present-day Turkey there was a Lydian Empire of the Etruscans in whose territory the city of Smyrna was located. The relatedness of the Etruscans with the Rus is proved both genetically and linguistically. From the Etruscans comes for example the popular name Andrei, here is the source of his origin: the name Adrian is translated as 'strong', 'mature', also from Latin it is translated as 'originating from the city of Adria'. The popular form of the name is Adrian or Adrian, the colloquial form is Adrian. Derivatives: Adrianka, Adriasha, Adriah, Adrya, Adya, Andrya, Andryusha, Adriyanka, Yanka, Adriakha, Adriyash, Yasha. We find another answer from the Roman historian Titus Livius, who wrote about the Etruscans of the first millennium BC as follows: 'The Etruscan empire before the Roman Empire encompassed considerable spaces by land and sea ... They dominated the upper and lower seas, which Italy washes ... One of these, the Italian peoples called Tussky, by the name of the people, the other - the Adriatic, from Adria, a colony of Etruscans ... '

Version 7

There must have been extremely many humble, calm, obedient people in old Russia: women were often called Smyren and Smyrenka, men - Smyrna, Smirnyaga. The kids were given such names, hoping that this would help to raise a person with a kind, balanced disposition. And then on the basis of these nicknames appeared the names Smirdin, Smirenkin, Smirensky, Smirin, Smirnensky, Smirnin, Smirnitsky, Smirnitsky, Smirnov, Smirnyagin, Smirtyukov

Version 8.

The Smirnov surname was given to a Russian person who had Meryan (Mari) and, possibly, Murom roots of origin. Those who assigned this surname to this person thus wanted to save their descent from the Meryans. As previously mentioned, this surname takes first place in the northeastern and central regions of the genogeography of the Russian plain, where the pre-Slavic population of Meria and Murom lived. The surname Smirnov is also common in the Republic of Mari El both among Russians and Mari. Such a surname did not take root either in the west and south, where the Baltic Slavic tribes lived, and in the north, where the Pomors lived. And the fact that the born boys were given the name Smiren and the surname came from this can only be believed by children and ... Surname Smirnov is a marker for determining the pedigree from Meryan (MARI).