In the old days, the term "surname" had a different meaning than today. In the days of the Roman Empire, the surname was the community of slaves owned by a particular owner. And only at the end of the 19th century did the term acquire modern meaning. Currently, there are a huge number of generic names, the origin of each of them is associated with professions, occupation, regions of residence, nicknames, names, traditions, customs, life, character of our ancestors. There are surnames whose origin is associated with the appearance of a person or the circumstances of his birth. A large group of surnames is formed from names or nicknames.
Each surname is unique, with its interesting and unique destiny. The article will reveal the secrets of the origin and meaning of the name of Safronov.
The origin of the family name
The origin of the name Safronov is associated with the central regions of Russia. This is an old Russian naming convention that has been known since the 16th century. Over time, the carriers of this generic name settled and live in our time everywhere throughout Russia.
The origin of the name Safronov belongs to the ancient type of the native Russian patrimonial names, which are formed from the full form of the church name. The name was based on the name Safron.
The overwhelming majority of original Russian family names are formed from Christian names contained in Svyattsy (church names). Orthodoxy demanded that the child be named in honor of the saint - the legendary image that is revered by the church on a strictly defined day. Christianity came to Kievan Rus in the 10th century from Byzantium, which, in turn, borrowed religion from the Roman Empire, it came to Ancient Rome from the Middle East. That is why most of the personal names are borrowed from ancient Greek, Hebrew and Latin.
For example, the name Safron is of Greek origin, it means "prudent", in some dialects "sapron" is used in the meaning of "dork, ignorant."
Toponymic Version of the Occurrence of Naming
It is possible that the origin of the name Safronov is directly related to the geographical name, and belongs to the ancient type of Russian clan names. That is, it was formed on behalf of a person in connection with his place of residence or birth.
The emergence of "toponymic" surnames can be traced back to the 14th century. The percentage of noble families in this group is higher than in any other.
Safronov is a resident or native of the villages of Safronovo, Safonovo, Safonovskoye. Such nicknames were supplemented by church names and played the role of the secular during the spread in Russia of the tradition of dual-name. These names were often replaced by baptismal ones, and in official documents there are often records of the nickname Sofronets or Safronovets. These nicknames were preserved for life and were inherited. Over time, they received the status of a surname.
Holy patron of the family name: church version of the origin of the name Safronova
The patron saints of the name are the Archbishop of Cyprus Sofrony (was awarded the gift of miracles) and the Patriarch of Jerusalem Sofrony (defended Orthodoxy from heretics). Safronius Memorial Day is December 22. It is possible that when the child was born on this day, they called him a name in honor of these saints.
The following family names were formed from the baptismal name: Saprontsev, Sofronsky, Saprygin, Sapronenko, Sofrontyev, Sopronets.
Generic Naming Prevalence
The nationality of the name Safronov in 50% of cases is associated with Russian origin, in 10% - with Belarusian, in 5% - with Ukrainian and 30% is associated with the languages of the peoples of Russia (Mordovian, Bashkir, Tatar, Buryat), in 5% comes from Serbian and Bulgarian.
The surname is rare in Russia. In historical letters, the owners of this patrimonial name in the 16th century were important personalities from the Pskov merchants who possessed royal privilege.
The historical roots of this generic name can be found in the census of ancient Rus at the time of Ivan the Terrible. The great sovereign had a list of beautiful, princely families that were bestowed upon the court as an incentive. It is for this reason that a family name is rare.
In any case, the origin of the name Safronov is associated with his own name, nickname, place of residence of a distant ancestor. The process of forming generic names was lengthy, so the exact time and place of their origin is difficult to establish these days. With confidence we can only say that the name of Safronov is ancient.