The surname in the Roman Empire was the community of slaves that belonged to the masters. In the Middle Ages, this word characterized a clan or family. It was only in the 19th century that the term acquired its modern meaning: it began to designate the generic hereditary naming, which joins the personal name. Today, there are a huge number of names. The origin of this or that is connected with the name, profession of our ancestors, the territory of settlement, life, nicknames, customs, character traits. In our article, we will talk about the origin and meaning of the name Orlov, its history and eminent ancestors.
Origin of the surname
The generic name Orlov is one of the oldest and most common. The origin of the name Orlov is associated with a secular name or nickname. Most likely, the founder of this family name was called the Eagle in honor of a proud, noble bird of prey. It should be noted that the naming was very popular, this is due to the bird cult of the ancient Slavs. For example, ancient tribes living in Siberia believed that the world came from an eagle egg. They believed that the first shaman on earth was the son of a man and an eagle, he received wisdom, strength and vigilance from a bird.
After the spread of Christianity, baptismal names appeared, but worldly names and nicknames did not disappear for a long time. The second worldly name is a tribute to an ancient tradition whose purpose was to conceal the true baptismal name from evil spirits. So to the church names were joined nicknames or worldly names, one of which was the Eagle.
The origin of the name Orlov may be associated with a geographical name. So noble families were formed, since it was precisely such families that the need to transfer by inheritance the status, name, patrimony was necessary. For example, an ancestor who lived in the city of Oryol or in the Oryol province, could become Orlov. The meaning of the surname Oryol or Orlov reflects the name of the patrimony or land ownership. To legitimize the rights of heirs to own the estate, many landowners chose the generic name - Orlov.
Some scholars associate the origin of the name Orlov with the Hebrew name Aaron, who was the brother of Moshe Rabeinu and the first high priest. From him came the Coens, his descendants.
There is a version that the origin of the name Orlov is associated with the Irish name Oreilly. During the period of British conquest of Ireland, many soldiers who could die in their homeland fled to the mainland. Some of them moved to Kievan Rus and were hired to join the prince. The ancestors of these warriors called themselves Oreili, and this name was later interpreted in Orlov.
Historical information about the family name
In Tupikov's "Dictionary of Old Russian Names" Mikolka Oryol is referred to as a peasant - 1495. This is the very first mention of this name. Probably, in this particular case, the Eagle acted as a worldly name. Much later, peasants began to take the names of their former landowners, used the names of estates and geographical objects.
Noble family
The Orlovs are a count family that originates from Vladimir Orlov (early 17th century). It was his great-grandson, Count Grigory Orlov, who was brought up in the gentry cadet corps and was the favorite of Catherine the Great. He played a significant role in the history of the Russian Empire.
But not all Orlovs can claim the count title. Many peasants took the surname of their count or landowner, called themselves by the name of the estate in which they lived.
The clan of the Princes Orlovs is included in the 5th part of the genealogy book of the St. Petersburg province.
Instead of a conclusion
It is rather difficult to speak about the exact place and date of origin of the surname Orel or Orlov, since the process of forming surnames was long. This generic name is a monument of ancient Slavic culture and writing, as it reflects the ancient way of forming a generic name.
There are a lot of ways of origin of surnames, some reflected the appearance of a person or character traits. Generic names are found that are formed from the name of geographical objects. The most common surnames are those that are formed on behalf of a person or on the basis of his occupation. Such is the name Orlov, which is formed on behalf of a person.