Considering the origin of the name Kononov, it should be noted that it is quite common in our country. In the list of 250 most common generic names, it takes 191st place. Interestingly, there are several versions of the occurrence regarding it. The origin and meaning of the Kononov surname will be described in detail in the article.
Greek name
According to the main version of the origin of the Konon surname, it is based on one of the Greek names. This can be attributed to many other generic names in Russia. In this case, we are talking about the Orthodox church name Konon, which is contained in the calendar. In the old days, it was very common. Translated, it means "hardworking", "working".
Religious traditions required the child to be named after a historical or legendary person who is revered by the church on a particular day. Those who received the name Conon did not have one, but several patrons in heaven at once. These include those who have this name:
- Rev. Hegumen Pentukla.
- Another saint, nicknamed Isaurian.
- The Holy Martyr, nicknamed Gradar, that is, a gardener.
- Martyr nicknamed Roman.
Details about the first two will be discussed below.
Noble man
According to linguists, the history of the name Kononov suggests that the bearer of this name, who was the founder of a whole family, belonged to the nobility. This is evidenced by the fact that this name is formed from the full form of the name.
This mainly refers to the social elite, the nobility or the family, which was greatly respected by others. While the lower strata for the most part had nicknames or diminutive forms of the name.
Affix suffix
According to the existing tradition, family names expressed family seniority. A very common way of forming surnames on the territory of the Russian state was to add the suffix “o” to the name of the father. He pointed to the existence of kinship.
The origin of the name Kononov belongs to linguists to this particular option. On behalf of Konon, by joining the "s" to him, the studied generic name was formed. So they could call a son, grandson or nephew, that is, a descendant. In the future, this nickname began to refer to the family-wide. He was officially registered as a surname.
Since the translation of the name from the Greek language was previously considered, now it is possible to give an answer to the question of what the name Kononov means. She is interpreted as "the son of a hardworking man."
Other versions
Considering the origin of the name Kononov, it is impossible not to mention them.
Some researchers do not exclude that this generic name may not have Greek, but Turkic roots. It is based on an analysis made by etymologists of surnames belonging to the 15-16th centuries.
He showed that the name Kononov was also recorded among representatives of the Tatar people. Moreover, it is detected repeatedly. So, in the scribal books of Kazan there is a record dating back to 1568, which mentions Pervush Kononov, a interpreter, that is, a translator who knew the Tatar-Kazan language.
If the surname is of Turkic origin, then it is likely that it is formed from the noun “con”. It has two meanings. One of them is “beauty,” and the other is “day.”
There are also opinions that the studied surname could be formed from other personal masculine names that are canonical. This is Nikon and Kondratius.
At present, it is rather difficult to talk about the exact time and place of origin of the generic name Kononovs. However, linguists are more confident in talking about the first of the above versions.
Orthodox saints
Consider episodes from the life of two saints bearing the name from which the studied surname was formed. The first of these is Conon, the former Father Superior of Pentucle. His memorial day dates back to February 19th. He baptized people who passed by the monastery. But at the same time, out of fear of temptation, he refused to smear women with the holy world.
John the Baptist, who once appeared to him, promised to help with prayers to combat temptations. But despite this, when a beautiful girl from Persia came to him, he could not christen her naked. Not finding another woman in a deserted place so that she could help him in anointing, the saint decided to leave the monastery. However, John the Baptist blocked his path, saying that Conon receives a reward for his struggle with temptations.
After John's command, the ascetic returned to the monastery and christened the Persian, not paying attention to the fact that she belongs to the female sex. After this, Conon lived in the monastery for another 20 years. He reached complete fearlessness and died in about 555.
Another martyr is Conon of Isauria. His memory is celebrated on March 5th. His patron was the archangel Michael. A related episode also relates to relationships with the female sex. His parents insisted that he marry a girl named Anna. However, the newly made husband convinced her to remain a virgin. They lived like a brother and sister, fully devoting themselves to serving God.