Carriers of the surname Alekseev can be proud of their ancestors. Information about them is found in many documents that confirm their contribution to the history of the Russian State. Alekseev is an old and beautiful surname, the origins of which begin on behalf of Alexy. Where did the name Alekseev come to Russia from? You will learn from our article.
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The name that gave the name of the surname comes from the baptismal Alexy. In ancient Greek, this means “protect,” “reflect,” “prevent.” A large number of forms were formed on this behalf, one of them - Alex - and became the basis for the origin of the surname Alekseev.
Christian origins
Researchers of the origin of surnames in Russia state that their education mainly comes from Christian traditions. Religious rules required that a child be named after a saint, a historical, illustrious person who was worshiped by the church on a particular day of the year. The tradition of calling babies according to church calendars was a strong centuries-old tradition. However, she was not always followed. The main role in choosing a name for the child was played by the desire of the parents, and not the data from the calendar. Preference was given to the generic name.
For a long time already existed already favorite names, as they would say now - fashionable. Before the beginning of the formation of church nominal sets, already in use, there were special, preferred ones. These are the names of the apostles who surrounded Christ, those who took torment for Christian ideals. Among the Orthodox, among the revered saints and martyrs, the name Alexy is often found, from whom the surname Alekseev came.
Researchers put forward several versions of its origin. According to one of them, the name of Alekseyev is based on the church name Alexy.
The patron saint of Alekseev among Christians is Alexy, a saint, who is commemorated on March 30. History says this is a real character. He was a wealthy resident of ancient Rome in the 5th century. While still young, he decided to associate himself with God. Leaving his relatives, he lived to the end of his days, asking for alms, constantly offering prayers to the Almighty. After Alexy passed away, his relics became miraculous and helped heal the sick. In ancient Russia, there was a belief that if the child was given the name of a martyr or saint, then his life would not be overshadowed. The surname Alekseev is due to this divine person by its origin and meaning.
Previously, there were no surnames in Russia. Their assignment to specific families laid the clergy. So, Metropolitan Petro Mohyla, the Kiev lord, in 1632 instructed priests in the field to begin maintaining the metrics of those born, deceased and married.
Surname distribution in Russia
According to linguistic researchers, it follows that the origin of the surname Alekseev is a derivative of the baptismal name according to a certain pattern, namely: Alexy - Alexey - Alekseev.
Alekseev is one of the famous and popular Russian surnames. In 50% of cases it is of Russian origin, in 5% - Ukrainian, in 10% - Belarusian, in 30% - the roots are in the languages of other peoples living in Russia, namely: Tatars, Mordovians, Bashkirs, Buryats, etc. In 5% of its sources go to the Bulgarian and Serbian languages, but in any case it was formed on behalf of the occupation, nickname, place of residence of the ancestor on the male line.
Roughly from the second half of the 16th century, Russian surnames began to gradually “learn” the suffixes “-ov-”, “-ev-”, “-in-” and form the Russian family type. As a rule, in this case the patronym of the head of the family, father, was a hereditary family name. Based on this, it follows that the meaning of the surname Alekseev is "the son of Aleksey", "Alekseev the son."
The founder of the dynasty is a respected person. This can be explained by the fact that surnames formed from a full name had only those families that enjoyed significant authority in this place, which neighbors called exclusively by their full name, while representatives of other classes were usually called by nicknames or other diminutive names. Now you know the story of the name Alekseev. Its origin is quite interesting.
The acquisition by the people of Russia of their surnames
Most Russian surnames have a history of only about a hundred years. The bulk of the population of the Russian Empire acquired surnames according to the results of the first census of 1897. Up to this point, in the Russian countryside and villages, only nicknames had something to do with surnames. Conducting a population census, simplifying their work, they gave their families without grandfathers or paternal middle names or names, so the descendants of the head of the family, Alexei, became the Alekseevs. The process of acquiring surnames has been stretched over time.
Historical figures
The first time the surname Alekseev is documented in the materials of the XVI century. So, in documents of that time are fixed: Bozhenko Alekseev - the guardsman of Ivan the Terrible; Alekseev Bogdan - in 1587 passed in letters as a fair witness; Alekseev Alybash - in 1551 the landowner of the Tver district; Istoma Alekseev, who served as a gunner in the city of Ustyuzhensk in 1607; Sagittarius of 1583 Alekseev Kazak, who was also the landowner and owner of the yard in the city of Pustorzhev, etc.
Historical documents indicate that this surname was distributed in various classes. Famous representatives of this surname are the merchants of the city of Moscow Alekseev. Their clan was known for its merits both in industry and in social activities. They owned large enterprises that were engaged in the production of wool and cotton products. They became the founders of the process of moving merino sheep to Siberia.
The noble families of Russia are also represented by the illustrious surname Alekseev. The very first known of them is Fedor Osipov, the son of Alekseev, who became famous for his affairs in the seventeenth century.
The coat of arms of the Alekseev family is listed in the coat of arms of the noble families of Russia.
Famous surname carriers
Carriers of this surname should be proud of it. Many Russians made a significant contribution to the history and culture of the country. The most famous of them are:
- Alexander Ivanovich Alekseev - lyrical tenor, singer;
- Anton Dmitrievich Alekseev - hero of the USSR, polar pilot;
- Anton Nikolaevich Alekseev - lieutenant general;
- Vladimir Nikolaevich Alekseev - Hero of the Soviet Union, Admiral;
- Ivan Alekseevich Alekseev - Governor of the St. Petersburg province;
- Nikolai Vasilievich Alekseev - a famous shipbuilder and many others.
Konstantin Sergeyevich Stanislavsky, an outstanding representative of Russian and Soviet culture, the famous creator of the acting system, the first People’s Artist of the USSR, bore the name Alekseev, and Stanislavsky was a sonorous pseudonym.